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I almost never use the drops...ride on hoods. Just me?

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Road Cycling “It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them. Thus you remember them as they actually are, while in a motor car only a high hill impresses you, and you have no such accurate remembrance of country you have driven through as you gain by riding a bicycle.” -- Ernest Hemingway

I almost never use the drops...ride on hoods. Just me?

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Old 08-22-11, 12:10 PM
  #101  
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Originally Posted by Jaytron
I'm almost always on my hoods as well. Unless I'm doing a decent, or there's some head wind.
A decent what?
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Old 08-22-11, 12:24 PM
  #102  
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Originally Posted by AdelaaR
Everyone in the 41 rides on a roadracebike.
Anyone riding a roadracebike not riding it for speed is, in my little book, a complete tool.
Like those old guys in porches riding slower than general traffic ... just pathetic in my opinion and an insult to the car or bike and the designers of it.
Kinda lame.
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Old 08-22-11, 12:27 PM
  #103  
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Originally Posted by Jaytron
I'm almost always on my hoods as well. Unless I'm doing a decent, or there's some head wind.
I prefer to be doing better than decent.
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Old 08-22-11, 12:29 PM
  #104  
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Originally Posted by Vicelord
I prefer to be doing better than decent.
Isn't decent worth less than dedollar?
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Old 08-22-11, 01:05 PM
  #105  
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Originally Posted by ahsposo
I just watched the finish of Stage 3 of the Vuelta. The stage winner crested the final summit, hit the drops and stayed there all the way to the win. That's what the drops are for. Winners!
From whiner to winner in two easy drops....

It really is about comfort and efficiency. If one is not in the drops then efficiency suffers. If one is uncomfortable in the drops then chances are the bike fit isn't ideal or there are some other physical realities that must be prioritized at the expense of efficiency. Achieving individual comfort in the drops is really about balancing the physical reality with an optimal fit adjustment (ie coming to terms w/ the reality that a "standard" aero, race setup doesn't suit one's personal, physical limitations).
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Old 08-22-11, 01:20 PM
  #106  
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Originally Posted by AdelaaR
Like those old guys in porches riding slower than general traffic ... just pathetic in my opinion and an insult to the car or bike and the designers of it.
So the old guys in Porsches should be racing in the streets? Maybe they have their fun on the track where they're supposed to.
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Old 08-22-11, 01:29 PM
  #107  
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Originally Posted by AdelaaR
Everyone in the 41 rides on a roadracebike.
Anyone riding a roadracebike not riding it for speed is, in my little book, a complete tool.
Like those old guys in porches riding slower than general traffic ... just pathetic in my opinion and an insult to the car or bike and the designers of it.
cars and bikes do a good job handling 'insults' - they just sit there... and can only be coaxed as far as the user is comfortable/able to make them go.
riding your 'nago' (autos/motos don;t even need to be mentioned...) to the local coffee spot is as valid as anything else done on it. Nicely, many others think similarly. And a whole week of 'recovery' rides is often a very nice thing.
Seems an awfully stressful existence having to live up to the expectations placed on one by the stuff/toys one has.
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Old 08-22-11, 01:31 PM
  #108  
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Originally Posted by gregf83
So the old guys in Porsches should be racing in the streets? Maybe they have their fun on the track where they're supposed to.
no no, he said porches, not Porsches.
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Old 08-22-11, 03:30 PM
  #109  
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Originally Posted by Vicelord
no no, he said porches, not Porsches.
Exactly.
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Old 08-22-11, 05:07 PM
  #110  
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The problem is you're trying to be wise, or at least sane, but this is the road forum.

