Ryan Cousineau said:In article said:In article said:
My reason for this is that I had weight on my hands, then I adjusted my seat backward a bit at
about 13 miles into my ride. (I adjusted the
seat >backwards because I felt I was too far forward on the pedals.) The weight >on my hands
decreased. Up until that point, my hands were going numb. >After that point, my hands felt
better. I still feel a bit compressed.
Okay, first off, don't listen to anyone who tells you to move your seat to fix your hand problem.
The hierarchy of interacting fit adjustments is thus:
1) set your seat to the correct position relative to the pedals. This means correct height and
setback, followed by any fine angle adjustments that might be necessary to make you
comfortable. KOPS is not the only way to fit this, but it makes a good working start. I
recommend getting within range by starting with one of the "inseam times constant" base
measurements floating around, and then adjust the seat up and down very slightly if you
experience knee pain or other discomfort.
Thanks. That's always the first thing I do is set the saddle position, and it's the reason I bought
the Lemond -- my Trek could only get the correct saddle position if I buy certain seats and set back
seatposts. I rode 30 miles this morning, and the seat may need to go back just a tad. Other than
that, it feels great.
Quoted message said:2) set the reach and the height of your handlebars to conform to what is comfortable. You're
trying not to go numb, though I would point out the availability of multiple hand positions on
road bars. Did you use them all?
Hell yeah! I always very hand positions as much as possible. On my other racing bike, I never get
hand numbness, although I do when I ride my mountain bike on the road (winter, with studded tires).
I've rotated the bars downward and reversed the stem. They set the bikes up as if it's the first
time you've ridden a racing bike, and I've been riding for about 15 years. However, once you dial in
a bike, you forget what you did to dial it in. I see that my Trek has an ultra long stem, and I've
bought set back seat posts and very thin seats. They have a 10mm longer stem on order, but it hasn't
been received yet. If I ride on the brake levers (past the hoods), I feel fine. I just feel
compressed when I'm on the hoods or the drops, unless I put my butt back.
Quoted message said:Bar height and reach is a series of compromises involving comfort, power output, and aerodynamics.
Going for any one extreme is probably wrong, but your preference must be focussed on your intended
purpose. If you're trying to commute or get fit, just get your bars into a comfortable but not
necessarily aero position. Rivendell's website says they should be higher than racers have them
for most riders. I think that's reasonable.
If you are racing, put em out farther and lower to get your back flatter and encourage you to push
on the pedals more. Too low or too far and you'll compromise power, though. TT riders may
compromise power slightly in exchange for better aero.
In your situation, you say you feel a little compressed. Too low? Are your thighs smacking your
belly? Don't laugh, I've been there. If so, you may need bar height more than a reach adjustment.
Don't forget that threadless stems with any angle to them can be flipped over for extra range or
just a different adjustment.
I have flipped the stem -- I didn't realize you could do this until the bike shop guy told me about
it. Even though I'm not a racer (well, I could race maybe 10 year-olds and might even come in a
podium position against them), I do like a laid out position. In fact, I used to ride on the drops
all the time, but that was in AZ, where it was flat. Here in CT, I'm constantly riding up hill. I
just feel as if I need to go backward or need to be spread out more. The saddle position seems about
perfect, although I'm still thinking of sliding my saddle back a tad (maybe 1/4 inch if that)
. I like a position behind the pedal axle for some reason -- I always have. In fact, I got
fitted by a "fit kit" one time, and ended up sliding my seat well back from where they said it
should be. When I measured myself on my mountain bike, which doesn't hurt my knees at all, I
measured behind the pedal axle by about 1/4 to 1/2 inch. On my Trek with a set back seat post
and my Brooks saddle, I measured in front of the pedal axle by over an inch. Getting rid of
the Brooks and going to a very thin seat allowed me to measure about over the pedal axle. But,
I like the Brooks and I've always had problems getting correct fit on my Trek. Thus, my desire
to buy a Lemond.
Quoted message said:Quoted message said:Quoted message said:Unfortunately, with the idiotic threadless systems now in use, it's
hard to >raise the handlebar and dangerous to lower it. (Dangerous from the >standpoint that you
can't raise it.)
Sure you can. Just put a spacer above the stem. Even the pros do it. If you go too far,
move'em back.
That "idiotic" threadless system lets you swap to a longer stem without having to undo all the
bar tape and remove the brake levers. And it's easier to adjust than a threaded headset.
Personally I wouldn't go back.
Threadless, whatever its virtues, is not the same as a removable-cap design. I assure you that
threaded stems are available with removable caps, as I installed one on my Mikado garage-sale
special. A "Zoom" brand with considerable rise, it makes what is now my father's commuter bike
very comfortable for him.
The virtues of threaded stems are small gains in lightness and strength, not to mention the slight
tingle you get from knowing that a certain part of the bike is now better designed (not that it
stops me from owning a very nice threaded-stem road bike).
Quoted message said:Quoted message said:I do feel that the hoods and >handlebar need to be rotated downward.
Or perhaps you're talking about >getting a handlebar with less rise (or more rise)? That's a
good idea.
If you want to rotate the hoods down you probably want the bars lower. Move some spacers above
the stem.
Listen to Eric. He doesn't know stems, but he's right about the fit 🙂.
That's a really good idea! I didn't think you could do that. (I ordered all the parts for my
mountain bike and put it together, but I never needed to adjust the front -- just lucky, I guess)
And, it only takes about 10 minutes. Thanks!
OK, I retract my "idiotic headset" statements. It's not as bad as I thought. Once I lower the front
and get the 120mm stem, I'll post the results.
--
Bob M in CT remove 'x.' to reply
