Descending in the drops

wirelessdude01

Just wondering what I can do to make it more enjoyable/comfortable? Yesterday I was descending at approx 55/60kmph when there was a crosswind and I nearly came off. Huge front wheel wobble. I'm grand with the hands sitting on the hoods but in the drops it like l don't have as much control and feel very uneasy when touching the brakes at those speeds.

Any suggestions?

Brian?

Practice with the drops on the flat a lot to gain confidence. Or descend on the hoods.

smacl

wirelessdude01 wrote: »

Just wondering what I can do to make it more enjoyable/comfortable? Yesterday I was descending at approx 55/60kmph when there was a crosswind and I nearly came off. Huge front wheel wobble. I'm grand with the hands sitting on the hoods but in the drops it like l don't have as much control and feel very uneasy when touching the brakes at those speeds.

Any suggestions?

I'm the reverse, find I've best control of the bike in the drops and use them a lot. Not so comfortable descending in the hoods, particularly on a crappier road surface. I moved from ergo bars to compact bars which helped, and also took a while to get a set-up that felt comfy in all the positions.

Wishbone Ash

wirelessdude01 wrote: »

... I'm grand with the hands sitting on the hoods but in the drops it like l don't have as much control ...

Conventional wisdom would state that you have much more control in the drops (including all tricky situations - not just when descending).

Charlie69

sounds like you need compact bars, makes a massive difference

Raam

With time you will gain more confidence. You will learn to brace yourself against the wind such that wobbles like that won't phase you at all. Keep at it.

kenmc

wouldnt descend at any sort of speed anywhere other than the drops, on the hoods it's too easy to lose grip if you hit any sort of bump .

07Lapierre

Descending at speed and NOT being on the drops is madness! You've much more control, your C.O.G. Is lower and you have easier access to the brake levers.

In fact you should have your fingers on the brake levers while descending and be ready to brake if necessary.

Raam

07Lapierre wrote: »

Descending at speed and NOT being on the drops is madness! You've much more control, your C.O.G. Is lower and you have easier access to the brake levers.

In fact you should have your fingers on the brake levers while descending and be ready to brake if necessary.

Well, it depends on the descent. You can ride down the likes of Howth both sides comfortably on the hoods. Anything sketchy though, I'd be in the drops.

wirelessdude01

Madness seems to be me alright!!! Gonna have to train myself into the drops then on descents. Fine in them on the flat doing whatever speed.

Raam

wirelessdude01 wrote: »

Madness seems to be me alright!!! Gonna have to train myself into the drops then on descents. Fine in them on the flat doing whatever speed.

FWIW, I found descending on the drops scary when I first got my road bike. That went away.

Muckers

Charlie69 wrote: »

sounds like you need compact bars, makes a massive difference

+1 to that. A couple of years ago I had 3 speed wobbles on 2 different bikes. In the end I came to the conclusion that I was causing them as I was always a bit nervous at speed. Got more confident and have not had one since. Compact bars are the business and they feel far more comfy than regular bars.

07Lapierre

Raam wrote: »

Well, it depends on the descent. You can ride down the likes of Howth both sides comfortably on the hoods. Anything sketchy though, I'd be in the drops.

If you can descend Howth while on the hoods, you not going fast enough.!!

Raam

07Lapierre wrote: »

If you can descend Howth while on the hoods, you not going fast enough.!!

I'd love to tip it down through the village some day but it's just not worth it.

Tenzor07

On the hoods, like this guy!

darkvalley

I always prefer descending on the hoods. It feels much more in control to me, I find the drops jittery. I have two fingers behind the shifters and two fingers on the brake levers.
Strangely descending is one of the few aspects of cycling that I seem to be good at. I can get a top 20 on strava on descents, whereas everywhere else I can get a top 150th with a tail wind.
Never struck me as dangerous to descend this way, whereas as on the drops it always seems dangerous to me as I dont have good control.
I do poorly on the drops generally as I find it hard to apply good presure on the pedals that way.

denbatt

OP, is it an aluminium bike? I have had a couple of wobbles lately on my aluminium bike but found they seemed to get worse when I gripped and braked harder, a friend of mine gave me good advice to try and relax a bit more on a fast descent and when the bike starts resonating to relax my grip a little and take my weight off the saddle and fether the brakes. I know from my last couple of wabbles they are bloody terrifying! Especially on greasy winter roads. Just be careful and as advised lower your centre of gravity on the drops is the only way for sure. Perhaps bike fit could be an issue?

damo80

When descending squeeze your legs/knees against the top bar, that helps alliviate the wobble. And grip the drops at the bend not at the end of the drop

Lusk_Doyle

07Lapierre wrote: »

If you can descend Howth while on the hoods, you not going fast enough.!!

Ah, but he can probably ascend Howth as quickly as you can descend!

Lusk_Doyle

FWIW I prefer to spend most of my ride in the drops unless I'm in a group chatting or climbing out of the saddle on a steep section. I don't understand how one can have the perception of being in greater control while descending on the hoods. It doesn't make sense to me.

Cee-Jay-Cee

I descend on the hoods too as I find it more stable and safer. I can ride in the drops on the flat no problem but I don't feel safe in the drops in steep descents.

BTW I changed my bars to compact bars from ergo bars which I hated as they had a long reach, deep drop and variable curve drops which I could never find a comfortable position on.

I guess just like everything else, some people find it easier in different positions.

Raam

Lads who find the drops unstable are doing it wrong. They are stable. Practice makes perfect.

Amprodude

Drops for descending are a must. I descended in the hoods once at speed, hit a nasty bump, lost my grip off the hoods and almost fell off bike. Never again descend on the hoods.

07Lapierre

Lusk_Doyle wrote: »

Ah, but he can probably ascend Howth as quickly as you can descend!

I cant argue with that!

wirelessdude01

Is there anything I can do to improve my stability on descents when in the drops or is it just a case of practice, practice, practice? Core work perhaps?

ford2600

wirelessdude01 wrote: »

Is there anything I can do to improve my stability on descents when in the drops or is it just a case of practice, practice, practice? Core work perhaps?

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=79391421

Morrisseeee

If you want to descend fast and safely, then the drops is the place to be.

wirelessdude01

ford2600 wrote: »

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=79391421

Excellent. Thanks for that link. Confidence is a part of it for me.

wirelessdude01

Morrisseeee wrote: »

If you want to descend fast and safely, then the drops is the place to be.

Many thanks for that post but I never said it wasn't. I know it is and the reason I started the thread was because I just want to know what I can do to improve my confidence and stability in the drops while descending.

Morrisseeee

Like you said, just practice, practice, practice.
Pick a short steep straight descent (no bends), get into the drops, use your brakes to give you a speed you're comfortable with, get into an aerodynamic position (low center of gravity) and............wheeeeee all the way down
Then move onto a longer shallower twistier descent, and freewheel down in the drops.

outfox

Relax your arms, and make sure there is a small bend at your elbows.
Give it 500 km, and you wont need the handlebars at all.

crosstownk

Maybe I'm doing it wrong but for me it's as follows:

Climb: Tops when seated or hoods when out of the saddle.
Cruising: Hood mainly but I may switch to tops for comfort but I prefer to have the brakes close to hand.
Descent: Drops (but sometimes I use the hoods in a shallow descent).