Originally Posted by cyclezen
cars and bikes do a good job handling 'insults' - they just sit there... and can only be coaxed as far as the user is comfortable/able to make them go.
riding your 'nago' (autos/motos don;t even need to be mentioned...) to the local coffee spot is as valid as anything else done on it. Nicely, many others think similarly. And a whole week of 'recovery' rides is often a very nice thing.
Seems an awfully stressful existence having to live up to the expectations placed on one by the stuff/toys one has.
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Old 08-22-11, 07:54 PM
  #111  
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Drops always seemed like a more natural riding position for me. Probably in them 90% of the time.
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Old 08-22-11, 07:57 PM
  #112  
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Originally Posted by Viceroy
Drops always seemed like a more natural riding position for me. Probably in them 90% of the time.
I feel the same way, except my counterweight, 'aero' belly gets in the way.
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Old 08-22-11, 11:20 PM
  #113  
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How else are you gonna go 40mph and maintain control?
I've been using the drops more after a couple times going at 25-30mph on the hoods and realizing that 1) I'm much more stable on the drops over rough roads and 2) there is no way I can brake quickly on the hoods.
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Old 08-23-11, 07:36 PM
  #114  
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Any tips on downshifting STI from the drops? Reach is fine for braking, but I pull back (unintentional braking) on the large lever when I try to push it sideways.
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Old 08-24-11, 04:28 AM
  #115  
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Sora + Rapid Rise

Originally Posted by ahsposo
Just what CDR said. Lotsa control in the drops.

BikeWise1 and his fit comment, too.

I just go a little faster, easier in the drops.

pcat mentioned something the other day I had read previously and I think it's a shame because I think there's a lot of the Sora brifters out there. Not being able to shift readily in the drops is a real problem as I see it. If my equipment kept me from fully operating the bike while in the drops I'd be making some changes.
I've hated my Sora brifters, until I swapped the rear der. for a Rapid Rise. IMHO it's the best and the cheapest improvement you can do with a Sora bike. It's much more important to be able to downshift from the drops, than to upshift. Now I can realy bomb down those rolling hills
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Old 08-24-11, 11:18 AM
  #116  
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Originally Posted by rolliepollie
How else are you gonna go 40mph and maintain control?
I've been using the drops more after a couple times going at 25-30mph on the hoods and realizing that 1) I'm much more stable on the drops over rough roads and 2) there is no way I can brake quickly on the hoods.
Are you telling me you can brake faster from the drops then the hoods?
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Old 08-24-11, 12:34 PM
  #117  
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yes
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Old 08-24-11, 12:51 PM
  #118  
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I didn’t like my drops so I cut them off.

Chop no Flop

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Old 08-24-11, 01:10 PM
  #119  
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Originally Posted by shokhead
Are you telling me you can brake faster from the drops then the hoods?
It's just a little safer and you have better control. If you hit a bump while in the drops your hands will stay on the bars. It also depends on the type of hoods you have, how they are mounted and how sweaty your hands are.
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Old 08-24-11, 01:13 PM
  #120  
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Originally Posted by shokhead
Are you telling me you can brake faster from the drops then the hoods?
Leverage is better, the further away you are from the brake lever pivot - you get finer control and more power at the expense of more travel.
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Old 08-24-11, 01:38 PM
  #121  
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Although I spend the VAST majority of my time on the hoods I find that I feel lighter on my hands while in the drops which is good for my upper back. It's just habit that keeps me on the hoods....I need to change that habit.
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Old 08-24-11, 02:15 PM
  #122  
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Originally Posted by thehammerdog
As I was riding today at a nice smooth pace I thought "hey man" you never ride in the drops. Is it just me? for those of us who do not race bikes is this normal? Unless I am trying to jump my bro during a ride I ride 99% on hoods
almost never, cept facing strong winds or want a screaming downhill fun stretch, but i'm also very new.
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Old 08-24-11, 03:33 PM
  #123  
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Originally Posted by bud16415
I didn’t like my drops so I cut them off.

Chop no Flop

i see you prefer the praying mantis position. you might as well take those bars and turn them upside down.
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Old 08-24-11, 04:17 PM
  #124  
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Originally Posted by bud16415
I didn’t like my drops so I cut them off.

Chop no Flop

How can you ride with those bars? I really could not stand that setup.
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Old 08-24-11, 07:03 PM
  #125  
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When I began road cycling, I always rested my hands on the top of the handlebars of my road bike, but I soon realized that it is more comfortable, faster, and professional-looking to ride holding on the to handlebar hoods.

Though I ride for recreation rather than for competitive racing, its much more efficient to ride this way.
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