Originally Posted by
carleton
Personally, I don't see the Sphinx as being a faster position than drops. I think the more aggressive Sphinx position with the hands on the "tops" as opposed to where the hoods would be, is more of a relaxing position, taking stress off of the arms, shoulders, and neck and lowering the heart rate a bit.
Heh, yup, that's me.
Faster? It depends. I've done a bit of rough testing for me, personally, and it tests faster than riding in the drops. This is not the case for everybody. Not everybody needs or wants this, or is good at it, or has the physiology, riding style, or flexibility for it. That's okay. I've seen some terrible sphinx positions out there that make me cringe, but hey, there are plenty of drops positions out there that make me cringe too.
I find the sphinx to be a way to combine high cadence and output pedaling with a relaxed upper body. It's a wide-elbow pursuit position. Unlike sprinters, our enduro races aren't just the length of a half decent yawn. In 40km, we pedal in a lot of different ways - and there are a lot of dynamic needs on the bike. Setting up handlebars is all about balancing different needs; the drops need to be an a position that optimize a sprint, and cruising, and we also need a position to accommodate moments in races when we are essentially pursuiting.
I could set up drop bars that mimic my sphinx position but then I'd miss out on the lower, torquier position and the greater stability that comes with where I put the bottoms of my drops. I have daydreamt and sketched the perfect enduro handlebar - nobody makes it. Nobody comes close.