@Gene
Not necessrily. If his bike fits well, and he’s conditioned for it, there’s no problem. My morning commute is entirely in the drops, unless I need to see over a vehicle. Speaking of commuting and roadkill, I almost hit a bunny this morning. Silly little critter dashed out in front of me. I managed to miss him/her, though.
It must be getting to be autumn. Joe’s wearing arm- and leg-warmers.
After had a terrible car accident and both my Chiro. and Ortho. surgeon recommended cycling in the drops to stretch tendons. It worked! I prefer straight bars with bar ends, but find myself laying out across them. I often
lower stems for people with lower back pain.
On the drops, my road bike in the drops is SUPER comfy. Then again it was fit by, in my opinion, one of the greatest bike fitters in Cleveland.
As far as the squirrel, anyone notice the “spirit” of the squirrel just above? Kinda remind you of anyone? Fred, maybe?
I agree with the pro-drop crowd. if a bike fits right, the drops should be the most comfortable position, whether high or low, per andre’s tourer vs racer. I find flat bars very uncomfortable and even run shallow, flared drops on my mountain bike.
I’m not concerned about how you ride, to each their own. I like the message that bicyclists don’t cause the same kind of problems (in this case, roadkill) that automobilists do. Perhaps it’s being locked inside those steel cages that makes it ok to squash animals… it makes everything outside of them a little unreal.
@ kotts
We see Joe’s leg warmers and, in the last pane, we also see Yehuda’s shoes. I wonder if they’re those jute loafers soled with recycled car tires….
@ Don
Please name the CLE bike fitter. I think I need to make some changes to components to get a better fit on my serious (non-commuting) bike, but need a pro to know for sure and to spec things out. Thanks!
“Perhaps it’s being locked inside those steel cages that makes it ok to squash animals… ”
Well, I tried to miss that squirrel by veering into the bike lane…
It’s only “OK” to run over small animals because veering, swerving, or sudden stopping often cause greater danger to self and others of a human persuasion. It’s not like we get in our cars and say “What can I kill, today? It’s OK as long as I’m in my car.” It’s more like, “Dang that little guy jumped right out in front of me and I couldn’t do a thing about it. How unfortunate.”
I once saw a dead rat on a bike path, someone had run directly over its head. It’s not just cars that kill animals. It was on a sharp downhill curve, I take it slower now…
A rabbit tried to through a guy’s rear wheel in a crit race I watched once… among the most hideous, things i’ve ever seen… but one of those things you sort of have to laugh about so you don’t scream in terror.
I prefer to ride in the hoods about 80% of the time; it gives me easy access to the shifters. I only use the drops if I want to put on a burst of speed or I’m fighting a headwind.
@ Mr. Potatohead: I disagree. <CSI mode> Given the side of the road the squirrel is apparently on, if that was an outline from multiple run-overs, it would be facing the OPPOSITE WAY. </CSI mode>
The smell alone is a good reason to hold ones breath!
Everybody is talking about drops… I always found them to put more strain on my shoulders (they’re not in the best condition). I’ve made a transition to pursuit bars, and aero bars while training and I’ll never turn to drops again.
i’ve held my breath for years now as i pass dead animals, sort of respect(?) for the dead. freaky thing is, i’ve never really thought about it, and thought i was the only one doing it.
The spirtiual side of Yehuda!
another stark contrast between Joe and Yehuda.
There but for the grace of God
Does Joe seriously always ride around in the drops? He must have some serious back pain.
Riding in the drops on a properly fitted bike does not equal back pain.
@Gene
Not necessrily. If his bike fits well, and he’s conditioned for it, there’s no problem. My morning commute is entirely in the drops, unless I need to see over a vehicle. Speaking of commuting and roadkill, I almost hit a bunny this morning. Silly little critter dashed out in front of me. I managed to miss him/her, though.
It must be getting to be autumn. Joe’s wearing arm- and leg-warmers.
Joe is all about the speed, drops equal less resistance and GP is right, i could ride in my drops all day ALL ABOUT THE SPEED BABY!
take a look at their faces – Joe grumpy and miserable looking, Yehuda tranquil. What’s the connection with drops, I wonder?
Or maybe Yehuda is just crazy
Depends on the drops, my tourer’s drops are like my race bikes’s hoods.
After had a terrible car accident and both my Chiro. and Ortho. surgeon recommended cycling in the drops to stretch tendons. It worked! I prefer straight bars with bar ends, but find myself laying out across them. I often
lower stems for people with lower back pain.
There’s an unspoken thought here–cagers do a heck of a lot of damage to our environment.
