Drops vs. Hoods

[DebW]

Moving the saddle back means that your legs and core can hold your upper body weight when you bend over. If your legs are directly under your saddle, then only your arms are holding you up. It's like if you are standing up and bend at the waist - your butt has to moves back or you'd fall on your face. Then it depends on the placement of the bars (height, drop, reach) as to whether your comfy spot is in the drops or the hoods or elsewhere. But you want to be comfortable enough on both to use the hoods on a climb and the drops on a descent.

[sarahkonamojo]

I have been attempting to ride in the drops for awhile with no luck. My arms are short. Reaching the brakes from the drops means my face too close to the handle bars. Bars are already pretty high because of short arms.

I'll have to try the seat slide back. Hmmm.

sarah

[li10up]

Moving the saddle back means that your legs and core can hold your upper body weight when you bend over. If your legs are directly under your saddle, then only your arms are holding you up. It's like if you are standing up and bend at the waist - your butt has to moves back or you'd fall on your face. Then it depends on the placement of the bars (height, drop, reach) as to whether your comfy spot is in the drops or the hoods or elsewhere. But you want to be comfortable enough on both to use the hoods on a climb and the drops on a descent.

That is EXACTLY what the bike fit guy said! I had always thought that moving the seat backwards would put more weight on your hands. But after he explained it (what you said) it made perfect sense.

I think I'm going to try moving my seat back. Maybe that will put me in a more comfortable position while in the drops.

Carbon seatpost and no torque wrench...I hate having to take my bike to the LBS for every little adjustmnet...but I'm scared to death that I'll over-tighten and break the seatpost. Guess it's time to invest in a torque wrench. I bought a Richey Torqkey that is preset for the handlebars but it won't work on the seatpost.

[Grog]

In the not-so-distant past, I could ride in the drops on downhills without a problem, but on the flats it was really not very pleasant. I could do it for an effort for a short time, but really I didn't like it.

I was fitted on my bike and it was confirmed that my cockpit (handlebars/stem) was just too big and too far. I now have new handlebars (38 instead of 41cm!!!) and they have a very short reach to the hoods and shallow drops. The drops are now a very comfy place to be in, I don't mind staying in there for as long as necessary.