livedarklions

I don't know whether boxers or briefs work better for flat bars, but my drop bars definitely go commando except for bar tape.

sjanzeir

Flat bars are better for the comfort of the crown jewels and the warrior king. They tend to be a little more likely to get crushed with drop bars. So there's that.

livedarklions

I used to think that until I got drop bar bike frames that weren't too big for me and got narrower saddles. Hard to explain, but basically, a bad experience with a poorly fitting drop bar bike scared me off drop bars for almost 30 years. Now they're pretty much all I ride after getting one about 2 1/2 years ago. My hands and shoulders are much happier with the drop bars on the very long rides.

I did ride my FX 3 on a 2-day round trip from Nashua to Amherst MA last year to visit my son on campus (just over 200 miles and almost 9000 feet of climb) and that was fun, but my son liked my bike so much I gave it to him..

Metieval

People need to size bicycles correctly, and they need to have the correct Form. Pivoting the hips is a good thing. As is properly sizing the reach. I've watched too many bicylce shops sell people road bikes too large for the rider. If the Reach is too much, the first thing a rider does is he/she quits pivoting the hips.

sjanzeir

Tongue-in-cheek, guys, tongue-in-cheek!

livedarklions

Trust me on this--it's a lot harder to spot that as a joke if you've had issues with it. Fortunately, the problems went away with the bike.

Ramshackle

I'm one of the less evolved cyclists that installed a flat bar on my carbon road bike. Different body types do better with different bars and riding conditions. I ride on congested multipurpose bike paths with walkers (wearing ear buds), other cyclists, kids on trikes, joggers, etc. Even on dedicated bike lanes (often congested as well), cars sometimes overshoot stop signs, and drivers who hate cyclists occasionally cut me off. Given the stop-and-go congestion, the opportunity to ride on the drops is limited. Also, I have short fingers and don't have the same confidence braking from the hoods as I do from a flat bar. I've ridden both, and I have a much quicker braking response on the flat bar. Being in my 70s, I don't need is to go down, so the trade off between speed and hand position is worth it. One size doesn't fit all.

Outrider1

I feel in a much more powerful position when riding in the drops. You do need to make a habit of utilizing them to get the body accostommed to the position though.
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livedarklions

I don't know you, but I'd bet that you ride faster when you're confident on the flat bar than you would nervous on the drops.

ofajen

I’ve been tinkering with handlebars again lately on my two bikes. For a couple of years I had drop bars on both the 80s MTB and the 80s road bike.

As of a couple of weeks ago, the MTB has the cheap Albatross style bars from Sunlite on it with bar tape above the brake levers to the stem clamp so I can use the tops for climbing and the center to duck the wind. That’s working well. It still lets me do a hard ride and be comfy and also lets me do an easy ride with the kids and not feel weird.

I had tried out some old Scott AT-4s on the road bike, but it just didn’t seem better than drops so just today I put drops back on but with a tall stem that puts the bar clamp an inch above the saddle. That’s actually pretty fun because it reduces the weight on the hands and makes the drops an easy reach.

Of course, I had to take it out for a spin tonight and both the hoods and drops saw a lot of use. I think it’s good enough to justify leaving it that way for a bit.

Otto

fietsbob

I have 3 bikes with 'drop' handlebars.

AlgarveCycling

I'm mostly on the hoods, I find it more aero. Elbows bent, less area to the wind than straighter arms on the drops. I'm a speed merchant, so whatever I feel makes me faster in any situation, I do. Climbs on the hoods and flat parts of the bar when finding my rhythm and breathing comfortably, sprints are always on the drops. Crits are the only races where I would mostly be on the drops. Descending? No problems braking hard on the hoods - both rim and disc.

My flat bar MTB 29er is a whole lot different to what drop bars and hoods can offer on a road bike but then racing XC, the flat bars are way better for the intended purpose. Similarly, drop bars and hoods offer a variety of positions that are more efficient for speed on the road.

Edited to add: Personally, I don't know anyone who has their road bars set up incorrectly or in a way that would prevent them from using the drops as intended. That's not to say I haven't seen it on my travels, I have, but everyone finds their own preference. In training and racing, we all seem to use hoods, flat sections and drops at varying times as suits us - at least that's my own observation in my own experience.

Pop N Wood

I got rid of my drop bars a couple of years back and went with bullhorns. In 50 years of riding I rarely used the drops, seems like excess bar that just didn't do anything.

Put on a set of bar end time trial brake levers and all the nonsense you *****s have been arguing about disappears, talk about the perfect braking grip. The TT levers are cheap, light and offer a perfect cable routing.

The thing I like best is all the different hand positions bullhorns offer for touring. The ones I have are long enough that I have incredible leverage over the steering,

Man, can't understand why anyone would worry about setting up a bike to be fashionable.

indyfabz

Epic post.

Love my drops. And all their hand positions.

shelbyfv

Is this a good thing? Never heard of it

Miele Man

I don't like t he wide width of a straight handlebar if I'm doing a lot of riding on paved roads. It's hard to get into a position that is aero to help fight a strong headwind.

