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#1
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Some adjustments to bars
Okay while sitting around yesterday waiting for the LBS to call to tell
me the bike was ready to roll, I was thinking perhaps I could make some adjustments to the bar position to put me in more of a road bike like position to see if, as I think has happened, my back has become more accustom to that sort of position. So after picking the bike up at the shop, with the work still not done (long story there), today I adjusted the angle of the stem to a downward position, not sure of the angle, and with the bars in this position it felt like I was really stretching to have my hands on the bars. Here are some measurements I took of the bike in this first position saddle height: 98cm ground to bar top: 98.5 cm center of bar to center of steer tube: 13cm I did a short ride around the neighborhood like this and thought I was stretched to much. Does this reach sound excessive? I thought the angle was ok, my back didn't seem to object to it. Then I made a couple of adjustments and here are some of the measurements saddle height: 98cm unchanged ground to bar top: 104cm center of bar to center of steer tube: 6cm Then another short ride with these adjustment, the reach seemed better, didn't seem to be as much of a strain. The angle seemed okay perhaps a little more relaxed. So my question is do these measurements seem more road bike like? The bike "looks" more like a "flat bar road bike" than a hybrid now. Tomorrow will be a longer ride day, so perhaps this will give me more of an indication if my back can tolerate this position better now than before. Ken - [T]he bicycle is the most efficient machine ever created: Converting calories into gas, a bicycle gets the equivalent of three thousand miles per gallon. ~Bill Strickland, The Quotable Cyclist Homepage: http://kcm-home.tripod.com/ |
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#2
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Some adjustments to bars
Ken M wrote: Okay while sitting around yesterday waiting for the LBS to call to tell me the bike was ready to roll, I was thinking perhaps I could make some adjustments to the bar position to put me in more of a road bike like position to see if, as I think has happened, my back has become more accustom to that sort of position. So after picking the bike up at the shop, with the work still not done (long story there), today I adjusted the angle of the stem to a downward position, not sure of the angle, and with the bars in this position it felt like I was really stretching to have my hands on the bars. Here are some measurements I took of the bike in this first position saddle height: 98cm ground to bar top: 98.5 cm center of bar to center of steer tube: 13cm I did a short ride around the neighborhood like this and thought I was stretched to much. Does this reach sound excessive? I thought the angle was ok, my back didn't seem to object to it. Then I made a couple of adjustments and here are some of the measurements saddle height: 98cm unchanged ground to bar top: 104cm center of bar to center of steer tube: 6cm Then another short ride with these adjustment, the reach seemed better, didn't seem to be as much of a strain. The angle seemed okay perhaps a little more relaxed. So my question is do these measurements seem more road bike like? The bike "looks" more like a "flat bar road bike" than a hybrid now. Tomorrow will be a longer ride day, so perhaps this will give me more of an indication if my back can tolerate this position better now than before. Ken - [T]he bicycle is the most efficient machine ever created: Converting calories into gas, a bicycle gets the equivalent of three thousand miles per gallon. ~Bill Strickland, The Quotable Cyclist Homepage: http://kcm-home.tripod.com/ Hi Ken, It's hard to say without knowing your measurements, or the other measurement of your bike (top-tube length, etc). Bar height and reach is quite a relative thing, with a large degree of personal preference. Any big change will feel strange for a while while you get used to it. Try making small incremental changes until you reach what you feel is most comfortable. joseph |
#3
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Some adjustments to bars
Ken M wrote: snip saddle height: 98cm unchanged ground to bar top: 104cm center of bar to center of steer tube: 6cm snip So my question is do these measurements seem more road bike like? The bike "looks" more like a "flat bar road bike" than a hybrid now. If the question is "will this set up work for me?" it is impossible to answer without knowing your body's proportions, your degree of flexibility, etc. But if the question is "does this set up resemple that for a road bike?" my answer would be "Perhaps" but on the extreme upright end. I see very few folks riding road bikes with the bar tops higher than the seat by almost 2.5". Most hihg mileage riders have the bar tops lower than the seat although there are plenty of road bikes set up so they are roughly even. fwiw I ride with the bar tops ~3" lower than my seat and find it very comfortable for long rides. In fact I spend ~80% of my time on the hoods which gives me a more stretched out position which I find both comfortable and pretty aero. Most of the time I am on the bar tops is when on sustained climbs. |
#4
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Some adjustments to bars
gds wrote:
Ken M wrote: snip saddle height: 98cm unchanged ground to bar top: 104cm center of bar to center of steer tube: 6cm snip So my question is do these measurements seem more road bike like? The bike "looks" more like a "flat bar road bike" than a hybrid now. If the question is "will this set up work for me?" it is impossible to answer without knowing your body's proportions, your degree of flexibility, etc. Well I just got back from a 1 hour "test" ride on the new setup. With no pain. The purpose of my adjustment "experiment" was to see how how body / back might react to a more aero position than the way the bike was set up before. Before any adjustment the I felt like I was riding a kids bike with "ape hanger" bars. They felt way too high for even my liking. But if the question is "does this set up resemple that for a road bike?" my answer would be "Perhaps" but on the extreme upright end. I see very few folks riding road bikes with the bar tops higher than the seat by almost 2.5". Most hihg mileage riders have the bar tops lower than the seat although there are plenty of road bikes set up so they are roughly even. True I don't see many road bikes like that either, but I suspect that after all of the riding I have been doing, that my body is becoming more accustom to being in a more aero position. I seriously suspect that if mechanically possible with my bike that I could maybe lower the bars even further to be closer to the saddle height without any back discomfort. May or may not be possible with the "riser" bars on the bike. fwiw I ride with the bar tops ~3" lower than my seat and find it very comfortable for long rides. In fact I spend ~80% of my time on the hoods which gives me a more stretched out position which I find both comfortable and pretty aero. Most of the time I am on the bar tops is when on sustained climbs. Well I have a set of bar ends that pretty closely simulate the brake hood position on road bike drop bars. And in that position it seems pretty comfortable as well. I doubt that in my present physical condition (15 pounds overweight in the midsection) I could ride for very long with bars 3 inches below the saddle. Ken -- [T]he bicycle is the most efficient machine ever created: Converting calories into gas, a bicycle gets the equivalent of three thousand miles per gallon. ~Bill Strickland, The Quotable Cyclist Homepage: http://kcm-home.tripod.com/ |
#5
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Some adjustments to bars
Ken M wrote: Well I have a set of bar ends that pretty closely simulate the brake hood position on road bike drop bars. And in that position it seems pretty comfortable as well. I doubt that in my present physical condition (15 pounds overweight in the midsection) I could ride for very long with bars 3 inches below the saddle. I believe that getting into a relatively low, aero position is more a question of flexibility than of a few extra ponds. So, that would mean that your approach of gradually working yourself lower and lower is a sound one. I would add that some stretching would also be very useful. Most folks (me included!) don't spend adequate time just stretching. While it is boring (to me) I always feel better as a result. When I was actively competing in martial arts I stretched for ~30 minutes a day. Now I stretch for that amount of time a week- sometimes. However, I still have enough flexibility "left over" to be comfortable in a fairly low position. Keep experimenting (and stretching) and you will find a good position for you. |
#6
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Some adjustments to bars
gds wrote:
Ken M wrote: Well I have a set of bar ends that pretty closely simulate the brake hood position on road bike drop bars. And in that position it seems pretty comfortable as well. I doubt that in my present physical condition (15 pounds overweight in the midsection) I could ride for very long with bars 3 inches below the saddle. I believe that getting into a relatively low, aero position is more a question of flexibility than of a few extra ponds. So, that would mean that your approach of gradually working yourself lower and lower is a sound one. I would add that some stretching would also be very useful. Most folks (me included!) don't spend adequate time just stretching. While it is boring (to me) I always feel better as a result. Well I have read, in some old threads that some people who have "aero belly" sometimes have a had time riding bikes with drop bars. I have lost about 12 pounds, with the weight coming off steadily now. I had never considered stretching. Have to try it. When I was actively competing in martial arts I stretched for ~30 minutes a day. Now I stretch for that amount of time a week- sometimes. However, I still have enough flexibility "left over" to be comfortable in a fairly low position. Keep experimenting (and stretching) and you will find a good position for you. Another point of the "experiment" was to see if a road bike may make a good second / back up bike. Ken -- [T]he bicycle is the most efficient machine ever created: Converting calories into gas, a bicycle gets the equivalent of three thousand miles per gallon. ~Bill Strickland, The Quotable Cyclist Homepage: http://kcm-home.tripod.com/ |
#7
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Some adjustments to bars
Well I have a set of bar ends that pretty closely simulate the brake hood position on road bike drop bars. And in that position it seems pretty comfortable as well. I doubt that in my present physical condition (15 pounds overweight in the midsection) I could ride for very long with bars 3 inches below the saddle. Over the last year I have lost approx 30kg and have varied my bar position a lot in that period. One thing I noticed that helped me to counter an "overly represented" upper-body was to have the saddle a bit further back than normal. This allowed me to have a low-ish bar without putting too much strain on my back and hands. As my weight went down, I moved the saddle forward to a more "normal" position and lowered my bars a bit more. In effect, I rotated myself forward maintaining my legs-back angle as my center of gravity changed due to lost weight in the upper body. There is a big difference between stretching out from a long setup, and stretching down from a low setup. Think about how much weight your arms must support when you make your adjustments, and maybe try moving the saddle for some tests. Good luck! Joseph |
#8
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Some adjustments to bars
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#10
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Some adjustments to bars
Maybe you could rent or borrow a road bike for a while to see how you
like real drop bars. You might even think of buying a used one and giving it a longer trial. |
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