McBTC

As as a friend 70 year old drop bar rider who spends 50% of the time shaking out my hands and the other half on the hoods or near the stem... I love my drops. It's a matter of something that's beyond function - more like, art!

sjanzeir

I'm at a loss here. I still couldn't tell if we're supposed to be fuqqers or suqqers. indyfabz which one would you rather be?

indyfabz

And yet I haven't been able to find a sponsors for my tours.

BTW...That' not an opinion. It's a mis-statement of fact. Learn the difference between the two. And there is no prize for the greatest number of "You're all doing it all wrong because you're are not doing it like me" posts.

Please try to live by the words of Thumper's mother: "If you can't say anything nice...."

elcruxio

Ryda you're forgetting bikes have more than one adjustment. The bars can move up too, not only down. And amazingly they move forwards and backwards too. I think they've done that for at least 50 years but it could be longer.

A modern bike that can't climb? Well technically it can, but a recumbent is not nearly as good at climbing as an upright bicycle.

Also there's that little thing where you can't mountain bike anything even a teensy bit technical with a recumbent, especially with a trike.

except behind you, unless you have owl like head agility. I know you use mirrors but you're forced to use them and mirrors never replace the real thing. Hence while driving I never switch lanes without doing a side check and never go reverse with just the mirrors.

On my bikes I don't use mirrors, handlebar or helmet mounted because they don't work nearly as well as looking over the shoulder.

On the topic of drop bars, they are the best thing for road because when setup properly they keep the shoulders from locking up as one can keep one's elbows down and neutral. Some narrow mustache bars and bullhorns allow for that too, but they lack drops which is a nice added bonus position for whatever

shelbyfv

It's hard to know if you really believe this or are just trolling We can all expect our cycling capabilities to diminish with age and infirmity. It's wrong to assume that the majority of cyclists sink along with us.

sjanzeir

I do that all the time. It's a skill my late dad helped me developed early on when he taught me how to drive as a teenager (a lot of expletives and some domestic violence were involved, which is okay, given just how useful this particular skill has proven over the years.) I made it a point long ago to not buy any motor vehicle that's built in the USA; all of the ones I've had the misfortune to drive had flat driver's side mirror because that's what US DOT regulations mandated. I'm not sure if that's still the case with US-built vehicles or if it's still federal law to have a flat side-view mirror; I haven't checked out any new US-built cars recently. The late-model Chevy Sparks I used to rent until before the pandemic all had convex mirrors, but those were built in South Korea. My newly acquired 1990s Peugeot 505 station wagon has a flat driver's side mirror, but it's large enough for a good view to the rear left, and I use both mirrors to back the car up and out of parking spaces - and the 505 station wagon is a long vehicle! And I'm a really short dude!


One skill I learned in my early cycling days (thanks to Thom Lieb's book) is to use my ears to gauge my surroundings outside of my field of view - motor vehicles coming up behind me, how close they are and how fast they're coming; people talking; everyday noises... etc. and even other cyclists based on the noises their drivetrains make and the sound of them breathing. With surprisingly little time, it became second nature. It's an invaluable skill that kicked right back in as soon as I took up cycling again after an 18-year hiatus. I learned to tell early enough if and when someone is being a schmuck behind the wheel by the sound of their oncoming tire thrum and/or the noise of their engine intake as they accelerate or hoon, and now instinctively swerve out of the way - or into the nearest clear space - based on which side the noise is coming from.

indyfabz

N.B.: Evading the censor is a major no-no.

"In addition, the 'masking' of vulgarity by inserting * or another keystroke in place of one or more letters in a vulgar term is unacceptable in most cases. It will also be impermissible to anagramize a word to bypass the filters. This applies to all content submitted by users including posts, PMs, avatars and signatures."

Pop N Wood

sorry, new to the forum and didn't realize the site had a nanny filter.

Let's just say someone put dill weed into their bread dough...

Clyde1820

For me, yes it's an illusion to expect drop bars anytime soon. I've got old injuries, though, and it's been decades since drops were comfortable. And so, it tends to be swept riser bars, with a suitably more-upright riding position. With a sufficiently tall head tube and steerer/stem, I might be able to get by with something on the order of a Salsa Woodchipper bar. But I like the taller, more-upright positions these days. Works better for the injured areas. Gettin' older. Just how it works, for me.

For most? I'm betting a great percentage of people use them when it's probably not the right choice for them. But that can probably be said for most folks, where the "right" bar/stem combination hasn't really be found yet and compromises in comfort and/or handling are accepted in order to go with what's commonplace/popular.

jon c. 

I'm far from elite. I'm a bit old and rather slow. But I find drop bars vastly more comfortable. The position may be uncomfortable for some but it's much easier on the back for me and feels much more natural. And the multitude of hand positions is much easier on my wrists. Obviously it doesn't work that way for everyone, but I suspect that 99% allegation does not represent reality.