I've done a number of things to help.

One is to mount bar-ends towards the middle of the handlebar instead of on the ends of the handlebar.



Another thing I, and a friend have done, is mount an aerobar on the straight handlebar.



I've converted a number of MTBs with straight handlebars to dropbar bicycles and I love them for rough road or dirt road riding/touring.







The great thing about an MTB with a dropbar and barend shifters, Shimano STI, or Campagnolo Ergos is that you can get 26" decimal tires in a huge variety of sizes form 1.0 inches wide with little or no tread for fast road riding up to 2.25" knobby tires for looses surface or muddy conditions. And that's with a rigid frame and fork.

Cheers

Pop N Wood

I was a little worried about how long the bars were when I made the switch but once I got used to it really like it. Definitely a "tiller effect" as the recumbent crowd calls it. Think aero bars with a wide grip and straight arms. The length of the bars lay me out more "aero", but reaching out instead of down like drop bars. The ends of the bars where the brakes are angle up, so no slipping off, there is a nice straight piece a handwidth long from the bend in the bar to the braking grip that is flat and very comfortable. Still have the option of a more upright ride with my on the 90 degree bend just like a normal drop bar. Never have to worry about bumping the bottom of the drop with a knee when pedaling in a turn.

I got the bullhorns and a set of unused Cane Creek TT levers at a swap meet for a total of $10. Think I paid more for the bar wrap than the bars and levers.

I was never a slammed rider but as I've aged my body prefers a more upright position. Bullhorns, actually just getting rid of the drops, helped with that.

gigadeath

The funny thing is that I completely agree with you - with a twist - as I would like to experiment with bullhorns... for my MTB! My other 3 bikes have drops and are perfect as they are.

Flat bars are horrible. Bullhorns are a solution for flat bars, not for drops, as the aim is always to have more contact points, not less.

rydabent

IMO Drop bars are for elite racing cyclist. For the other 99% of us they are a hunched over rather uncomfortable position that pretty much causes you to stare at your front wheel.

Racers are forced to assume this really dumb position because the UCI is too damned stiff necked. They force racers to ride a bike that was invented in 1890. Maybe some day they will approve of a modern bike.

BTW been there done that altho I didnt race. They among other things is why I went to recumbents. I can now sit upright with free lungs and able to easily see my total surroundings.

Ross520

I've never had an problems with visibility or back issues with drop bars. Sounds like a bad fit, which very likely wasn't professionally set-up.

tomato coupe

My wife will be thrilled when she finds out she's an "elite racing cyclist."

Pop N Wood

Get some short bull horns and you are back to the 80's with bar end handles.

With a MTB have to be concerned with getting the brakes and shifters where you can still shift your weight for up and down inclines. The bullhorns I have would be great for climbing, but might keep you too far forward for descending. You may not like flat bars but have to admit they strike a good balance for weight shifting.

You know that is a good question for you as well. My road bike still rocks the down tube shifters. if you go to bullhorns and install brake levers in the bar ends, where will you mount the shift levers?

AlgarveCycling

Well...I do race road, got an 8th place at the National Championships, 2nd at Regionals, Club Champion and several Elite wins and currently, at 51, still racing (including XC MTB now) and training with 2 young Pro's who are waiting to rejoin their Teams and find drop handlebars to be excellent, not 'dumb' and not 'forced' in any negative way - I am definitely not inclined to look at my front wheel on the drops either but rather straight ahead and comfortably so. I have aero one-piece bars on my aero bike and more traditional round bars on my climbing/GC bike. Both offer a variety of positions and I use them all on every ride. I like the tops, drops and hoods. I spend most time in the hoods and unlike some here have no issue descending and braking on them - just today we came down a 15km climb reaching speeds of 90km/h and I stayed on the hoods in the switchbacks. So did the others. That's not to say you do not get even more urgent stopping power on the drops, you do, especially if the descent gradient is around 15-20%. Today was within 5-10%.

That said, I wouldn't advise a new cyclist on a racing road bike with drops to adopt braking from the hoods as a matter of course until they were 100% confident in what the limitations were for their particular bike and their own ability. Even seasoned cyclists who are not used to braking in racing conditions have different reflexes and co-ordination levels due to simply not needing to hone them quite the same way. But that doesn't mean braking from the hoods cannot be learnt and used in many circumstances.

The benefits of drop bars and the different options for hand position are certainly not limited to elite racing cyclists only, in my opinion. I ride with recreational/social cyclists too from time to time and never in all my years of riding heard anyone complain that they had an issue of any kind with drops.

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!

Cougrrcj

Drop bars give me more had position options. Sometimes (<1%) I ride on the tops near the stem, 97% on the 'shoulders' where the bars curve forward, and the other 2% in the forward drops or bottoms because of headwinds - I NEVER ride the hoods because I ride a 'French fit' (stretched out already on a what many would consider a too-tall frame), and I have friction-shift barcons on all of my road bikes- no brifters for me!