On one hand, nobody pays MSRP, but on the other, it sounds like WPL is good stuff for a similar or cheaper price, so why not?

I don’t recall Muc Off being very expensive. I just bought some of their lube for $9 last week.

I’m used to Imperial but metric is objectively better and easier to use.

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

Glad I turned that shit off right away.

These are just movies I’ve probably seen more than 3 times in no particular order, they aren’t all necessarily masterpieces (though some are):

Everything, Everywhere, All at Once

Princess Bride

Blade Runner / Bladerunner 2049

Idiocracy

Interstellar

Spaceballs

Clue

The Other Guys

Dr Strangelove

Airplane! / Airplane 2!

Terminator 2

Kung Pow: Enter the Fist

Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure

Home Alone

12 Monkeys

Inception

The Iron Giant

Trading Places

Star War: Backstroke of the West, The Third Gathering

A History of Violence was pretty underrated. Barry Lyndon bored the hell out of me, but the lighting was very impressive from a technical perspective (they actually used candles and a super low aperture lens for some scenes, no additional lighting).

TOU doesn’t supercede law, but this lawsuit is probably bogus anyhow (then again UK can have some crazy laws and their judicial system is weird).

They’re probably going after Valve because they have more money.

Matte finish and/or anti-glare should help

I trust Velotric and Trek way more than Heybike too.

I’ve never tried them but it would be awesome if you posted a little review about them once you’ve had a chance to try them out.

I didn’t write it, that was what came up as the suggested title, but downvote away! The important part is: Make sure your helmet is still in serviceable shape.

Finally leaving club pedo? Little late…

Let’s stop all this data theft right now then, yes? For all AI?

Really? I’ve seen them on high end touring bikes and have ridden mine (just a Folder, nothing crazy) through all sorts of shit.

Don’t get me wrong, chains are amazing, but belts are still pretty good in their own right. They’re both good, just different IMO.

Still if I had to pick something for touring, I’d probably still opt for a chain because they’re so easy to source anywhere in the world.

You can, but you should carry quick links because they’re tiny, awesome, and work great!

Seems odd that CC itself would use much extra power: What’s your ride? My EP2 has CC and I have not noticed any impact on battery using it vs not using it.

Why not just go easier on the throttle?

You are mistaken: It is legally distinct from a motorized vehicle and certainly should be. A motor vehicle weighs thousands of pounds and is capable of speeds in excess of 100 mph. An electric bicycle weighs well under 100 lbs and can travel no faster than 28 mph in the fastest class (3), which is something an ordinary geared bicycle is capable of.

Actual motor vehicles are not even remotely close to the same level of danger and your ignorance on the subject is staggering: They kill over 270,000 people EVERY YEAR, ebikes don’t even come remotely close to that even if you add up EVERY YEAR THEY HAVE EXISTED for reasons that should be obvious if you bother to think about it.

Putting electric bicycles in the same class of motor vehicles is absolutely ridiculous and choosing to completely ignore reality: Go look at the statistics for yourself and you will see how wrong you are.