....but what if you forget?
Then break out the bandages !Unlikely though because I feel uncomfortable and never feel safe on the drops.
Use them on the track though but the bikes are set up differently and it doesn't feel so unusual.
Giving up on the Drops
- Thread starter Muddyfox
- Start date
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Then break out the bandages !Unlikely though because I feel uncomfortable and never feel safe on the drops.
Use them on the track though but the bikes are set up differently and it doesn't feel so unusual.
MacB
Lover of things that come in 3's
- Location
- Farnborough, Hampshire
Having a fair bit of experience with butterfly bars I think it's worth a little note of caution here. I had two reasons for eventually changing from them:-
1. I spent nearly all my time riding on the sides but could never get the controls to fit properly there - so always had to move hands for braking or gear shifting
2. I ran the bars with the controls/open section nearest the saddle...I did try every other possibility....this worked well for everything but descending...the position was too narrow and upright closest in feeling to descending on the tops of drop bars and nothing like the confidence of a flat/riser bar
My issue with drops was always around angles and related to my elbow problems, an aspect I loved from the start was being able to descend in the drops with braking at fingertips. I have 3 different handlebar setups on bikes now, Salsa Cowbell drops, On-One Mary bars and Jones Loop Bars, on road, 29er and tourer respectively.
For drop bars I've tried various sizes and shapes, from 'classic road' to extremely splayed/flared offroad dirt drops. For me I need some level of splay to keep my elbow happy and I would class the Cowbells as somewhere between dirt drops and road drops. You can see them here:-
http://www.cyclechat.net/useralbums/macb-road-bike.103/view
If I'd managed to get the controls on the sides of butterfly bars then I'd probably never have changed from them. There are various other alternate handlebars all with pros and cons. My primary consideration would be getting ones where my main hand position felt the most stable and gave access to the level of control I wanted. This generally means, for me, braking, gear changes not so as I don't race.
lulubel
Über Member
- Location
- Malaga, Spain
I think it's important to have drops that are the right shape for you. I didn't realise how important it was until I couldn't find any drop bars the right shape to replace mine after my crash (except some £150 carbon ones). In the end I decided to just stick with the ones that work, and retape them.
I don't like flat bars much, although I don't have any control issues with them - I just don't feel as comfortable as I do on the hoods of my narrow drop bars - so it's definitely horses for courses. But if you don't feel in control and end up crashing, there's no point in sticking with them.
I don't like flat bars much, although I don't have any control issues with them - I just don't feel as comfortable as I do on the hoods of my narrow drop bars - so it's definitely horses for courses. But if you don't feel in control and end up crashing, there's no point in sticking with them.
smutchin
Cat 6 Racer
- Location
- The Red Enclave
I've recently started using the drops again for the first time in many, many years, which has only been possible by shedding several inches from my waistline. It's liberating! And I was very grateful for the drops when I was slogging into a stiff headwind for 50km on the Shaftesbury 200 last week.
But whatever your reasons, there's no point making yourself more uncomfortable on your bike than you need to, so I wouldn't advocate someone sticking with drops who didn't get on with them. After all, riding a bike isn't meant to be punishment. Unless it's a race, of course. But then you have other reasons for putting up with the discomfort.
d.
You flat bar guys don't know what you're missing. There's nothing quite like getting your arse way back on the saddle, getting you hands on the drops and your head as low as possible and just Going For It on a long descent. 
It's one of life's pleasures, like drinking with mates in the garden till the early hours or watching Crofty get that third try against France on sunday.
It's one of life's pleasures, like drinking with mates in the garden till the early hours or watching Crofty get that third try against France on sunday.
coffeejo
Ælfrēd
- Location
- West Somerset
I can't reach the brakes properly from the hoods on mine, and ended up walking the bike down the Mendips as I just didn't feel safe. Since then, I've abandoned the hoods altogether and adjusted the angle of the drops, which I now use 80% of the time and rest on the tops when I need a break. When budget allows, I'll play around and hopefully find some new bars that suit, but my workaround has done the job quite nicely thus far. I've done plenty of rides up to about 60 miles, with lots of climbs, descents and boring flat bits, and really the only thing that's now holding me back on the descents is my own lack of confidence (the fastest I've dared go is 35mph), which I'm hoping will grow the more I do.
Jameshow
Veteran
What width are you bars?
I have a mate who rides on 38cm bars. I've ridden his bikes and hate every minute of it.
I usually use a 42 or 44 cm bar.
Perhaps getting the widest bar available might bridge the gap. Of the wider straight bars your usually used too ..
cougie uk
Guru
He's not been on the forum for over a year now. Hope he's ok.
Mo1959
Legendary Member
- Location
- Perthshire,Scotland
He hasn't been here since July last year so I don't expect him to reply.
D
Deleted member 26715
Guest
There seems to be a propensity of old threads being resurrected at the moment, is something weird happening with the search function or displayed threads?
Mo1959
Legendary Member
- Location
- Perthshire,Scotland
I've noticed that too. Surely people check when they reply to someone's query that they are still around.......obviously not.
Yes, hope they are OK. Didn't spot the year when I checked - just noticed the month which was July.
It's the recent function of the software that lists similar threads. Some of these make an interesting read and with time passing, there is a curiosity to find out what's happened since the post and some very relevant to today's times.
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