Talk to me about drops

[Crankin]

Oy, I still feel like my bike is unstable when descending in the drops. It is not the bike, I am pretty sure. I have shallow bars, with short reach brakes. I can easily (and finally) reach the brakes and shift easily from the drops. I'm OK if I am going slowly down a hill in that position, but that's not the point. At this point, I don't think I'll ever get over the fear. Every season starts out with my intention of "this will be the year," and I usually progress for about 2 months, until one day, I just go back to my old habits. I know what I am supposed to do, but I always end up squeezing the brakes and sitting up. I always feel like my bike is sliding out, squirrelly, and I have visions of an endo. I need an intervention.
On the other hand, I use the drops for change of position, long stretches of flats, and headwinds. I still don't feel as able to do any kind of quick maneuver in this position, but I do use it fairly often.

[KnottedYet]

I forgot to mention this, but...the other big reason I don't use the drops is because it causes me to roll forward and put pressure on soft tissues that are not supposed to bear weight...Better than it was thanks to that aforementioned saddle adjustment, but still.

Maybe the bars as a whole are set too low relative to your saddle height.

[lizbinsocali]

I got my first road bike in February and the drops were scary at first for me too. But all the the reasons mentioned earlier, I agree, the drops now feel comfortable to me. I also notice I can pedal faster and with more power when I'm in the drops (feels like my glutes are being used more??), so more speed. It took me awhile to get used to handling and balancing the road bike and being in the drops felt weird. But now it's more comfy, and more fun when descending over 30 mph!!

Enjoy your new bike!
L

[TrekTheKaty]

I'm going to start practicing!