drops/brakes

[VeloVT]

Elk,
I actually think it might be a good idea to switch bars and brifters. Start with the bars because that wil be much cheaper, and who knows, it could fix the problem...

I have had those Biomax bars on two bikes. They are nice, comfortable bars, but if you have the hoods fairly high, it will put the levers a bit far away -- there's actually not a very wide range of adjustability for the hoods, assuming you need the levers fairly close.

I haven't actually seen the Salsa bars Lisa talks about, and I know they are short reach, but in spite of the shorter reach, they are still an anatomic style bend that can have a tendency to put the ramps a bit far from the levers. I would not assume that changing bars could not make a significant difference for you just because the Poco's didn't make enough difference for Lisa -- I would suggest looking for a more traditional bend (which, sadly, can be hard to find in smaller sizes, for some reason they think men like these things more than women. grrrr).

Edit: in any setup, you may have to slide your hands up a little to use the brakes. I will note on my ride this afternoon whether or not I slide up the ramps to shift/brake or whether I can do it from the natural cruising position, and will report back. In any case, I ride in my drops often and can easily shift and brake in the drops -- I'm sure you will be able to find a setup that allows you to do this too.