Suggestions on newcomers to drops
 

I just got a bianchi castro valley for my commute to work. This is the first bike I've had in 15 years or so with drop bars on it and I'm having a bit of a hard time adjusting to it. I'm wondering if anyone has some suggestions on things to do. I'm not a racer, I do not plan on racing or trying to go fast. I was just looking for a lighter bike that would hold up reasonably well for my ride back and forth. Right now I'm getting some pain in my wrists and shoulders. I'm pretty sure that means i'm leaned over too far and putting to much weight on my wrists and arms. I've dropped the seat down a bit and moved it forward along with re-angling the bars about 10degrees upward from their original mount point. That's helped some but it's not quite where I want it, yet.

Alternatively, I'm not opposed to switching this over to flat bars and if anyone has any suggestions on where to look what kind to get, I'd be happy to hear them.


thanks

The recomended order for fitting points of contact is:
1. position the pedals at the end of the cranks (selecting suitable crank length).
2. Position the saddle relative to the pedals to give suitable height and layback.
3. Position the bars in reach and drop relative to the saddle using stem height/angle/length. An adjustable stem can be used to experiment with the correct placement.
Drop bars need not be placed long and low. City riders and commuters are often happier with the bars placed much closer and higher than racers would chose.

go to an lbs and get fitted properly, or do it yourself. I think the key is get a good leg to pedal position first, by moving the seat up/down forwards/back. Put your pedal at 90 degs, hang a plumb line from the bump on your knee below the kneecap--ideally the line should then bisect the ball of your foot. Then you fit the handlebars with longer or shorter stems.

Also, vary your riding position--you have at least three or four places to put your hands on drop bars: end of drops, middle of drops, brake hoods, top of bars.

third recommendation: do some weight training? push ups/pull ups?

A couple of things:

Don't move the seat forward. If there is too much weight on your hands move your seat BACK a little bit at a time.

If possible raise the bars. Is the stem pointing almost straight forward or does it angle up? If it is straight forward you can flip it over to bring the bars up and back.

Don't be afraid to move your hands around. If you are just tooling at a nice easy pace you can hold the tops of the bars, like a short flat bar. As you go faster you can rest your hands on top of the brake hoods. Use the drops only when you are riding hard or going downhill.

God bless!
Wayne J.

Adjust your drops to the same height as your seat. Races tend to drop them a bit lower to assist in aerodynamics. Not very useful or comfortable for the average commuter.

Just in case you or the previous responders have missed the obvious...

What is your primary riding position? Have you tried on the hoods or flats?

Just because you have drop bars doesn't mean that the dropped position should be your primary riding position.

Yep, one can set up so the top of the bars (a useful comfort riding position) is level with the seat. The hoods will nearly be as well, just a bit lower. Perfect for commuting, with the resulting non excessive drop position available for those nasty headwinds that one will get.

Al

I am on the hoods mostly. I occasionally use the flats and it is more comfortable, the only problem is that the castro valley doesn't come with brakes on the flats so I'm little uneasy not being closer to the brakes in traffic. So I stay on the hoods the majority of the time.

I'm going to try to see if I can raise the stem up some or replace it with a stem that is shorter or more vertical.

you can also install interruptor "cross levers" that will actuate your brakes from the top of the bar (a la MTB)

Any suggestions on where to get these cross brake levers?

Sounds like your stem is possibly too long too... have you tried a shorter stem?

I haven't had it on the road yet due to rain (I am a wimp) but I have the Nashbar interruptors. They mount well, and seem functional. I have never seen any others, so I can't comment on relative quality.

They are pretty easy to install, but will require you to unwrap your bar a bit. Mine were installed as part of installation of new stem bars and wrap so it was really painless. :D They also add a brake adjuster barrel to the mix...

road bars are narrower than mtb, and the bike feels less stable as a result, and perhaps there is a tendency to hold on too tight. One of the most comfortable and stable positions for me, is to hold the outside of the top bar. Move your hands around a lot. Another interesting stable and comfortable position is to tuck your elbows in and press your top bar forward with your palm butts.