How low should your handlebars be?

I never used my knees as a guide for handlebar height. My general rule is as low as you want.

Most reasonably fit road riders can start with the bar at least no higher than the saddle. Assuming that the other fit elements are correct, then you know you've gone too low if

• your knees or thighs are hitting your chest when riding the drops
  
• the diaphragm, thighs, saddle, and private parts all start crowding for the same space
  
• you find yourself inexplicably riding with your knees pointing outward (see above)
  
• you find yourself straining to hold your head high enough to see the road ahead
  
• you can't get your weight back enough to take most of the pressure off your arms and shoulders
  
• your breathing feels constrained.
  

Most other things being equal, taller riders and riders with long arms can usually handle more drop to the handlebar.

good tips. My seat is about level with the bars, just a little higher. I don't have any of those problems, so I guess I'm alright then. I used to have the weight problem where my wrists got super exhausted, but after getting a shorter stem I am fine now. I am 6'2 by the way, so I kind of figured it was weird that my knees weren't really above the bars at their highest point like I've seen in photographs of professional riders; they always seem to be way up there, so I figured I was doing it wrong.

oh and on the topic of drop bars, I just gotta say I am amazed at how much better they are than flat. I can't imagine going back to flat bars, it's just more natural to hold the sides of the bars like that than to clamp onto the flat part. I got palms full of calluses from flat bars, even though I always wore gloves. Now the calluses are going away.

I'm 6'2 also and run my bars 10cm lower than my saddle (measured top of saddle to top of bars). It depends on a lot of factors, arm length, flexibility etc.) I'd say you want to drop your bars quite a bit. I think you'll feel much more balanced and powefull on the bike and take some weight of your back side. It's important not to hunch over to reach the bars though, rotate you're hips.

DM

Ok I raised the seat up some more, and I think that's better, but any higher and I won't be able to touch the ground. And so at the highest possible position for the seat, it's only 3 cm higher than my handlebars. I guess I'll just have to leave it at that? Can't lower the bars any further, I already have the stem turned upside down so that it's angled downward, and I took the two spacers that were beneath the stem and put them above it. I guess that's just how the frame is built.

Also, I got another question. So when I'm riding on the sides of the bars, hands around that rubber part of the brakes/shifters, the handlebar hides the front wheel axle from my line of sight, which I heard is ideal. But when I ride low on the drop bars, I can see the front wheel axle an inch or two in front of the bars. Is that normal when riding low like that?

Thanks!

Well, from what I know, the handlebar should hide the front wheel axle from your line of sight when you ride low on the drop bars, not when your hands are around the hoods. Either your top tube or the stem is too short, it sounds like. Or, the saddle is too low/close. If you don't mind me asking, how tall are you, and what's the frame size (seat tube/top tube)?

If you're so high that you can't (or can barely) touch the ground, and you're not riding a mountain bike, you're too high. Achieve proper leg extension by moving the saddle back on the rails, too. Your weight should be about balanced over your feet when assuming a neutral position (like hands over the hoods, butt on saddle). Most people sit too far forward, which sends them back to the bike shop for more stuff, such as gel gloves, riser stems, and gel handlebar tape. If you need to use more than one of these products to be comfortable, you're probably sitting too far forward.

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by JoelTGM [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG]

Ok I raised the seat up some more, and I think that's better, but any higher and I won't be able to touch the ground.

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by vas9999 [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG]

Well, from what I know, the handlebar should hide the front wheel axle from your line of sight when you ride low on the drop bars, not when your hands are around the hoods. Either your top tube or the stem is too short, it sounds like. Or, the saddle is too low/close. If you don't mind me asking, how tall are you, and what's the frame size (seat tube/top tube)?

I've heard this rule of thumb the other way around. That it, the axle is hidden when your hands are on the hoods.

It's just a guide though.

