Riding the drops?
 

Riding position question: I thought about asking in road.. but that would be dumb, you guys are always more in line with what works for me. Often I find myself riding in the hoods, when I want to change position to give my hands a little break I usually move to the back flats of the bar and ride upright for a few, I use barcons so I get in the drops a bit.. but I never stay there... it's not uncomfortable I can even definitely feel the benefits in my speed/aero from there... the thing that has me worried, I thought my fit was ideal (even though it's self done amateur hour as always here) but when I hit the drops I raise my butt above my saddle and during the pedaling find myself on occasion leaning forward on the stroke, so I find myself concerned with a bike type colonoscopy.. am I being paranoid? do I need to raise/bring my seat forward? and should I ride the drops more? any thoughts? Thanks guys.

Consider seeing a pro-fitter and tell them about this.
I saw Nate Loyal in Santa Monica a few years ago, and that plus yoga transformed my riding. I felt like a complete tool spending $150 to have my seat & cleats shifted a cm here & there, but two weeks later I changed my tune completely and wished I'd done when I was in my 20's and crushing my junk.
Also, consider getting a modern pair of the shallow-drop bars. They might look a little small (as mine do below), but comfort and performance are more important than looks, yes?
http://www.calamarichris.com/images/...reeze-chr0.jpg
(I wasn't in the drops here because I was on mile 110 of 135 of the Cool Breeze double-metric and had a 15-mph tailwind.)

I don't understand. Why are you raising your butt above the saddle? Riding the drops may tend to put more pressure on your perineal area, so it's wise not to have your saddle nose up too far. I keep mine pretty much level, and also make a conscious effort to use the lower abs to keep the sit bones in contact with the saddle, rather than roll onto the softer tissue. But that doesn't seem to be what you're asking about.

That's a pretty easy smile for mile 110. +1 on the shallow drop suggestion. I don't have any modern bars like that, but my rando bars (my shallowest) are by far the most comfortable I have for riding drops.

Most modern riders I've seen prefer to ride the hoods most of the time - but if you prefer riding the drops all the time (as I do), you will need a larger frame. Otherwise the saddle to bar drop becomes too great for most people.

I think one of the problems that a lot of us experience while trying to ride in the drops is that our lower backs lack the flexibility to keep our butts on the seat as we lower our body position. Instead our pelvis is rotated forward and down which lifts the back of our butt off the seat and also puts more pressure on the perineum which isn't good. So maybe stretching and trying for more overall flexibility would help.

So far, checking shallower drops, larger frame (have a build in the works already), and yoga? :/ I'm already working on my core.. so I might as well.... thanks guys! Keep'em coming

Yes, yoga. Check your local library for a yoga dvd, especially one that focuses on your back, like this one:
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...500_AA300_.jpg

The DVD is less fun, but more effective, IMO. It's a lot easier to focus on your deep breathing, spinal elongation, balance, and relaxing the tension away when you aren't pitching a tent in a room full of fit, sweaty, scantily-clad, young women who are also stretching, breathing, etc.

reminds me of:
http://www.craigslist.org/about/best...597736393.html

I never liked drops either, until I got shallow bars. My bars are also raised high, so they look ugly but are much more comfortable to me. A lot of the Nitto bars are pretty shallow, the noodle is what I have. One bike has a pair of Cinelli 66, and those things are DEEP... I never touch the drops on that bike, which is just a waste when you consider a big benefit of drop bars is multiple hand positions.

One of my "resolutions" for 2012 is to remember that comfort is king, and that is why two of my bikes collect dust.

I am fitted to the drops on my bike, and well, so I ride them 99% of the time.
I have no problems with numbness unless I wear bike gloves, so I don't wear them.

Still, I see guys in the drops who have to raise the stem up to get comfortable, and I understand that frustration.
The vast majority of riders I ride with, group or otherwise, ride the hoods 95% of the time.
I'm not even sure why some of them don't just cut off the bar below the STI's.

If you're properly fit to the drops, you'll generally have little problem being comfy up top or on the hoods.
In some cases, you may be a bit stretched out on the hoods, depending on your choice of bars.
Generally, though, "good on the drops, fine on the tops" is almost automatic.

I think the shallow drops are nice for several reasons.
a-they elmiinate the need for raising the stem to get the drops up higher
b-they have a nice gradual curve at the bottom for hand movement
c-they tend to come back towards the rider more, whereas many older drop bars don't
d-the drop position is fairly close to the tops and the hoods, so the whole "range" of positions is closer, easier to fit.

It's obvious that the trend is towards hand positions that are closer to each other.
You rarely see folks all aero tucked on bars any more.

I am currently helping a triathlete with her fit.
She has shallow drops on her roadie, aero bars on her tri-bike.
We actually fit the tri-bike first, and we're moving that leg/torso position to her road bike, if possible.
I want to fit her for comfort in her most common riding positions, and for her, that's the hoods on her road bike.

Comfort = speed in many ways regarding fit, but to me, the opposite is more true.
You can ride hard, and long, with a decent fit, but you can't ride hard, or long, with a rotten fit.

I find it surprising, and almost wrong, to be so comfortable on aero bars.
It doesn't seem natural to be relaxed, on your elbows, running your hammer speed.
I'm still getting my confidence in that regard.
I feel like I'm resting, and it seems wrong.
I hope I get over it, 'cause the bike looks cool.

