If I am riding my folder, which is set up for touring the drop bars are usually in a mid point position where I have my hands above the saddle when I am on the hoods and can get into a decent aero position when I am in the drops... the effective top tube is 54 cm which sits right between my race bike which is a 53 that puts me in a very aggressive drop position and my vintage road bike which is a 55 that is a little more laid back.

The difference in speed from fairly upright to aero is good for a 3-4 kmh increase and part of that also stems from a slightly better power delivery.



On a ride several years I had to run down a group after I stopped to take some pictures and had my bars set a little lower so the hoods offered a good aero position but no real use of the drops (the joy of an easily adjustable stem) and was slick enough and feeling strong enough to run at 40 kmh for 10km but if I sat up it was like engaging the brakes.

Aerodynamics plays the most important role in maintaining speed and reducing effort and over a flat route the extra weight of my folder was of no consequence and after catching up and catching a wheel to catch my breath, blew by the group at even better speed (it was a well paced social ride) so I could get far enough ahead to take another set of pictures.

Did the same ride on my Moulden last year and could keep up with all but the fastest of riders, one of whom now belongs to a local club team and is absolute hell on wheels.

One of the points of this ride is to bring bikes that you would not expect to function well on a 100 mile ride... have used my folder, hybrid, Moulden, fixed gear Raleigh, and my fixed gear Kuwahara.

I think this will be the 6th year of this ride I started back in 2007... maybe I will actually bring a road bike this year if I can convince someone to carry the emergency supplies as I always have had a rack and panniers which also do not affect aerodynamics very much as they are behind you.