Help for newbie to drop bars

JonEdwards
Posts: 452
I've been riding road bikes for years, but have been trying to get my other half into it - she's a very experienced MTBer and commutes (very quickly) on a SS Roadrat (flat bars & v-brakes)
We've borrowed a female friends bike (a Spesh Tarmac) for her to have a go on. They're the same height, although I think said friend is a little longer in the leg and more flexible (she's a world class XC racer). We had to drop the saddle an inch. KOPS was pretty much spot on, and when she was on the hoods, the bars obsured the front hub, so fit wasn't too far out. Bars were about 2" below the saddle (on a par with her 'rat)
Anyway. We went out this morning aiming to do a lap of Richmond Park, and the missus absolutely hated it - didn't feel she could brake properly from the hoods, wouldn't sit up and ride on the flats as they were too far away from the brakes, and the drops were too head down. She was terrified of the "floppy" handling and wouldn't try pedaling out of the saddle. She also felt far too racked out (made her elbows hurt!). We didn't get above about 15mph, and eventually she aborted straight to the office in Wimbledon.
So any tips? Or is she a lost cause? I'm mostly an MTBer, but I love the pure speed of roadriding, the fact that you can actually look around you rather than being fixated on the trail, plus the long term fitness benefits. I'd like to be able to share that...
We've borrowed a female friends bike (a Spesh Tarmac) for her to have a go on. They're the same height, although I think said friend is a little longer in the leg and more flexible (she's a world class XC racer). We had to drop the saddle an inch. KOPS was pretty much spot on, and when she was on the hoods, the bars obsured the front hub, so fit wasn't too far out. Bars were about 2" below the saddle (on a par with her 'rat)
Anyway. We went out this morning aiming to do a lap of Richmond Park, and the missus absolutely hated it - didn't feel she could brake properly from the hoods, wouldn't sit up and ride on the flats as they were too far away from the brakes, and the drops were too head down. She was terrified of the "floppy" handling and wouldn't try pedaling out of the saddle. She also felt far too racked out (made her elbows hurt!). We didn't get above about 15mph, and eventually she aborted straight to the office in Wimbledon.
So any tips? Or is she a lost cause? I'm mostly an MTBer, but I love the pure speed of roadriding, the fact that you can actually look around you rather than being fixated on the trail, plus the long term fitness benefits. I'd like to be able to share that...
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Comments
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the tarmac is rather nippy. Maybe do a conversion on her road-rat, add some drops and the important part for her: cyclo-cross brakes! Then she can brake from the hoods. It also sounds like the reach was a bit much for her. Generally introducing people to road-bikes means giving them a quite upright position and surreptitiously dropping them down.
If you plonk people into a proper position it can be very unnerving.0 -
Her 'rat is too long to allow drops to be fitted - that really would be a stretch (it already has a short stem on)
As for the tarmac being "nippy" its not a patch on her rat - it terrifies me when I ride that because it does handle like a 4x bike! I think the issue with the Tarmac was that it's actually a lot slower than she's used to. I have a feeling as a result, she usually corners by turning the bars rather than leaning the bike, which just doesn't work on roadies.0 -
Hi
I came across to road riding from downhilling.
I bought a second hand bike off my mate, a carbon Bianchi, and hated that for the first few rides, it felt well twitchy compared to the down hill rigg, and I was nervous about being clipped in
. Anyway, got a bike fit, set the bike up properly, and have never looked back. Maybe its just a case the feel of the bike is just different to her old bike.
Im lucky, I have long fingers so have no problem braking from the hoods, but I could imagine a female might have a few problems there and have to go on the drops to brake. I suppose it will come down to practice.
As you said there is nothing like flying along at 40 mph0 -
What about trying something like a tricross which has small brake levers specifically for when sitting up?0
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you steer all bikes by putting a little countersteer on and leaning, in all but the slowest of turns.
There is a spare for shimano brakes to shorten the reach, might be worth getting some.
Also if she's faster on her rat than the tarmac then take her for rides round RP on that!0 -
Sounds like she's trying to steer by turning the bars rather than leaning. Being new to road bikes myself I can totally sympathise with the braking comments. Braking from the hoods just does not have the leverage of mountain bike brake levers and takes some deliberate getting used to.
I think your partner would be best breaking in gently with a flat bar roadbike like I did - I used a Giant FCR 1. Road weight and gearing with a more familiar XC riding feel meant it was just the steering and speed to get used to, as well as remembering not to bounce it up kerbs etc.
She can then practice using the brakes less, and lighter while knowing she can grab them as she's used to if needs be. Don't go too full on with her first road bike when she's so familiar with something different.0 -
+1 for flat bar roadbike0