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Getting used to the drops
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 2004-09-22 4:40 PM |
Champion  9407    Montague Gold Mines, Nova Scotia |  Subject: Getting used to the dropsSince getting my road bike I have been playing around with the setup and think I have everything dialed in. I have not experienced any numbness or knee problems so I think the seat position and angle are good. However, after about fifteen minutes on the drops, my neck starts to cramp. I know part of this is because I haven't ever riden a road bike before, but I think part of it is that I am trying to see (through my glasses) and have to crane my neck more. Today I tried looking just in front of the wheel rather than off in the distance but with traffic and a rough edge of the road, this was quite unsettling (to say the least). What I was wondering was if anyone had this problem before and how did you get over it. The two obvious solutions are to get laser surgery (not enough money) and wear contacts (got rid of them a year ago due to eye damage from over use). So beyond these, anybody got any tips? |
| 2004-09-22 4:48 PM in reply to: #65281 |
Resident Curmudgeon 25290 The Road Back Gold member | Subject: RE: Getting used to the drops Aerobars. |
| 2004-09-22 4:53 PM in reply to: #65281 |
Expert 1065 Montreal | Subject: RE: Getting used to the drops Hi GS. I don't know if you have every shot pool or played snooker, but it is not uncommon for people who are serious about those sports have frames which are angled so they don't have to crane their head so much while they are playing. I am certain that if you speak to your local optometrist they will be able to work something out for you. |
| 2004-09-22 5:11 PM in reply to: #65281 |
Champion 9407 Montague Gold Mines, Nova Scotia | Subject: RE: Getting used to the drops Bear - I was planning on putting aerobars on the bike after I upgrade the pedals and get some road shoes, but since I have never riden with aerobars I didn't know if the craning of the neck would be similar in the drop position to what it is on the bars. FM - Thanks for the tip, I will check on new frames, my new glasses are quite small so that is probably contributing to the problem as well. |
| 2004-09-22 5:16 PM in reply to: #65298 |
Resident Curmudgeon 25290 The Road Back Gold member | Subject: RE: Getting used to the drops You're a good bit higher on the aerobars than in the drops, should prevent the neck craning. You might also look at raising your stem/handlebars. |
| 2004-09-22 5:51 PM in reply to: #65281 |
Champion 9407 Montague Gold Mines, Nova Scotia | Subject: RE: Getting used to the drops I've raised them as far they can go so without getting a new stem that's out of the question. The only problem I have is with the neck, no back, butt or other stiffness, so I was looking to see if there might have been some fix that I had overlooked. Thanks for the help... |
| 2004-09-22 6:02 PM in reply to: #65281 |
Champion 4902 Ottawa, Ontario | Subject: RE: Getting used to the drops Do you have your elbows locked ? They should be bent with your forearm relatively level with the ground and upper arm perpendicular to it. Are your shoulders hunched up? Relax them away from your ears (just like in yoga). |
| 2004-09-22 7:00 PM in reply to: #65281 |
Champion 9407 Montague Gold Mines, Nova Scotia | Subject: RE: Getting used to the drops I haven't been locking my elbows but I'm not sure how parallel my forearms are to the ground. However, my upper arms are pretty much perpendicular to the ground. |
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