[BikeWNC]

This thread is all very interesting and I would like to relate my recent expereience in this matter. I had been using 9cm of drop, I'm almost 6'3"and very flexable. I can just about put my palms on the floor. I'm 49yo. However, while I had little problem riding at that drop I did get some saddle numbness that was a concern.

I went to see Andy Pruitt back in August for a bike fit and he raised my bar to 4.5cm drop. Why? After examination it was determined that all my flexibilty comes from my hamstrings and T-spine. My lumbar has auto-fused at S1-L5, I have no disc at L5-L4 and my SI joints are also fused. So in reaching for a lower bar I was pulling my pelvis too far forward onto soft tissue and causing the compression. My lower back could not bend to keep my butt seated properly on the saddle.

It took a couple of months to adjust to the new position but I am more comfortable and put out as much power (or possible a little more) then before. I can still get as aero as needed and it is easier to do so thus I spend more time in that position. I guess you can say my bike position looks more like Landis than Hincapie. Both are pretty fast.

Each person has their own needs when it comes to bike fit. It is really hard to make any comparisons between riders.