gascostalot

So I found a C'dale T700, got it working half decently, and decided to take it for a quick ride.

Well this is my first bike with drops and it's kinda scary. Do they call it 'drops' because if feels like you're going to drop off the bike, or is this something that you learn to enjoy?

10 Wheels

It takes time to get used to stretching out.
The drops is my power position.

Unknown Cyclist

I prefer drops, but I never ride on the drop part.

I use the hoods, the flat part or have my palms on the corners.

So that's 3 good positions

If someone cut the drop part off I'd never miss it.

daven1986

I went initially with a flat bar hybrid as I didn't like the look of drops. Now I have a road bike and have converted my hybrid to drop bars because I like them so much! On my road bike I often ride on the drops in a headwind or if I feel like giving it the beans a bit! Hardly ever ride on the tops though, I sometimes put my hands on the corners and often on the hoods. On my hybrid I am always in the drops.

Velo Dog

How high are your bars in relation to your saddle? Drop bars were orginally developed to allow a comfortable cruising position on the tops, about level with the saddle, with the option of going to the drops for a more aero position. Over the years it's become fashionable to lower the bars until you see many with the tops about where the drops ought to be. Try raising your handlebars so their tops are level with the saddle, or no more than an inch below it (you'll probably need a new stem--back in the old quill-stem days, you could adjust handlebars in seconds, but now you need a $50 part).
If that doesn't work, forget about it and ride comfortably. I did 4000 miles last year, and I doubt that 40 of them came in the drops.

Unknown Cyclist

Stems don't have to cost that much and although you could adjust height quickly you couldn't adjust reach without stripping and retaping the bars - progress isn't all bad

+1 on just forgetting about the drops

z415

I think they are called drops because they loop forward and drop down.

And it takes time to get used to it- once you get used to it it isn't that bad.

jack002

I ride the hoods a lot on mine but find the drops a comfortable place for climbs.

caloso

Yes.

xpc316e

Why is it that I rarely see anybody (except racers on the television) riding on the drops? Is it because it is purgatory? I now ride a recumbent because of the discomfort of conventional bikes, and I reckon that plenty of riders would be amazed at how pleasant it can be to ride a bike in an aerodynamic position.

caloso

Their bars maybe set too low and they don't know how to raise them. They may lack flexibility or core strength. They may have a big gut in the way.

I don't know. I ride in the drops all the time.

gascostalot

Well I gave it another go. After the initial 'oh ****' moment, I found it not so bad. I still need to get this bike fitted properly, but I'm really digging how much more efficient this bike is compare to my hybrids.

Longfemur

There's no law that says you have to have drops a foot below your saddle. That would certainly take a heck of a lot more training and adaptation than a quick ride.

gascostalot

Bah, the first thing I did was raised the handelbar, unfortunately coda (who the hell makes coda?) decided to only give me a 1/2 inch adjustment on the quill stem.

Unknown Cyclist

Riding on the drops used to be known as 'on the hooks' does anyone still call it that ?

Kimmitt 

I was bitten by a set of drops as a small child, so now I only use ape-hanger bars. True story!

Longfemur

If cyclotouring type comfort is the goal, the frame being too small is the problem (at least in relation to where you want your handlebar to be). To make it work, you would need to have a taller Nitto Technomic stem, or a quill stem that has an upslope. Stock quill stems never really had as much adjustment range as most people assume.

I totally agree with you though. Riding in the drops feels very unnatural, if not impossible if you're not already conditioned for it. When I'm in a randonneur frame of mind, I like my bars so the tops are about saddle level, the hoods about an inch lower, and with the drops ending up at about the same level of my top tube. That kind of setup is ridable for anybody, really, keeping in mind that the drops are not the most often used position.

Unknown Cyclist

+1 spot on

Panthers007

On my vintage racer, I'll have one hand in the drops at all times. If not both. This as I want a brake-lever at the ready should some gas-happy motorist blindly do something inattentive and stupid. If I'm off the motor-roads and on a bike-path or smooth trail* I'll relax and ride the hoods and/or tops.


* I don't take my racer on rough terrain. That's what my hybrid is for.

Makeitso

I'm in the drops most of the time. It is an acquired taste. If you don't use the drops you will never get used to them.

Unknown Cyclist

Seems like a fair trade off.

caloso

Good point. I actually set up my commute/rain bike with a little deeper drop than my race bike so that when I'm in the drops on the racer it feels like the hoods.

Unknown Cyclist

Have you got that the wrong way around ?

caloso

No, not by my thinking. I ride my commute bike every day for a relatively short time during the winter. It was a little uncomfortable at first, but every day it gets a little easier and I get a little more flexible. On the race bike, when I'm really on the rivet there's already pain from the effort; I don't want to be uncomfortable from the position too.

CCrew

CODA is Cannondales parts/accessories name. Pretty much like Bontrager is Treks.