Riding position...

Mr OCD

Experimenting with my riding position / technique at the moment which is improving but I feel as though I'm putting a lot of weight through my arms / wrists... any advice?

On my motorbike I use the tank to hold my body weight to reduce the weight through my arms but obviously I cannot do this on the MTB and as a result my lower arms are becoming pumped when riding :oops:

Any advice appreciated. I'm wondering if its because the saddle is high in relation to the bars which is making me lean forward?

Jack 123

What stem do you use? You can try to get a higher angle shorter stem. Try to move your seat forwards see if that helps. I had the same problem on my bmc when the bars were to low so I moved the bars up and in and it was fine. If you are reaching to far and putting to much weight on your arms it will feel like this.

Mr OCD

Use the standard one on my Fury mate... no idea what that is ... :oops:

Mr OCD

I've added around 2-3 inches to this pic of height of saddle / stem:



You can see the stem is already at highest?

Jack 123

How tall are you is the bike to big? try a wider riser bar. I went wider and loved it so much more control. I run these and love them not to flashy but very stiff and good price http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=19257

Anonymous

Maybe you don't actually need to raise the front at all, it could just be a matter of getting used to it.
On a motorcycle, most (hopefully) of the weight on the tyres is due to the bike.
On a mountain bike, most of the weight is your body. You need to make sure you have enough weight on the front tyre for it to grip.

(Of course, weight distribution is also important on a motorbike, but it's less pronounced since you are a smaller percentage of the entire weight)

Mr OCD

Jack 123 wrote:

How tall are you is the bike to big? try a wider riser bar. I went wider and loved it so much more control. I run these and love them not to flashy but very stiff and good price http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=19257

I'm 5ft 11... that is a 16" frame so no the bike isnt too big

Must admit the bars seem quite narrow compared to some I've ridden...

Fenred

Your saddle height looks low to me in comparison to your bar/stem combo. Careful with moving the saddle fore/aft as it could impact on your knees. Wider bars will take stress off your forearms but means your shoulders will take more stress. def worth a try but dont make loads of adjustments all at once, also try rolling the bars back a little and move your brake levers up a little, proper allignment should follow your forearm line. Good luck.

supersonic

Yes, the saddle looks far too low if you are 5ft 11, unless you have very short legs!

Mr OCD

supersonic wrote:

Yes, the saddle looks far too low if you are 5ft 11, unless you have very short legs!

Have increased the height of saddle quite a bit now but seems as though more weight on wrists now?

supersonic

You may be too hunched up on the bike. I'd try a riser bar with more height, or stem.

omegas

Mr OCD wrote:

supersonic wrote:

Yes, the saddle looks far too low if you are 5ft 11, unless you have very short legs!

Have increased the height of saddle quite a bit

To start with set your saddle height so you have the correct leg extension when you pedal, that is a must.

Mr OCD

omegas wrote:

Mr OCD wrote:

supersonic wrote:

Yes, the saddle looks far too low if you are 5ft 11, unless you have very short legs!

Have increased the height of saddle quite a bit

To start with set your saddle height so you have the correct leg extension when you pedal, that is a must.

I've done that tonight... It's set correctly now.

Ok is there anything else can do with existing setup or do I need higher / wider bars?

supersonic

Nothing more you can do really. Time to experiment with bars and stem.

getonyourbike

saddle position on rails?

Mr OCD

getonyourbike wrote:

saddle position on rails?

Forward or backward? It's in the middle

getonyourbike

Mr OCD wrote:

getonyourbike wrote:

saddle position on rails?

Forward or backward? It's in the middle

both, trail and error really, you could be too stretched out or too hunched over.

Mr OCD

Ok thanks... Riding tomz so will experiment...

New seat height now:

omegas

Could be expensive but you might have to experiment with different stems and riser handle bars.
Depending on what you are riding ,finding what is comfortable or the balance of weight distribution between front and back for maximum grip when you need it.

Clark3y

surely that frame is too small for someone 5'11"?

Anonymous

Clark3y wrote:

surely that frame is too small for someone 5'11"?

You'd think so wouldn't you. Particularly with the low seat before, I cannot fathom how he'd end up with so much weight on his arms. Maybe he just needs to build some upper body strength.

Mr OCD

Clark3y wrote:

surely that frame is too small for someone 5'11"?

Nope it isn't... Tried 18" frame and felt too big... Carrera frames are quite large compared to some other brands.

Anonymous

Doesn't seem to make much sense. I'm 5'10", and I'd be kneeing myself in the face on that.
The OLD link in my sig is my old wolfridge, with the saddle set for long distance riding, for my shortarse 5'10" frame
(the shot of the new bike has it lowered for more jumps ad drops)

Mr OCD

yeehaamcgee wrote:

Doesn't seem to make much sense. I'm 5'10", and I'd be kneeing myself in the face on that.
The OLD link in my sig is my old wolfridge, with the saddle set for long distance riding, for my shortarse 5'10" frame
(the shot of the new bike has it lowered for more jumps ad drops)

Have you tried a 16" Carrera frame then?

With an 18" frame my bollocks sit on the top tube... not exactly ideal for trail riding or the type of riding I like doing (light downhill / red / black route) ...

I spent alot of time trying different size bikes including a ride on an 18" Carrera Vengeance and felt at home on the 16" fury frame... my knees come no where near my face.

The 16" feels great, fits me well and gives me confidence to throw it around ... just concerned with how much weight I seem to be putting on my wrists.

I suspect moving the seat back on the rails may make a big difference... or failing that wider riser bars...

As for upper body strength ... trust me its not a problem

Mr OCD

Here is me next to the bike to give you an idea...

Anonymous

That looks even more, erm, too small like that :?

cooldad

Is that onboard TV?

Mr OCD

cooldad wrote:

Is that onboard TV?

Yep... iPhone

Mr OCD

yeehaamcgee wrote:

That looks even more, erm, too small like that :?

Really? - I was told time and time again on here to buy a bike on how it fits / feels ... like I said I tried loads of bikes from Trek, Specialized, Carrera and Boardman... 16-17" felt right to me hence it was a choice between a 16" and 18" Carrera in the end ... and like I said the 18" felt massive...

If I was doing light road work / XC then I'd probably try and get on with the 18" I guess but I like doing trail / light downhill therefore it is advised to go for a bike that's right sized / slightly smaller than something that is too big...

By all means if I am definately riding the wrong size bike then feel to correct me and I will look into possibly re-framing it.

cooldad

Mr OCD wrote:

cooldad wrote:

Is that onboard TV?

Yep... iPhone

Isn't there an app for sizing bikes.

Anonymous

It does look like you stole it from your girlfriend, or a child. The bike looks far too short (front to back) as well as too small.
With that in mind, I have absolutely no idea how you are ending up with sore arms, since logic would suggest you are dam well near upright on it.