BostonFixed

It seems as everyone's bike has those nice looking deep drop nitto or the like track bars.

It also seems as though everyone only rides on the top of the bars, i.e on the little flat section, As evidenced by the popular oury grip setup.

To me this seems pointless; riding with nice drop bars, but only using the tops, and not actually utilizing the nice drop section. To me this seems strange, due to the fact that the bars were likely purchased due to their nice deep drop section to begin with.

go4broke44

i recently just put the drops on my bike, and i'm guilty of riding on the flat portions on the bars, but i use the drops for riding track on thursday nights, so it all works out in the end

BostonFixed

I guess that using the drop part of the bars only once a week seems pointless to me.

I wouldn't wear rain gear every day if it rained only once a week...catch my drift?

jim-bob

I'm thinkin' form.

drolldurham

well, i got bullhorns cause i knew i would never use the drop section. if people want to spend money on deep-drop bars just cause they look cool, so be it. they do look cool...

habitus

why i ride riser bars. my hands are on the "flats" at all times, and they're at shoulder width, not thumb-to-thumb.

of course, if i ever decide to race (unlikely), i'll get some drops.

HereNT

I ride on the part where the curve drops down on mine - regular bars are too straight. I use the drops when it's windy.

I don't wear rain gear every day, but it's in my bag a lot of the time.

bikejack

Function, there is a reason to do with efficiencies for the drop bars and the UCI have regs to stop riders going to far and dropping below the wheel height.

Most I've seen riding on the top of the bars or hoods usually have poor positioning to start from or are just to lazy to condition themselves to getting over.

bostontrevor

I actually really like road drops. It's just that without the hoods, they're not as nice for climbing or sprinting as bullhorns.

Misterherman has some nice shallow track drops that seem like a good compromise between sexy curvy track bars and useful road bars. He says the "flats" are too curvy to be useful, though and just rides the drops. Still, I could see riding those.

Judah

I ride the tops when cruising, the curves when accelerating, skidding, or climbing, and the drops when I'm jamming, sprinting, or if it's windy.

That's why I rock the oury-->soyo-->tape setup.

Fugazi Dave

I keep switching back and forth between cutoff bullhorns and Ritchey road drops. From a design standpoint, I love track drops, but my usual hand position on my road bars really wouldn't work as well (as comfortably, anyway) on track drops.

pitboss

So you are suggesting this person SHOULDN'T have drops since he/she only rides in the drop section once a week? Weird logic considering the function of the complete bar if the rider has only one bike. Wouldn't it be just as bad if the rider had bullhorns but only rode in the flats?
I ride the flats of my Nitto drops 65-70% of the time, shifting the start of the drop to keep my hands from being numb and sometimes into the drop for lower profile in wind/drafting. Hence my Surly's bars being taped fully.
So why would I want bullhorns again?

habitus

fine for racing. but for city riding, with lots of turns and quick shifts, different rules apply. drops are poo poo.

Fugazi Dave

So you can gore pedestrians. Duh.

adamkell

i do the same as Judah. and waiting on my keirin grips.

Robbykills

I rock el toro bullhorns with oury grips at the stem and deda bartape, its a nice set up

fixedfiend

I adore my drops. I ride in the drops most of the time. Aren't you suppose to?

the.me

flat bars reign supreme.

Terror_in_pink

track drops are SEXY! don't hate.

habitus

no

fixedfiend

I guess if you're used to your geriatric fixie bars

habitus

actually, i quit using bars altogether. saves my back.

Ken Cox

I ride with Profile Design Stoker Bullhorns, and I notice my hands just stay on the horn part of the bullhorns all the time, and never on the flats.
I think this puts me where I would ride with drops and brake lever hoods, if I had them.

Sometimes going against a wind I think I'd like to get a little more aerodynamic, and drops might help then.
However, I just bend my elbows instead.

I search my memory now for having seen anyone with drops fully in the drops.
It seems to me, they all ride with their hands on the hoods, all the time.

That said, drops look cool, and so do bullhorns.

crusty_pedals

guys! drops are sweeeeet! i ride my drops alot of the time, i get more control that way. it helps with skids too, being down further you can lean forward quicker and thus stop quicker. you can also sprint better, and it just feels so much more smooth.

ostro

I just switched my cinellli bars out for some nitto 019 (edited) bullhorns that i chopped. I never rode the drops and i get so much more out of the bullhorns.