Why don't I ride on the drops ?

s1mon

Hi,

So I'm newish to on road, I had a road bike a few years ago but never really got into it but this time I'm out all the time making the most of the light (what's left of them) evenings. I ride 90% on the hoods sometimes on the top flat part for a change in postion but I just don't like holding the drops :?

Why ? Anyone else like that.

D4RK1

I'm sure with time your confidence on the bike will grow. Riding on the drops just gives a more aero position, I'm pretty fresh on the road bike and coming from a DH background the bike do feel very narrow. However I'm more than happy blasting along on the drops.
Give it time mate, it will all become second nature.

Wirral_paul

You sound normal to me - i dont ride on the drops much either. Fast descents are pretty much the only time I do.

simon_masterson

There are multiple factors: bike, rider, distance, context...

If it's only confidence, that will come. But watch pro events; the riders there generally do not ride in the drops all the time by any means; sometimes hardly at all, even doing sprints on the hoods. If your bike is an out-and-out racer with an aggressive drop at the front to give a very low position, you won't want to ride in them all the time and neither do you need to.

But don't worry about it. Just practice and your confidence will grow. I found this difficult too when I first started, and it wasn't long before I was more confident in them than on the hoods.

schweiz

descending and sprinting are the only time I use them. I spend 80-90% of my time with my hands resting flat from the tops to the hoods!

raymondo60

The set-up of your bike is a big factor too. If it has a 'sportive' type front end, i.e. the bars/stem are quite high, then riding on the drops is easier, less 'bent over'. If the set-up is more 'racey', then being on the drops can mean being very low and bent over indeed. Moving there spacers about can help, but only if there's enough length on the fork steerer to be able to use. You could also look at the stem, flip it, or replace it. Like most others I ride predominantly on the hoods too

Bozman

Descending and windy conditions are probably the only time that I use drops.

Mikey23

Same here, very rarely use the drops. Descending, windy conditions and to rest my arms is about the only time I do

kentphil

I changed handle bar about a year ago and I find shallower drops much more comfortable than on my old bar. Now i ride on the drops much more often.

rolf_f

Simon Masterson wrote:

There are multiple factors: bike, rider, distance, context...

If it's only confidence, that will come. But watch pro events; the riders there generally do not ride in the drops all the time by any means; sometimes hardly at all, even doing sprints on the hoods. If your bike is an out-and-out racer with an aggressive drop at the front to give a very low position, you won't want to ride in them all the time and neither do you need to.

But mostly road pro riders are in the middle of a peloton and far from flat out anyway so there is no point in riding on the drops - they already have a huge aero advantage over us cycling solo. So often what we do is completely different to what pro racers are doing that comparisons just don't work - eg tubular tyres, white bar tape, absence of saddle bags and riding position.

It's a knack worth having for many reasons. The aero advantage isn't just for descents - fast flat is good, any headwind gives drops a big advantage and you have more efficient braking on the drops as well so they are good in built up areas. I spend roughly a third of the time on the drops, a third on the hood and a third on the tops.

Assuming you don't have any back issues that get in the way of the drops I think the best thing you can do is get out on some nice, flat, straight quiet roads at the weekend and practice riding in the drops and changing positions and braking. Do that properly for 15-20 miles and by the time you get home you'll wonder why you posted this thread!

andy46

I find it hard to reach the brakes in the drops, I really have to stretch my fingers. Yet I'm perfectly comfy on the hoods.

I'm thinking of rotating the bars a bit.

nbuuifx

andy46 wrote:

I find it hard to reach the brakes in the drops, I really have to stretch my fingers. Yet I'm perfectly comfy on the hoods.

I'm thinking of rotating the bars a bit.

I find it the other way round, on the drops I can get a good handful of brake, on the hoods I can reach the brakes but find it harder to keep them squeezed in on sharp decents. We have quite a few nasty sharp descents which have lots of blind bends and only room for one car so if you meet it coming up you've got to stop or jump in the hedge.

simon_masterson

Rolf F wrote:

Simon Masterson wrote:

There are multiple factors: bike, rider, distance, context...

If it's only confidence, that will come. But watch pro events; the riders there generally do not ride in the drops all the time by any means; sometimes hardly at all, even doing sprints on the hoods. If your bike is an out-and-out racer with an aggressive drop at the front to give a very low position, you won't want to ride in them all the time and neither do you need to.

But mostly road pro riders are in the middle of a peloton and far from flat out anyway so there is no point in riding on the drops - they already have a huge aero advantage over us cycling solo. So often what we do is completely different to what pro racers are doing that comparisons just don't work - eg tubular tyres, white bar tape, absence of saddle bags and riding position.

It's a knack worth having for many reasons. The aero advantage isn't just for descents - fast flat is good, any headwind gives drops a big advantage and you have more efficient braking on the drops as well so they are good in built up areas. I spend roughly a third of the time on the drops, a third on the hood and a third on the tops.

Assuming you don't have any back issues that get in the way of the drops I think the best thing you can do is get out on some nice, flat, straight quiet roads at the weekend and practice riding in the drops and changing positions and braking. Do that properly for 15-20 miles and by the time you get home you'll wonder why you posted this thread!

You make a good point about the aero advantage in the peloton.

And that's moreorless my experience as well. My favourite bike still has an old quill stem on it that's quite high (and the bike isn't an out-and-out racer anyway), and when it came into my hands it still had the original non-aero levers (which had no hoods; not comfortable) which of course don't really allow for braking from the hoods, but nevertheless from relatively early on I've been keen on mostly riding in the drops. It only took a couple of rides of only using the drops before it became second nature, and as said above, I much prefer the balance.

slowondefy2

Pros often ride on the hoods but in a low aero position - thumbs on top of the hoods and forearms horizontal. It's said to be a bit more aero than riding on the drops but it is quite difficult to maintain the position for a long time.

Any ride under 2 hours and I'll use the drops 90% of the time. For longer, slower rides I'll be up on the hoods a bit more. I find it rare to see other cyclists using the drops, which seems a bit strange. After all, it's free speed, isn't it?

BlakeysFC

95% of the time I use the hoods or the bars (have to change positions every 5-10 minutes as my hand starts to hurt) and only use the drops when going down hills.

StillGoing

Can you reach the drops comfortably? By that I mean with the clips in the quarter to three position, can you take your hands off the drops and hold them there without falling forward? If not, get a bike fit done and you'll spend more time in the drops. It may be the bars are too far away or too close. After a fit my stem was dropped to the lowest possible point on the steerer, the seat height raised and a shorter stem set up fitted. I now spend more time in the drops than ever without discomfort.

Rockhopper

I can get onto the drops with no real problem, trouble is i can't pedal while I'm down there - bits of me appear to get in the way and its very uncomfortable!!