Originally Posted by
denaffen
My question -- what I hoped to get out of the conversation -- was really whether there was something I hadn't tried, or if I needed to tough it out more, or if I've put in the good effort and should give up.
What I've gotten out of the conversation so far:
1. On vintage bars, you can be comfortable on the drops, and MAYBE comfortable on the hoods, but there's no way you're likely to be comfortable on both.
2. On modern bars I should probably make a point of riding the drops more to get used to it, and note if I'm actually in pain or if it just feels weird.
3. If it is pain, I may very well have a fit issue. If it still just feels weird, I may just not get along with drops.
4. Even if I don't get along with drops, it may be worthwhile to have them there, sort of in reserve, should I ever want them. It's not like they're really in the way.
That's a reasonable summary.
Because I'm pedantic and particular, I would argue that #1 is not so much an absolute - initially I had difficulty with the vintage bars on my Lotuses, especially with the long drop to the drops, but I made an effort to get used to them and I'm now much more comfortable there. Not as comfortable as I am on modern short reach/short drop bars, but not uncomfortable. I use the drops less on the vintage bars, but I do use them.
One thing I've noticed about the bikes of the 1980s is that they have shorter stems, but the bars have more reach. For example, both my Lotuses are 57cm frames, but they came with 80mm stems, and bars with 95mm reach. Modern bikes that size tend to come with 100-110mm stems, and bars with 75mm reach. Overall, the same reach to the hoods. The drops, though, are 145mm vs 125mm on the modern bars. I think the change really happened in the last 10-15 years, at least in part so that riders would use the drops more if they were more comfortable to use.