I am baffled by drop handlebars.

Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.

Brand X

Guest
I've tried riding road bikes once or twice in the past, but apart from the difficulty of adjusting to crouching forward which seems to require either the flexibility of a gymnast or the body of the Hunchback of Notre Dame, I cannot for the life of me understand how you use the brakes or even hold the handlebars comfortably; my wrists are contorted to a weird angle and half my bodyweight is bearing down on my hands, and there's no way to reach the brake levers. I've got average sized hands but I can only reach the top part of the brake levers with two fingers and it requires a stupid amount of effort to squeeze the brake levers. There's no way I can ride safely.

I've read several guides on the internet and watched a couple of YouTube tutorials but they're not very helpful because the riders don't seem to have these problems at all.
 

S-Express

Guest
Sounds like drop bars are not for you. Either that, or you are riding a bike which simply does not fit.
 

vickster

Legendary Member
As above sounds like the wrong bike for you, or at least with wrong components, bars the wrong width, stem not flipped, wrong frame geometry

What have you tried riding?

I can't brake so well on shimano hoods (105 and below), just the wrong shape. I've got around this with the slimmer hoods of SRAM (prior shimano tiagra bike had crosslevers, another solution)

If you prefer flat bars, there's nothing wrong with that ultimately unless you plan to join the pro peloton
 
As above, if properly set up you should have no problem at all with comfort or reaching the brakes. Many people seem to set their bikes up to be comfortable on the hoods/tops rather than the drops, which I cannot understand; riding on drops is far more comfortable and offers much better control.
 
Last edited:
OP
OP
Brand X

Brand X

Guest
As above sounds like the wrong bike for you, or at least with wrong components, bars the wrong width, stem not flipped, wrong frame geometry

What have you tried riding?

I can't brake so well on shimano hoods (105 and below), just the wrong shape. I've got around this with the slimmer hoods of SRAM (prior shimano tiagra bike had crosslevers, another solution)

If you prefer flat bars, there's nothing wrong with that ultimately unless you plan to join the pro peloton

I can't remember what the first one I tried was, I think it was a 1980's Peugeot of some description, then I bought a secondhand Thorn Club Tour, but I quickly gave up in exasperation, I got rid of it a couple of weeks later. I don't know for sure that the bike was the right size (I forget what size it was) but I think it was; the former owner was taller than me but I usually fit a large size frame rather than medium.

All the real cyclists seem to love drop handlebars so there must be a right way of doing it, but I find road bikes downright dangerous, in fact I think bicycle shops should warn newbie riders of the risks before they sell them to people; I was very careful and I've been riding bicycles since I was 5, but twice I almost crashed into the gutter trying to change gear or brake. It's something I might try again next year if I see a cheap touring bicycle for sale, but I don't hold out much hope of success.
 

Kajjal

Guru
Location
Wheely World
Except the hoods are even fatter, so wouldn't work for me!

You need bigger hands :smile:
 

Attachments

  • hqdefault.jpg
    hqdefault.jpg
    9.2 KB · Views: 46

vickster

Legendary Member
I can't remember what the first one I tried was, I think it was a 1980's Peugeot of some description, then I bought a secondhand Thorn Club Tour, but I quickly gave up in exasperation, I got rid of it a couple of weeks later. I don't know for sure that the bike was the right size (I forget what size it was) but I think it was; the former owner was taller than me but I usually fit a large size frame rather than medium.

All the real cyclists seem to love drop handlebars so there must be a right way of doing it, but I find road bikes downright dangerous, in fact I think bicycle shops should warn newbie riders of the risks before they sell them to people; I was very careful and I've been riding bicycles since I was 5, but twice I almost crashed into the gutter trying to change gear or brake. It's something I might try again next year if I see a cheap touring bicycle for sale, but I don't hold out much hope of success.
I've never had a problem, but these are modern bikes with combined brakes and gear shifters. Were you trying a bike with downtube ones?

Maybe try a modern road bike. Evans offer essentially time unlimited test rides on a dry day

Plenty tour on flat bars, so you could just go that way
 

Kajjal

Guru
Location
Wheely World
I can't remember what the first one I tried was, I think it was a 1980's Peugeot of some description, then I bought a secondhand Thorn Club Tour, but I quickly gave up in exasperation, I got rid of it a couple of weeks later. I don't know for sure that the bike was the right size (I forget what size it was) but I think it was; the former owner was taller than me but I usually fit a large size frame rather than medium.

All the real cyclists seem to love drop handlebars so there must be a right way of doing it, but I find road bikes downright dangerous, in fact I think bicycle shops should warn newbie riders of the risks before they sell them to people; I was very careful and I've been riding bicycles since I was 5, but twice I almost crashed into the gutter trying to change gear or brake. It's something I might try again next year if I see a cheap touring bicycle for sale, but I don't hold out much hope of success.

Try test riding a bike like a specialized diverge. They are more stable due to being able to go on or off road, have a higher front end and short reach / drop handlebars. Old school road bikes have a very uncomfortable stretched out riding position and are very unstable in my experience.
 

S-Express

Guest
Old school road bikes have a very uncomfortable stretched out riding position and are very unstable in my experience.

Any bike will feel uncomfortable and stretched out if it doesn't fit properly. It's not unusual for some riders to confuse sharp handling with instability, IME.
 

Wolfie4560

Well-Known Member
I usually need to adjust the position of dropped bars or levers when I get a new bike. I tend to set up my bars with the ends of the drops pointing at the rear axle if that makes sense. If the levers are too low then you will suffer from painful wrists and/or hands. It's a personal preference on position and any guides are just that, a guide. There is nothing wrong with straight bars if they suit you more :smile: Don't ride on drops just because it's 'expected' Riding comfortably is much more important :okay:
 

CanucksTraveller

Macho Business Donkey Wrestler
Location
Hertfordshire
Just to try a simple quick fix before you bin drop bars altogether, rotate the handlebar down so the hoods move forward and down slightly. Some people are set up with the hoods set really quite high without ever knowing why.
The brake levers should come much more into your reach after this. It'll cost you nothing but the turn of an Allen key to find out.
 
Top Bottom