I just rode my first time using drops -- previously used bullhorns -- and I hate the feeling of them. I feel as if I am laying on my stomach while peddling. I also feel it is easier to loose control while steering with them. Does anyone else feel this same way, or could they just be adjusted the wrong way?

Sounds like they're either too low, you're either too high, or just not used to them. Steering will always be less precise on identical bikes set up with bars closer together than bars farther apart, but a well set up bike with drops should still be quite controllable.

Alot of folks ride the hoods which is roughly or close to the same
elevation as the flats. Are you riding in the drops?

sounds like you're just a p u s s y.......

you don't ride around in the drops, dumbass.

east hill: i know i offended him, but i'm kind of drunk and he deserved it, so please don't send me a warning.

My controls are loose as well.

I think you're doing it wrong.
Please see the attached image for the correct way of riding drop bars on a fixed-gear bike.
Don't worry, it's a rookie mistake but everyone here has done it at some point or another!

I don't like headwind. I like drops.

Drops are great when your bike is set up correctly and run with brakes.

1+

A properly set up bike with road drops and hoods offers every hand position possible except that which is offered with a mustache bar or noahs arc style bar.

Don't panic over it. I thought so too before I started to experiment. For me, my drop (Deda Shallow 215) was a little bit too low so even the roof was too low. So I bought a stem riser to rift my handle bar for about 3-4 cm. It worked quite perfectly. I was able to use the drop part in addition to the roof. At that point, the roof was at the height of the saddle. You might try that.

Apparently what you need to pay attention is that your pelvic bone should "stand" on your saddle and your lower back (not the upper back) should be bent forward. (But your arms should not be over-streched.) If you can't do that, you should adjust stem-length/angle and column height. Of course, your geometry may be so wrong that you need to resort to some esoteric parts ... meaning virtually impossible to use drops.

Once you achieve this, you will realize that you are leaning uncomfortably forward even if your adjustment is correctly done. This is because you are not use to the drop-riding posture. This is NOT a problem. You have to get use to it. A book recommended me that I do some situps to develop my stomach muscle; I tried and this helps.

Before getting use to the bike. You have to adjust your saddle position. Since you are already using a bullhorn, you probably don't need to do this. Your seating posture has changed and it is highly likely your knees are positioned wrong as well. You have to adjust for this by moving you saddle back/forth/up/down. It is likely you have to move your saddle up. This will screw up your original position, so you have to go back and repeat the processes. (or you can just leave it and leave your knees health to chance.)

Well, you are not done yet, you got more problems. One drops are quite different from another. Later I bought a Nitto B105 because of its nifty 25.4mm clamping size. Oh boy was I wrong. This thing has a deeper drop; and I didn't know there is such thing. So the drop part became totally useless; and eventually I cut it off because it gets in my way of my legs when I skid and stuff. (Which was a HUGE MISTAKE! Do not cut your drops like this!! Because you could just exchange a bullhorn.)

And so I am still riding with a drop with a no-drop ... story of my life.

T

Thanks for the responses guys, I appreciate them.

My saddle position is correct from what I have read. My legs are almost straight, but still slightly bent, when at the 6 o'clock position. The top of my drops sit about two inches lower than the top of my saddle.

That's not exactly a super-aggressive drop. How big is your belly? (this is a serious question)

well, drop are there to get you aero so you're gonna be a little twitchy down there, your upper legs are probably going to glance off your stomach unless you're rail-thin, etc. drops always give me an easy 2-4mph just from getting into them depending on the headwind/lack of.

I don't like em... doesn't seem very hard to lean down while riding with any other style bars to me.

Simply leaning over does not put you in proper cycling position (where the arms are just slightly bent, wrists are straight, and back is at a 45 degree angle). Drops allow for one to ride in proper position for an extended period of time, so that discomfort is eliminated and performance is enhanced. While leaning over on bullhorns or a straight bar may work to get you through a brief headwind or power up a hill, it's definitely not the same as riding the drops for 10 miles. If you did ride bent over for ten miles on any other type of handle bar you'd probably begin feeling it (or not feeling) in your hands and lower back. You shoulders may also become tight.

A good set of drops beats any other type of handle bar for road racing IMHO.

if you have a gut, its a pain in the ass. Literally, I have sciatica.

If you dont then you'll get used to it.

Well I don't race and the problem I see with drops, is how can there be a comfortable position on the flats AND in the drops? You're obviously bent over more when in the drops, which to me feels pretty uncomfortable after 4-5 miles, much less 10 straight miles in the drops. Then again, they do say how the guys on the Tour suffer through a lot of pain. Glad I don't race to be forced into the drops like that!

I lol a bit when I see people tucked in the drops when they're cruising down the street.

Drops are the best design of handlebar ever invented by man.

Don't ride around tucked down in them all the time, and if the position in the drops is uncomfortably low, you need them set a little higher. You need brake hoods to make best use of them- pull the lever out of the left hand one if you don't have a back brake.

When I want stability and control at high speed, such as when I'm flying down a mountain on my road bike, drops are THE place to be. Drop are also great for fighting the wind.

Not even the pros ride in the drops all the time, most of the time they are on the hoods, as though they were riding bullhorns.

Track riders are always in the drops but that's a whole different scene.

Most likely, you aren't used to the position or your core muscles aren't used to it.

Fitted correctly on a bike, you should be able to sit comfortably with your hands on the hoods or just before the hoods on a drop bar. Then, take your hands away but don't move your torso. If you can hold that position comfortably, your fit is set correctly. If you feel like you'll fall forward, you need to adjust either the stem length or height/angle, saddle fore/aft, and also tone up those core muscles, both stomach and back.

not exactly...

No way I love drops. It takes time to adjust to the drop position if you are not used to it. It takes a bit of ab strength to avoid getting fatique or uncomfortable if you want to stay in the drops for awhile. My adive is just force yourself to ride in the drops for a few miles, you will get used to it.

I find I have much more control when in the drops than bullhorns. I had bullhorns for about 3 months but the novelty wore off quick. I never rode bullhorns so it was cool for a bit but I felt I lost alot of power when I wanted to excel real fast.

I like my road drops. I spend the majority of my time riding on the shoulders or the curves, and when I have a crazy headwind or I'm really riding fast I use the drops. If I'm really tired (ie first thing in the morning on the way to work) I can ride on the tops and take it slow. If I need to sprint I'm on the hoods of my brakes. Nearly every available position on my road bars is useful to me at some point.

I'd be the exact same as elTwitcho - Drops defo offer the most positions, especially fitted with hoods/brakes but I only use them on my racer.

On my fixie I've got drops sans brakes due to fitting problems, but I always had bullhorns. I think I might change back as I do find them best for fixed use.. Riding fixed in traffic in drops = suicide! imo..

They are a lifesaver when it comes to headwind, but I'd rather the horns for upright control (important for me, as I go for smaller frames for handling purposes/budget) even contemplating risers even though I was always against them!