Hi DG,

It's really personal preference and how your bike's set up. I am rarely in the drops -- even during races. However, the tops of my bars are at about the same height as the drops of my friend's bars (he rides roughly the same size bike as I). He spends most of the time in his drops.

Also, I am more comfortable in the drops during the racing season because my flexibility is better then.

BTW, I spend more time in the small ring than in the big ring. I've probably worn out small chainrings in a 3:1 ratio to big chainrings.

So if being in the drops works better for you, great.

Hope this helps.