Drops vs. Hoods

[SR500]

I'm trying to ride in the drops more often. Currently I rarely get in the drops -it's just not very comfortable. I've noticed that when I go from the hoods to the drops it seems harder to pedal...I'm staying in the same gear. When I went into my LBS the other day to get their opinion on rotating my handlebars forward to alleviate hand and arm numbness (which worked BTW) the bike fitter said he thinks I need to move my saddle back. I'm not having any knee issues so I'm a little leery of doing that. But, could moving my saddle back give me more power in the drops?

It seems you may need to find a new LBS and get a proper bike fit. Just moving things randomly won't solve the problem, but generally give you more. Bike fit is very important for comfort, power, and efficiency. Your saddle type may have something to do with it, but a fitter will look at you seat height, tilt, and fore/aft, reach, stem length and handlebar drop, as well as handlebar width, and even saddle width. Most fittings run around $150 and well worth it for anyone riding more then once a week.

[Kalidurga]

It seems you may need to find a new LBS and get a proper bike fit. Just moving things randomly won't solve the problem, but generally give you more. Bike fit is very important for comfort, power, and efficiency. Your saddle type may have something to do with it, but a fitter will look at you seat height, tilt, and fore/aft, reach, stem length and handlebar drop, as well as handlebar width, and even saddle width. Most fittings run around $150 and well worth it for anyone riding more then once a week.

I'll second that. I've posted a few times in the last couple of months, raving about the differences I've felt since my fitting. In my case, extending the steerer tube to raise the bars was what made the difference and allowed me to get comfortable in the drops. A good fitter will definitely think of options that you might not, and can watch you pedal to make sure that those changes are really appropriate for you. If you're concerned with power, a fitter that uses something like the Computrainer Pro will also be able to guage fluctuations in your watt output based on the changes made to your fit.

[anakiwa]

This whole thread is really interesting.

I'll second the comments about the importance of a fitting. On my first road bike I was really uncomfortable in the drops (neck pain from over reaching- and I was reaching too far to feel stable). At the fitting I had done a few years ago- they moved the seat forward and the bars back- it was amazing how much more comfortable the drops were when I could actually REACH them.