Are Drop bars just an illusion for most?
#526
Senior Member
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.
#527
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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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#528
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#529
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#530
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Barring some physical abnormality, drops are comfortable on a properly fitted bike.
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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.
#532
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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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#533
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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.
#534
just having fun
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
#535
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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.
#536
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An upright city bike is shaped to accommodate the casual, non-athletic rider, traveling at a slow speed.
#537
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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.
#538
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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.
#539
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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.
#540
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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.
That does not change the fact that they are designed for casual riders who ride slowly.
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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.
#542
just having fun
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!
#544
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Although this calls for clarification of what is meant by "casual rider".
#545
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#547
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You look at the world through racing-colored glasses.
#548
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#549
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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.
#550
Senior Member
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.