I have a couple inches of drop on all of my bikes. But, that is what you get with 6’6" height and monkey arms and most companies biggest bike still being too small. The least amount of drop is on my Surly LHT, but that has an extended head tube, lots of spacers, and a uncut steerer tube. As an example my geared road bike:
And a note on Pantani, the Bianchi bikes he used towards the end of his career were made with an extended head tube so he could comfortably climb in the drops.
what size is that merckx
and that hill battle was badass
i think that video should be posted every time someone claims that they did something epic.
i think that video should be posted every time someone claims that they did something epic.[/quote]
I rode around on flat ground at like 15mph for half an hour or so. I’m beat.
[quote=GoodEyeSniper]what size is that merckx
[/quote]
63cm ctc seat tube
2" on the road
3" on the tarck
Too much drop on the tarck.
Road bike feels awesome.
EPO, most likely, or blood doping of another sort. It raises the hematocrit, which refers to the portion of the whole blood that is comprised of red blood cells. A higher red blood cell count means a higher VO2Max. Epogen, manufactured by Amgen, was approved for use as a pharmaceutical in 1989. It was first discovered as a blood doping agent in 2002. The period in between were the “glory days” of doped endurance athletes.
This Wikipedia article on Alpe d’Huez has some interesting commentary:
Other sources give Pantani’s times from 1994, 1995 and 1997 as the fastest, based on timings adjusted for the 13.8km.[21] Such sources list Pantani’s time in 1995 as the record at 36m 40s. In Blazing Saddles, Rendell has changed his view and listed it as 36m 50s[22] as does CyclingNews.[20] Second, third, and fourth fastest are Pantani in 1997 (36m 5s), Pantani in 1994 (37m 15s) and Jan Ullrich in 1997 (37m 30s). Armstrong’s time in 2004 (37m 36s) makes him fifth fastest, highlighting how the 1990s had faster ascents than other eras.
EPO, most likely, or blood doping of another sort. It raises the hematocrit, which refers to the portion of the whole blood that is comprised of red blood cells. A higher red blood cell count means a higher VO2Max. Epogen, manufactured by Amgen, was approved for use as a pharmaceutical in 1989. It was first discovered as a blood doping agent in 2002. The period in between were the “glory days” of doped endurance athletes.
This Wikipedia article on Alpe d’Huez has some interesting commentary:
Other sources give Pantani’s times from 1994, 1995 and 1997 as the fastest, based on timings adjusted for the 13.8km.[21] Such sources list Pantani’s time in 1995 as the record at 36m 40s. In Blazing Saddles, Rendell has changed his view and listed it as 36m 50s[22] as does CyclingNews.[20] Second, third, and fourth fastest are Pantani in 1997 (36m 5s), Pantani in 1994 (37m 15s) and Jan Ullrich in 1997 (37m 30s). Armstrong’s time in 2004 (37m 36s) makes him fifth fastest, highlighting how the 1990s had faster ascents than other eras.[/quote]
exactly. it’s pretty much a given that if you were a pro cyclist between 1990 and 2002 you were using EPO… that means Lance too. The argument that he was clean in a time when he was racing against guys who ALL got busted just makes no sense to me. It’s like a dragracer saying he was just using good ol’ 87 octane when he beat that guy running jet fuel.
Sorry that’s problematic for you, but I manage just fine. And I hardly think I’m the only one here who cares what his/her bikes look like.
I just got fitted for the track and now I’m running about 1.5" saddle-to-bar drop on the Concept with the bars slightly farther out than previous (swapped a 110mm for a 120mm stem). So far it feels very comfortable and natural on the track… no discomfort riding in the drops and very little weight on my upper body / core so I can relax it a lot. My geared bike actually has more saddle-to-bar drop now though shallower drops than the Deda Pistas as well so that may even it out. And my Alien now has the most, something like 3 or 4" with a Nitto Pearl and B123AA’s…
Having that magic amount of elbow bend in the drops makes it comfy as hell all day and still powerful to pull against for a sprint.
[quote=rabbi]i 'm all for two separate classes of races. one for doping, one for clean guys. the race with the dopers would be entertaining as shit.
kinda like nfl and arena football…[/quote]
That would be interesting, but would likely lead to some dead athletes. Excessive EPO use can lead to a hematocrit of up to 70% (the UCI limit is 50%). The blood gets so viscous that the heart can no longer pump it at such very low resting heart rates.
I want a bike with well-fit track drops.
There are stories from the EPO era of cyclists running sprints up and down hotel hallways at night to keep their blood from clotting in their veins.
that’s shallow
Sorry that’s problematic for you, but I manage just fine. And I hardly think I’m the only one here who cares what his/her bikes look like.[/quote]
Hey man, I just want you to be comfortable and enjoy your bike to the fullest. If that means raising up your stem then by golly I want you to do it!
I want a bike with well-fit track drops.[/quote]
Word. It looks fairly dumb but feels oh so comfy! Still getting used to the new position. If/when I put the equivalent position on my Alien it’s either going to involve getting a Nitto Technomic and having it jacked way high, or switching B123’s for B125’s on the Pearl… probably the latter.
I want a bike with well-fit track drops.[/quote]
Word. It looks fairly dumb but feels oh so comfy! Still getting used to the new position. If/when I put the equivalent position on my Alien it’s either going to involve getting a Nitto Technomic and having it jacked way high, or switching B123’s for B125’s on the Pearl… probably the latter.[/quote]
i was close to doing this on my serotta. technomic stem + cinelli Crit bars = stupid looking, probably comfortable
eye balled with a string from the top of my bars, parallel to my top tube, at about 3 inches.
I want a bike with well-fit track drops.[/quote]
Word. It looks fairly dumb but feels oh so comfy! Still getting used to the new position. If/when I put the equivalent position on my Alien it’s either going to involve getting a Nitto Technomic and having it jacked way high, or switching B123’s for B125’s on the Pearl… probably the latter.[/quote]
The girl’s bike has Nitto noodles which have a bit of a flare and a long level section on the drops. The bike is several sizes too small for me, which ends up creating a position that makes it fun to sprint up and down the street in the drops.
Sorry that’s problematic for you, but I manage just fine. And I hardly think I’m the only one here who cares what his/her bikes look like.[/quote]
Hey man, I just want you to be comfortable and enjoy your bike to the fullest. If that means raising up your stem then by golly I want you to do it![/quote]
Well I appreciate it 
Sometimes you have to balance comfort and aesthetics. I would never set up a bike where it was so uncomfortable that I couldn’t ride it, but I might put up with a little bit of discomfort for the sake of looks.