Mountain biking posture.

"Tetsuo Shima" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

What are the correct settings for the handlebars and seat,
(as in how much higher the handlebars should be above the
seat in relation to body length and arm length.)

The reason i'm asking is that I seem to be leaning too far
forward and putting a lot of strain on my wrists, (which
can hurt a lot after long

haul

Quoted message said:

rides.)

Links to relevents site gratefully welcome.

Would riser bars help? I've found some Truvative Hussefelt
Riser Bars, but would I heed higher? If so, what?

Tetsuo Shima said:

What are the correct settings for the handlebars and seat,
(as in how much higher the handlebars should be above the
seat in relation to body length and arm length.)

The reason i'm asking is that I seem to be leaning too far
forward and putting a lot of strain on my wrists, (which
can hurt a lot after long haul rides.)

Links to relevents site gratefully welcome.

wrenchscience.comdefault.aspOpen ↗

You could start off here just so you'll get into the
ballpark. BTW I don't know anybody that has their
handlebars higher than their saddle. Even with or lower
seems to be more common. Except for City street riders of
course. If you're beginning you may just need to get used
to being on a bike.

--
Perre

You have to be smarter than a robot to reply.

"Tetsuo Shima" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Tetsuo Shima" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

What are the correct settings for the handlebars and
seat, (as in how

much

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

higher the handlebars should be above the seat in
relation to body

length

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

and arm length.)

The reason i'm asking is that I seem to be leaning too
far forward and putting a lot of strain on my wrists,
(which can hurt a lot after long

haul

Quoted message said:

rides.)

Links to relevents site gratefully welcome.

Would riser bars help? I've found some Truvative Hussefelt
Riser Bars,

but

Quoted message said:

would I heed higher? If so, what?

Riser bars and a shorter stem. Also, play with your saddle,
it might be too far set back on your seatpost. If that
doesn't help, then you probably have a bike that has too
long of a top tube for your body type.

- CA-G

Can-Am Girls Kick Ass!

Tetsuo Shima said:

What are the correct settings for the handlebars and seat,
(as in how much higher the handlebars should be above the
seat in relation to body length and arm length.)

The reason i'm asking is that I seem to be leaning too far
forward and putting a lot of strain on my wrists, (which
can hurt a lot after long haul rides.)

Links to relevents site gratefully welcome.

Besides bike fit, also make sure that you
- keep a good hand / forearm alignment to minimize the
bend in your wrist - both sideways & up/down.
Adjusting the width of your handlebar, bending your
elbows, and positioning your brake handles are things
you can look into.
- keep you elbows bent so they work as shock absorbers
- strengthen your core muscles - they can/should take up
some of the weight off of your hands.

Franck

Tetsuo Shima said:

What are the correct settings for the handlebars and seat,
(as in how much higher the handlebars should be above the
seat in relation to body length and arm length.)

The reason i'm asking is that I seem to be leaning too far
forward and putting a lot of strain on my wrists, (which
can hurt a lot after long haul rides.)

First of all, check that your wrists are in the right
position. A lot people have their brake levers at the wrong
angle, and as they're covering the brakes during a ride, it
puts unnecessary strain on the wrists.

Sit on your bike in the normal riding position and extend
your index and middle fingers to rest on the levers. There
should be (more or less) a straight line down your forearms
to the tips of your fingers.

"Per Elmsäter" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Tetsuo Shima said:

What are the correct settings for the handlebars and
seat, (as in how much higher the handlebars should be
above the seat in relation to body length and arm
length.)

The reason i'm asking is that I seem to be leaning too
far forward and putting a lot of strain on my wrists,
(which can hurt a lot after long haul rides.)

Links to relevents site gratefully welcome.

wrenchscience.comdefault.aspOpen ↗

You could start off here just so you'll get into the
ballpark. BTW I don't know anybody that has their
handlebars higher than their

saddle.

Quoted message said:

Even with or lower seems to be more common. Except for
City street riders

of

Quoted message said:

course. If you're beginning you may just need to get used
to being on a bike.

--
Perre

You have to be smarter than a robot to reply.

