Getting used to drop bars

[Jono]

I know for some it sounds silly but I am going to replace the bullhorn bars on an old road bike (the Shogun Katana) with drop bars. I haven't done much riding with drop bars and would like to get some advice about getting used to the multiple hand positions and the different position of the brakes.

[timyone]

i have drops on my road bike, but only use them when im racing crits, probably not even for roadn races really unless its hardcore fast.
I use them alot more on the track

[lindsay]

Hi Jono,

it's all about core strength. What you want to avoid is having your upper body weight supported by the palms of your hands. A rider should be lifting their upper body using their abs & if this is not the case then they will have alot of weight bearing down via the hands. This will result in tired arms & hands, poor steering & bad aero positioning. This strength is built by the following - good ol' abdominal strength exercises (sit-up's, crunches, etc) & good ol' heaps of km's on the bike.

As for hand positions - this is the beauty of drops. I talk of the tops for the flat part on the top, the hoods for hands on the brake leavers & the drops for the lower part of the bars. The tops are for seated climbing & relaxing riding. The hoods are for standing off the mark, standing climbing and for bunch riding & the drops are for aero decending & sprinting. I do 90% braking from the hoods.