It's not supposed to be "uncomfortable". I'll be fine in the drops continuously for the entire length of a crit, so 50-75 minutes. In a road race there are usually lags in the pace or climbs where I'll switch to other positions.

Since I changed to compact bars I've spent a lot more time in the drops...maybe up to 30-40% of a ride. One thing I noticed when I first started riding in the drops was that I'd work harder and had to learn to measure out my effort better. The thing that is my limiting factor in the drops is my neck gets tired holding up my melon. I try to look through the tops of my glasses and keep my head more down but that doesn't work so well in less familiar areas where I feel like I need to be a little more alert.

+1

/thread

I use the drops when pulling at the front of a paceline and when the wind is up. Otherwise i'm generally on the hoods.

This ==> Fit and bike-specific fitness.

I used to never ride in the drops for many of the reasons you mentioned. I got fitted on the bike properly and got into good shape. The drops are not a problem any more. I highly recommend spending the money on getting fitted properly.

The other thing not really mentioned so far is that the drops is absolutely the safest, most stable position while descending. If you do that alot, it pays to be comfortable there, and it's more fun going fast downhill.

You do see an awful lot of people who's hands appear to be welded into the drops...It's like they think..."that's how you're supposed to do it". No one ever told them any different. I seldom use the position myself; I'm too old to be worried about speed so I generally use them when the wind is up. I spend most of my time on the hoods or on top of the bar when climbing hills. Standard practice, really; you rarely see pro racers using the drops except when sprinting or descending.

Styles have changed over time. Personally my tops are lower than many people's drops. For an agressive position, depending on what I'm doing I'll either be in the drops, on the tops with my elbows parallel to the ground, or in the "invisible aerobar" position. For a more relaxed position, I'll cruise on the hoods with less bent elbows, or with my hands on the tops. If I'm not pushing hard and I don't care how fast I'm going, then I'll pick more a relaxed position.

Sprinting, catching up, descending, cornering, I'm in my drops.

I don't really like staying in my drops long if i'm not doing any of the above, I'm more comfortable on my brake hoods when my arm is at about 90 degrees.

But descents are really fun in the drops, and I notice that when I'm in the drops I have better control of my bike, and I tend to stay in my the drops the whole descent from some mountains I climb, which is about 6+ minutes of descending.

I actually try to get as aero as i possibly can, as long as i can pedal.

i'm too fat for the drops.

All day long.

For so many reasons, you really should find a way to consistently ride in the drops.

Not all bars are the same. Go to your LBS and sit on a couple bikes with different bars. Maybe you just need a shallow drop.

I imagine the fatter someone is, the more difficult this will be.

Just as comfortable in the drops or on the tops. I can ride either but the drops will eventually work my neck a bit hard to stay there more than about an hour. I did go through 3 stems, and 2 seats to get this though. And it took a couple of years to really fine tune things.
My tops are 115mm lower than my seat and im using shallow drop bars (130mm) fwiw

For what it's worth, I'm in my drops in my avatar picture and you aren't

My problem was always my hands and wrists, but now that I have bikes that fit, I can stay in the drops for long periods.

I love my compact bars.

That's not a mountain.

True.

When I was getting fitted on my Addict, my guy says "Get into a comfortable position". So I get comfy with my hands on the hoods. He says "What are you doing? Where do you think you should be the most comfortable?". My tiny brain eventually kicks in and I respond, "In the drops?". He nods his agreement.

I would be lower than I am if I didn't wear corrective lenses. I'm as low as I can be and still see out of the tippy tops of my glasses. When I get corrective eye surgery, I hope to be able to get a bit lower.

I have a question about climbing/sprinting in the drops, but I think I'll start a new thread for that one.

I think it took me about 45 minutes to descend from the White Mountains.

Why wait? Go for it.

this

With respect, corrected. Whenever I think something may happen, I'll get into the drops. If I'm not in the drops around you, it means that I feel pretty comfortable that nothing weird will happen in the next second or two.

A properly fit bike will let you brake and corner harder in the drops than any other position.

Fitness issues may keep you from being in the drops long. When I first descended Palomar, not only could I not stay in the drops, I had to stop to rest (!!). Last couple times I was sprinting out of turns, tucking, and generally flying down the mountain. I managed to take about 5 minutes off my descent time, maybe even 10.

When I was "heavy" (5'7", currently just under 160, used to be 215 or so late 2003), I used a longer, taller bike. I felt pretty uncomfortable in the drops because someone's leg was kneeing my stomach ever half revolution. I sprinted in the drops but rode on the hoods a lot.

cdr

Before I lost a lot of weight and had flexibility (thanks to Bikram Yoga) I didn't like the drops, now its like home.

Spot on, as usual!

That's a legitimate gripe.

I had almost a decade with very little serious cycling (while my kids were little), and when I started back riding more than to the local park with the kids I found I couldn't tolerate the drops well because my gut got in the way. After I lost the gut, no more problems in the drops.