Hand position S40

[Doccus]

I’m in about 1 month and 225 miles on my S40. I just changed from riding with hands on the hoods to in the drops.
It helped with mirrors by allowing me to put them near the brifters (as someone here recommended) and seemed to help with stability some.
Where do y’all keep hands most of the time? Advantages/disadvantages or just habit? I am still struggling on steep hills. I sit up and seem to pull very hard on the bars. I am getting farther up hills each ride. Usually I get slow and with hard pedal stroke I turn the bike sharply to the side…usually right…and have to put my feet down. Tips, tricks, and advice appreciated. The down hills are a blast of course!
Thanks to all.

 

[Henri]

On my V20c I have changed to Surly Corner Bar, but with the original curly bars and brifters, I was in the drops for straight riding and for steep ramps or tight maneuvering I might grab the hoods and pull my body more upright.

 

[LarryOz]

Usually I get slow and with hard pedal stroke I turn the bike sharply to the side…usually right…and have to put my feet down. Tips, tricks, and advice appreciated. The down hills are a blast of course!

For hills, try and shift to an easier gear and keep your cadence as high as possible. They higher it is the less force are on the pedals - and therefore less pedal steer from the front end. I try and keep mine around 90-100 and it helps a lot. If you do slow down and cannot get it any faster, then try and concentrate on push with one foot while you are pulling with the other. This will also help you from swerving. Everyone no matter how strong they are will hit a gradient on a hill that they cannot spin up it - then it just becomes a balancing issue at slow speed. With me - I start having issues under 3mph.

 

[Henri]

They higher it is the less force are on the pedals - and therefore less pedal steer from the front end. I try and keep mine around 90-100 and it helps a lot.

And when high torque/force is necessary, I feel it helps, to anchor the force against the handlebars instead of the seat.

 

[Boreen bimbler]

I use the drops pretty much 100% of the time. It just feels comfy for me.
With the climbing you can also push into your back rather than sit up. It's all a learning curve then you realise your all relaxed and not thinking about these things anymore after a while.