Why the heck do I feel pretty uncomfortable and way too fast

Poor bike fit. Get a professional fitting. Alternatively experience with different stems/saddles and settings but it's likely to cost as much as a fitting anyway.

Because you're leaned forward

Drops get comfy at >200 watts when your bike fit has been done correctly.

>>1036400
It's one of those counter-intuitive things. Your instincts when descending are that if you're forward, you're falling and will likely get *hurt*, but in fact being in the drops when descending is *safer* because your center of gravity is lower, and in the drops you actually have more control of the bike and better access to the brakes.

It's like how I was taught to take corners at high speed on a road bike. I was used to years riding a motorcycle, where you plant your ass on the seat and leave it there in corners and curves, leaning your *body* and not the *bike*, but if you're going to take a 90 degree corner at high speed on a road bike, you do the opposite and lean the *bike* instead of your *body*. At first it made my brain scream at me that I was going to die, but the fact of the matter is that the physics of it are sound and furthermore the tires are designed to work that way.

TL,DR: Descending in drops is correct, you'll get used to it with practice and experience.

You don't life for be sad.

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>>1036400

MTB's have slacker head angles, lower BB's, longer wheelbases and wider bars with shorter stems. This all helps them feel more stable at high speeds. Disc brakes and grippy tires probably help.

Dropping the saddle even an inch before a big descent will help you feel more confident, which is why dropper posts for road bikes are becoming a thing.

>>1036400
>mfw I did ~50 km/h on my old and heavy commuter cross bike and it was scary as all shit, but did over 60 km/h on the road-y bike and didn't even notice it was this fast until I looked down on the bike computer display

>>1036494
>Dropper post on a road bike

This fred sled is a complete disgrace.

>>1036523
>muh tradeeshuns

Fuck off grandpa, I'd rather see these on road bikes than freds trying to copy froomey's toptube riding and taking out people with them

>>1036525
Or people could just ride responsible and within their skill level.

>>1036531
But we know that's not going to happen

>>1036534
then less freds on the road

>>1036540
But we know that's not going to happen

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>>1036541
how do we stop the fred epidemic before its too late?

More Freds on the road, in fact more of any kind of cyclists on the road, is good.

>>1036545
Nah cyclist who are slow as shit and disobey traffic laws actually piss off drivers and make all cyclists look bad. Doubly so if it's students or brown people on those rent a bike things in city centres.

>>1036547
>piss off drivers
Literally everything pisses the drivers off. The roads would need to be completely empty for them to eventually not get pissed off (and I doubt it would work at all).

I have the opposite problem. I keep a -17º stem on my MTB because the handlebars sit so high above the wheel it feels "detached".

I corner and descent with a lot more confidence on my road bike because I'm right on top of my steering/front wheel

>>1036400
Narrow handlebars are a bitch. Long stems are a bitch.

The same principles of body positioning for corners apply to both road and mountain biking, you just have to get used to the inferior equipment.

>>1036436
> At first it made my brain scream at me that I was going to die, but the fact of the matter is that the physics of it are sound and furthermore the tires are designed to work that way.

Safe until you found sand in the road. Then you'll die.

Ive been road cycling for a year ish now and its taken me this long to get used to it. In that time I have bought and sold a flat bar hybrid and I feel much more confident on that.

Really frustrating when I can drop people on the flat and climbs, but when it comes to longer, twistier descents I squeak down at a maximum of 50kph before I start turning into a bitch and doing stupid panicky stuff like breaking through corners or not tilting my bike enough and nearly straying into another lane.

I have a pretty small 100km sportive coming up in April, gonna hit the descending practice hard, otherwise im gonna have to absolutely nail it on the flat and the climbs to both make my target time, and to not endanger other riders with my unpredictable shitty descending. Also...I dont wanna look like a scaredy cat in front of a bunch of fat freds who can only descend fast and nothing else.

>>1036588

Brake before turns. During a turn you can drag the rear a bit.

Keep loose and low, apply pressure on the inside hand and outside foot when cornering.

Don't be afraid to lean. Road tires have a lot of grip if you run the correct pressure for your weight and the road is clean. Try to run even slightly lower pressure than recommended to increase your confidence. Just because the sidewall says MAX PRESSURE 8BAR/120PSI doesn't mean you need to run it that high.

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>>1036400
>>1036494
>MTB's have slacker head angles, lower BB's, longer wheelbases and wider bars with shorter stems. This all helps them feel more stable at high speeds. Disc brakes and grippy tires probably help.

mtb with slack HA can be fast on long fast stretches but suck dangerously at counter-steering at cornerns, if you choose the wrong apex with a slack HA when entering the corner you almost cant change it unless you brake or drift

>>1036400
Because they have skinny tires and aren't as stable
faggot

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>>1036494
>dropper posts for road bikes are becoming a thing

>>1036599
This. Slack headtube feels stable in a straight line, but come up on a decreasing-radius turn on a fast road descent ... yikes.

>>1036599
>>1036647

I ride MTB's during winter and have no issues counter steering at any speed. Winter riding is pretty much counter steering practice, looks like you guys could use some.

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>>1036690
>counter steering
>MTB

>>1036776
You raging mongoloid. Counter steering is the only way to initiate a turn on a bike. Not as in the only proper way, but the only way period. Any other method would involve you falling over. You may not know you're doing it, but you are.
Reflexive, intuitive countersteering. It's called 'learning to ride a bike'.

>>1036790
I only go straight

>>1036400
I have been up to 75 km/h (47 mph) on a racebike in a light downhill and no wind and it is fucking fast. On an mtb i managed to bring it up to 55 km/h (35 mph) with my own muscles for a short time and it felt good.

>>1036647

Eh, I wouldn't mind em for my cx/touring bike

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>>1036651
>This. Slack headtube feels stable in a straight line, but come up on a decreasing-radius turn on a fast road descent ... yikes.

after riding some road descents on my first proper roadbike I was so pleasantly surprise how securly you can countersteer while on slacker mtb your only option was braking if you miss the apex.

>>1036690
>I ride MTB's during winter and have no issues counter steering at any speed. Winter riding is pretty much counter steering practice, looks like you guys could use some.

I assume you have a more olders style geometry mtb with a steep HA? mtb handling doesnt depend so much on countersteering since you often use bents or drifting. countersteering on sharp road corners feels absolutly horrible on a modern geometry mtb.

>>1036966
what saddle is that? I must obtain it.

>>1036973
probably chromag or prod privee saddle

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>>1036966
>I assume you have a more olders style geometry mtb with a steep HA?

Nope. Modern geo 65 degree hardtail with a stubby stem and wide ass bars. I pussy out waaayyy before I get even remotely close to what the bike can handle on pavement. Sharp hairpin corners feel perfectly fine, I guarantee you I can rail them way harder than some fred on a road bike, I don't know why you people are having issues.

>>1037056
>I guarantee you I can rail them way harder than some fred on a road bike,

You sound like you have never ridden a road bike. Winners of Redbull road rage are most often roadies.

>I don't know why you people are having issues.

I dont know what is your reference point for good cornering but slack HA is not bad only for countersteering but for high speeds aswell since the steering is slower (slack HA is good for rought ground sus or rigid and suspension forks work in general)

>>1036550
True story