rykoala

Yesterday I took off a riser stem on my singlespeed and put on a stem with no rise at all. It probably lowered the handlebars a good 3 inches, if not a little more. Here's how it turned out (don't mind the crappy pic please)

I rode it in to work like this and boy what a different experience. I noticed myself going faster on a downhill than before, and with the dropped position I was able to generate more power with my legs. The only downfall is that I have an old injury in my right shoulder, and hauling my fat ass around really hurt my shoulder with all that weight up front. So, it looks like I have to raise it back up. I'm probably going to put drop handlebars on it soon, so that I can have that drop position when I want it, though.

So to those of you who ride this position 100% of the time, how do you like it?

BlastRadius

The more forward you lean the more you use your glutes which is why you noticed more power. Try scooting your saddle aft and see if your weight gets balance more onto your sit bones. It doesn't look like you have much more setback to go, which means your frame may be a bit too small.

rykoala

Yeah, I think the frame is a bit small for me. I'm 6'2" and its a 59cm C-T frame. I am going to start looking for a 62cm frame to replace it.

jacobs

That's not that low!

(Says the guy with the pursuit style frame w/ deep drops...)

Where's karmical?

hella

Ouch. Why so low?

fixedpip

Now these are *low* handlebars. Imagine what drops would be like in here :

labratmatt

That's scary. I hope he's not using that bike for anything but quick track sprints.

mascher

I was recently reading Greg LeMond's book, and he was talking about changing riding positions minutely over seemingly insanely long periods of time. Like shooting for a 2cm saddle increase over a span of two or three months, a quarter at a time, giving the body time to adapt to the slight difference.

You might find that if you gradually change your position over a longer time, you may find that a previously unimaginably uncomfortable posture is not only doable but more comfortable. Dropping the bars three inches is pretty radical.

My ss and mtb are set up similar to that (different frame angles of course, just generally flat bars a few inches lower than the saddle), and I don't feel comfortable if I'm more upright than that, or less stretched out than that.

I'm just now learning drop bars and bar ends tho.

bostontrevor

Yup. It probably took me a good 3 months to really get comfortable with drops and get my breathing right.

I probably have a similar saddle-to-bars drop and I love it. I have TT bars on these days and when I've got an open road, I'll stretch all the way fordward and rest my palms on the very ends of the bars where they curve up. It's great, I just have to make sure that nothing is going to come up because it's actually stretched out enough that getting my head up to see is uncomfortable.

But we are all beautiful people...err...different... and what's comfortable for one person may not be good for another. Generally go as low as you're comfortable with (breathing, pressure on your stomach, visibility) but no lower. Ya know?

rykoala

Yep I know what you mean. When I got home tonight I swapped in my old stem and life is back to normal for now. I am going to go for some wide drop bars though, once I get some dough. Drop bars, fixed, and clipless. Oh and a riser stem, so I can get the bars high enough that I can actually use the drops LOL. Thanks everybody for their insights on making the bike more comfortable, I truly appreciate it.

karmical

i like the way it feels, though probably all in my head it makes me feel as if i am pulled slightly forward and always riding in a more areo postion. and grabbin' the grips places you in a no bs postion, which i like while sprinting.

then there's the look on peoples faces or the conversations people have when they see seat/bar reach is a tad extreme....sometimes when i go into lbs groups of roadies just stand and stare in disbelief...these times alone make it worth it...

delay

You might also want to try tipping the nose of your saddle up slightly. Then you will be able to more comfortably keep weight in the saddle in the dropped position. It looks like currently your nose is tipped slightly down, this will cause you to slide forward with lower bars forcing you to put more weight in the shoulders and arms.

Phatman

just so you know, that is not a uci-legal position, the drops of the bars cannot be lower than the top of the tire...In case you were planning to race track...

bottom-bracket

the fork with bars under the head is badicle.

rykoala

Well I put the old stem on and so life is back to normal for now. I am still wanting drop bars so I can have the option of drops for going into the wind. I sure learned alot with this thread, thanks to everybody

taras0000

My bike has a similar position, but mine's UCI legal, tire and the bottoom of the drops just barely meet. I like it for the same reasons too. Low drops are also the best bet for standing starts. Utilize your lower back muscles a lot more along with your legs.

I like the looks it gets too. lol