I think shallower drops are here pretty much to stay, for good reason.

I agree with auchencrow about less saddle to bar drop and of course the shallow drop bars.
Saddle angle might improve your drop-bar position & comfort.
Fewer pounds around the waist can help, if that's applicable to you.
Have you experimented with different bike shorts and chamois? Or maybe different saddles?

I have several bikes and one is set-up with my saddle a tad (maybe 1/4" or less) lower than most. When rotating the hips to get into the drops, I try to relieve pressure in crotch by using leg strength to "lift" myself 1mm off the saddle. Maybe it's more like using the inside of my thighs to support body weight by gripping the saddle rather than sitting on soft tissue. Not so easy at first but comes naturally with time. I can ride for extended periods in the drops with this set-up and the technique helps me ride in the drops more easily on all my other bikes.

+1 on frame size as a significant factor. Not the most 'tweakable' one, by any means, but it makes all the difference. If you've already got a build in the works, I guess you'll get to try that one on for size soon.

With a standard road bar, I always stayed away from the drops (actually, I cut & flipped the bars on two beater bikes for an ad-hoc bullhorn setup and rode like this for years) - until I came into a 62cm c-t-c Norco, a summer bike when I was in another city for a few months (I'm about 6'2" 1/2). I built up an '85 Nishiki Prestige in the same dimensions when I returned. Now I tend to favour the drops, though I do run through a variety of positions on a ride (mine tend to be in the city, so I like to keep my head up from time to time). I find riding the drops - with the right size/setup - to be the most comfortable and advantageous position when I've got a nice open stretch, just feels 'right'...

TIP: (Some) Physical Therapists also do bike fittings too. Mine cost about $15.

I use to ride in the drops a lot when I was riding in a group, storming down a hill, or doing intervals, but I preferred the hoods otherwise and still do.

I have flipped the stems on several peoples road bikes over the past couple of years to raise their bar positions, and most were very happy to have the additional bar positions that they couldn't utlilize before, but most were older riders like me though.

As has been touched on already, a rider's flexibility is a very important factor when dialing in fit. Personally, I've worked hard on flexibility the last two to three years, and as a result my flexibility is probably the best it's been since I ran track in high school. I just do some things, probably thirty minutes a day, that keep my hamstrings loose, my lower back loose, my core strength has improved, my neck and shoulder flexibility is much better, etc etc. Just some pretty basic calisthenics, really.

The benefit, on a road bike particularly, is that my form is the best it's ever been. Hands on the hoods, hands in the drops, climbing while in the saddle, climbing while out of the saddle, whatever the situation calls for, I feel great on the bike, and I do mix it up more now than ever over the course of a typical ride.

The key is keeping your weight off your hands, develop core strength to support your upper body and basically just steer the bike with your arms and hands, not much more. Develop hip, lower back, and hamstring flexibility to go with the core strength, and your form (and comfort on the bike) will improve dramatically.

If you post a clear pic or two of your position on the bike that would be helpful, otherwise it's mostly speculation. Unless you've really done your homework and have tried a lot of different things it's unlikely that your self fit is as good as it could be. Also if you're properly fitted to a road bike you should be able to use any position comfortably when appropriate.

I have two different set ups. For downtube shifters, I tend to ride the drops a lot. For Ergos/STI, I ride the hoods. The bikes are set up differently with different length stems, drop depths and lengths, and stem height. I've tweaked until I am most comfortable on each bike. I should really take measurements for reference, but I don't know how much it will really matter.

I've done a lot of self critiqueing on it, using mostly pics and the trainer. My main bike at the moment is actually an old japanese touring bike... so I have a feeling it has a lot to do with the frame fit itself.. I'm building up a larger frameset today and maybe if the weather gods like me I'll get to try it sometime soon!

So when your in the drops, your saddle feels too low?

I was thinking the same thing on my weekend ride.

ugh.

please read before you consider yoga:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/08/ma...pagewanted=all

Most people don't begin to understand bike fit. In fact most people are riding around on bikes that are easily 4-6cm too small for them, sized to ride on the hoods. Which tells you everything you need to know.

Pay attention to all the hard core roadies you see. Most of 'em couldn't pedal 1% of their daily mileage in the drops. It is just too uncomfortable because their bikes don't fit. Everyone wants a really aggressive looking saddle to bars drop, but they can't actually comfortably reach the bars to ride the bike. That's funny.

Look to Peter White or Rivendell for bike fit (Grant knows about bike fit).

I'd say your bike was way too small, but what do I know? You are sized to the hoods, not to the drops as per your fitness level and flexibility. That's the wrong approach in my book. Bikes should be sized to the drops, respective to fitness and flexibility, and the hoods should be an alternate upright position.

For the OP - Let me add my voice to those recommending a professional fit. It's one of the better investments you can make. Also, the shallow bars help a bunch. I've got them on all my bikes now, and sometimes forget I'm in the drops and shouldn't be that comfortable. You can get 26mm shallow bars - I've got some on my Bianchi made by Bontrager (Trek), and I'm pretty sure Deda makes them as well.

+1 I used to ride in the drops, but it was a while ago, yeah, let me think. 1973 or so.....

+1 Lack of lower back flexibility has always been a problem for me.