Like cramp at the base (pad) of my thumb 🙁

I know i have only been out twice but on descents it REALLY hurts!! How do i set up bar level – should they be flat, raised, down??

Also shit scared of riding in the drops, any tips?

It might be that the front of your bike’s too low for you and you’ve got too much weight on your hands (this might also make riding in the drops scary!)

This is how my bars are set up (eg flat on the hoods) but you’ll see lots with the brake levers pointing up more

are you using mtb gloves – they sometimes have paddign int he wrong places for riding on the hoods of road bars for long distances?

also have you got too much weight on your arms due to bike fit?

I rarely rode in the drops – really only for a few seconds if I wanted to sprint or on faster downhills if I was coasting.

Mine did that for a while, it eventually goes, maybe lift the handle bar height a touch to take a bit of weight off your hands. I very rarely ride in the drops, nearly always on the hoods.

I had this – try tilting your saddle up a little – as it might be pushing more of your weight on the bars.

moving your saddle back helps balance your weight more too.

but you’ll also have to get used to it – it will take a few weeks.

your confidence will come – I did a post like this about 1 year ago 😉

Riser bars 😉 like ones on a mountain bike.

use gel inserts under your bar tape – make a noticeable difference to comfort/road buzz

Position is far more critical on a road bike because you don’t move about as much as you do off road. Clubber’s looks like a good set up and is v similar to mine, so I’d echo the flat hoods from raised bars cause first. Even shorter stem perhaps, but defo keep your saddle level. I use a spirit level! All of this is conjecture as you may be an extremely odd shape in the length of limb department. The best decision is a proper bike fit or failing that an on line free one with somebody like this, http://www.competitivecyclist.com/za/CCY?PAGE=FIT_CALCULATOR_INTRO (sorry I don’t know how to do the linky or photo things)

Tilting your saddle up generally isn’t such a good idea on a road bike most would be flat or pointing down a little depending on your flexibility, if you tilt if back you’ll get pressure on your sensitive bits when your down on the drops. If your hands hurt its about body balance and probably just the fact your not used to riding in that position. Also most handlebars are designed to tilt slightly down on the tops unlike the flat position clubber has (but if it works for him thats great 😉 ), a good starting point is having the bottom of the drops parallel with the road. This creates a natural comfortable recess for the hand on the top of the bar and the huds.

This shows what I mean with the bars.

I rarely rode in the drops – really only for a few seconds if I wanted to sprint or on faster downhills if I was coasting.

you are doing it wrong.
all 3 bar positions should be easy to use without discomfort. poor flexibility can be the problem but usually it’s just poor bike fit.

as for the op’s hand pain it’s possibly a positional thing on the hoods and you need to move or rotate the hood until your hand is supported all the way round the palm from base of forefinger to base of thumb/fleshy part of palm. but if the bike is too short or long the wrist angle may be wrong. something a novice is unlikely to notice but would be picked up instantly with a good bike fit. without seeing pics of you sat on the bike it’s difficult to suggest a definite cause

you are doing it wrong.

Rubbish. Sorry.

poor flexibility can be the problem

this – I even got a letter published in stw about my lack of ‘give’.

I get dreadful neck ache if I ride on the drops for more than a few minutes. I tried raising bars etc but I ride a slicked up mtb on the road now.

Rubbish. Sorry.

so you have some physiological disability that prevents you from using the drops? only despite popular myth the drops are not just for sprinting, you go faster in the drops due to lower body position (if you have the flexibility to use them) if you are doing some work on the front then they are more or less essential if there’s a bit of a headwind or you have to work too hard if you remain upright on the hoods/tops.

anc – bars used to be like that but most now run flat into the hoods. Depends on the type of bend in your bars so its hard for us to comment. Also I’d start with the bottom of the bars angle fractionally up as a starting point as both and and clabber’s photos show, then move hoods. Sort overall position and then tweak is the way forward.

Also most handlebars are designed to tilt slightly down on the tops unlike the flat position clubber has (but if it works for him thats great )

Think it depends on the style of the drops as the curve down can be quite different on drops from different brands and styles, mine are more like clubbers – flatter on top then curve down in several straightish sections

anc – bars used to be like that but most now run flat into the hoods.

Nar far more pro/elite guys run there bars with a slight angle down, have a shifty through the pro bikes on bikeradar. That said its about what works for you. I used to run mind flat but as my flexiblity improved i discovered the angled down bar worked better for me.

Heres Andy Schleck’s bike with a slightly less of a angle to wiggos above but still angled down.

Does the fore/aft position of the seat have a big effect on hand problems? I do get pretty numb hands on my road bike but I’ve got a Thomson inline post and looking at both the bikes up there, they have quite a lot of layback.

Should I be looking at a layback to help get weight off my hands?

i was having very similar issues:

First off, i changed my bars from some ritchey ergo bars to the shallow drop 3T ergo nova, then i dipped my bars down a touch and then raised the hoods up a bit (much like Schleck’s bike above)

I later had a bike fit where they moved the saddle forwards 10mm and then extended by stem length by 30mm.

Should I be looking at a layback to help get weight off my hands?

no. change seat position for knee over pedal/saddle height etc. change the front of the bike (stem length/bar height etc) to change weight distribution.

wiggins bars look pretty flat at the top onto the hoods:

think it down to personal setup and also hood shape varies a lot beteen brand and model

think the main things is to set up so you are comfy

are you using mtb gloves – they sometimes have paddign int he wrong places for riding on the hoods of road bars for long distances?

this

moving your saddle back helps balance your weight more too.

shouldn’t this be forward? your weight will sit further back and you’ll be more upright if you bring the saddle forward. counterbalance

I don’t know if I’m doing it wrong but I rarely use the drops too, and need to get me a higher rise stem as leaning down to the drops gives me massive neck and head aches and pulls my lower back. I do have “the tightest hamstrings I’ve ever seen, tighter than someone twice your age” – (sports physio). I’m working on it but that pulls my back out too.

