Quick thought regarding drop bars in response to LuckTurnip: Almost all of my bikes have drop bars. I have one bike with Soma’s “Oxford” bars (a milder version of theAlbatross?) and a Brompton with a straight handlebar to which I added forward-facing grip extensions.
On my bikes with drop bars, I ride probably 99% of the time on the tops, usually with my hands wrapped around the brake hoods. I find that comfortable and it gives me easy access to the brake levers. I spend the other 1% of my time in the drops because I’m not concerned about aerodynamics. There are plenty of things slowing me down, and assuming an aero posture isn’t going to do anything about most of those. This is of course personal preference, but I like the way drop bars look. I have several classic bikes (Alex Singer, Cinelli, Masi) that were set up with drop bars and which, I think, would look kinda dumb with upright bars. Kind of like a Rambouillet with a polo seat and sissy bar (although some might really like that look). Ride what you want and pick the bike/seat/handlebars that make you feel comfortable. But don’t assume that drop bars are going to force you into am uncomfortable, crouched posture. --Eric Norris campyonly...@me.com Insta: @CampyOnlyGuy YouTube: YouTube.com/CampyOnlyGuy > On May 9, 2024, at 11:00 AM, luckytur...@gmail.com wrote: > > Fellow older person here. I have avoided owning a “fast bike” for years due > to drops killin’ me, but I recently acquired this sporty XO-1 and the > Albatross bar is perfect for it! I might not actually be fast but I *feel* > fast now (compared to my racked and fat-tired Atlantis) so that’s really what > matters. Albatross is the GOAT. > <image0.jpeg> > >> On May 9, 2024, at 09:50, Wesley <brooks.wes...@gmail.com> wrote: >> >> Hi Jay, >> I'll second what's been said here and by Rivendell: the Albatross is the >> swept-back bar that is least radical / closest to a drop bar. >> >> I first put an Albatross bar on a bike of mine in 2007 and have kept them on >> at least one bike ever since. Unlike the other swept-back bars that Riv >> sells, they have a great hand position that is slightly forward of the stem >> clamp (demonstrated here): >> <IMG_2689.jpg> >> >> >> It's comfy for long hours on the bike. Like you, I find flat bars >> uncomfortable (they pain my wrists). With Albatross bars, my wrist position >> feels neutral and natural, a lot like on the lever tops on drop bars. The >> Albatross bar is on my everyday bike, with the drop bar road bike being used >> only when I want a lighter bike. >> -Wes >> On Wednesday, May 8, 2024 at 6:28:41 PM UTC-7 Jay wrote: >>> I was always aware of bikes with a very relaxed geometry / setup, and it >>> wasn't until I started seeing Rivendell bikes and watching youtube videos >>> of people riding them that I really thought about it - is it more >>> comfortable than drop bars, even if I have a more neutral (not aggressive) >>> position on the bike (i.e., bars close to level with saddle)? Would this >>> be a good option for just cruising around, but for 1-2 hours? If I didn't >>> get along well with flat bars on mountain bike, would swept back bars be >>> better? >>> >>> I'm going to ramble a bit here, my apologies in advance. I haven't thought >>> long enough about this to formulate my question succinctly. Hopefully you >>> get where I'm coming from. >>> >>> Quick background >>> - been riding a little over 20 years (closing in on 50!) >>> - started with mountain biking (hardtail, singletrack); moved to road; >>> tried mountain biking two more times (I love being in nature) but didn't >>> like the thrill/danger, and hated the idea of driving to the trail head; >>> have been mainly on the road for last 15 years, though with 10 years of >>> 'gravel' bikes/riding >>> - I've had ongoing issues with my cervical spine (nothing serious) and this >>> leads to some problems when riding in any sort of aggressive position on >>> the bike; I see a chiro regularly; stretch a lot; workout / strength >>> training; have had numerous bike fits >>> - I have a Roadini, Salsa Fargo and a road bike (25mm tires, but custom >>> made and really does fit like a glove, for road) >>> - I don't care about performance at all, I just love riding bikes, in >>> particular when roads are not busy, or on trails, gravel roads, etc. >>> >>> On a good day (75% of the time), I can ride any of these bikes and during >>> the ride I feel pretty good (little to no pain), maybe a bit of pain after >>> (could be neck/shoulders, but anywhere else really), and after stretching I >>> feel great in a 1/2 to full day. I ride 4-5x a week, workout 1-2 times >>> spring-fall and more in the winter. >>> >>> But at least once a week, and maybe twice, I'll be riding, sometimes tired >>> as it's after work, and within an hour I'm running low on energy and >>> probably start to develop a bad posture on the bike, over-using my arms >>> which causes problems in my neck and shoulders, leading to upper body >>> aches/pains (while riding, and after). Takes a lot of stretching and >>> awareness to reset. This is what I'm trying to resolve (move from 75% to >>> 99%) >>> >>> My guess is that even with a bike like the Roadini or Salsa, with bars >>> about level with the saddle, and even with a professional fitting on each, >>> when I want to ride but I'm lacking energy, it goes poorly. But is that >>> because these bikes are "kind of" aggressive (when compared to say a spine >>> angle closer to 70% and swept back bars)? Or is it simply a combination of >>> age, history of some 'issues', low on energy and thus bad posture kicks in, >>> and would any bike be a joy to ride, or should I just go for a walk on >>> those days!? >>> >>> I would love to hear from those who ride both drop bars and also swept back >>> (or similar) in a way more relaxed geometry, or those who transitioned to >>> mainly this style, because it almost fully resolved your issues, if they're >>> anyway similar to mine. On a day when you're not feeling it, but you have >>> to commute or just love to ride, do you leave the drop bar bike in the >>> garage and hop on your more relaxed bike, and thus avoid most of the issues >>> you would have had on the other (slightly more aggressive) bike? >> >> >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "RBW Owners Bunch" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com >> <mailto:rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com>. >> To view this discussion on the web visit >> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/b412b340-e5c9-4cb2-9273-457994fa168cn%40googlegroups.com >> >> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/b412b340-e5c9-4cb2-9273-457994fa168cn%40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer>. >> <IMG_2689.jpg> > > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "RBW Owners Bunch" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com > <mailto:rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com>. > To view this discussion on the web visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/6919C8C9-8A7B-4764-A693-2A4FA21D13AC%40gmail.com > > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/6919C8C9-8A7B-4764-A693-2A4FA21D13AC%40gmail.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer>. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/0FA6AF4A-B79D-4281-B14C-32D23060B382%40me.com.
