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do what suits you. hoods / drops. there is no right or wrong.
pretty much only use the drops for descending and steep climbs
that might well be because the bike is several sizes too small for me, i can only fit it with a long seat post and big stem.
I used to never use the drops even on decents. I recently refitted the road bike with compact wing bars. Its made a huge difference. I can get down to the drops easily when I have to and it feels comfortabe enough to do a fair distace in the 'race position'. I will always be happier riding on the hoods or the top bar though.
Some drops are far to deep. I found the Fsa Omega, or Itm Alutech and similar Deda bars good. I can spend a fair time on the drops when riding on my own, or up front. I'm not particularly supple and over 60 .Climbing mostly on hoods....keeping the chest open.
Paul Hewitt did the set up for me after suffering a 'Serrota' set up. Now perfect!
30% of the time when i'm 'road riding'
probably only 5% whilst commuting.
definitely more time in the drops on my geared roadie than my pompino (but the fit is a bit better).
Ride flat sections on the hoods.
If it's windy or descending I use the drops.
Climbing - the top flat part for grinding uphill (is there any other way???) and the hoods for out of the saddle climbing.
So the drops get used for maybe 10% of any ride.
how much time do you spend below the hoods on the drops?I must have used that bit of the bars a handful of times, maybe because there are no steep hills for me to cruside down in the tucked position?
That's probably why.
I use the drops on pretty much any downhill, as the lack of control and brakes on the hoods feels rather lethal, but there are plenty of 10-20% hills around here.
can you not use the brakes whilst on the hoods? I thought that was the point of riding on them..
out of interest, why is sprinting better on the lowest part of the drops?
sprinting is best done on a low forward position with hands wide apart to work the bike.
Not sufficiently well to not crash and burn down a potholed 15% hill. At least I can't, but no doubt someone will be along in a moment to tell me I must be a 12 year old girl and shouldn't be allowed to ride a bike.
can you not use the brakes whilst on the hoods? I thought that was the point of riding on them..
Some brakes are better than others. Dura-ace are unbelievably good. Far better than my SRAM Rival and Shimano 105s. I'd be more than happy to blast down a mountain side with Dura-ace on the hoods but not the others.
It maybe also down to the brake pads - and I'll investigate when the time comes.
I usually descend on the drops - for both road and cross - I like the added stability and the secure hand position against being on the hoods. Climbing and on the flat are either on the hoods or the tops (unless there's a big headwind)
you could get something with 'Audax' in the name - they tend to have a taller head tube to start with?
most manufactures do a range of 'sportive' bikes with taller head tubes to accommodate mamil-gut inflexibility.
how much time do you spend below the hoods on the drops?I must have used that bit of the bars a handful of times, maybe because there are no steep hills for me to cruside down in the tucked position?
nothing to do with hills you just don't cycle as fast as you can, using the drops will make a big difference to your speed on the flat (or downhill)
Spend most of my time on the flats and the downs in the drops, I always thought one of the plus sides of drops was the range of useable hand positions. If I didn't use them, I would think my setup was wrong.
A lot less than I used to due to aching wrists and elbows. I need bars at seat height for comfort. Flats are even worse though as the angle is all wrong so riding on the hoods is the best. Having said that I do use the drops on the Midge bars more, maybe as the hoods are less comfy?
I become so aerodynamic in the drops that the dramatic increase in speed scares me, so i ride there rarely
I'm sure they said in this years tour coverage it's actually more aerodynamic to ride on the hoods than on the drops.
99% of the time on the hoods, with shoulders dropped and arms bent. On the drops for very fast descents, purely to get some more brake power. would be interested to see some evidence from the riding gods why being on the drops is good?
these chaps seem to be riding quite fast, [i]maybe[/i] even faster than cynic-al?
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I find my thighs hit the base of my chest when I'm in the drops. I don't know if this is because my thighs are so big, my chest is so big, or my bars are too low 😉
More than i used to. Usually while descending, sprinting and when sitting on the wheel of little blokes 😀
3T Ergonovas on the road at the moment, Raceface cadence on the cx.
More than i used to. Usually while descending, sprinting and when sitting on the wheel of little blokes 😀
3T Ergonovas on the road at the moment, Raceface cadence on the cx.
Riding with your hands under the hoods... Freaks...
i had some drop bars on my fixie... never used them so turned the bars around and lopped off the drops. i've now got mini bull horn bars and ride 80% of the time on the horns....
95% of the time on the hoods. 5% of the time on the drops but mostly just for descending but I don't feel comfortable like that so much.
idave,those chaps are going uphill.
