Bars are much like saddles: what suits one person may not suit another. (He said sententiously.)
I was thinking about these varying tastes yesterday when riding my two Rivs (not both at the same time: drove daughter to school; parked disreputable van in school lot -- btw, I am soliciting non-obscene stickers for the van; have about 100 on it right now but some are peeling: offers all welcomed; my favorite: "Play an accordian, go to jail: that's the law.") anyway -- rode commuter home 61/2 miles against 3/4 east wind; 230 pm, took a detour and rode 14 miles back to the school against SW wind. I rode in the hooks for much of the way and, as usual, found that when I sit more upright I *feel* -- and my feeling may be accurate, to judge from the computer -- more powerful for the same effort. I think it's a matter of additional muscles and not just minor aerodynamics -- the wind, while certainly noticeable, wasn't that strong. I've long noticed this, that when I ride on the hoods -- and my bars are 4-5 cm below saddle -- I lose a bit of power; when I sit upright, I feel as if I am stalling. So, you upright riders: do you pedal more with your quads than you would if you were at a 45* angle? In other news: tried the 65" gear on the gofast outbound against the wind, then flipped to the 75" which I'd been thinking was too high for my aging legs; I found that I was certainly faster in the bigger gear even against the wind. Pedaling style, I guess. (Note: I'm not that fast; averaged 16.2 for the return journey on mostly flat, uninterrupted bike path.) -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
