Handlebar with shallow drop for small hands - Ritchey Biomax Pro?

[Pierre]

I think there are a lot of misconceptions about bars and small hands. The
main thing is that you don't want the stretch from the bar to the brake
levers to be too much. This has nothing to do with the reach to other parts
of the bar. So for that, you probably want a bar with fairly steep drops and
not too much of a ramp at the top. Whether the drops are shallow or not
makes no difference to this whatsoever - it's totally different problem. For
the reach to other parts of the bar, you just need a shorter stem, if
necessary (but this won't do a thing for the reach from the bar to the break
levers). Moreover, if the ramp of the handlebar is too long and horizontal,
you will be forced to ride on the ramps instead of on the brake hoods, plus
you will find it harder to brake from the hoods.

What's the point of really shallow drops? If they are very shallow, they
will be so close in position to the tops that you may as well not have the
drops at all. If you feel that the drops are too low for you, it's probably
not a problem with the bars, but rather with the fore-and-aft of your saddle
(assuming your handlebars aren't way too low to begin with). You are
probably using a saddle adjustment rule of thumb which is not suited to your
anatomy (there are several which result in quite different saddle
positions), causing you to put the saddle too far back. When the saddle is
too far back, the bend in your back and between torso and thighs is sharper,
and the result is that it feels like the bars are too low. Even just one cm
in saddle fore-and-aft makes a big difference as far as that goes. Also, if
the saddle is too low, your knees come up too high and it also feels like
the drops are too low. Try moving your saddle up and forward a bit and see
if that solves "the drops are too low" problem.

There's a lot of bull on the net about saddles being way back. This isn't
appropriate for the average recreational and fitness rider who wants a
comfortable but efficient position. Rules of thumb which say to line up the
kneecap with the end of the cranks will likely result in the saddle being
too far back. Another rule involves the "dimple" behind the kneecap. Most
people use the wrong dimple for this. Try using the "dimple" which
corresponds to the middle of the knee joint. This is the one which for most
people is about an inch or a bit more behind the front of the kneecap. It's
dead centre in the knee joint. That's the point which should be directly
above the centre of the pedal spindle. It will result in a saddle which will
be a little more forward. Combine that with a bit higher saddle (which you
can handle because the saddle is more forward), and you should help the
"feel" of your drops considerably.

Pierre

 

[Antti Salonen]

Pierre <[email protected]> wrote:

> What's the point of really shallow drops? If they are very shallow, they
> will be so close in position to the tops that you may as well not have the
> drops at all.

You don't say what you think is a "very shallow" drop and what you think
is normal. As far as I can tell, the range available is pretty small,
from about 13 to 16 cm.

In short - I think your argument makes no sense. Riders come in
different sizes and with different preferences. Taller riders have
saddles higher, bars further from the saddle, longer cranks and so
forth. What is so special about handlebar drop that it should be the
same for everybody, in your opinion?

Example: We have a 5'3" woman and a 6'4" man, both within a normal
range, both using same kind of bars. When the woman moves her hands from
the tops to the drops, it changes her riding position a lot more,
because the distance is longer relative to her size. Clearly she would
be better off with a more shallow drop than the man.

-as

 

[Jan Lindstrom]

Pierre wrote:
> What's the point of really shallow drops? If they are very shallow, they
> will be so close in position to the tops that you may as well not have the
> drops at all.

I guess those who compete want the drops to make a real difference in
aerodynamics to the tops/hoods, but for me whose income doesn't depend
on winning races, the logic of shallow drops is to have a compromise. I
don't want to be too unaerodynamic on the hoods, and I don't want the
drops to be painful, since I really do use all positions when riding for
a long time. With a larger drop, one is either more unaerodynamic on the
hoods or too hunched over in the drops.

> When the saddle is
> too far back, the bend in your back and between torso and thighs is sharper,
> and the result is that it feels like the bars are too low.

I have a very flat and long (in relation to my meager 180cm height)
back. I ride in a flat back position that's very comfortable and works
extremely well for me. Relaxing the sharp angle between my torso and
thighs would mean either having a curled back or more weight on my
hands. I'll leave the saddle where it is.

Jan