bicycling.com Why Don’t Pro Riders Use the Drops Anymore? Dan Chabanov 6–7 minutes

Estimated read time4 min read

Watch an old race broadcast from the 1990s or early 2000s and you’ll quickly notice that riders spend a lot of time in the drops. The moment the pace lifts or the road tilts down, hands move from the hoods to the lower part of the bar. Compare that with today’s racing and the difference is obvious. Modern pros spend the vast majority of their time riding on the hoods.

the riders of the second ever stage of the tour de france to pass through the uk, on 7th july 1994, in portsmouth, england thousands of british enthusiasts made their way to hampshire in southern england to watch cyclings most spectacular global event, their national hero being chris boardman the first stage of le tour that year was between brighton and portsmouth, celebrating the opening of the channel tunnel photo by richard baker in pictures via getty images

Richard Baker

That shift is easy to interpret as riders abandoning the drops, but that is not really what happened. The drops still matter for sprinting and high-speed descending. What changed is the equipment and the understanding of aerodynamics. Those two things made the hood position much more useful than it had been.

Bicycle brake and gear shift lever

trevor raab

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Start with the brake hoods themselves. Older integrated brake and shift levers were short and narrow. The rubber hood was almost like a small tower sitting on top of the handlebars. Riders could rest their hands there, but it was not a natural position when the pace increased. Your wrists bent outward, your elbows stuck out in the wind, and it was difficult to get your upper body lower.

The drops solved most of those problems. Moving your hands down allowed you to bend your elbows and lower your torso. It also made it easier to hold the bar securely while the bike bounced over rough pavement. When riders wanted to ride fast, the drops simply felt better.

Close-up of a bicycle handlebar with gear shifter and wrapped grips.

trevor raab

Modern hoods look very different. They are longer, flatter, and shaped to allow riders to lean forward onto them. The shape supports the palm and lets riders rotate their wrists inward. With bent elbows and a narrow arm position, the hood position can now be surprisingly aerodynamic. Riders can get low without moving their hands off the hoods.

Handlebars have also changed. For a long time, deep drop bars were the norm. Many bars had around 130 to 140 millimeters of drop or more. That meant there was a big difference between riding on the hoods and riding in the drops. Going down to the drops lowered the rider’s torso noticeably, helping reduce drag.

Today, most road handlebars are compact. The drop is often closer to 120 millimeters. The transition from hoods to drops is smaller. Riders still get lower in the drops, but the aerodynamic advantage is often negated by the increase in surface area of the arm reaching further down.

nivone, belgium february 28 lr biniam girmay of eritrea and team nsn cycling, tobias lund andresen of denmark and team decathlon cma cgm, jenthe biermans of belgium and team cofidis, cees bol of netherlands and team decathlon cma cgm and a general view of the peloton competing during the 21st omloop het nieuwsblad 2026, mens elite a 2072km one day race from ghent to ninove uciwt on february 28, 2026 in ninove, belgium photo by tim de waelegetty images

Tim de Waele//Getty Images

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Braking also played a role in the old habit of riding in the drops. In the rim brake era, riders had more leverage on the brake levers when their hands were lower on the bar. That extra leverage made a difference on fast descents and in tight corners. Riders often stayed in the drops simply because it gave them more control and stronger braking.

Hydraulic disc brakes changed that calculation. Braking power is now strong and more consistent from the hoods. Riders no longer need to move to the drops just to slow down confidently.

nivone, belgium february 28 kasper asgreen of denmark and team ef education easypost attacks during the 21st omloop het nieuwsblad 2026, mens elite a 2072km one day race from ghent to ninove uciwt on february 28, 2026 in ninove, belgium photo by tim de waelegetty images

Tim de Waele//Getty Images

Bar width is another small but meaningful detail. In earlier decades, many pro riders used handlebars that were 42 or 44 centimeters wide. That wider stance pushed the elbows out into the wind. Moving to the drops allowed riders to tuck their shoulders and narrow their upper body.

nivone, belgium february 28 anna van der breggen of netherlands and team sd worx protime leads in the chase group during the 21st omloop het nieuwsblad 2026, womens elite a 1372km one day race from ghent to ninove uciwwt on february 28, 2026 in ninove, belgium photo by luc claessengetty images

I like to cruise on the hoods or flats but sprinting from the drops makes me feel so fast and strong!

[etc etc] The shape supports the palm and lets riders rotate their wrists inward. With bent elbows and a narrow arm position, the hood position can now be surprisingly aerodynamic. [etc etc]

What lot of words to confirm what surely every cyclist has known they were a kid: bull-horns are just more comfortable than any other configuration you could come up with, and if you wanna go faster then just bending yer arms will help.

Brake “horns” always struck me as a tacit admission by bike designers that nobody wants to ride with drops, not really.

Still, interesting article.