On the drops, my road bike in the drops is SUPER comfy. Then again it was fit by, in my opinion, one of the greatest bike fitters in Cleveland.
As far as the squirrel, anyone notice the “spirit” of the squirrel just above? Kinda remind you of anyone? Fred, maybe?
I agree with the pro-drop crowd. if a bike fits right, the drops should be the most comfortable position, whether high or low, per andre’s tourer vs racer. I find flat bars very uncomfortable and even run shallow, flared drops on my mountain bike.
“Ride long, with Posture” — Mr. Spoke.
I’m not concerned about how you ride, to each their own. I like the message that bicyclists don’t cause the same kind of problems (in this case, roadkill) that automobilists do. Perhaps it’s being locked inside those steel cages that makes it ok to squash animals… it makes everything outside of them a little unreal.
i don’t ever ride in the drops on my commute everyday, i prefer to ride pretty upright…i should get some bullhorns
@ kotts
We see Joe’s leg warmers and, in the last pane, we also see Yehuda’s shoes. I wonder if they’re those jute loafers soled with recycled car tires….
@Don: Yes, my first thought was why is Joe so skeptical when he himself has experienced Fred’s spirit lingering on.
@Tomato: LOL!
I hate roadkill. Its always on the right side of the road where I am riding, it stinks terribly, and it reminds me that I am in a war zone.
Its not the squirrels or raccoons that bother me. Its the deer on the side of the road that you can smell before you even see it that is the worst!
I bet its even worse up in moose country.
Skunks…
They get run over and the stink is bad enough to blind you.
And gods help you if you roll through the area breathing through your mouth.
@ Don
Please name the CLE bike fitter. I think I need to make some changes to components to get a better fit on my serious (non-commuting) bike, but need a pro to know for sure and to spec things out. Thanks!
Bikes don’t kill coyotes. Damn the cars.
“Perhaps it’s being locked inside those steel cages that makes it ok to squash animals… ”
Well, I tried to miss that squirrel by veering into the bike lane…
It’s only “OK” to run over small animals because veering, swerving, or sudden stopping often cause greater danger to self and others of a human persuasion. It’s not like we get in our cars and say “What can I kill, today? It’s OK as long as I’m in my car.” It’s more like, “Dang that little guy jumped right out in front of me and I couldn’t do a thing about it. How unfortunate.”
Ha! I usually hold my breath to avoid the stink that ensues.
will there be squirrel spirits munching on spiritual nuts, given them by Fred at the kickstand? let it be!
I don’t think that’s squirrel spirit in the last panel, it’s just the gooey outline left in the road after being runned over multiple times.
I once saw a dead rat on a bike path, someone had run directly over its head. It’s not just cars that kill animals. It was on a sharp downhill curve, I take it slower now…
A rabbit tried to through a guy’s rear wheel in a crit race I watched once… among the most hideous, things i’ve ever seen… but one of those things you sort of have to laugh about so you don’t scream in terror.
I prefer to ride in the hoods about 80% of the time; it gives me easy access to the shifters. I only use the drops if I want to put on a burst of speed or I’m fighting a headwind.
@ Mr. Potatohead: I disagree. <CSI mode> Given the side of the road the squirrel is apparently on, if that was an outline from multiple run-overs, it would be facing the OPPOSITE WAY. </CSI mode>
Yup. That’s a spirit. Poor thing.
I never thought a piece of road kill could be so beautiful~
The smell alone is a good reason to hold ones breath!
Everybody is talking about drops… I always found them to put more strain on my shoulders (they’re not in the best condition). I’ve made a transition to pursuit bars, and aero bars while training and I’ll never turn to drops again.
Yehuda is an animist! Yay!
In Oz, it’s wallabies, kangaroos & wombats that are whiffy on the road in summer.
Cycling at night, I ran right over the back of a rat once – bump, bump – then it ran up a tree, seemed fine!
@Mark The Lake County Commuter
I would suspect that Don’s fitter is the same one I used. Diane and Brian at Hubbub in Chesterland. Highly recommended.
Oh man I do the same thing, although more for smell than for fear of a poltergeist.
Yeah for Diane and Brian.
Yes, I love my bike!
Yehuda Moon for President!
Here in Chicago, I hold my breath while passing dead rats in the alleys. There’s no stench like it!
Crazy…I do the same thing. Not because of their souls tho, I just have an irrational fear that the ‘death bug’ might seep in.
i’ve held my breath for years now as i pass dead animals, sort of respect(?) for the dead. freaky thing is, i’ve never really thought about it, and thought i was the only one doing it.