visitordesign

that's utter nonsense. i see at least 3 or 4 such bikes with aeros on chopped down flats on a 60 mile ride i take regularly. that setup also describes at least 60% of the hybrid/mountain/city bikes tooling around new york.

a lot of people are riding fixed bikes more regularly now--with a tendency toward long rides. many of them ride either flats, risers or bullhorns. my experience was that that type of setup was so much more comfortable and efficient than traditional road setups that i built my custom roadie up to emulate it.

as for group rides... don't ride in groups of people clueless enough to buy into the hype of fear, danger and mutually assured destruction if anything outside of the status quo shows up.

merlinextraligh

Fact, Riding in the drops is by far more stable than riding with flat bars for high speed descents and cornering at speed. Simple matter of physics due to the lower center of gravity. Look at any race, and the rider's position in these situations will confirm this.

With your set up, you have a choice between aero, and control, you don't have a position that allows you to be aero and in control.

I realize that drop bars aren't for everyone, but its a ludicrous argument that they aren't the best tool for fast, long, road riding and road racing.

By the way, I see that you ride a hybrid with stem raised. Spend a few thousand miles on a quality road bike with drop handlebars, and report back. I think you might have a different opinion then.

recursive

Ratebeer:

This isn't complicated.

• Drop bars offer more control than aeros.
• Drop bars are more aero than flat bars. (when considered with a rider on the bike)

If you want maximum handling ability for technical riding, use flat bars. If you want maximum speed on a flat straight course, use aero bars on bullhorns. Since most road riding doesn't involve either of these, the advantages I listed make drop bars superior.

baxtefer

i think ratebeer should try a twisty mountain descent on his aerobars, then come back and report about the handling.
there's a reason why most clubs won't let you do a group ride with aerobars.....

slowandsteady

So is it a troll if the troll isn't the OP?

FIVE ONE SIX

you're more than welcome to show up for a group ride, but be prepared to ride off the back for a while until everyone else is confident in your group riding ability, like anyone else "outside of the status quo" would...

ratebeer

Wow. The critical thinking skills that are allowed to graduate from today's grammar schools today...

Love your totally meaningless bullet points. Drop bars offer less control than flat bars and are less aerodynamic than flat bars.

The other one goes something like this: if you want pure speed, buy a formula one racer. If you want brute power, buy a tractor. Since driving on the freeways involves neither of these then in comes anything from left field I want to end the sentence. You haven't presented any argument here at all.

voltman

Just curious, how often do you ride drop bars?

Prince9931

If the cycling bodies were interested in efficiency and pushing the development of the "bicycle" then O’bree’s bike wouldn’t have been banned. He was faster than most and the bike was essentially in its infancy when it comes to R&D. Many improvements could’ve been made by people who are better suited to do such a thing. The OP may be right in terms of the fashion aspect of it all. The forum is basically a dress up for who has the better looking “Barbie”. There is nothing wrong with that, but trying to say it isn’t is joke. And there are numerous threads that can be citied for this.

ratebeer

My "fact" are supported by international cycling regulations that require drop bars. SURVEY SAYS!: XXX!

The lowering of the center of gravity here by dropping the hands to the lower bars on drop bars will offer a small advantage not because the body is any lower -- it's not -- but because hands weigh a kilo or so.

Not exactly. I have two positions like this. One for descents where I hold the brake hoods at about the width of drop bars and one where I grab the tips of the short bars and have my elbows wide for greater control.

Which is why the con "arguments" here have been completely soft or non-existent. Most people don't rely on fact and reason in order to make up their minds. That's fine. I only take issue with those that believe they're thinking or presenting an argument, when in fact they are not.

I'm an engineer by trade and it doesn't take much to understand that given the aerodynamic and handling requirements for a steering mechanism, a traditional drop bar is only among your best options if the form itself is mandated. This is why time trial bikes, without the constraint, eliminate the drop bar. It's also why the hundred mile road record was established by Dan McGehee on this bike



"[It's] a ludicrous argument that [drop bars] aren't the best tool for fast, long, road riding and road racing." You're just plain wrong here again as evidenced by the picture above. Are you beginning to see any light here? Are these reasoned arguments making any sense?

My gut tells me that no amount of reason and evidence will change the minds of those whose panties are now tied up in wads here. I might challenge every con reader here to establish for him or herself a reasonable requirement for changing their mind on this issue. If you can't formulate one from your ideas then fine, you can go with your gut. If you can and that requirement is met then you must change your mind if you still believe that you are a rational being.