I returned to riding about a decade ago and first got a bike with flat bars. After a couple weeks I bought one with drop bars. The joy of riding returned. Had I stuck with flat bars I'd never have gone beyond 5 mile rides. I can't imagine trying to ride 40 miles with flat bars.

Figuring out what worked for me wasn't all that difficult. I presume you are equally capable of figuring out what works for you. Why would you assume others don't have that capacity as well?

noimagination

Nope. Use 'em all of the time, on every ride. And I'm far from a racer/elite athlete.
- Greater steering and braking control during fast descents (esp. if bumpy).
- More hand positions.
- Getting low during windy conditions when cross-winds make getting low on the hoods less safe..
- Stretch out lower back.
- Sprinting to beat that yellow.

rydabent

I guess I would ask the question--------------with all the bikes with drop bars, what percentage of the time do all the cyclist riding them spend in the drops?

DrIsotope

Percentage in the drops? Probably 50% of the time on my SSCX, 30% on the road bike and go-anywhere bike. Road bike likely to go up, as I took the aerobars off last week, and it was in those a lot.

sjanzeir

But, isn't that exactly why the censor/nanny filter exists - so that it will thwart us while we try to get around it in new and creative ways?

burnthesheep

I probably posted some pithy junk earlier in the topic, but, have ridden some more so thought about it some more.

I think all have their places. I feel like if you know what you're doing between choosing and wrapping a bar and choosing gloves........any bar anywhere can be comfortable to hands in terms of pressure.

I thought the "tee bar" was mostly to have more steering control in tough environments. Slower steering response. You see this play out with mountain biking, gravel riding, cyclocross, etc....

Given my earlier about gloves and bar tapes (or aero bars for comfort sake), I would choose the bar based on the need for steering input and long-ride posture over the bars (upright or down). I don't see tee bars giving much advantage here since you can raise or widen drop bars a ton.

I sometimes take the dog for a ride on the wife's tee bar "greenway" bike in his basket on the front. The lower steering switch is nice in that scenario. The dog really messes up the front end feel of the bike otherwise. I've never been on my cyclocross bike and thought "wish I could be higher up" and that the wife's tee bar would solve that in any way.

It's whatever. Who cares. I just think folks need to be open to trying different things for different ride environments instead of being an ostrich with the head in the ground. Make friends and maybe ask "hey, can I try that for a couple miles". You might like it.

livedarklions

I probably spend 2/3 or more of my time on the hoods, I'll often do an entire century without touching the drops. But hood are really a position that can't be duplicated well on a flat bar. I find the wrist position and hand position far more comfortable than keeping my hands on the flat bar, and the bike FAR easier to control on the hoods rather than on bar ends.

So, what's the point of that question? All you're demonstrating is that your nonsense about drop bars being only good for racing is still nonsense.

caloso

Depends. On my road bike, during a crit 100% of the time. During a road race, it depends on how much climbing there is, but always whenever there's stress: cornering, descending, bad pavement, in the pack. On my CX bike, much more time on the hoods, but I still use the drops when sprinting or descending.

livedarklions

I honestly don't care whether they try it or not. I just don't like people telling other people what they should or shouldn't like, or making silly generalizations about the people who do things differently than they do.


But I'm very pleased to know that my choice of bars has converted me into an elite racer. Some might think 59 to be too old for that to start, but it's been stated on an internet forum, so there is now no doubt.

See you on the podium.

Metieval

Quoted for future reference.

livedarklions

Oh, look, stalker-boy is back.

Metieval

I hope you have a substantial amount of assets accumulated for the Slander lawsuit coming your way. Or the People that allow it also.

"slan·der
/ˈslandər/

noun
Law
noun: slander

1. the action or crime of making a false spoken statement damaging to a person's reputation.
   "he is suing the TV network for slander"
   
   verb
   verb: slander; 3rd person present: slanders; past tense: slandered; past participle: slandered; gerund or present participle: slandering
2. make false and damaging statements about (someone).
   "they were accused of slandering the head of state"

livedarklions

Oh grow up.

Just so you know, you're anonymous here, so even if I've said anything provably untrue (which I haven't), proving damages is going to be impossible.

Now why don't you just put me on ignore and calm down?

Metieval

Lawsuits are how adults handle slander

livedarklions

Adults actually know what slander is.

elcruxio

Oh boy! As a lawyer it always tickles me when someone bases their "legal" arguments on dictionary definitions. And the wrong dictionary at that.

Also considering this is an international forum be sure to keep us all updated on how this potentially border crossing law suit goes. I'll have my popcorn at the ready.



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