Originally Posted by
Koyote
Yeah, I'm an old man with a damaged back (neck, really -- C3,4,5 vertebrae), and even on my custom frame with a tallish head tube and a shallow-drop handlebar, I only go into the drops when trying to, say, bridge up to a group. I envy the riders who can stay in the drops all day long.
Re: shaving. I do it out of respect for the traditions of a beautiful sport, and also because it makes it easier to apply sunblock -- and less dust and dirt sticks to smooth legs. The wattage gains are just gravy.
I admittedly only ride the drops for descending or when the terrain is super rough. That being said, I have a decent amount of saddle-to-bar drop, so the "aero hoods" position is still pretty low. Luckily I'm able to sustain a fairly tight hip angle
during the ride. It's just that I've now had to institute a stretching and strength routine for the stabilizing muscles in my hips, as I've been dealing with sciatica pain off and on since last season.
I probably shouldn't even mention it, but dealing with road rash is a lot easier with shaven legs as well. It's one of those very low frequency events, but when it does happen, I'm sure glad not to have bandages stuck to leg hairs.