lopes on a flat bar cx bike

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-Deniz

Yeah, I'm convinced. That was pretty badass. But I do recall seeing someone do that on a dropbar bike during a big race. He's got some power though to pull that bike up and clear the plank. Still, badass.

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The only way to get down is to go up the hill

Triguy30

When I bought that Bridgestone in 87, it certainly WASN'T because it came with drop bars. Under the chainstay brakes were the fashion of the time. Stupid things those were. They only existed because Cunningham's aluminum seat stays weren't rigid enough for cantilever brakes and he needed somewhere more rigid to mount his brakes. Before you knew it, everyone was copying it. Groan!

Early mountain bikes copied the geometry of old Schwinn cruisers as those were what were originally used as the basis for the early Marin county bikes. 68 degree head angles with rigid forks. They didn't turn for squat. I'd had a Diamond Back that was a me too of the Marin geometry, before that a lead pipe Mongoose. The Mongoose (70 degree head angle) turned, the Diamond Back didn't. Bridgestone used a 71 degree head angle.

At the time 95% of the bikes were steel frames. The ultimate tubeset was Tange Prestige. The Bridgestone used the prestige tubeset and none of the boutique BS and it handled. In retrospect it set the trend for race bikes over the ensuing years.

The drops were nice as the bars had flex and they took the edge off (forks were rigid then remember). We didn't have those in-line brakes you see on cycle-cross bikes these days so getting caught on the tops dropping into something steep was sketchy. Plus there were no index shift bar end shifters at that time. They had to go - on to my cycle cross bike as a matter of fact.

Couple weekends back I broke the seat binder bolt on my 29r while up on Black Mountain. Rather than take the direct way home I continued on seatless. Man my shoulders were kiling me by the time I got home. The flat bars aren't ergonomic for standing and pedaling. Some drop bars (or bar ends) would have made a world of difference.

If the DH course is walkable, you would just walk (run) the sketchy sections of a downhill course. Any of the fast, smoother sections would be rideable. The only thing impossible would be jumps and drops.

A DH bike on a cross course is a lesson in extreme discomfort. Cyclocross involves lots of pedaling.

As for drop bars: The reason you don't think they have a point is because you don't use them. I like drop bars. I wish XC bikes were designed with drop bars, but they are not.

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There's a lot of shame on a road bike. -- evdog

Why not? Make a bike like John Tomac in the previous pics.

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My Favorite Trail is unknown to many, everybody here loves it.

I've used drop bars far longer than I've used mtb bars. I rode ~35,000 miles on a road bike (with drop bars) before I ever threw a leg over a mountain bike.

Don't get me wrong -- I think cyclocross riders are hardcore, and part of the reason I think they're hardcore is that they ride dirt on what are essentially modified road bikes.

But it also seems to me you're having a problem articulating why drop bars are advantageous on a cyclocross bike. The aerodynamic advantage and numerous hand positions they provide road riders on a long day in the saddle make them very well-suited for use on the road, but not so much for off-road riding.

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A bicycle is a splendid thing.
~Ernest Hemingway

I only skimmed through this, but does anyone actually BELIEVE that drops are more advantageous than a flat bar on a CX bike? I would also be surprised if this were the case.

My guess as to why CX bikes have drops and not flat or XC bars is based not on function or advantage, but in the traditionalism and very restrictive nature of the sport. I mean who would disagree that disc brakes would be an advantage on a wet and muddy course? Yet CX bikes are not permitted to have disc brakes.

Cyclocross bikes are all purpose bikes, able to go on and off road. Road bikes are much more efficient when they have drop bars, and these bars also work surprisingly well in the woods. Cyclocross races often have stretches where they attain high speeds and drop bars are an asset.

Cyclocross rules do not allow flat bars in the elite category. Some categories allow flat bars but no wider than 50cm. I guess they use drop bars because its in the rule book. Cyclocross racing was apparently developed by road cyclists to maintain fitness levels in the off season.

http://bigshark.com/articles/an-introdu ... g-pg68.htm

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My Favorite Trail is unknown to many, everybody here loves it.

Traditionally cyclocross is a winter sport in Europe and is used as off season training by road cyclists. That a cross bike was essentially a road bike with knobbies shouldn't come as a great surprise.

I never said that drop bars are better than a flat bars on a cross bike. I said that 'cross bikes are faster on cyclocross courses. I was responding to what you implied. You implied that that cyclocross bikes are a niche category that shouldn't exist because we have mountainbikes. I was pointing out that cyclocross bikes persist because they are fastest on cyclocross courses.

What you seem to have a problem with is that you think that any bike ridden off-road should have flat bars. You're assuming that flat bars are the default and that you should only switch to drop bars if there is a compelling reason. For me, drop bars are the default, and I only switch to flat bars when there is a compelling reason. On a 'cross bike, there is no compelling reason for me to ride a flat bar.

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There's a lot of shame on a road bike. -- evdog

this debate makes me smile

Yeah, I have a nice Road bike.

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My Favorite Trail is unknown to many, everybody here loves it.

Because Los is enjoying this so much, I'll give it one more shot:

My original question was "What's the point of drops on a bike you ride off-road?"

From your statement of "I was pointing out that cyclocross bikes persist because they are fastest on cyclocross courses", it's clear you're still missing the point of my question-- might cyclocross bikes be even faster if they had something other than drop bars?

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A bicycle is a splendid thing.
~Ernest Hemingway

Depends on the rider. Someone who rides primarily flat bars would be faster with flat bars. Someone who rides primarily drop bars would be faster with drop bars.

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There's a lot of shame on a road bike. -- evdog

Right tool for the job?

I have seen CX guys hauling ass in the drops. I think body position, and where you hold on to the bike have a positive effect on speed; more so than aerodynamics which it seems is less of a factor?