I've been riding for years, but i've found over the last few
years that I get a lot of back/wrist problems, i'm thinking
that it's something to do with my setup.

"Carla A-G" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Tetsuo Shima" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Tetsuo Shima" <[email hidden]> wrote in
message -"]news:[email hidden]-
berlin.de...

Quoted message said:

What are the correct settings for the handlebars and
seat, (as in how

much

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

higher the handlebars should be above the seat in
relation to body

length

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

and arm length.)

The reason i'm asking is that I seem to be leaning too
far forward and putting a lot of strain on my wrists,
(which can hurt a lot after long

haul

Quoted message said:

rides.)

Links to relevents site gratefully welcome.

Would riser bars help? I've found some Truvative
Hussefelt Riser Bars,

but

Quoted message said:

would I heed higher? If so, what?

Riser bars and a shorter stem. Also, play with your
saddle, it might be

too

Quoted message said:

far set back on your seatpost. If that doesn't help, then
you probably

have

Quoted message said:

a bike that has too long of a top tube for your body type.

- CA-G

Can-Am Girls Kick Ass!

I have a good idea, i'll take all measurements of me and my
bike and then hopefully someone might be able to tell me if
I do need to invest in different bars and stem.

"Franck" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Tetsuo Shima said:

What are the correct settings for the handlebars and
seat, (as in how much higher the handlebars should be
above the seat in relation to body length and arm
length.)

The reason i'm asking is that I seem to be leaning too
far forward and putting a lot of strain on my wrists,
(which can hurt a lot after long haul rides.)

Links to relevents site gratefully welcome.

Besides bike fit, also make sure that you
- keep a good hand / forearm alignment to minimize the
bend in your

wrist -

Quoted message said:

both sideways & up/down. Adjusting the width of your
handlebar, bending

your

Quoted message said:

elbows, and positioning your brake handles are things you
can look into.
- keep you elbows bent so they work as shock absorbers
- strengthen your core muscles - they can/should take up
some of the

weight

Quoted message said:

off of your hands.

Franck

I've always kept my elbows bent. The best way I can
explain it is that it feels like all my bodyweight is
falling onto my wrists, I can't seem to shift my weight
backwards a little.

"bomba" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Tetsuo Shima said:

What are the correct settings for the handlebars and
seat, (as in how

much

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

higher the handlebars should be above the seat in
relation to body

length

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

and arm length.)

The reason i'm asking is that I seem to be leaning too
far forward and putting a lot of strain on my wrists,
(which can hurt a lot after long

haul

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

rides.)

First of all, check that your wrists are in the right
position. A lot people have their brake levers at the
wrong angle, and as they're covering the brakes during a
ride, it puts unnecessary strain on the wrists.

Sit on your bike in the normal riding position and extend
your index and middle fingers to rest on the levers. There
should be (more or less) a straight line down your
forearms to the tips of your fingers.

I was told that one a long time ago and always stuck to it.
I do have a ganglion cyst on my righht hand, that can play
up really bad from time to time. As i've said before, I just
need to ease the pressure off, but how?

"Per Elmsäter" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Tetsuo Shima said:

What are the correct settings for the handlebars and
seat, (as in how much higher the handlebars should be
above the seat in relation to body length and arm
length.)

The reason i'm asking is that I seem to be leaning too
far forward and putting a lot of strain on my wrists,
(which can hurt a lot after long haul rides.)

Links to relevents site gratefully welcome.

wrenchscience.comdefault.aspOpen ↗

You could start off here just so you'll get into the
ballpark. BTW I don't know anybody that has their
handlebars higher than their

saddle.

Quoted message said:

Even with or lower seems to be more common. Except for
City street riders

of

Quoted message said:

course. If you're beginning you may just need to get used
to being on a bike.

--
Perre

You have to be smarter than a robot to reply.

That is perfect, thanks a million.

Tetsuo Shima said:

I've always kept my elbows bent. The best way I can
explain it is that it feels like all my bodyweight is
falling onto my wrists, I can't seem to shift my weight
backwards a little.