After reading this thread I decided to go out and see where my bars are set.
I happen to have bullhorn bars, so I was very curious about how my setting would correspond to the above 'line-of-sight' recommendations, and while riding, my crossbar is hiding the front axle exactly.
This was purely coincidence on my part as i had played around with different settings several times since switching to these bars and headset.
It must be a pretty decent reference.
+++

hm, well when I ride on the drop bars, which I don't do often except going down hills or on straights, I can see further past the bar so the axle is not hidden but it's sort of close.

here is a picture of my bike, as you can see the seat is not really higher than the tops of the bars. do you guys think it looks ok, like not in a whatever works for you way, but like if I'm trying to get good positioning on a road bike is this alright? any tips to make it better? I can't find a stem with a strong enough angle to really bring the bars lower. It feels alright, but whenever I see other riders they are sitting higher than their bars and look much more aerodynamic. but like I said before, raising my seat any higher and I won't be able to touch the ground, even though I am 6 foot 2.
[IMG]cyclingforums.com500Open ↗[/IMG]

Your bike looks fine to me. What do you mean by touch the ground?

like when I come to a stop and im still seated, one foot is on the ground, other foot is in the pedal. I heard you should be able to touch the ground comfortably while seated. if i raise the seat any higher ill have a hard time keeping a foot on the ground. so because the seat height cant be adjusted further ive been wondering if i need to lower the handlebars or not. i dont know about these things though, just from what ive seen it always looks like you want the seat significantly higher than the handlebars for the best posture/position.

Depending on your cycling objectives, touching the ground while seated isn't a fitting goal. For maximum efficiency it isn't likely that you'll be able to touch the ground while seated - you'll need to dismount the saddle. However, if you have a physical limitation or just want to be able to touch the ground without dismounting, then you will have to adjust your fit around that prerequisite.

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by JoelTGM [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG]

like when I come to a stop and im still seated, one foot is on the ground, other foot is in the pedal. I heard you should be able to touch the ground comfortably while seated. if i raise the seat any higher ill have a hard time keeping a foot on the ground. so because the seat height cant be adjusted further ive been wondering if i need to lower the handlebars or not. i dont know about these things though, just from what ive seen it always looks like you want the seat significantly higher than the handlebars for the best posture/position.

That's not really a fitting "rule". Here's what you should do to get a ball-park fit for seat height.

Start riding at a slow speed (or hang on to the wall to remain upright). Unclip and put both heels on the pedals. You want the seat height such that you legs (or your shorter leg if they are noticeably different) goes perfectly straight at maximum extension - without you having to sway or roll your hips from side to side. Once you do this adjustment and then clip in, your legs will have the "correct" degree of bend in them and your seat will be at the correct height. You can then make additional tweaks as you like, although I find this works very well for me.

ok I am passing that test, my legs are completely straight when I do it like that, but I don't shake back and forth when peddling either.

I think I might be ok then. I mean if the bike looks alright to you guys, if it looks like how a road bike should be, and I'm comfortable on it, I should be good. I was just unsure because it came with flat bars and I had drop bars installed on it later, and I had the hardest time finding the right stem. When I had the bars out further, it felt like the bars were just too high, like I was reaching outward but not leaning into it, just hanging onto it. So getting a shorter stem fixed this problem, but I thought maybe the bars should still be lowered. But if you guys think it looks normal then I'll stick with it.

The internet has a ton of info. Google "bike fit" and you could spend eternity reading about it. Here's one for starters concerning hoods. http://coachlevi.com/cycling/bike-fit-tip-more-natural-hand-position/

I will say that I agree with whomever said without your shoes on that your heel should be just touching the pedal with your leg fully extended. You never want a full extension WITH your shoes on so when actually riding, that will corrupt your joints.

http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/fitting.htm

Also, you can Youtube Bike Fit all day long.

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by roadhouse [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG]

The internet has a ton of info. Google "bike fit" and you could spend eternity reading about it. Here's one for starters concerning hoods. http://coachlevi.com/cycling/bike-fit-tip-more-natural-hand-position/

Success! The bit about balance between peddles, seat, and handlebars was very helpful. The example he used was that when you lean forward, your rear end has to go out to counterbalance. Well my problem before was I had the long stem, which was good, but my seat was too close in, so I was sitting close enough over the peddles that I was always tipping into the handlebars, and because my seat was also too low my arms were at a bad angle to hold the weight. So without knowing about the balance issue, I just put in a shorter stem, which made me sit more upright and comfortable, but I still wasn't fitting to the bike properly. Now, according to the usual guide lines I've set my seat higher and further back, and I swapped out the short stem I've been using for my old longer one. Now riding on the drops is comfortable, the handlebar fully blocks my view of the front wheel axle, and I can also ride off the saddle while using the drops. I have yet to do a long ride on it so hopefully it's still comfortable over a longer distance.

How much saddle to bar drop you can tolerate is a personal thing. I max out at 6.5cm Others go go as much as 10cm+. If you are so low that it impacts your breathing then you are too low.

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by JoelTGM [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG]

Success!

Way to go.