bobotech

Just wondering what kind of experiences you might have had. I'm really curious about people who are 300 pounds or more.

SteamDonkey74

When I was a super-Clyde I found that I didn't go down on the drops nearly as much, and I think that had to do with the weight distribution around my mid-section.

Now that I am just a regular Clyde I find drops much easier. They'll get even easier as I continue to lose a bit more about the mid-section.

Beachgrad05

I am an Athena and I started out at 257 so I think I qualified as an Uber-Athena or Super-Athena...I got my road bike when I was still in the 240's. I have since gotten down to 223 and I use my drops more and more comfortably as my mid-section disappears. Now if only I could get some of the chest area to disappear too....

Mithrandir

I do.


Oh... you mean "successfully". I see. Uhm. Well in that case, no, I almost never go into the drops as my immense belly weight almost immediately crushes my lungs and make it impossible to breathe.


I'll go into the drops on a downhill that's too fast to pedal, though. That works fine and gives me an extra 5-10mph sometimes.

ahultin

I am 310 and will go into the drops occasionally. Usually in a down hill or riding into the wind.

yellowsirocco

First off I am not super, but you have to consider how you have your bars setup as well. I have two road bikes, one is nice and the bars are about 3-4 inches below the saddle height, then my older bike I have the bars flush with the saddle. Riding the hoods on my nice bike is almost like riding the drops on my older bike. The drops on my older bike with the relaxed setup get used a lot more than my nice one. If you have your stem jacked way up high anybody can ride in the drops.

RIMoe

Prim currently 368 and hoping to get a cyclocross with drops, mainly because of my carpal tunnel. Between the flats, the drops and the hoods I'm hoping with multiple hand positions my hand numbness will lessen. I started at 400 and with consistent riding and working out I think I could comfortably transition to a road type bike.

bobotech

Well I have ridden my converted bike in the last couple of days for about a total of 8 miles and really love the drops. I don't go into the drops but mainly ride on the hoods. I also put cross top levers on my drops to give me the confidence to use them. I was scared to use brifters because I was worried about stopping. With the cross tops, I'm not so worried.

My hands did not go numb at all like they keep doing with flat bars.

Gravity Aided

For me , drop bars work much better over distance , so anything over 8 miles and I'm on my Schwinn Passage Tourer with Drop bars .

LarDasse74

My max weight was ~280, and I think it depends on the rider and the fit of the bike. The belly getting in the way, or squeezing your lungs, is the biggest problem, IMO. But you can set the bar up a little higher so you don't have to be bent over quite so much. Everyone is different.

Riding on the 'hoods' (with your hands resting on the brake hoods on the front of a drop handlebar) is the most natural feeling hand position for me.

bobotech

I have found to really REALLY like riding on the hoods. So comfortable but yes, I have the bars up higher than normal. I like how I can stretch out and be comfortable unlike with the flat bars which made me feel crowded.

nerys

what are drops and hoods? from the "context" in the replies I can take a guess. I see road bikes with the funky "curved" hand grips and sometimes I see riders move their hands "inside" the curves and slump over so there back is level with the ground (lower drag)

is this what you mean by a "drop" ? I can't figure out "riding the hoods" from context not enough info.

is there a good "glossary" or something that explains these cycling specific terms?

I am 400 pounds. dropping (if I got that one right) is NOT something you will see me do. I added 2 extensions AND hand grip extensions on top of that to my trek MTB just so I could sit "UPRIGHT" any forward leans shreds the palms of my hands in short order gloves or not.

in fact its why the bike I plan to pick up tomorrow is a semi recumbent so I can sit UPRIGHT and reduce butt/back pain :-)

so what is riding on the hoods?

BaseGuy

There's no single answer. It depends on lots of factors:
> How and where you carry your weight;
> What kind of bike your ride and how it's set up;
> How well your bike fits you.

For me, I am 6'2" and started at 290. I lost 30 pounds and got on my bike at 260. My bike is an '87 Cannondale SR600, which has a pretty racy geometry. NO WAY could I use the drops! I had too much of a gut, and it had nowhere to go when I squoze into the drops, so it intruded on my diaphragm's room to breath. Fail!

I lost more weight. At 240, I tried the drops again and found I could use them on down-hill sections, high-speed stuff, and it felt okay and provided better handling/control, but I still could not really breath right.

Now I'm at 228. I've been using the drops A LOT, and love them. I can breath fine now. Still have weight to lose, but the drops work, even on my fairly racy bike. Instead of being the exception, I'm not riding in the drops most of the time, climbing or descending, and only using the hoods once in a while just for a change of position.

I'm 45, so it does take me 8-10 minutes to warm up and get loose, so I start on the hoods.

mprelaw

Just because a bike has drop bars doesn't mean you have to hold the dropped portion when you ride. In fact, I'd say that well over 90% of the people riding drop bar bikes spend most of their time riding on the brake hoods. Those are the rubberized covers over the brake/shifter mechanism for whoever asked what the "hoods" are. Drop bars offer a few more hand positions. You can move your hands to the "bends", a few inches behind the hoods, where the flat section ends and the curved portion begins. You can hold them on the tops, ie, the flat section of the bars next to the stem, and even equip your bike with center pull brake levers and stop from the tops. Back in the 60s and 70s, many touring bikes had drop bars and dual pull brakes. You can move to various positions on the drops, too. Close to the bar ends, or further up the curve.

Yo Spiff

I have had more problem with numbness on my flat bar bikes than on my road bikes, so I recently converted my MTB to dropped bars. I'm mush happier with it now. Had to do a couple of handlebar changes to get the levers positioned where I like them, as I like to ride on the hoods or just behind them 90% of the time.

@Nerys: Yes, drops are the curved handlebars sometimes described as "rams horns". Hoods are the rubber hoods of the brake levers, which is a very convenient riding position that is comfortable and keeps the brakes just two fingers away.

nerys

hah me dropping down like those crazy road biker riders? I can just see it down.

Chris drops down his back creaks but he makes it. the bike accelerates a couple more mph and then suddenly the front wheel starts to go oval shapes and SPLAT destroys the front of the bike and over he goes :-) hehehe

not me not a chance :-) hehe

Gravity Aided

I just use the hooks for long downhills, and climbs , and riding into the wind . 52 yrs 300 pounds on a 25 year old Schwinn Tourer, and no disasters yet , knock wood .

StephenH

I was a good bit less than 300 when I got my drop-bar bike, but still had to lose some more weight before I could use the drops for more than just a big- stomach just got in the way.