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Are Drop bars just an illusion for most?

Old 10-12-19, 05:20 PM
  #526  
Newspaper_Nick
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I can't use dropbars because of my junk My spine is not very flexible so when i go to the drops, my junk gets squashed between the saddle and my body. Not very nice. And to be honest with you, unloading all my upper body weight to my arms and hands never felt OK to me. You need to be Quasimodo to be comfortable on the drops. Or you need to be a pro cyclist. I sometimes think they get their genitalia surgically removed. The positions that they are riding look immensely uncomfortable.
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Old 10-12-19, 05:30 PM
  #527  
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Originally Posted by terrymorse
"they should ride just like you" = further hyperbole.

My "campaign" is to encourage cyclist to learn and practice time-tested skills. Born from spending too much time in emergency rooms and urgent care centers getting under-skilled riders patched up.
I'll just note that is the second time you've misused the word "hyperbole".

The only one of us being hyperbolic is the guy claiming riding on the hooks instead of the hoods is a safety measure for "any cyclist." Shouldn't we ban flat bars, then? That's not hyperbole, btw, it's reductio ad absurdum, as was the bullet proof vest comment.

I stand by my statement that if the fellow is comfortable riding exclusively on the hoods, and it suits the kind of riding he's doing, then it's not a "problem", your far-fetched scenarios notwithstanding.
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Old 10-13-19, 05:27 AM
  #528  
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Originally Posted by livedarklions

Shouldn't we ban flat bars, then?
They're already banned, and anybody who still uses them will end up on ignore list.
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Old 10-13-19, 05:38 AM
  #529  
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Originally Posted by wolfchild
They're already banned, and anybody who still uses them will end up on ignore list.
Could you put me right on the very top? Thank you.
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Old 10-13-19, 12:49 PM
  #530  
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Originally Posted by Newspaper_Nick
You need to be Quasimodo to be comfortable on the drops. Or you need to be a pro cyclist.
Neither of those statements is true.

Barring some physical abnormality, drops are comfortable on a properly fitted bike.
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Old 10-16-19, 08:42 AM
  #531  
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Originally Posted by livedarklions
What you guys are missing is that hand position is intrinsically a YMMV thing. I use all positions, a lot. But I also know people who only ride the hoods because they're not doing any riding that demands much else, and they're very comfortable doing that.
Exactly what I meant when I said riding vs. driving your bike. As a previous poster mentioned, descending hard and hammering hard = hands in drops for optimum control. I never throw my bike into a fast corner with hands on hoods. I adjust my body position and I drive it around in the hooks.
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Old 10-16-19, 08:49 AM
  #532  
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Originally Posted by jadocs
Exactly what I meant when I said riding vs. driving your bike. As a previous poster mentioned, descending hard and hammering hard = hands in drops for optimum control. I never throw my bike into a fast corner with hands on hoods. I adjust my body position and I drive it around in the hooks.
Oh, I see the word "driving" and I think of a more passive approach like driving one's car.
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Old 10-16-19, 09:55 AM
  #533  
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Originally Posted by terrymorse
Neither of those statements is true.

Barring some physical abnormality, drops are comfortable on a properly fitted bike.
For how long? 15 minutes? Half an hour? You can only fake it up to a certain point. Humans are not birds. Our bodies are not designed to be aerodynamic. We evolved to walk and run, "upright". You can only try bending your body into a bird like shape with your neck twisted to unimaginably uncomfortable proportions and claim that "it is comfy". Hell no, it is not comfy. You just want to believe it is comfy. Any upright city bike will always be so much more comfortable than any "aero" bike. Because that bike is shaped to accommodate the human body. It is not designed to turn you into a bird.
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Old 10-16-19, 09:59 AM
  #534  
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You don't fly a bike. you ride it. if I'm going fast, I'm more comfortable in an aero position. If i'm not going fast, i'm more comfortable riding with no hands sitting perfectly upright. postures for pastures
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Old 10-16-19, 10:06 AM
  #535  
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Originally Posted by GnipGnop
You don't fly a bike. you ride it. if I'm going fast, I'm more comfortable in an aero position. If i'm not going fast, i'm more comfortable riding with no hands sitting perfectly upright. postures for pastures
There's a lot of ground between those two extremes. I can ride well into the 20s on the hoods, and do it a lot during very long rides. Staying on the drops for more than, say, 20 miles consecutively really is wearing on the neck.
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Old 10-16-19, 10:19 AM
  #536  
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Originally Posted by Newspaper_Nick
Any upright city bike will always be so much more comfortable than any "aero" bike. Because that bike is shaped to accommodate the human body.
An upright city bike is shaped to accommodate the casual, non-athletic rider, traveling at a slow speed.
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Old 10-16-19, 10:40 AM
  #537  
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Originally Posted by GnipGnop
You don't fly a bike. you ride it. if I'm going fast, I'm more comfortable in an aero position. If i'm not going fast, i'm more comfortable riding with no hands sitting perfectly upright. postures for pastures
Well that is what i am trying to say. Areo bikes are designed for you to "fly" them. But we are not birds per se. And you are definately not "more" comfortable in the areo position. You are "faster" in that position. Anybody who is telling me that he/she is more comfortable with all their joints bent to their limits, especially the neck area, is just plain lying. I hate to repeat myself but our bodies are not designed for this kind of a position. If you are a human, you will be more comfortable looking like a human in an upright stance. You can not make me believe the contrary. Sorry.
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Old 10-16-19, 10:51 AM
  #538  
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Originally Posted by terrymorse
My "campaign" is to encourage cyclist to learn and practice time-tested skills. Born from spending too much time in emergency rooms and urgent care centers getting under-skilled riders patched up.
You might as well encourage cyclists to not push their limits and put themselves into unnecessary risk, if you are so concerned about their well-being.
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Old 10-16-19, 10:57 AM
  #539  
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Originally Posted by terrymorse
An upright city bike is shaped to accommodate the casual, non-athletic rider, traveling at a slow speed.
Slow compared to what? I see people who regularly ride them in the 20 mph range, and I ride my FX3 a bit faster. Drop bars really don't offer a lot of advantage in a trafficked urban area. Upright bikes are not built for road racing, but they can be very fast transportation for a fit rider.
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Old 10-16-19, 11:23 AM
  #540  
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Originally Posted by livedarklions
I see people who regularly ride [upright city bikes] in the 20 mph range, and I ride my FX3 a bit faster. Drop bars really don't offer a lot of advantage in a trafficked urban area. Upright bikes are not built for road racing, but they can be very fast transportation for a fit rider.
Yes, a strong rider can get an upright city bike to go fairly quickly.

