Originally Posted by
roadwarrior
Trust me on this...for those of us that rode for a paycheck, there comes a time when that Tom Boonen setup no longer works. My friends pretty much have the Hampsten setup, as do I. Spacers, stem turned up, but we can ride all day comfortably.
Whatever floats your boat. But then I've never much worried what my biked looked like. It had to be a setup for 25,000 miles pain free.
A lot of older guys ride steel...it is the most flexible of the three metals that are used for frame construction (steel, titanium, aluminum). However, I am still on carbon and aluminum.
Just remember....if you are a wuss, don't get old.
A couple of local racers passed me on the road I ride today which is a popular training route for local clubs. We were riding a bit into the wind and these guys ride strong but I had about 5 miles to go and so figured I would hang with them a bit. They were riding 21-22 mph or so into a light wind which was sporty but not killer. I am keen on position on the bike and notice how others ride and both had very aggressive positions with lots of saddle to bar drop. Each had very good form on the bike and knew what they were doing. But there was one notable dynamic I often notice. We were all riding into the wind...I was hanging back just a bit and they took turns pulling for each other and neither of them touched the drops once the entire time. Not once. Either rider. Close to a flat back and didn't even use the drops. By contrast, I rode most of the way in the drops because my drop position was just a bit lower than their tops. The drops is my favorite position. I can ride a pro set up as well if I never use the drops...lol.