Campag4life

You rather butchered the physics of it with your hacked explanation. You can't be talking to me....about as misguided as your comment about my contempt of a slammed riding position which isn't true. At least you are consistent. I know everything you wrote only would have written it better.
Btw, I rode 28mph on the flats yesterday when a rider was trying to drop me.

PepeM

Alright then.

If a given position (whatever that position may be) is uncomfortable then yes, that position is stupid. But it seems to me that you equate spending most of the time on the hoods to improper bar position, while someone spending most of the time on the drops is properly set up. So what I wonder is if there is anything inherently wrong with your 'standard' position being on the hoods (as long as its comfortable.) I understand and agree with what caloso said about being on the drops while 'in stress.' But most of the time during a ride (criteriums excluded) is not spent 'in stress,' so what's the issue with being on the hoods then? Of course if spending thirty seconds on the drops kills your back then there is something wrong, but as long as you can be on the drops during those 'stress' situations, then what's the issue? (again, honest question) Seems to me like modern components (shifters, bars) are designed for riding on the hoods, while older ones seemed to be more geared towards riding on the drops. So, again, is there a problem with spending most of your time on the hoods?

hsuehhwa

Most people forget about the time factor when discussing "comfortable riding position" (so is bike fit).

For the same distance", riding slowly in a "very comfortable" position for a "very long" time could end up being very "uncomfortable", particularly in a longer ride with saddle sore after 5-6 hours.

Lazyass

Yeah pretty much.

redlude97

They are, but being on the hoods with straight arms and hunched shoulders for the majority of a ride is a good indicator of poor fit and/or poor core for that low position. This is common in group rides IME. Whereas pros and strong riders may use the hoods but at least have bent arms ~50-90 degrees and use their drops more often.

69chevy

My cut and paste is a butchered explanation.. lol.

I've seen at least four or five posts where you say people ride "slammed" because they think it's fashionable.

You don't know what they think.

You just assume they are uncomfortable because you can't ride that way.

K.Katso

Wasn't this position argument already settled in timtak's thread?

WalksOn2Wheels

Why is everyone on this board so obsessed with what other people do on a bike? Either the position works for them or it doesn't. You should be comfortable in both positions, but it doesn't matter which one you use most as long as you are enjoying yourself. Go ride a flipping bike already.

StanSeven

Most rec riders don't do this though because it requires fitness. It's easier to support their upper body with straight arms.

PepeM

So true. I can't tell you whether any of the people I ride with are 'slammed' or not, or whether they spend most of their time on the hoods or the drops. I just focus on what works for me and my guess is that they are doing the same.

Campag4life

You should just stop your BS. You don't have to know what they think. You obviously don't think much or you would understand this elementary supposition. They are judged by their behavior, i.e. how they ride. Truth is, based upon all the bad fits in amateur riding, probably less than 50% of amateurs that ride slammed are well served by their position on the bike. This is in evidence by all the riders that ride straight armed on the hoods and never use the drops in group rides which is more common than not. This is because of fashion...their bikes are set up like a pro and they don't have close to a pro level body. This is also why endurance road bike geometries are so overwhelmingly popular. Most that ride a road bike don't have single digit BMI and can't sustain 300 watts for 3 hours. A slammed geometry precludes the ability to use all positions of the handlebar for the average guy because the bar is positioned too low for their strength and flexibility. All this takes is mild power of observation apparently you lack. It is also why Chris Horner rides a H2 Trek geometry when the rest of his team is on bikes with H1 geometry. Obvious he doesn't have the flexibility to ride a H1 bike even though he races for a living and aero profile is so critically important to speed. By contrast, I ride with guys with pro level drop and more aggressively than Chris Horner who are strong riders and can easily ride flat backed in the drops for 30 miles. Their fit is good and they ride slammed because of their great flexibility which many do not possess who try to ride the same way.

Campag4life

Its isn't true in the least and pure baloney. People learn mostly by imitation and emulation and experimenting away from this norm to see if a better balance can be stuck. If you ride in your vacuum without the power of observation to liberate more options of what to try, you get nowhere. Invention, is exceedingly rare and denies all the ground work laid by those known to be successful.

69chevy

So you admit to "judging" people by their behavior, which you then extrapolate into knowing what they are thinking without "needing to know".

Yet when you get called out for it, you assume that I (someone who gets paid to think) "obviously" doesn't think much..

When I ride my bike in groups, it's so I can enjoy the company of other like minded people, not to casually make observations I can later use to judge them by.

Do you ever wonder (since you are such an astounding thinker) what other riders think about you?

As the expert of everything, I'm surprised they aren't all copying you.

noodle soup

When you say "sub 5 hour centuries", do you mean solo, or as part of a group?

Campag4life

Whoever pays you to think has to be pretty clueless and should get a refund...lol.
Everybody judges others by behavior.
Many that ride in groups don't do it to enjoy other's company. They do it to compete. Better riders are this way. They want to see how they measure up. If they can hang. Strong riders in A groups many times like to show just how strong they are. They aren't out there to smell the flowers and compare nail polish. If you are a B or C level guy then you aren't a good amateur rider...only average and it really doesn't matter how good your technique is, does it? Those average are average for a reason.
As to what others think about me? Let's put it this way. In the club's I ride, I help riders with their cycling. I am the fit guy many come to, to help with their position on the bike. As to what riders think about me...many will say my position is unremarkable or average...largely because my bike isn't set up aggressively because I do not possess extraordinary flexibility. The drapes have to match the curtains which is many times not the case on the road. More bad fits than good fits or there would be a higher percentage of good riders.

Campag4life

oh no. Pacelining. I couldn't do a sub 5 hr century solo unless with favorable elevation change and/or a tailwind.

noodle soup

Ok, that makes me feel much better. I've been trying for a sub 5 hour solo century for years, and never gotten under 5:10.

Campag4life

dude, 5:10 solo is awesome. Well done!

topslop1

This thread needs pictures of posters on their bicycles with their fit for maximum disclosure.

patrickgm60

For me, slammed stem and shallow-drop bars seems to work, best. I spend nearly as much time off the bike as on, working on core strength and flexibility (yoga, weights, swimming, stretching), as I need to be thin and flexible to find this setup comfortable.

Hands on hoods with nearly 90-degree elbow bend is just as aero as hands on the drops, with~45-degree bend, and both are fairly comfortable.

Lazyass

You spend nearly as much time off the bike working out so you can be thin and flexible enough for your slammed stem setup to be comfortable?

noodle soup

Thanks.

One of the hardest things is finding the proper pace at the beginning. The loop I use is 20 miles of gradual elevation gain, 25 miles with a couple of good hills, about 10 miles of flats, and then a gradual downhill for the return miles. The final 20 miles is much faster than the first 50.

silversx80

I'm going to start riding around with my elbows locked, on the tops, with my stem slammed so the BF gods will smite me. Ooooohhh... better yet, I'll do it on the trainer.

69chevy

I engaged in this foolish argument fully aware you would get defensive, become condescending. I was fully prepared to get dragged down to your level and beaten by your experience.

“Everyone” does not judge other riders by their bar height and allow a rather peculiar animosity to overwhelm them to the point that they take to the internet to cry about it.

You are clearly a special person. Your cognitively biased illusion of superiority makes me laugh.

patrickgm60

Yes. : )

Actually, the swimming is its own event/pursuit, but the 2 complement each other.