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

I also have back problems. I used flat mtb bars with barends (on a commuterized mtb) for several years, only occasionally riding my old road bikes with drop bars, because they were too low for comfort. Eventually I came to appreciate touring frames for their practicality (rack & fender mounts, load capacity, neutral handling). Once I raised the handlebar well above the saddle I discovered the drop bar could be more comfortable than flat mtb bar. Larger frame size, longer HT length and the accepted notion of bar-above-saddle on tourers permitted me to experiment in this manner. My drop bar is 7cm above saddle now, and although it looks funny it works well. I find myself riding comfortably in the drops quite a bit, but mostly on hoods. The flats (hand position on drop bar) are a very upright position with this frame/stem/bar/brifter configuration.

+1

I really get by fine with bullhorns, but I like a flat top shallow reach bar, the shallow drop is nice for headwinds, and the flat top is more comfy for upright city riding or taking a load off your hands for a few minutes. I really ride on the hoods 90% of the time. The extra bit underneath doesn't bother me : )

Nice if you like bar end shifters too. Downtubes are where it's at though ; )

you forget about bike stripping, the parts can be resold.. :lol:

looks like I won't even have to worry about having my own bike for commuting to work :D


theft problem solved :D

i don't see any drops within the bicipuma system ...

so, you guys probably are not interested

http://www.tucomunidad.unam.mx/Bicipuma/galeria.html

Safe from being stolen by me. :D

I love drop bars. If you want to ride more upright, just ride on the "tops" or the "hoods." If you want to ride more aero and fight a headwind, ride in the drops. Lots of choices for any situation.

IMHO, the problem that many people have with drop bars is that their handlebars are set too low. Many bike shops set them up that way, or cyclists think they should emulate racers with very low handlebars. My handlebars are about the same height as my saddle. So I can ride comfortably upright when I want to, or get in the drops for a more aero position when I want to.

[QUOTE=tarwheel;15430017]I love drop bars. If you want to ride more upright, just ride on the "tops" or the "hoods." If you want to ride more aero and fight a headwind, ride in the drops. Lots of choices for any [QUOTE]

Exactly! I built a winter bike this year and the old bike I stripped from had flat bars with shifters and brakes already mounted, so I left them on. It lasted 2 weeks of which 10 of those days were spent hunting down parts. For commuting flat bars kill my wrists and actually hurt my back and neck worse than drops. Bottom line, it's personal preference. Flat bars are my choice for mountain biking but not commuting.

This is me. My arms have been locked for the last 6 months on my 2013 Kona that was "fitted" at my LBS and now I have tendonitis in both elbows. I've recently shortened my stem and moved my seat forward to get my elbows bent. I'm so frustrated with my bike. Now I'm tempted to get a Trek FX or something similar to the ride of my existing single speed bike. I never had elbow pain riding my flat bar bike.

Drops, on my MTB. I don't know why I bother calling it an MTB, it has one gear, I keep my eye out for a cheap crank that has a bigger chainring, and the tires are 1.25" slicks inside fenders that look too big, but it did start life as an MTB. I have also raced on dirt with clip-on aero bars on my XC bike (many-hour race with paved portions and technical dirt portions and seven miles riding up a river), so I clearly have lost all sense of what is "correct".

It took me a while to get here, though. I started commuting on flats with long bar ends (on the same frame), and would have told you I valued the upright position, yada-yada. But, in the interim, I became a semi-converted roadie, and started putting way more miles on the road on a 700c drop-bar racing bike than I did on dirt. Now, I value the multiple hand positions and the ability to be in an aero position when desired. I estimate I spend 75% of the time on the hoods, 15-20% in the drops, and the remainder on the flats (or 'Look, Ma'-ing).

Is it "correct"? I don't care. It is comfortable, so I do it. I suggest you do the same.

inside every drop bar is a flat bar.

Same here.

I ride a lot with my hands on the middle/top of the bar when I'm just cruising or need to see better in traffic. And I probably ride at least 1/3 of the time in the drops, I'm lucky to be still reasonably flexible.

My beater/MTB bike has a riser bar, my other bikes all have drop bars.

+1
I like drops for longer road rides or commutes greater than 10 miles each way. I also far prefer the "hood" position when climbing with drops vs. any flat bar (including bar ends) or swept bar.

I just converted from moustache to narrow drop bars. Huge improvement in stability and control, and an even bigger improvement when dealing with the ever-present winds. IMO, indepensible.

I commute in Frankfurt, and love my drop bars. I use all hand positions on every commute.