Oh! You're trying to reach the brakes in the drops! No way I can do that on any bike I own. I spend 99.9% of my time on the hoods and/or top of the bars. Even getting into the drops has been a very recent accomplishment for me. I was actually surprised how hard it was to even try for the brakes while in my drops. I wouldn't worry to much if you can't reach them in the drops. Just my 2 cents. bikerHen