comptechgsr

i agree except for when i climb/sprint in the drops and get arm hickies (with the road bars)

haywireII

Even for not street usage... generally the only discipline that still uses the big curvies ("track drops") is the sprint.

Nowadays it's kind of a misnomer, IMO, because you see a lot more "road style bars" on the track than you do "track bars."

Critical Jeff

Yea I've noticed that too. Nothing gets sexier than some track drops though. Its more for style than anything.

Tomo_Ishi

Hey,

You might consider B125 if you don't like B123. Drop is shallower and drop position may become more viable.

I kinda like the curvy hoods that these have now. One position at the stem. One position on the drop. And one position to the sides, much like any other drop. There is another.

I press my hands against the handle bar in a way you give offering to some diety. My palms face up and toward my face. You have seen in Ben Hur.

Perhaps it has a lot to do with stem length and angle. I think track drops are picky about frame dimensions and stuff like these.

T

Yellowbeard

This is what randonneur bars are for (or at least why I like them). I've never actually ridden with a maes-type bar. I have one, and considered using it for the extra width at the hoods when I changed my bike's stem, but I do most of my out-of-saddle riding and climbing in the drops so it wasn't worth it.

seanile

i pretty much love track drops for the acceleration, way better than the risers i've used

LeCollectif

For sure, when talking acceleration, they're second to none. While in the drops, the leverage they gave me made climbing so much easier. My knees aren't hitting my gut, but they put me in a position that prevents me from having a full field of view without neck strain. On the track, I can see why these are the bars of choice. On the road, they seem like a deathwish.

Gyeswho

but how many times are you really accelerating to full speed when riding? on a long climb it'd be less than ideal to be in the drops since it inhibits full breathing

Ken Cox

So what if this subject has come up 20 or so times on this forum?

Almost every subject comes around scores of times.

I like to talk about them, and I learn something new every time I participate in a thread, whether the first time or the twentieth time.

And, for those subjects that come up again and again, and in which I have no interest, I do not participate in those threads.

So, thanks to the original poster for not using the search function (even if he did).

=====

Regarding the narrowness that bothered the original poster, I like narrow bars, and I find that if I ride with wider bars (for whatever reason) it takes me a little while to get used to the narrow bars.

Regarding the full dropped position, it offers only aerodynamic benefits.

If the OP felt more able to accelerate in that position, it probably means he had an inefficient fit in the upright position.

One could choose to ride with track drops in a track position for several reasons: all of them valid but not necessarily everyone's cup of tea.

Track drops and track frames put way too much weight on the front wheel for riding on the street, at least compared to a street-optimized bike.

Additionally, the weight-forward, spine-horizontal torso position provides an aerodynamic advantage at the expense of mechanical efficiency.

Track riders get away with this position because of the relatively short amount of time they spend in this position, and because they train for it.

And this represent a good reason for riding in a track position on the street: it helps on the track.

Otherwise, if a person does not race on the track, then riding in the weight-forward, spine-horizontal position has only an appearance benefit, in that it looks cool.

I don't say that to make fun of non-racers who ride in this position.

Different strokes for different folks.

For the street, it makes more sense to sit further back on the frame, so that the front pedal falls under the knee with the cranks in the horizontal position; and, further, for the street, the rider should have an erect enough torso position so that he or she could take his or her hands off the bars and keep riding.

And, as a matter of comparison, road racers ride with horizontal spines (when racing), but not all the time; and, they sit much further back on the frame than do track racers.

I ride with very narrow bullhorns, with my torso at about the same angle as the road racers when they ride on the horns.

When riding into a strong headwind, I bend my elbows and assume the drop position without any effort.

This works for me because I sit much further back on the frame than does a track racer, and so I don't need to mash, which means I don't need to pull up on the drops for maximum acceleration.

Adam G.

I bought the nitto track b123's two weeks ago and i love them! They are really comfortable, I really like riding in the drops so that fits me perfectly.

sickz

track drops are versatile... and are beautiful. besides, if you like how your bike looks, you become more inclined to ride it... which is the ultimate goal ... riding.

and not bangin' your forearms when you're sprintin up a hill in drops is always nice.

one thing many might not be aware of.. is the drops also serve a purpose when you're cruising for extended periods of time... they give you a chance to take some weight off your ass if you're becoming sore.

Yellowbeard

This is my-totally-subjective-opinion(tm), but I hate the look of drops without hoods. I also hate older-style levers and hoods (it doesn't help if they've already turned to slime and/or dropped off, earning the jargon "STI" a place before it's time). I also hate the thought of riding on drop bars without hoods, and yet I find myself spending less and less time on the hoods and more and more split between the drops and tops. The tops!? WTF am I turning into? There's barely any room on the tops of my old, narrow rando- bars in the first place! Actually I think it's because I hurt my wrist two weeks ago and couldn't put my hands on the curves/bends/whatever-you-call-the-first-turn-forward the way I used to. Plus I'm too #*$%ing busy to go for a ride longer than fifteen minutes and I haven't been out on the open road in ages.