OK. I'm back. I've spent a few dozen thousand miles in drops and report back that I'm not missing anything so much that I want to go back. (BTW, the pic shows the stock 120mm stem. I've got a 65mm stem now.) I've ridden competitively in college and very long distance cycling late in high school putting on 2200 miles monthly on average. That was many years ago. Sixty pounds ago.

voltman

That's not a flatbar.

slowandsteady

They didn't eliminate the drops....they eliminated the tops.

FIVE ONE SIX

what's the big deal about Dan McGehee covering 100 miles in 4 hours and 10 minutes, 2 years ago? it doesn't sound like much of a record to me. Norman Stadler covered 112 miles in just 4 hours and 11 minutes this year, at Kona, and he's not even the worlds best triathlete...

recursive

And I suppose this tirade of yours is considered an argument? Also there is no flat bar in the pic you posted. Are you trying to disprove yourself?

blickblocks

And when holding the hoods you are farther forward too. Did you ever take geometry?

Drop bars allow you to be higher (tops), farther forward (hoods), or lower (drops). You can climb either on the tops or the hoods. I find climbing most comfortable on the hoods because when you're on an incline, the farther forward position gets your legs more vertical. Getting your body comfortable allows you to exert more muscle strength over a longer period of time, which is better than simply throwing your weight into it. You'll burn out mashing like that.

Allow me:

blickblocks

That's precisely my logic. Drops are adaptable to many situations.

I can't be sure, but I'm willing to bet my money the reason why mountain bikes use flat bars is because brifters hadn't been designed when mountain bikes became prevalent. It was more important to get the shifters on the bar than to worry about ergonomics.

You see this type of product evolution a lot...ergonomics take a back seat because the technology just isn't there yet.

ratebeer

At last. No one is championing the superiority of archaic curvy frenchie drop bars anymore. The fools are in retreat. That baseless argument is vanquished.

Phase I of my work here is done.

The other panties in a wad here will have to wait until, again, I come bearing the blinding light of truth.

"[It's] a ludicrous argument that [traditional drop bars] aren't the best tool for fast, long, road riding and road racing."
"[It's] a ludicrous argument that [traditional drop bars] aren't the best tool for fast, long, road riding and road racing."
"[It's] a ludicrous argument that [traditional drop bars] aren't the best tool for fast, long, road riding and road racing."
"[It's] a ludicrous argument that [traditional drop bars] aren't the best tool for fast, long, road riding and road racing."

SSP

In several recent Tours de France, they've had time trials up Alpe d'Huez (2004 and 2006).

Because these were time trial stages, the riders were free to use TT-specifc bikes...and, yet, the vast majority of riders chose standard drop bar configurations. Why do you suppose that was? Do you have some sort of insight that has eluded experienced professional cyclists (and their trainers and team managers)?

recursive

Well, congratulations. I'm glad you think you accomplished something, but it doesn't appear that anyone has changed their beliefs on the subject.

SSP

I'm guessing you don't get invited to many parties...or, invited back a second time.

Skipper

Are you having a breakdown?

chipcom 

Are we reading the same thread? You haven't convinced me of anything and you've yet to disprove my contention that what works best for YOU (as in the individual) is the correct choice. Indeed, I wonder why anyone would even attempt to disagree with such an elegantly simple concept. I have no doubt that the combo of flats and aero bars work best for you, but trying to convince others that it is best for them, contrary to their own experiences, seems kind of pointless and futile...kinda like me trying to convince folks not to wear a helmet just because I don't.

lsits

Well, I can only speak for myself. I have both: a flat-bar Ibex Corrida and a drop-bar Bianchi Vigorelli.

I have bar ends on the Ibex that curve inwards. They are mounted straight out toward the front with no up or down tilt. I use four hand positions: the normal flat-bar position, the end of the bars where the bar ends attach, the part of the bar ends that sticks straight out, and the part where they curve inward.

I use four hand positions on my Bianchi: The tops, the hoods, the drops, and the curve between the tops and the hoods. There's probably more available, but those are the ones I use.

I've ridden the Ibex on countless club rides and on 14 centuries. I had some hand and wrist pain until I got my riding position dialed in. No problems since.

My Bianchi is a joy to ride. It's the smoothest-riding bike I've ever owned. I don't know if the drop bars have anything to do with it, but I wouldn't change a thing (well, maybe the saddle).

My point is that you should ride what works best for you. After all, you're the one doing the pedaling. You might as well be comfortable.

john bono

I'm not so sure. MTB needs are different. Flats offer more control than drops, and typically MTB riders don't spend as much time in the saddle as road bike riders, and trigger shifters are basically brifters for the flatbar crowd.

john bono

You've provided no evidence, other than your opinion. I've ridden both, and there is no way on God's green earth that flat bars are more aerodynamic than drops--and given that flatbars predate drops by at least half a century, your assertion that the only reason for using drops is hidebound tradition is without merit.