“the tightest hamstrings I’ve ever seen, tighter than someone twice your age” – (sports physio). I’m working on it but that pulls my back out too.

tried a foam roller?

I read something about when standing if you bend over you arse will stick out to counterbalance you – it said the same is true in bike fits???

dont read anymore get a bike fit, or change one thing at a time and feel for improvements!

I would say, that as you’ve only been out on your road bike a couple of times, and as you are scared of using the drops……

You are probably holding the bars too tight. Assuming that your set up is not a million miles out (a photo of you on your bike would help here), then it’s just a case of relaxing and getting used to it.

There is no right or wrong way for your bars or saddle. Personally, I have my saddle tilted very slightly back and cannot understand how anyone can ride with the nose pointed down, but lots do and that great. Same with bars. Some people like the hoods high, some like the drops tilted forwards. I like shallow drops set slightly back, because I have stiff wrists.

But/and…. one of the great things about roadie bars is that you have so many hand positions, so you can to change regularly.

SB

rootes1
Wiggo on stage 4 of this years Vuelta with a slight angle down 😉
as you say though whatever works for you.

MrSmith – Member
so you have some physiological disability that prevents you from using the drops? only despite popular myth the drops are not just for sprinting, you go faster in the drops due to lower body position (if you have the flexibility to use them) if you are doing some work on the front then they are more or less essential if there’s a bit of a headwind or you have to work too hard if you remain upright on the hoods/tops.

I suspect reading back that we might be talking at crossed purposes, but plenty of people rarely use the drops – not because they can’t but because they prefer not to. My comment was to the idea that some roadies have that you MUST use the drops or you’re doing it wrong – maybe that’s not quite what you were saying.

Can I point to the obvious, while it’s all well and good highlighting the pro’s bar position, they are really rather good at riding road bikes while the gentleman posting the original question is really rather, at riding a road bike, to coin his own oft’ used phrase…”shite”.
Not much use in advising flat or negative degree bar position at this point based on elite or professional riders preferences.
Just sayin’….

I mainly use drops for descending and heavy braking oh and if its windy

you can get shallow drop bars too

Can I point to the obvious, while it’s all well and good highlighting the pro’s bar position, they are really rather good at riding road bikes while the gentleman posting the original question is really rather, at riding a road bike, to coin his own oft’ used phrase…”shite”.

Hehehe .. quality

Yeah but their pro’s and they do it every day so a comfortable hand position is quite important…
Just sayin’…. 😆

see if you can borrow some different size stems – it will all take time to figure out yourself though – get a fit and tweak from there. thats your best bet

lol @monksie

You are putting too much weight on your hands and giving your ulnar nerve a hard time. Get your bars up! Level with the saddle or a drop of about 1″ below saddle is a good start. Ignore the pros. Move saddle forward slightly so that when you are pressing on the pedals, there is little weight on your arms. I think bar height is more important than rotation. Get that right first.

For riding on the drops: DO NOT WEAR A HELMET VISOR! Don’t expect to be looking too far ahead for long periods. The kink in your neck can trap the nerves (been there, done that 😥 ). I tend to look at the front wheel and kerb, then take the odd glances up.

To improve flexibility, I tend to set myself a goal of a certain section or road that I will ride on the drops. Then I lengthen that distance. Of course into the wind yesterday, it was stand up and honk or get as low as possible!

Most people ride on the hoods for most of the time. Don’t expect to be any different 😉

Can I point to the obvious, while it’s all well and good highlighting the pro’s bar position, they are really rather good at riding road bikes while the gentleman posting the original question is really rather, at riding a road bike, to coin his own oft’ used phrase…”shite”.

the thing about pro’s set-ups is they are nearly always using a 130-140 stem, very few spacers and the bikes always look a bit small to the untrained eye. this long stem/low position puts more weight over the front wheel and makes the bike stable despite it being a bit shorter, descending/cornering is a lot easier when the balance is right, the typical nodder position of high/upright with the weight bias towards the saddle means the bike handles poorly.

get some flexability/core strength and a longer stem 😆

😉
10:00am Saturday from Hope mate? Edale Rd hill reps?
“I tend to look at the front wheel and kerb, then take the odd glances up.”
That would scare the life out of me! Both doing it or riding with you. Exciting certainly 🙂

My commuter set up. Can spend about 30% of the ride on the drops. I seem to have an upwards bar! But very comfortable. I’m 5’11”. Wiggins and Schleck are huge, so don’t copy them!

EDIT

the typical nodder position of high/upright with the weight bias towards the saddle means the bike handles poorly

And of course trail has nothing to do with handling? Not a huge fan of tiller steering on road or MTB.

That would scare the life out of me! Both doing it or riding with you.

Well obviously peripheral vision adds to perception. The wheel in front isn’t going to be 30m further up the road (hopefully). 🙄

rootes1
Wiggo on stage 4 of this years Vuelta with a slight angle down
as you say though whatever works for you.

hmmn perhaps he fancied a change 😉

as for use of the drops, I only use mine downhill and when it is windy with only occasional use at other time – tops or the hoods are normal – I have nice cork tape with gel under – find the gel really does make things more comfy. think partly due to the vibration absorption but also the increase in grip diameter for big hands

would carbon forks help also?

I like my drops facing slightly down, that way I feel like I’m falling into the drops and not clinging on. I’m very inflexible as well, but like this I can ride and race all day in the drops.