I had the same experience a while back, of falling
forward. I moved my whole cockpit back a bit and this
balanced me out.
Ie. I moved my saddle back 15 mm and exchanged stems for a
15 mm shorter stem. This way I still had exactly the
same distance to my bars but my center of gravity had
moved back a little and it took a lot of the weight off
my hands. Plus I felt much more comfortable and balanced

--
Perre

You have to be smarter than a robot to reply.

"Per Elmsäter" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Tetsuo Shima said:

I've always kept my elbows bent. The best way I can
explain it is that it feels like all my bodyweight is
falling onto my wrists, I can't seem to shift my weight
backwards a little.

I had the same experience a while back, of falling
forward. I moved my

whole

Quoted message said:

cockpit back a bit and this balanced me out.
Ie. I moved my saddle back 15 mm and exchanged stems for a
15 mm shorter stem. This way I still had exactly the
same distance to my bars but my center of gravity had
moved back a little and it took a lot of the weight
off my hands. Plus I felt much more comfortable and
balanced

--
Perre

You have to be smarter than a robot to reply.

That makes a lot of sense, i've got a feeling my stem is
way too long anyway. It's 23.30 am, so i'll check it all
out tomorrow.

I did all the measurements on the site and got the info
I require.

Tetsuo Shima said:

I did all the measurements on the site and got the info I
require.

You might consider asking around as to which lbs in your
area does fittings, and who is the "good guy" to talk to for
that kind of stuff. When I got my bike, we set it up on a
trainer and he eyeballed a few things, measured a few
things, tweaked a few things for a really excellent fit. He
did my hubby too, and we ended up changing his stem which
made a significant difference

Penny

"Penny S" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Tetsuo Shima said:

I did all the measurements on the site and got the info
I require.

You might consider asking around as to which lbs in your
area does

fittings,

Quoted message said:

and who is the "good guy" to talk to for that kind of
stuff. When I got my bike, we set it up on a trainer and
he eyeballed a few things, measured a few things, tweaked
a few things for a really excellent fit. He did my hubby
too, and we ended up changing his stem which made a
significant difference

Penny

Unfortunately "good" bikeshops are very hard to find here.

Tetsuo Shima said:

"bomba" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Sit on your bike in the normal riding position and extend
your index and middle fingers to rest on the levers. There
should be (more or less) a straight line down your
forearms to the tips of your fingers.

I was told that one a long time ago and always stuck to
it. I do have a ganglion cyst on my righht hand, that can
play up really bad from time to time. As i've said before,
I just need to ease the pressure off, but how?

I have one of those gargoylian cyst too, but on my left
wrist. Hurts like a SOB sometimes. Actually, I'm beginning
to have problems with my right wrist now. I have a good
feeling that it's more computer induced than riding though.

My handlebars (risers) are above my saddle, maybe an inch.
It's definitely not the norm for just about every other
rider I' seen, but that's where I like it. You'll need to
experiment a little for find out works for you. Buy some
cheap (closeout or even used) different size stems just for
a fit test. Once you find one that works for ya, then maybe
you can buy the *good* stuff.

BTW, my riding buddies (around the same size as me) that
always hop on my bike to tool around in the parking
lot/trail always comment how much more they like my
setup than their own. But then again, that's only for a
few minutes.

Don't overlook your grips. Very important. I recently
switched to Oury Lock-Ons. I like them a lot. There's
another dude on this NG that uses these extremes-extremes-Open ↗
teering.com/Silicone_Grips_Shock_Absorbing.htm I saw them at
my LBS, and do look like they're very effective, so that's a
possible solution for you.

--
Slacker

"Tetsuo Shima" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Penny S" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Tetsuo Shima said:

I did all the measurements on the site and got the
info I require.

You might consider asking around as to which lbs in your
area does

fittings,

Quoted message said:

and who is the "good guy" to talk to for that kind of
stuff. When I got

my

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

bike, we set it up on a trainer and he eyeballed a few
things, measured

a

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

few things, tweaked a few things for a really excellent
fit. He did my hubby too, and we ended up changing his
stem which made a significant difference

Penny

Unfortunately "good" bikeshops are very hard to find here.

