What is it about drop handlebars?

[xpc316e]

I rode drops as a youth and young man, but I now ride with flat bars for reasons of comfort. What is it about drop bars? There seems to be some sort of kudos about them; if your bike doesn't have them, it cannot possibly be considered a 'real' bike.

I read a magazine article recently about the members of a cycling club who had all gone down the 'classic route of make-do bike to hybrid, to drop handlebar road bike'. Funny how every picture showed them all riding on the tops, or hoods. In fact, in the whole magazine one could count on the fingers of one hand the number of riders actually on the drops - the numbers riding either on the tops, or hoods, must have been in the hundreds.

Most people do not find them comfortable, or they'd ride more on the drops - that much is self-evident. Perhaps they use them for the variety of positions they offer - a trekking bar is better for different hand positions though.

I am sure they use them because the bike came with them, and to change to anything else would lose huge amounts of credibility amongst their cycling bretheren.

I reckon there is a direct parallel with the purchase of 'sports' motorcycles in the UK - they are painfully uncomfortable at low speeds, look ridiculous with any luggage equipment, have tiny petrol tanks, no accommodation for a pillion, etc., but still people buy them.

We are now seeing more serious bikes in shops with flat bars, and perhaps there will be a revival of people who do not mind ploughing their own furrow.

Rise up, and throw away those drop bars, and find salvation in flat bars. Sandals are not compulsory, by the way.

 

[wafflycat]

I was a reluctant convert to drop bars. After all, I was in my forties and I'd managed to cycle lots without them. Then I was bought a bike that happened to have drops: a tourer. Took me about a month to feel properly confident - now I would not willingly go back to using straight bars. Why? The drop handlebars give me a bigger range of hand positions which, when out cycling over different topogaphy, in different weather, all day, I find give me more comfort than straight bars.

You don't like them: don't use them.

But don't be an arse by thinking that there's some sort of snob-value in using them - or inverted snobbery about not using them.

 

[661-Pete]

Ha! A good robust debate about "drops v. straight bars" coming up then, so it seems. Should be fun.

Myself, I'm a drops person, have been since I was in my 20s (up till then I had straight bars). I can't really explain every bit of it, but it feels more 'natural' to me (which is another way of putting, when I ride someone else's bike with straight bars it just doesn't feel 'right' to me). I like the options of changing one's hand position, that you get with drops. And of course there is a bit of fashion about it - if I prefer a road bike, it's got to 'look right' and seem to be a road bike (though there have been plenty of good road bikes with non-drop bars).

My wife also rode drops for many years, until I decided she didn't look very comfortable on them and I persuaded her to switch to straight bars - she now rides a hybrid with front-sus. Maybe this was a mistake, she sometimes hints that she felt better with the drops after all. Ah well you can't always get it right.

Incidentally I should point out that riding on the tops or hoods of drop bars is perfectly normal and a recommended riding position. Why else are drop bars taped all the way along to within an inch of the stem? I seldom go down on the drops unless facing a strong head wind. There's nothing 'incorrect' about this technique.

 

[HLaB]

In a perfect environment I don't think there's much difference between a flat bar road bike and dropped but factor in the wind and the better aerodynamic position on drops there's a world of difference IMO.

 

[Hacienda71]

I noticed a couple of very serious riders judging by their speed and bikes with a flat bar set up on Friday, triathlon/time trial stylee, but agree with the op I have drops on my main bike but tend to be on the hoods 90% of the time if I am on a long fast road I know well will use the drops, but feel I can get into almost as good a position by altering the general position of my body, bend the arms and go into a crouch still on the hoods.

 

[661-Pete]

Remember of course that - for the utmost in speed and streamlining, many TTers use aero bars - in which case I suppose the shape of handlebar itself is immaterial. Never tried them myself - I'm not that sort of cyclist - but I'd imagine they work well for those for whom speed comes before comfort. At any rate they look deuced uncomfortable!

Actually I find dropped bars (without aeros!) very comfortable, just for my sort of pootling around.

 

[Ian H]

I ride dropbars for comfort. I ride on the drops downhill, into the wind or just when going fast. Otherwise there are three or four different hand positions on the tops. For distance riding that's important.
I have a couple of flat-barred bikes. They're okay for pootling, but I wouldn't really want to ride much more than 60 miles on one.

 

[Muddyfox]

I've got a Cannondale Synapse (flat bar) which i have enjoyed riding for the past year and when i bought it i was adamant that i did'nt want drops, but i have recently bought a Ridgeback Panorama with drops and i have to say the comfort of riding on the hoods is lovely, i still enjoy riding the Cannondale but i think im going to have to put some bar ends on it to try and get a similiar hand position to when riding on the hoods on the drops

Simon

 

[automatic_jon]

As a recent convert to drop bars I find the hoods most comfortable, having my grip run front to back rather than laterally across the bike is more ergonomic for my arms. And the drops are more fun, down hill on the drops with my knees and elbows tucked in, can't beat it!
I do struggle with drop bars sometime, I feel a little squished, with my abdominal contents pushed up in to the bottom of my chest cavity as you do when you sit hunched forwards, unable to get a really good lung full so I can understand why people don't like them but on balance they suit the way I like to ride better than flat hybrid bars.