I'd say about 70% in the drops.loads of shallow drops out there.
negative rise stem is just a quill stem thing that's passed over.
a short headtube and a positive rise stem will be lighter,stiffer too.
having said that,I've got a -17degree stem,140mm and slammed.
about 12cm of drop.I get all wet thinking about it..other stem is a 150mm on a commuting bike.I've got 16cm of drop on that.
bit of stretching in the morning,that's all it takes.
and a positive rise 6deg on the audax bike.so it all evens out.
but seriously.get what fits.raise your bars.rivendell style.
the drops are also much more compliant,on rough roads.not to mention your back is less jarred by being flatter.
I am on the drops maybe 50% of the time overall if I am going for it. Otherwise on the hoods mostly. However, my bike's fairly small so it's difficult to get the bars in the right place for hoods and drops, it's a bit of a compromise which I feel I would not have to make if I had the larger frame size.
I'm quite flexible so I am comfortable on the drops on the flat, but the hoods are still great on climbs. I think I have a fairly reasonable tuck on the drops.
EDIT I should also add that it was always murder on the drops until after a year or two's constant fettling, costing me two stems, two bars and a lot of bar tape.
I'm on the drops whenever I'm pushing hard really - except uphill though if I'm sprinting often do then too. I notice the lower position does benefit when cycling into wind so assume there's always an aerodynamic benefit from doing so, less so when riding in a group. Have those who don't like riding on the drops got their bars too low - for them that is? I think I'm quite flexible but don't have mine very low; I sometimes bend my elbows quite a lot to get a very low position - probably only when sprinting.
Bars too low, bike too short, bars not rotated enough, hoods in wrong place.. the list of possibilities is long and the list of combinations much longer.
the drops are also much more compliant,on rough roads.not to mention your back is less jarred by being flatter.
this^ when riding roubaix/flanders cobbles i use drops all the time, you are getting the benefit of any flex/dampening in the bar by holding it near the end instead of by the stem (tops)
On the drops pretty much all the time while road racing, might sit up to stretch my back out for a while, but then straight back down. On the cross bike, whenever riding techy stuff; the braking is better, the control is better.
Sprinting is always done on the drops, it just is.
Climbing up long gentle gradients out of the saddle, the option to climb in the drops is handy.
Most folk seem to set their bikes up so that the hoods are the optimal position, and therefore the drops are too low. My opinion is that the drops are the place for all serious riding, and the hoods are for pootling along.
Compact bars with a short drop are the biz.
all this wouldn't have happened before..old brake levers are much more uncomfortable,plus the distance from the drops to downtube shifters is not much at all,so your weight distribution doesn't change.not so from the hoods.
ah,progress!
besides,it's free speed,gain of about 2km/h with no wind.3 if you're already pushing it.adds up over 3-4h.
and weight you're carrying around.
weight and speed,need I say more?
I just can't get on with drop bars, so I use those TT low-pro bars instead. Just one haynd position but that suits me fine tbh. Same as riding on the hoods, but the brakes are in a better position. I'm very aerodynamic anyway so don't need to tuck in much.
Works for me and it's all about comfort, sod what's 'correct'. I'll probbly have aP tutting sternly at me but I don't care.
Drop bars are for stupids.
set them higher elfie,that way you can be stupid too.
Don't want to.
FTFYI [s]just can't get on with drop bars[/s] don't have a clue what I'm doing on a road bike
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Whatever works 😉
don't have a clue what I'm doing on a road bike
Maybe I don't. Maybe I just enjoy riding me bike without worrying what insecure wannabes on tinternet think...
are drops only for bedwetters?
none
Might even sell the thing...they are bloody dangerous machines which are only good for going fast on flat terrain
as a mountain biker 🙂 I'm used to a mountain bike posture* I find riding on the drops is only really helpful in a headwind, at any other time I find I can't generate as much power as I can on the hoods and my legs get tireder quicker. I understand that this might be because I'm not used to the posture, but I'm not going to get used to the posture so why worry about it? I spend an hour a day on a road bike, but all of that is riding in traffic which you can't do on the drops.
*sat on the sofa
when riding roubaix/flanders cobbles i use drops all the time
yeah, me too...
A fair bit. When getting a chaingang going, riding into the wind, non techy sections during road and cross races and going over the line.
I use the centre of my bars a fair bit.
get the positioning on the bike right and you find a lot of time for the drops - shape of the bars helps (for example the deda bars on the hire bikes at the velodrome are by far the worst bars I have ever put my hands on, just ugh)
one thing is to get your bum on the back of the seat especially when descending, it helps with the positioning
the other important thing is to relax, if you are tense then your shoulders will hurt and you'll end up with a stiff back and you won't enjoy it