Too much drop
A lot of riders on my group rides have too much drop to their bars. They rarely use the drops, spending all their time on the hoods.
Originally Posted by
catgita
One of the best ways to learn to use the drops is to raise your handlebars. Moving to the drops should feel as simple as feeling too upright for the effort or wind. You find yourself bending your elbows a lot, so you move to the drops.
Once you find yourself riding in the drops with sharply bent elbows a lot, then you lower your bars a bit. Your elbows should never be locked.
Yes. Using a level, I have about two finger widths between the top of the saddle and the top of the bars. About 1 3/8 inches. And even a little less drop on my all-day, light-touring bike.
I switch between the hoods and the drops to give my hands a rest. The drops are all on my palm, the hoods are more on the V between my thumb and fingers.
Originally Posted by
CliffordK
Definitely look forward, not straight down, although I have a habit of concentrating on road debris in front of my bike.
I used to ride in the drops a lot. Not so much now. But, depending on how you hold the bars, riding holding on the tops of the hoods, with the forearms resting across the bars parallel to the ground may not be so different from riding in the drops with straighter arms. It might also be good practice for lowering one's body.
Holding the top part of the shifters with the side of my palm and the outside three fingers lets me have my forearm parallel to the ground, and is even more aero than using the drops. But you need smooth roads--I had both hands bounced right off the bars when I hit an unseen dip in the road. Luckily, my hands fell right back onto the bars, it could have been ugly.
Campagnolo shifters are obviously designed for this, with the outside of the top of the shifter curved in to allow a comfortable grip.
Originally Posted by
big john
Years ago I could ride with the bar that low but now I have it around an inch and a half. I use shallow drop bars and can stay in the drops for hours if need be.
Yes, shallow drop bars are just right for me, too. I can switch to the drops with just a slight downward movement of my body, or angle my forearms more and drop my body and head even more.
Originally Posted by
79pmooney
The huge
advantage of using the drops a lot. Less lost training time from spills happening because you hit something and you either
lost control or your hands slip off the hoods. Quite simply, the drops are the most secure way to hold the handlebars. Even with completely relaxed hands, it takes a lot to dislodge them. True, a little less aero than arms bent, forearms parallel to the ground on the hoods, but that position should only be used when you can see up the road and you aren't to tired too react to what you should have seen.
I set bikes up to be ultimately comfortable in the drops, then position the hoods to optimize them. I also position the drops far enough forward or down that I can ride with my back close to horizontal with my arms almost straight. This means I have a comfortable bike that I can ride upwind for an hour or two tired (and will still be safe after I become considerably more tired
). Yes, the hoods would be faster for that long upwind haul, as would close drops and bent elbows, but when the bent arms gets too old/tiring, aero goes completely out the window whereas the long reach to the drops can be done in relaxed state for hous keeping my back low. For endless upwind stretches, that counts for a lot!
Ben
Yes, much better control on very rough roads. And it's easier on my hands, since the load is spread out over my whole palm.
More control on fast downhills, too. And I'm better positioned for hard braking if necessary. I use the front brake to panic stop, and keep my weight back. If I use both brakes, the rear will lock up, skid, and start fishtailing.