Originally Posted by
J_Rod
The drop bars "feel" faster when I'm riding in the drops but I don't know if that's because they feel sporty or if I am actually faster with them. Most of my riding is around town. Anybody know how much of a speed advantage drops offer?
Building on previous explantions:
The difference riding in the drops instead of on the hoods makes is about 2-3mph at maximum effort for a good rider. Even a big reduction in air resistance achieves only a slight speed up, because the power needed to overcome air resistance increases with the cube of speed. How fast your risers were depends on bar width and stem length - there's nothing magical about drops - you could set a flat bar bike up with a long stem and get similar aero, if you were willing to put up with the awkwardness of the thing.