Originally Posted by
FLvector
It's not good to ride with your elbows locked. Your elbows act as shock absorbers, so a little bend will help to cushion your upper body, your shoulders, neck and back muscles, etc. You don't need to do exaggerate the bend, but avoiding the locked position will help with comfort on a long ride.
A local racer has quite a habit of doing this. I won't say it's good/bad or indifferent as I can only do it a short while anyway as my balance prefers me to get a little lower, the more I ride. (ironic to my prior cycling self, actually) But, nevertheless the dude gets on the curve at the rear of the tops and actually kinda turns his arms inside out & can ride like that for miles if the road is smooth enough.
Then again, some pros I see in pelotons ride in the drops (albeit compact drops) with elbows locked as if they could sit there for hours. When *I'M* in the drops, I'm quite low & tend to want to lean further forward, not prop myself up. (Again, I think it's as limitless as bike fits)