Originally Posted by
graciela
Thanks to all for your comments. I didn't even consider raising the stem but that might do it. The bars do feel lower than I'd prefer them. I use the top of the handlebars and only use the hoods if I'm going up a hill. I feel like I have no control in the drops so I avoid them. I'll try raising the stem and see how it goes.
I got my first drop-bars bike almost a year ago. It took a while to get used to it, and part of that was pulling the stem up a bit, and in close to the seat. I got something a bit like this guy:
Which lets me put the bars ... not exactly anywhere I want them, but in a pretty wide range of places that might make sense. After having it a while, I adjusted them by 30 degrees, making it a lot more like a traditional road bike, but not quite. Part of this is fitting, and part may be me getting used to a different riding posture. But the adjustable stem is fairly cheap, it's stable, and it was a big help for me.