Originally Posted by
Bikewer
You do see an awful lot of people who's hands appear to be welded into the drops...It's like they think..."that's how you're supposed to do it". No one ever told them any different. I seldom use the position myself; I'm too old to be worried about speed so I generally use them when the wind is up. I spend most of my time on the hoods or on top of the bar when climbing hills. Standard practice, really; you rarely see pro racers using the drops except when sprinting or descending.
Styles have changed over time. Personally my tops are lower than many people's drops. For an agressive position, depending on what I'm doing I'll either be in the drops, on the tops with my elbows parallel to the ground, or in the "invisible aerobar" position. For a more relaxed position, I'll cruise on the hoods with less bent elbows, or with my hands on the tops. If I'm not pushing hard and I don't care how fast I'm going, then I'll pick more a relaxed position.