Very new to gravel, but recently got my first drop bar bike in a decade. What are your techniques for getting rowdy on the bike? I initially started riding more techy rocky stuff and fast singletrack in the drops, but then switched to the hoods. In the drops with hydraulic brakes I can’t bring my lever far enough in and still have enough bite for great control, AND I feel too low over the front. In the hoods my hand position is a little narrower, but higher and I feel I can modulate the brakes better. Wrinkle: several times I have hit stuff where my weight on the hoods has rotated my bars forwards. A couple times it has caused a crash. Bar has a friction strip and I am already tightening to a bit more than 6Nm. How to fix this? Or am I just expecting too much out of a drop bar?
by Puzzleheaded_Two_321
4 Comments
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They make grit paste that is anti slip for carbon/alloy components. I have never had an issue with that type of product letting the bars slip on heavier terrain.
https://www.amazon.com/Park-Tool-SAC-2-Assembly-Compound/dp/B005Z4BAAK/ref=asc_df_B005Z4BAAK/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=693032873691&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=11011528465448938682&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9002749&hvtargid=pla-492959232224&psc=1&mcid=51d6a2497a4a387ca10d53472a5d1143&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwoa2xBhACEiwA1sb1BLd-RQQjDEpEjH6Z69okOhkzwj2Eic8VAOcBJyKKwyS9e3aU-_TJyhoCBogQAvD_BwE
Use carbon grip paste on the interface of your handlebars and stem. Even if it happens to be all aluminum with a grippy texture. Also be sure you’re torquing them all evenly. 5nm at the screw doesn’t necessarily mean it’s being translated to clamping force on the handlebar unless the stem cap is free floating as you tighten the screws down. If that cap is binding in some way on top or bottom you wont be getting the full clamping force that should be there.
I use both positions for descending. Coming from enduro mtb racing I love bombing gravel descents with complete disregard for my safety too lol. I just accepted that it’s not a flat bar and it has some limitations. So don’t compare it to the control you get with a flat bar and brake levers.
You pretty much already have it figured out. Being in the drops gets you better grip being able to wrap your fingers around the bar and keep one finger on each brake lever. There should be a screw adjustment to reduce the reach to the levers. I have mine turned all the way in.
Descending on the hoods makes it easier to shift your weight around or get back for steep terrain but it’s harder to keep a secure grip. So you just need to adjust your pace and line choice with that taken into consideration. I also worry about how much stress this puts on the hood clamp though as that’s a lot of leverage and force getting pushed through that strap of metal. I also wondered how much stress that puts on a carbon bar around the hood mounting point. I could never find any incidents about a failure though so it seems fine.
Following!
I go into the drops on the rough stuff because I find that on the hoods the vibrations and hits can knock my hands off or loosen my grip, which is a recipe for disaster. Who knows, I could very well be doing it wrong.