 

[Norm]

Quick count, I think I have three of each. I didn't move from one to the other, as my oldest and newest bikes have drops and the middle ones are flatties.

I read somewhere recently, and I can't remember where, that drops, where fitted, are used about 5% of the time, and I reckon that's about right. Even those who race "properly" don't seem to spend much time in the drops. I just did a Google image search on "tour de france" and only one of the pix on the first page showed anyone on the drops. In most of the images, the riders are all on the tops (like this) or the hoods (like this) or, sometimes, a mis of the two (like this). If riding on the hoods is good enough for them, then it's good enough for me. :lol

Personally, because I am a fat bastid, I get the discomfort which aj mentioned if I ride on the drops for a long period, although I'd probably get used to that. Apparently, being on the drops also uses more core body muscles, rather than just the leg muscles which are used on the hoods / tops or on flat bars. It certainly gives pain in a different place if I spend much time riding in the drops.

But, on a windy day like yesterday, it is very useful having them as an option.

 

[GrasB]

Mostly on the tops & hood sounds right unless you're racing/pushing hard.

If the handle bars are setup properly you use the tops when you want to be more upright/relaxed. Aerodynamically this isn't the best but if you're on a <10mph ascent then aerodynamics are the last thing you need to be worrying about.

On the hoods is a nice compromise between the tops & drops, this is probably where you should be spend most of your time. The best thing about the hoods is your arm line is neutral, think about it with your arms besides you what position are your hands in? Now bend your arms at so your for arms are between 45 & 90 degrees then lean forwards. Exactly where are your hands now? About where you'd expect the hoods or the returning bend of the drops are!

Now we're onto the drops, there are two main positions here, the first is on the flat(ish) returns of the drops, I call this the 'bottom' of the drops, mainly these are only used for sprinting when you want to be low for aerodynamic reason but still want something to help you roll the bike while putting huge power into the pedals. There's also the 'middle' of the drops, this is with the top of your hands quite close to the underside of the hoods, it can be used for all sorts of things; it's good aerodynamic position for a fast down hill or when pushing hard on the flat, going into a head wind & want any aerodynamics you can get & finally it really helps when riding quickly through more technical turns as it helps keep your CoG nice & low.

Those are the main 4 but are also other positions on the drops which can be used, hands on the tops very close to the stem & tucked down, hands on the corner radius of the bars between hoods & tops, etc..

I'll be a little controversial here but IME/IMO modern fashion sets the brake leavers to far forwards & high up on the bars. This means several things; firstly it's to far down to the drops making it hard to use them properly as you end up to stretched out. Secondly it means the difference between the top & hood position is minimal & takes away some of the flexibly given by multiple hand positions. It puts the leavers to far away from the bars to be make the drops truly useful on descents or when riding more technically challenging turns.

 

[MacB]

It's all about comfort for me but, as I can attest to, it's not cheap to try out a variety of options. You're also limited on what controls fit on what bars and, more importantly, where on the bars. How you ride makes a difference as well. Someone riding hard and fast, with a lot of gear changes, would tend to prefer all controls accessible from the main hand position. My experience is that, given the choice, I will choose to grip with my palms facing towards each other rather than towards the ground. You can create this setup with any bars, might need to add bar ends, but drop bars give the greatest versatility.

But you do need to choose the right bars for you and also be able to get them into the right position on the bike. At present I've settled on wide flared drops(aka Dirt Drops) as giving me the versatility for my type of riding. This is part way between a normal drop bar, with a very shallow drop, and a moustache bar. Originally designed around off roading/cyclocross these would have been set up for the drops as the main hand position. But this would limit use of hoods and tops so I've set them up somewhere in between. This gives me a very sit up and beg position on the tops, a cruising position on the hoods and a wider drops position that's actually about the same reach as the hoods. They wouldn't be streamlined enough for road racing but, barring that, make a very good allrounder.

I'm far from alone in this as On-One keep selling out of the Midge bars, the ones I'm using. My setup also looks pretty similar to that seen on a lot of drop bar bikes that people have positioned around tops/hoods riding. It's just that my drops are a lot more rideable than theirs.

 

[swee'pea99]

Flat bars give you one position; drops give you two. Simples.

 

[GrasB]

[quote name='swee'pea99']Flat bars give you one position; drops give you two. Simples.[/QUOTE]
2 positions? I have 4 main positions & can find intermediaries as well

 

[monnet]

Drops for me.

The hoods give a nice position for general riding (a position not attainable on a flat bar)

Tops are good for climbing (open the lungs up)

Drops are great for giving that extra bit of control on descents; riding into a headwind; eyeballs out on the chaingang; sprinting