beezaur

I saw a massage therapist about my knees recently, and mentioned that I was having back pain after lowering the handlebar on one of my bikes.

She showed me how to massage (and stretch) some muscles that run just inside my pelvis (iliac crest). They get tight and pull on my back, making it sore.

When I would start getting a sore back (and I mean bad!) I would stop and do my various stretches. The pain was alleviated for a few miles at first and then gradually longer. Now my back rarely hurts.

It might be worth looking into. Massage therapy isn't that expensive.

bluefoxicy

Never ridden with drop bars. Have considered it, but I think that shallow ones seem more interesting than deep ones. I like my Mirrcycle mirror, though....

abdon 

Regardless of whether you like drop bars you should look at ancillary exercises that can give you back your full range of motion. Deep heavy squats did it for me. I don't ride on the drops a lot but one day I found myself resting on them when I got tired of every other position.

Machka 

Actually, one of the reasons I like drops is because they allow me a chance to stretch my back and shoulders during a long ride.

beebe

I'm thinking that people who are experiencing discomfort while riding in the drops may find it beneficial to change bars or stems. When I was riding track drops with a long flat portion to hold onto in the drops, I noticed it was the most comfortable position to ride in. The shape of those bars also put the hoods in an uncomfortable position, so I didn't ride on those as much. The road drops I use now have the drop portion mostly at a 45 degree angle to the ground, and riding on those gets uncomfortable pretty fast. Hoods are great now, though.

Ediblestarfish

I'm just a casual rider and don't ride in the lower part of the drops much, but I like having it just to stretch my back for a few minutes, then go back to riding on the hoods. I also like having them when going steep uphills, where holding onto the hoods make you feel like you are going to fall over backwards.

I have them pretty high though (about an inch over the saddle), on a bike with touring geometry, so that may be why I find them comfortable.

Nightshade

While some here may get along ok with drops I can not.

My back was broken long ago and I just don't bend like that anymore.

Sixty Fiver

My problem is the opposite... nerve damage and MPS make sitting upright very painful and I can only ride in a lower forward position and a level saddle to bar position or a slightly higher bar position works best.

Can ride for 100 miles if the set up is right but often have trouble walking 1 mile.

Sixty Fiver

Touring set up... higher bar placement allows for a pretty comfy in the drops position.

fietsbob

hundred different bends , so which do you have in mind?

shift by down tube, levers, brifters or bar ends? the bar choice is influenced.

short ramp or long, deep drop or shallow, parallel, or flare the lower ends?
round curves or shorter ones with anatomic flat sections?

abdon 

As stated is not just the drops but how they are set. Heck, I like them and I'm in pain just by looking at this picture:

SurlyLaika

Cool tip on the shallow drop bars. BTW, my drop bars are not adjusted for aesthetics. They've been raised plenty at the LBS. I like my drop bars just fine. I was more wondering how to make better use of the drops or whether I should just put a bike mirror there.

SurlyLaika

I like bar end shifters. As for as "short ramp or long, deep drop or shallow, parallel, or flare the lower ends?
round curves or shorter ones with anatomic flat sections," I just don't know what those mean or how they affect riding. Mainly, I guess...I just want comfort. The moustache handlebars may be an option, but I'd be open to different types of drop bars, too.

groovestew

When I switched from riding a flat bar bike to a drop bar bike, I spent most of my time on the tops and hoods, but over time, I naturally migrated to using primarily the hoods and drops. I almost never use the tops anymore. Hoods if I'm just cruising at a leisurely pace, drops for speed or when riding into wind. I even removed the extra brake levers on the tops because I never use them anymore.

Doug5150

Drop bars == more aerodynamic but less comfort.
They originated in racing where being uncomfortable for a short time was worth tolerating if it made the difference between winning and not.

With upright bikes--any time you have your hands below the level of the seat, comfort decreases drastically.




If you are particularly interested in riding comfort, go try a few recumbents. They have their drawbacks but the riding comfort is far beyond any upright bike.

groovestew

Right...and touring bikes have drop bars because people riding all day like to be uncomfortable.

abdon 

If you set your drop bars at the same height as your flat bar, how is that less comfort? My weekend rides are 75+ miles and I use drop bars _because_ they offer more comfort. I ride on the tops, the hoods, the drops (which if you can't stretch 5 inches from your normal 'comfy' position you should work on regaining mobility), the outside, hooking my thumbs where the tube bends, etc.

People equate drop bars with racing setups (bars 6 inches bellow seat, drops even further bellow), which would probably kill me. If you don't like them that's fine, but trust me, comfort is not an issue.

beebe

Drop bar != less comfort

As has been expressed by multiple people in this thread, people often choose drop bars because of ergonomics rather than speed.

Ediblestarfish

I used to ride a flat handlebar bike with bar ends. I always naturally migrated to the bar ends to put my hands as the flat bars hurt my wrists after a half hour or so.

Riding a bike with drop bars and gripping the hoods is essentially the same ergonomics, except I actually have the brakes within reach. I am not bent over more in any way, and with my setup it's actually a bit more upright than my old bike. I can use the lower part of the drops if I want to, but I am rarely inclined to do so. It's there more as a 'just in case' scenario for me.

As I said before, I'm not riding a race bike, but a touring bike. The drops have nothing to do with speed for me, and everything to do with my particular ergonomic preferences for comfort, difficult as it may be for some to believe.

steve0257

To add fuel to the fire. I put this on my bike last August. Don't know for sure how they'll do for long distance since I've only done two centuries with this handlebar. I realize that this is contrary to conventional wisdom, but for me sitting upright is easier and more relaxing than riding with drop bars or flat bars. I am thinking of trying a set of trekking bars but am still undecided.

https://store.velo-orange.com/index.p...ar-config.html

abdon 

Which fire will that be? I think the only thing being argued is the notion that they sacrifice comfort for efficiency.

The best bar for you is the one you like the best. I'm putting together a commuter on a Dahon Tournado frame that is looking pretty kick ass with Velo orange porteur bars

rumrunn6

drops are good but most are too low and don't get used. it's ok to raise your bars

big chainring 

I like these - Nitto Randonneur bars.


The rounded/angled nature of the bend is essy on the hands and wrists. Easier to ride in the drops too, not a deep drop.

Bikewer

There are an awful lot of folks who buy a roadster and then ride around with their hands apparently welded into the drops; they're there...I must have to use them.
This is perhaps due to the fact that many folks are appallingly ignorant of basic bike fit and practice because a bike is just something you buy and ride. That's what they did as kids, anyway.
If you're hurting because you're riding "bent over" as one poster said....You're doing it wrong. Or, the bike doesn't fit. That's all there is to it. A properly set-up and adjusted bike should allow you to ride comfortably in any position. The normal riding position on a roadster is "on the hoods". That's why modern brake/shifter units are ergonomically designed for your hands.
Top of the bar for climbing, and drops for wind cheating and speedy descents.
Watch pro road racers sometime. Cruising in the peloton...Everyone is on the hoods.

TurbineBlade

This comment and this entire thread make no sense. I could take your current bike -- remove spacers/otherwise lower the stem, install any flat bar you want, and put you in pain just as much as any drop bar. Stupid.

It has nothing to do with the drop bar, it's the height of the handlebar (and reach to the handlebar) -- period. I ride drop bars on a mountain bike (kind of a monstercross bike) because flat bars are not as comfortable for long distance rides to me. I like the position where my fingers are split over the brake hoods and can ride like that for long periods of time even if I rarely use the "drops" portion of bar.