Originally Posted by
terrymorse
Yours is a familiar response after a cyclist on group ride gets yelled at for doing something stupid and dangerous. If you're going to descend on the hoods, at least stay away from group rides.
I've done lots and lots of group rides. I don't race and never have but I've ridden in lots of groups with people I don't know.
Originally Posted by
terrymorse
Hit a big pothole with your hands on the hoods, the bike suddenly decelerates, your hands come off the bars, and you crash. Hit a big pothole with your hands in the drops, your hands remain in the drops, and you maintain control.
No. No they won't. My hands aren't just
resting on the hoods. I
do have a grip on the hoods. Additionally, if my (or your) hands could come off the hoods when you hit a pot hole, they could come off the drops as well. In both situations, the rider should be assumed to have a fairly firm grasp of the bars...as well as having a firm grasp of the concept of having a firm grasp of the bars.
Originally Posted by
terrymorse
If you had taken a bicycling course, you would not write such things.
The hard braking technique is hands in drops, cranks horizontal, chest down, and butt off the back of the saddle. I use it often on fast descents before a sharp curve. Learn it, practice it.
I
have taken a course in bicycling...it called life. I know as much as any mountain biker about braking and I know more than the average road cyclist knows about braking. I probably know more than the average mountain biker since I have studied the mechanisms and physics of braking. Cranks horizontal: check. Chest down: check. Butt off the back of the saddle: check. Butt as far back off the saddle as you can manage: check. Hands on the drops: not necessarily.
Tell a mountain biker that their hands should be below the stem and see what response you get. It's probably the same response you'd get if you told them to use the front brake only.