tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36139180.post4252319771864744324..comments2024-03-19T05:40:22.017-04:00Comments on Sprinter della Casa: Your hoods are jacked! Or why I hate "ergo" barsAkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00430651087205849350noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36139180.post-52152158654398509452012-11-26T16:10:35.341-05:002012-11-26T16:10:35.341-05:00I'd respectfully disagree with the whole of yo...I'd respectfully disagree with the whole of your statement. Yes, the front end of frames have been getting lower. Yes, there are riders that have moved to a higher lever position. But "jacked" hoods end up much higher than the tops of the bars - that's not conducive towards good control over the bike.<br /><br />The rider that most influenced this is Lance, although I didn't want to state it in the original post. His levers end up very high even though his bar height doesn't significantly change. I understand that for him climbing is his main focus and the high lever position helps that (comfort, seems that his wrist is less bent when standing, etc).<br /><br />However, for us regular racers in a Cat 3 crit, the hoods are not where it's at. High lever position discourage drops use due to lack of control - you can't brake or shift from the drops if your levers are too high. Riders end up using on the hoods too much, compromising control over their bike.<br /><br />When you're on the hoods you give up some control due to poor weight distribution, lack of leverage, and the safety of not being able to push your hand over the lever. On the drops you have optimal weight distribution, good leverage, and it's hard to push your hand through your handlebar.<br /><br />I watched a good rider, on the hoods, crash his bike in a corner when the guy in front of him fell over unexpectedly. Because he couldn't slow enough, he couldn't turn enough, he couldn't do anything to avoid the guy in front of him, he fell (and his bike bounced off my neck). The rider is much better than me, a good cross racer, a good crit racer (he's won national titles in both disciplines), yet because he was not in the proper position on his bike he couldn't carry out a standard, normal, evasive type maneuver.<br /><br />When the exact same scenario happened to me, while I was on the drops, I was able to avoid the rider that fell directly in front of me. It happened at a much higher speed, in a sharper corner, yet I never put a foot down. I recovered enough to place in the race, about 200m later.Akihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00430651087205849350noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36139180.post-91910069733549442752012-11-26T03:33:26.035-05:002012-11-26T03:33:26.035-05:00A lot of words and a false conclusion. The reason ...A lot of words and a false conclusion. The reason hoods have gone up is that frame sizes have gone down. Now that the hoods is the primary position, comfort is key. In the old days the drops were the primary position, so frames were larger and the bar positioned much higher. In order to keep the basic fit triange the same on a newer, smaller frame, the hoods become the primary position. It's called evolution. Jacked hoods are comfortable, and we even have bars nowadays that place the hoods at the same height as the tops. Low hoods are for old-school bikes with old-school fit. The end.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36139180.post-2179731796143754402008-01-20T12:13:00.000-05:002008-01-20T12:13:00.000-05:00Interesting and well written.Photos, or drawings, ...Interesting and well written.<BR/>Photos, or drawings, would help lots.Curtis Corlewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06415639856823138391noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36139180.post-26747787953191765132007-12-03T08:58:00.000-05:002007-12-03T08:58:00.000-05:00Lowering the levers is not just about sprinting. ...Lowering the levers is not just about sprinting. "All" riding in the drops needs the levers easily accesible for braking and shifting and aggressive riding. Good article.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36139180.post-27063157843320762922007-11-12T23:37:00.000-05:002007-11-12T23:37:00.000-05:00I live in the hudson valley NY, regularly-once a w...I live in the hudson valley NY, regularly-once a week do 30 miles with 3300 feet vertical. I race hill races-hillier than thou, 110 miles 11,000 feet of climbing. I keep my hoods jacked-I'm a Cat 4 upgrading to a 3.<BR/><BR/>Irish PatAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36139180.post-48976040195020086992007-04-20T14:04:00.000-04:002007-04-20T14:04:00.000-04:00Anon,At least you read till the bit about Knickman...Anon,<BR/><BR/>At least you read till the bit about Knickman. You might have missed a quote though:<BR/>"The point is that he didn't need super quick access to the shifters".<BR/><BR/>But thanks for commenting, better than not. I appreciate it.Akihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00430651087205849350noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36139180.post-47765632914112080272007-04-18T18:45:00.000-04:002007-04-18T18:45:00.000-04:00Knickman was using downtube shifters. Your argumen...Knickman was using downtube shifters. Your argument crumbles like a house of cards. Mwuhaaahahhhahahah!!!!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36139180.post-6877889832953179892007-04-03T10:06:00.000-04:002007-04-03T10:06:00.000-04:00well I had my levers flat. Last year I had a knee...well I had my levers flat. Last year I had a knee injury(overuse, go figure) and went to see a cycling fit specialist (no names will be mentioned) who pointed out all these pics of pros with their levers "jacked" and he recommended that I do the same. <BR/> Well, I can't shift easily when I am sprinting and it doesn't feel right when I am in the drops for a long time. Have been lazy about changing them but will be lowering them for the final race. Thanks for all the material aki.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com