Track drops on the street: thoughts
 

I picked up a cheap pair of Soma track drops off of CL this week as I've been riding exclusively with risers or bullhorns.

My first impressions: These have to be the most impractical and uncomfortable bars for street use. Their narrow size offers zero stability from a start position and lead to fatigue very quickly. I'm a little overweight (spare tire) and as such, the aggressive position they put me in was quite uncomfortable after only a few minutes. About the only thing I did like about them was the enhanced acceleration I got while in the drops. Other than that, for me at least, they're a track-only component.

Anyway, thoughts? Anyone prefer them for street use?

I concur.

Ive been using them exclusively for street use for about 4 years. I like them, got used to them, anything else feels weird to me.

I put on some b123's about two days ago.I absolutely love them so far. Makes riding my bike fun again for me. Yes, I spend 95% of the time on the top, but to me, that position is very comfortable. I love the way they look and IMO, there is nothing wrong with bolting a part on because you think it looks good as long as they work for you. FWIW, ive ridden road drops, bullhorns, risers, and finally my track drops. I prefer the look and feel of the track drops the most so far.

p.s. search next time. this has been discussed several times before.

For some reason, the search function has been giving me totally irrelevant results. Secondly, I wanted to share my own thoughts on it. Can't contribute to an existing thread that I can't find, can I?:)

Yes, what IS up with the search function lately? I haven't had a proper result back for weeks. If I want to search the archives I have to find the cached Google versions. Is it like this for everyone, or just some of us?

Isn't it sad when Google yields better results for a site than its own search function?

Track drops such because of the curved tops for me. I'm not in the drops enough for them to be practica. Road drops on the other hand are a better deal for me since it has more space on top.

but for others it does work so that's good for them

im kinda sorta fat too, being in drops sucked. it felt like i was kneeing myself in the gut with each pump. mind you, im not even really that fat, unless you compare me to some boney hipster or pro racer....

i do think they look better, but theres something a little too hypocritical (in my situation) about them for me to use them. riding on the tops wasnt bad at all, but still, having drops and never using them seems lame to me.

risers ftw but id like to try some bullhorns soon.

Yeah, I don't see anything wrong with them for street use. Really I don't get fatigued with any of the bars I ride with... I don't know maybe it's because I'm not overweight. Good luck on what you decide though.

I greatly prefer road drops for both looks and functionality. You'll have to pry my brake hoods from my cold dead hands.

Flared randonneur-style drops are great...as far as I know. I've never ridden a road bike with anything else.

yeahh whenever i search for something, it'll just give me the same threads that are on top of the forums... :crash:

LeCollectif and oneangrytoast, it sounds to me like both of you have your bars too low to ride comfy in the drops. If your knees are hitting your gut, that's a sure sign that your bars are too low, whether or not you have a spare tire down there.Riding in the drops can be comfy as hell if you have your bike properly fitted. But riding the tops 95% of the time completely destroys the point of the bars.

Track drops are fun for a little while, but I never kept them on for a long time. It's natural for people to stick their arms straight out when they're in the drops, but if you bend your elbows a bit and arch your back, they can get a little comfy. I think it's all a posture thing.

But for longer rides it's RB-21's for me.

I agree, why would I want to get used to them? Im sure I can get used to a thorn in my foot, but why would I want to do that? :twitchy: they're fun for a bit, but in the end they suck for the street.

Riding in traffic in the drops does not make sense. Your head is too low to see what the heck is going on around you. Yeah, I know some people have been doing it for years but some people also drive with their feet while watching porn and twittering their parents.

Track cyclists ride only on the drops.

Road cyclists spend most of their time on the hoods, not on the drops.


But whatever works for you, do it.

track drops suck on the street. road/rando bars with hoods are comfortable in every hand position, not just the 1 1/2 that track bars offer.

that's what I use and recommend, at least.
ymmv.

Track drops look best but are the worst if you're putting in a decent amount of miles. They seem to work better for people with relatively narrower upper body too since they only have one hand position on top right by the stem. If you can deal with one hand position on top go for it and even better if you can ride the drops safely but for street I would use something with more of an upright stance.

I've used the track drops and regular road drops, and found that I am far more comfortable on the track drops.

if you set them up right they're great.

no track bike is going to put you upright enough to really make seeing traffic easy. for long miles, drops are far better than risers, even track drops.

I've rocked a straight bar, oldschool roads (no brake hood mount things), flip&chops, RB-21's, and now track drops. I love them. But when I put my brake on for the century rides I'm going to get a set of road bars and rock the hoods. Nothing beats them.

This isn't a characteristic of track drops so much as a characterisic of the size you bought.

You and everyone else saying they're too narrow simply need to size up.

I wouldn't ride in anything but track drops. They offer a nearly infinite variety of positions. I spend a lot of time on the imaginary hoods and a little time on the top but it's nice to have the option to tuck and roll when I want it.

Even if you only spend 1% of your time down in them that's a 1% opportunity you won't get without drops. And I guess the same goes for road drops but I feel like road drops have the positions too well-defined. I like to be able to move a couple of inches up or down without hitting a sharp bend.

Wut?

road drops>track drops

always

disclamer: for street usage.