handlebars?

[Veronica]

I tend to only do short, steep climbs standing - raises my heart rate too much. Although I love to stand together on the tandem. And if it's a longer ride, I'll just spin instead to conserve energy. For exampla I only stand on Diablo on the flatter section just before the Summit to stretch before the final climb if I need to. I don't even stand on the 17% section.

To answer the question asked I actually have my hands on the rounded part of the drops when I stand and climb. Weird huh.

V.

[spazzdog]

I ride mostly on the top or hoods... my arms are real long.

I pop down to the drops to go fast or stretch my back.

[alison_in_oh]

To answer the question asked I actually have my hands on the rounded part of the drops when I stand and climb. Weird huh.

You must have a very strong butt. Sorry, but that's the first thing that came to mind when thinking of climbing out of the saddle in that position -- my gluteus would be burning in nothing flat! Hm, in fact, I think I need to try it...

[Veronica]

Alison said - You must have a very strong butt.

I think so too. That was my reaction the first time I rode that way accidentally. My after work ride has a nice curvy downhill followed by a short steep uphill. And I just felt so strong in that position. God knows your butt ought to be good for something !

V.

[MightyMitre]

I have small hands so find it hard to reach the brakes in the drops and to brake effectively on the hoods, so I got a set of 3T handle bars.http://www.3ttt.com/ing/fr_curve.htm
(Click on Choose the Product, then select 'Eva' )

They're made specifically for smaller hands and they do several different sorts. The ones I've got are actually aimed more at touring bikes,but the shape of them means they bring your hands closer to the levers when in the drops.

Also, if you're riding Shimano you can adjust a screw just inside the lever which pulls it in closer to the handlebars .You need to get the brake cable shortened but your LBS can do this for you very easily. This helped a lot as you don't need to pull so hard on the brakes to get them to work.

Hope this helps.

[slinkedog]

Does being in the drops on climbs work your butt? I thought the cycling gods proclaimed that being more upright was the preferred way to climb because it did engage your low back and glutes in the effort, whereas being in the drops puts most of workload on your quads. I could be totally wrong tho. If climbing in the drops works your butt, I'll have to try it. My butt needs a lot o' work!

[Veronica]

For me it seems to engage the butt and hamstrings more than the quads.

V.

[Surlygirl]

Being fairly short and reach always being a problem, I have Salsa Moto Ace short and shallow drop handlebars (see aebike.com) and short reach shimano levers. My bars are turned a bit down at the ends and I've fiddled with the levers to get the hoods in good position. The handlebars come in different widths also so you can get the right shoulder width. See also girlbike.com and I think Crystal shows and tells about handlebars and placement.
Hope this helps. I also have the xtra levers on the tops so I can ride upright if I want and I think they are a win win. I have never had a problem with stopping. The guy at the LBS recommended and put them on for me.

[shewhobikes]

more good stuff. Geez, I'm so glad I posted this. I'm learning there's infinite possibilities, limited only by my wallet and our imaginations. Crystal does have an article on handlebars that was very useful, esp. her explanation of how to measure for width. I will definitely get the LBS to do that for me as long as we're on this subject.

[LBTC]

thank you, ladies! So much to read and digest!!

thanks to you all, and to some weird competitiveness (does anyone else get this?) I have with a local female rider who will also being racing at the first MTB race I do this year May 7 (I can't believe it's so soon) who has been out training on her road bike I realize that I *must* make my road-bike more *me* friendly! I'll be researching and reading a bit more this evening and will order a new bar and new saddle and new computer tonight.

That 3T bar the MM posted looks mighty fine! but I'll keep reading

many thanks
Namaste,
~T~