Very New with a few questions

[Munch]

So I'm very new to cycling. Last week I got an old road bike and had some minor repairs done. It's nothing fancy at all, but it has two wheels and shifts. Anyways, I've never ridden a road bike before this and was just curious if everyone found it difficut to place their hands on the curved pard of the handlebars instead of just the top level bar? I've been riding with my hands on the top part of the handlebar and luckily there are break levers for this style of riding on this bike. When I try to ride with my hands on the curved part of the bike, I find it hard to use the brake levers that are used for this position. Also while in the position (hunched over) I find it uncomfortable to always keep my head up and wondered if riders normally keep there head up, or look no more than a few feet in front of them.

I hope all of this makes sense, if not, I'll try to clarify. Thanks!

[BodhiTree]

When I try to ride with my hands on the curved part of the bike, I find it hard to use the brake levers that are used for this position. Also while in the position (hunched over) I find it uncomfortable to always keep my head up and wondered if riders normally keep there head up, or look no more than a few feet in front of them.

You might find things work better if you raise your bars to at least the same height as your saddle, if not an inch or two higher.

You mention specific brake levers for the drops and the flats. Do you have "suicide levers" on the flats?

This might be interesting: http://www.rivbike.com/Articles.asp?ID=247

[redrhodie]

You will usually ride with your hands on the brake levers. The curved part of the bars are called "drops" and you use that part of the bar mostly when descending. But, if you can't reach the brakes from the drops, you may need women's specific levers. In some cases, shims can be placed inside the lever to bring it in closer. With the issue you describe, I wouldn't use the drops at all, since you can't brake from there.

[OakLeaf]

It's possible you need shorter levers, but it's also possible that yours are just in the wrong position for you on the bars and/or the bars are at the wrong tilt for you. Repositioning the levers on the bars is kind of a pain because you'll need to re-do the handlebar tape, but that's a useful skill to have - it's not complicated, but it can be a little frustrating and take a lot of re-dos (at least if I'm the one at the other end of the tape). Try changing the tilt of your bars first.

Also, exactly how old your bike is, is important in deciding what to do about those suicide levers. I don't even know what they're called in real life, and I have read that modern ones are perfectly safe and functional ... but the old ones got their name for a reason. If the levers date from the '70s or '80s I personally would just take them off (and replace them with modern ones if you like).

[Desert Tortoise]

Also, could the drops be too big/deep? I didn't realize it for a long time but my drops are very wide/long/deep. I'm not sure of the exact term but if they were more shallow or compact, I think I would have a much easier time using the drops.

[Munch]

Thanks everyone for the comments. I think I'm going to take it in to the LBS and see what we can do with the handlebars and possibly reposition the brakes. I was going to try to reposition the tilt myself but the bolt is rusted and probably needs to be replaced anyways. I just called the LBS and they said they'd be happy to help me get it adjusted for my riding style. I'll try to go with the lower end adjustments simply because I don't want to dump a whole lot into this bike. My plans were to get riding cheap and if I stay with it and really enjoy it, then get a better bike a some point. Money is tight so that's something I would have to save for.

Thanks again everyone!

[Jiffer]

There are three basic positions on the handlebars. When you say you put your hands on the top part of the handlebars, I assume you mean your hands are side by side, as if holding onto a bar. Many road bikes don't have brakes in that area and, therefore, riders will typically ride with their hands close to the shifters, which are also brakes. This area of the handlebars is called the hoods. This is not the "drop" position. This is still the top part of the handlebars, but off to the sides where one can shift and brake easily. Here's a link to a photo of what I'm talking about. http://candmwanderings.wordpress.com...es/handlebars/

Getting down into the drops is definitely more of a stretch on the body and can take some getting used to. I used to feel like I had less control when in my drops and didn't feel I could brake as easily. This is the opposite of how it should be. I changed my handlebars out for smaller ones. Some people refer to them as women specific handlebars, but the ones I got were simply smaller than what I had. They were for women or smaller men. My husband and I are both 5'9". After I got mine and loved them, he got some as well and prefers them over what he had.

I actually spend a lot of time in my drops. Any time I want to be more aerodynamic on a flat or downhill.

Bike fit is very important. Whether it's your handlebar adjustment, seat adjustment, etc., all these things make a big difference in your overall ride experience and, the more you ride, the less aches and pains you will ultimately experience.

[Munch]

Thanks Jiffer, I didn't know any of that!

Yes, I was meaning that I have been steering with my hands side by side. That picture was very helpful. I don't have hoods on my bike, the brakes are uncovered. Also my shifters are in the middle of my handle bar. I have rode some with my hands near where the hoods should be, but have never tried to brake from this position. I will try that tonight.

[laura*]

I've been riding with my hands on the top part of the handlebar and luckily there are break levers for this style of riding on this bike. When I try to ride with my hands on the curved part of the bike, I find it hard to use the brake levers that are used for this position.

Brake levers with integral suicide brake levers were not meant to ridden "on the hoods". That's why you're finding it hard to use the brake levers in that position!

[Munch]

From what I tried last night, it would be possible for me to ride on the hoods if the levers on the drops weren't so difficult to depress. I don't use the suicide levers when I ride on the hoods, I only use them when I ride with my hands on the top middle bar. I'm thinking there should be some way to adjust this to make the levers easier to depress when I'm riding on the hoods.

[Jiffer]

Did you buy the bike at a bike shop? Maybe they could adjust it for you, possibly for free. If you didn't buy it at a bike shop, you could still take it to one and have them look at it..

By the way, after I went and found a photo to show you what the hoods were, I realized my avatar photo does the same thing. I'm riding in the hoods there.

[Munch]

Oh, haha, I didn't notice that Jiffer! I did ride on the hoods today, though they are just metal with no rubber covers. I had gloves on but it would be nice to get some covers.

No, I didn't get the bike at a LBS. I got it off of CL for $20 and then had a tune up at the LBS and some other fixes for around $68. I really wanted to get riding cheap. I think someone mentioned the bars should be about the same height if not a bit higher than your seat? Right now they are definitely lower than the seat. As I said earlier, I rode on the hood today and was able to brake lightly. It was pretty hard to depress the levers fully.