Not getting on with drop bars.

RobK

Hi all i recently got myself my dream bike (Genesis croix de fer) its my first drop bar bike.I just can't seem to get comfortable with the bars as i never use the drops so spend all my time on the hoods and this doesn't give me the total control of the brakes and comfort that i get riding my mtb, so i'm thinking of either selling it or fitting a flat or riser bar and bar ends and hydro's, so what do you think sell it and look for some sort of hybrid or get busy with the alan keys?.

paul_mck

you should be able to get full pull on the brakes from the hoods. Im 99.99% on the hoods have no real interest in getting into the drops except on a long descent or really tough hill.

road bike brakes are junk compared to disc brakes but do the job so Id just stick with it.

Anonymous

Yep, what he said.
Ride mainly on the hoods and its not like people drop down to the drops to brake.
I prefer braking from hoods.
Think you just need to adapt to the different style. You could try some Swissstop pads maybe too.

cyclingfury

The modern trend of bikes with pro type geometries being sold to leisure riders causes problems such as this. I'm not claiming to be any sort of expert in this, but my personal opinion, based on observations, is that a lot of riders appear to own bikes that appear be too small for them. This seems to result in hardly anyone being able to ride on the drops because the bars are too low. The industry has tried to address this by producing compact bars with shallow drops.

If you think about it, 10 -15 years ago everyone rode bikes with pro gear set ups, ie 52 or 53/39 chain rings. For most amateur riders these were too large and have now been replaced by compact 50/34 chain rings.

Perhaps geometry will go the same way. There already seems to be a growing trend of larger headtubes to bring bars up higher.

KevChallis

I love riding in the drops, I find it as comfy as the hoods, do most my braking in the hoods though to be fair, I think it just takes some getting used to, but no expert and it's just my opinion

paul_mck

a bike fit may be beneficial if the stem is too long/short etc and may be able to position the bars/hoods better for you.

its amazing how crap a bike feels when its "off"

smoggysteve

paul_mck wrote:

a bike fit may be beneficial if the stem is too long/short etc and may be able to position the bars/hoods better for you.

its amazing how crap a bike feels when its "off"

Was something I was going to suggest, as far as getting a shorter stem. It may help your reach down from the hoods to the drops. I as many do, only go on the drops on a descent. If its reasonably flat on the hoods and hands rested sat up when climbing. All are comfortable to stay in for long periods of time. I have a quite short stem on my bike which I think helps a lot or I would be reaching too far forward.

RobK

Thanks for the reply's i will try a shorter stem and see how it feels and report back.

Monty Dog

cyclingfury wrote:

The modern trend of bikes with pro type geometries being sold to leisure riders causes problems such as this. I'm not claiming to be any sort of expert in this, but my personal opinion, based on observations, is that a lot of riders appear to own bikes that appear be too small for them. This seems to result in hardly anyone being able to ride on the drops because the bars are too low. The industry has tried to address this by producing compact bars with shallow drops.

If you think about it, 10 -15 years ago everyone rode bikes with pro gear set ups, ie 52 or 53/39 chain rings. For most amateur riders these were too large and have now been replaced by compact 50/34 chain rings.

Perhaps geometry will go the same way. There already seems to be a growing trend of larger headtubes to bring bars up higher.

I'd hardly call the Op's bike pro geometry - it's a CX/touring model. Bike set up has changed a lot in the last 20 years, particularly with the advent of integrated brake/shifter levers - my pro-level 1983 Gios is completely different set up to my current race bike - bar drop was generally less as we set up the bars to ride on the drops because brake hoods were narrow and uncomfortable.

For the OP I 'd persevere as flat bars can be uncomfortable for longer rides - there's a reason most tourers use them.

jotko

I have the same bike, they are brilliant machines.

To be fair I only really use the drops going down steep hills and occasionally into a headwind, I wouldnt worry too much about that for the time being.

I have quite small hands so one thing I have done on both my bikes is to fits some shims to bring the STI levers closer, this makes it easier to use the brakes from the hoods:



They cost about £4, once fitted you wont even notice them to look at. The Tiagra ones for the Croix de Fer were quite hard to track down but they do exist - might help things for you, its a nice cheap thing to try.

If you feel stretched out then try a shorter stem - I need to swap to a 10mm shorter stem from the stock one to get comfy, its amazing how much difference 1cm reach can make to how comfy the bike is. Again, nice an cheap to try, a good lbs should have some lying around for you to try.

simon_masterson

I think to a certain degree you do need to get used to road bike brakes. MTBers can claim all they want that road brakes are rubbish, but they work. MTB hydraulic discs would [presumably] just lock the wheel; the same level of power is simply not required. For reference, I've (stupidly) used dilapidated brakes that moreorless did not work at all (I nearly ended up in front of a lorry once, and in a hedge), and I started on non-aero levers (which don't allow the same degree of braking from the hoods). You should be able to stop the bike completely without using the drops; if you can't, there are various adjustments (detailed above) that you could make.

As for using the drops more generally, I would put it to you that they can be very comfortable for various parts of your ride, and not just descending. Whilst they are ideal for assuming a low position for improved speed on the flat, or for fast climbing, they aren't just for going flat-out; you can use them to shelter from a headwind, or simply as an alternative position: when cycling for long periods of time, having a range of hand positions is invaluable.

declan1

Simon Masterson wrote:

I think to a certain degree you do need to get used to road bike brakes. MTBers can claim all they want that road brakes are rubbish, but they work. MTB hydraulic discs would [presumably] just lock the wheel; the same level of power is simply not required. For reference, I've (stupidly) used dilapidated brakes that moreorless did not work at all (I nearly ended up in front of a lorry once, and in a hedge), and I started on non-aero levers (which don't allow the same degree of braking from the hoods). You should be able to stop the bike completely without using the drops; if you can't, there are various adjustments (detailed above) that you could make.

As for using the drops more generally, I would put it to you that they can be very comfortable for various parts of your ride, and not just descending. Whilst they are ideal for assuming a low position for improved speed on the flat, or for fast climbing, they aren't just for going flat-out; you can use them to shelter from a headwind, or simply as an alternative position: when cycling for long periods of time, having a range of hand positions is invaluable.

This very much.

The only advantage of disks on a road bike is improved wet weather braking. My rim brakes regularly lift the rear wheel off the road when braking hard and that's more than powerful enough for me. If your bike has got Tiagra brakes, consider getting some cartridges with Koolstop or Swisstop pads - that will make a huge difference.

jotko

Croix de Fer has disc brakes, mine has shimano mechanical ones, I think the newer ones have Avid BB7s.

paul_mck

hydro brakes are strong ok but I never liked the lack of progressive feel with them. it was nothing nothing nothing boom full brakes. Not dangerously so, just took a bit of getting used to.

StillGoing

paul_mck wrote:

a bike fit may be beneficial

Spot on. Whilst riding on the hoods is where you'll be most of a ride, you should use the drops as much as possible. It's the most aerodynamic position for you to descend and make progress in a head wind. It doesn't necessarily mean your bars are too low either. Get a proper fit with a specialist rather than a LBS guestimate. With my bars having one 5mm spacer on the steerer I can take my hands off the drops and hold them there with my pedals in the quarter to three position. Until I'd had a proper fitting I struggled to use the drops and had umpteen spacers on the steerer.

smidsy

If you are comfy on the hoods then you should be able to be happy on the drops.

There are lots of different bar shapes and sizes so it may be that a different set of drop bars will suit better than others. They come in small reach/small drop/different curves etc.

As others have said it is possible that your current bike set-up is part of the issue too.