I will second what Penny has said. You can waste allot of
money and time trying to dial it in if you do not know what
you are doing. Forunately I live near enough to a LBS that
does do fitting very well. I have all my bikes fitted to me.
It just does not make sense to spend so much time in the
saddle and not be comfortable and possibly injure yourself
over time.

Any and all of the suggestions above can work if that is
what you need... how may stems will you go through before
you get it right when all you may need is to adjust your
seat? Move your seat and you may mess up your knee alignment
over the BB... too far back and you lose power if your ankle
is in front of your knee... ect... If you LBS sucks that bad
drive to one that can help you.

Good luck,

-p

"Pippen" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:Valjc.45960$aQ6.3337184@attbi_s51...

Quoted message said:

"Tetsuo Shima" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Penny S" <[email hidden]> wrote in
message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Tetsuo Shima wrote:
>
> I did all the measurements on the site and got the
> info I require.

You might consider asking around as to which lbs in
your area does

fittings,

Quoted message said:

and who is the "good guy" to talk to for that kind of
stuff. When I

got

Quoted message said:

my

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

bike, we set it up on a trainer and he eyeballed a few
things,

measured

Quoted message said:

a

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

few things, tweaked a few things for a really
excellent fit. He did

my

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

hubby too, and we ended up changing his stem which
made a significant difference

Penny

Unfortunately "good" bikeshops are very hard to
find here.

I will second what Penny has said. You can waste allot of
money and time trying to dial it in if you do not know
what you are doing. Forunately I live near enough to a
LBS that does do fitting very well. I have all my bikes
fitted to me. It just does not make sense to spend so
much time in

the

Quoted message said:

saddle and not be comfortable and possibly injure yourself
over time.

Any and all of the suggestions above can work if that is
what you need... how may stems will you go through before
you get it right when all you may need is to adjust your
seat? Move your seat and you may mess up your knee
alignment over the BB... too far back and you lose power
if your ankle is

in

Quoted message said:

front of your knee... ect... If you LBS sucks that bad
drive to one that

can

Quoted message said:

help you.

Good luck,

-p

I've done a few alterations which seem to have done the
trick, there is an instant positive feel from the bike so
i'll stick with it for now. At least I didn't spend anything
on extra parts. 🙂

"Slacker" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Tetsuo Shima said:

"bomba" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Sit on your bike in the normal riding position and
extend your index and middle fingers to rest on the
levers. There should be (more or less) a straight line
down your forearms to the tips of your fingers.

I was told that one a long time ago and always stuck to
it. I do have a ganglion cyst on my righht hand, that
can play up really bad from time

to

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

time. As i've said before, I just need to ease the
pressure off, but

how?

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I have one of those gargoylian cyst too, but on my left
wrist. Hurts like a SOB sometimes. Actually, I'm
beginning to have problems with my right wrist now. I
have a good feeling that it's more computer induced than
riding though.

My handlebars (risers) are above my saddle, maybe an inch.
It's definitely not the norm for just about every other
rider I' seen, but that's where I like it. You'll need to
experiment a little for find out works for you. Buy some
cheap (closeout or even used) different size stems just
for a fit test. Once you find one that works for ya, then
maybe you can buy the *good* stuff.

BTW, my riding buddies (around the same size as me) that
always hop on my bike to tool around in the parking
lot/trail always comment how much more they like my setup
than their own. But then again, that's only for a few
minutes.

Don't overlook your grips. Very important. I recently
switched to Oury Lock-Ons. I like them a lot. There's
another dude on this NG that uses these extrem-extrem-Open ↗
esteering.com/Silicone_Grips_Shock_Absorbing.htm I saw
them at my LBS, and do look like they're very effective,
so that's a possible solution for you.

--
Slacker

Thanks, as soon as the site its running again i'll have a
look. How effective are they?

Tetsuo Shima said:

Quoted message said:

I've done a few alterations which seem to have done the
trick, there is an instant positive feel from the bike so
i'll stick with it for now. At least I didn't spend
anything on extra parts. 🙂

So tell us what you did?

--
Perre

You have to be smarter than a robot to reply.