That does not change the fact that they are designed for casual riders who ride slowly.
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Old 10-16-19, 11:43 AM
  #541  
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Originally Posted by Newspaper_Nick
I can't use dropbars because of my junk My spine is not very flexible so when i go to the drops, my junk gets squashed between the saddle and my body. Not very nice. And to be honest with you, unloading all my upper body weight to my arms and hands never felt OK to me. You need to be Quasimodo to be comfortable on the drops. Or you need to be a pro cyclist. I sometimes think they get their genitalia surgically removed. The positions that they are riding look immensely uncomfortable.
So you use the hoods primarily? I'm about to blow your mind...you can raise the bars so the hooks are in the same position as the hoods previously
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Old 10-16-19, 11:46 AM
  #542  
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Originally Posted by Newspaper_Nick
Well that is what i am trying to say. Areo bikes are designed for you to "fly" them. But we are not birds per se. And you are definately not "more" comfortable in the areo position. You are "faster" in that position. Anybody who is telling me that he/she is more comfortable with all their joints bent to their limits, especially the neck area, is just plain lying. I hate to repeat myself but our bodies are not designed for this kind of a position. If you are a human, you will be more comfortable looking like a human in an upright stance. You can not make me believe the contrary. Sorry.

Well, I mean, I'm comfortable on my bike. Since I can't tell you otherwise, c'est la vie!
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Old 10-16-19, 12:15 PM
  #543  
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Originally Posted by terrymorse
Yes, a strong rider can get an upright city bike to go fairly quickly.

That does not change the fact that they are designed for casual riders who ride slowly.
Tsk tsk. I'm going to mention this to the next full suspension downhill mtbr I see.
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Old 10-16-19, 12:36 PM
  #544  
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Originally Posted by terrymorse
Yes, a strong rider can get an upright city bike to go fairly quickly.

That does not change the fact that they are designed for casual riders who ride slowly.
What about those who ride slowly while not being casual riders?

Although this calls for clarification of what is meant by "casual rider".
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Old 10-16-19, 12:38 PM
  #545  
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Originally Posted by Happy Feet
Tsk tsk. I'm going to mention this to the next full suspension downhill mtbr I see.
Good idea. As everyone knows, full suspension downhill bikes are designed for casual urban cyclists going slowly.

/sarcasm
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Old 10-16-19, 01:11 PM
  #546  
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Originally Posted by terrymorse
Good idea. As everyone knows, full suspension downhill bikes are designed for casual urban cyclists going slowly.

/sarcasm
Oh. I thought posture defined athletic prowess and commitment.

As Lance would say: It's all about the bike.
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Old 10-16-19, 01:34 PM
  #547  
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Originally Posted by terrymorse
Yes, a strong rider can get an upright city bike to go fairly quickly.

That does not change the fact that they are designed for casual riders who ride slowly.
No, they are designed for adaptability. That's the point of them.

You look at the world through racing-colored glasses.
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Old 10-16-19, 01:37 PM
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Originally Posted by livedarklions
No, they [upright city bikes] are designed for adaptability. That's the point of them.
Take a city bike down a steep, technical descent and make note of how "adaptable" they are.
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Old 10-16-19, 01:41 PM
  #549  
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Originally Posted by redlude97
So you use the hoods primarily? I'm about to blow your mind...you can raise the bars so the hooks are in the same position as the hoods previously
Despite the fact that i actually tried what you recommended, the problems with the dropbars for me were not just about the height, but also the reach and the width. And if you make dropbars the same height with a flatbar, then why even use one? A wide flatbar with barends for me is much more comfy and makes the bike so easier to control. Like i said, i tried different variations, different stems, and even a steerer tube extender. It didn't do any good other than making the bike look ugly. Dropbars are not for everyone. If you want to go fast, sacrificing comfort, then yes, be my guest and level your head to your bottom, i couldn't care less. However, please do not try to convince me or anybody else that dropbars are comfortable. No they are not. And when you raise and pull them to a position that they are comfortable, there is no benefit in using them anymore. You'd be better off getting a flat bar then.
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Old 10-16-19, 01:45 PM
  #550  
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Originally Posted by terrymorse
Take a city bike down a steep, technical descent and make note of how "adaptable" they are.
Why would i do such a thing? Why would anybody do such a thing? You really fail to get the point here. The only thing i object about the dropbars is the "comfort" aspect. Other than that, i can agree with your claims.
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