Exactly.

I have used drop bars and flat bars and find the drops are better for performance especially when windy but are far less comfortable than flat bars. Flat bars with about a 10 deg rise are better for riding in traffic so you can be a little more upright to watch your surroundings. I don't like a fully upright position so I chose a MTB to build up as a commuter with a riding postion in between upright and hunched over. One thing to remember is road bike frames have a geometry that has the headtube closer to the seat tube and a mountain bikes geometry has the headtube somewhat further ahead. So the hoods on drop bars are ok for road bikes but will have a very long reach if installed on a mountain bike. And of course flat bars on a road bike frame will have the hand position much closer to your body. Also not to get too technical here but a point to make would be flat bars are a little wider and provide better steering response as compared to drop bars. Thats why mountain bikes have flat bars because you need alot more body language and quick steering response when riding single track or rough off road. To answer your question, are drops comfortable? well, they can be for some people but you generally need to be fairly flexible. The lack of flexibility and muscle stiffness is the main reason why some people including myself find them uncomfortable.

Have I ever mentioned that I don't really see them in Germany?

I can't think of any reason I'd use anything else...lots of hands positions, you can take what ever position you want and they have lots of real estate for bells, lights, etc.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7019/6...60d6f608_z.jpg

This is what i had to try when I was looking for a perfect cockpit. NorthRoad, Road, CX bars aren't on the picture, but there are couple more. Except for the Salsa in the back all these bars are European, and three first ones I've got from small German bike shops. In the end i found short and shallow wide road drops to be the most comfortable. But it surely depends on the ride, the bike and riders preferences. Like I figured from another thread a typical commute in US may be very different from a commute in DE.

My wife rides a touring bike which originally came with straight bars. She had a back injury in the past, yet now she prefers road bars, it just took a long effort to figure out the correct fit. We managed to get it right by choosing a mans frame one size too large (so that the HT is tall enough) and playing with stem height and length to get the correct reach.

Not going to say a thing about drops on a MTB. Not since I saw one with aero bars

Here are few pics. One of my mountain bikes set up with drop bars

I keep trying to get away from them and keep coming back to them. In most cases, drops are fine for me.

I like drops.

Of course, I think a lot of it depends on the geometry of the bike. I ride a Surly LHT, so I'm definitely a bit more upright than most.

That is a really nice setup you've got there. I like the idea, just never considered it as the reach to the hoods is so much. How is it for you?

I am a tall guy (6 ft) ,I have the fit dialed in perfectly. It'a a medium frame(18")....I have experimented with different size stems and I am using a 90mm 35 degree stem. Very comfortable set up. Bike handles great on the road or off road, even with front panniers loaded up.

Mountain biking is very different than road/touring biking. The "attack position" puts you far further forward on the bike with your upper body with almost no weight on your hands, in a position to drive down on the hands to pump terrain or pull back and up to unweight the front. Its much more like doing push ups and deadlifts than it is sitting for hours and hours. Not that there aren't situations where you're chilling there for an hour long climb, but the bars are designed for aggressive riding. More modern bars are also much wider and more swept to enhance control while leaning the bike way over (rather than leaning with the bike), which a flat hand position allows much easier than a "neutral" hand position.

Tl;dr: mountain biking bars are designed for dynamic motion, not static comfort.

Cool. I figured you were tall. I use a large frame (21") and I'm only 5' 8" and have it setup perfectly with 10deg riser bars but I still like the look of yours. I could do it with a 17" frame possibly.

Very comfy. I just about lose my mind if I have to ride flatbars on flat road for more than a couple of miles.

+1, That is a good explanation of the difference. That is what ergonomic bar ends are for. You get a versatile setup which will give you different hand positions depending on what type of riding your doing. My commute consists of some off road and some paved road so I use both positions. I agree the vertical wrist is more natural for road riding and use the vertical bar end for that but switch it up often to stay comfortable. Its just like going back and forth from the top to the hoods on drop bars.

This.

I've ridden in urban traffic, through low-traffic suburban neighborhoods, over varying terrain, on and off-road, and I've found that the type of handlebar I favor is dependent on what sort of riding I do. I can't choose "one handlebar to rule them all." I find drops way more comfy on long distance rides over varying terrain, and strongly prefer Nitto Albatross bars for urban city riding so that I have a "heads-up" position all the time and be aware of traffic. I absolutely detest flat bars and riser bars, though, because they make my wrists hurt no matter how they're set-up.

However, seeing as how most of my current rides are 20+ miles and hilly, it doesn't make sense to use anything but drop bars for now.

droy45 and jmblur,

thanks for the explanation. I didn't see it before I posted my first response. That makes sense as to why I can't stand using mountain bike-y handlebars, because I don't tend to move my body like that when I'm stuck with one hand position.

Do folks riding on pavement tend to keep their elbows bent or straight with whatever kind of bar they choose to use?

It's better to ride with bent arms, it soaks up vibration and improves one's control of the bike. But I see plenty of people riding with their arms locked out. Poor posture, poor fit, or just haven't ever been advised to do otherwise.

I just got a drop bar bike after 8 years of riding upright. I still am not used to them. I think I need to lose some weight, for one thing. Also, it's still pretty cold here and I'm wearing a lot of bulky clothing.

I'm finding that I can't stay in the drops very long, I'm on the hoods most of the time, and it puts a lot of pressure on my hands that I'm not used to. I suspect I'll get used to it.

I have them on my roadier bikes. The longer the ride, the better I like drops. Lots of start/stop, mucho traffic, braking, noodling around town with the kids, not as much.

Also in strong wind or making time, particularly long downhills, drop bars.

The bikes in my stable that have drop bars get far, far more use than the other one -- I prefer drop bars for anything more than a couple of miles, and I set them up so that I can comfortably spend long periods of time in the drops (bar tops are 0" to 2" lower than the saddle.)

I feel a little bad for acidfast7, though. Everyone piled on him before he got a chance to speak! ;)

Don't feel bad for me :)

I learned quite early in my scientific career that it's much better to be hated than to not be known. Being loved is good too, but that's nearly impossible to achieve when new/young. In the same vein, the enemy of my enemy is my friend, which is how many scientific collaborations start. Plus, playing the villain is fun :D

So, put me firmly in the I think drops are overrated category, with a sprinkle of if they were so good most German commuting bikes would use them as German engineering is the best, right ;)

Yup, my youngest son works as a BMW tech and he told me more than once that German engineering is tops. I work in electrical engineering and find the german stuff to be second to none also.:) Its just one of those traits that comes from that part of Europe. I agree that drops are overrated as there are other very good choices out there. Drops are still good for speed and performance applications just not the best choice for commuting or riding in the city. But, run what u brung I guess. LOL.

All about the way you want to sit on the bike.. forgot to set the alarm clock?
So, bent over, low, riding like you will be fired if you are late, Fast.

or starting early enough to see where you are going to not get hit? a bit more casual. ..

+1 That's pretty much it in a nutshell.

But what kind of bars do Mexican commuters prefer? ;-)

I've used North Roads style bars or flat bars all my life - on my bikes when I was a kid, on a motor cycle when I was older and on my bike now. I was quite looking forward to riding on dropbars, and had a short (~2 mile) ride around my LBS. Came away slightly disillusioned - they weren't as comfortable as I had expected them to be. I realize that 2 miles isn't long enough - on the other hand, flat bars with bar ends work fine for me for 20-23 mile rides and I never have time to ride more than that - so why spend more money? I think my hands are tuned to flat bars after all the bicycle and motorcycle rides of my youth :)

i'll ship over a German trekking bike and then it won't get stolen :D