That's better...
Confusedboy
Posts: 287
I have bought, and fitted, a steerer tube extention in an attempt to raise the handlebars on my new road bike Yellow Beryl to a position where I am comfortable with them. The bars are now 3 and a half inches higher than thier original position and about an inch and a half further back, after replacing the stem for a shorter one.
As I have said before, this is due to my odd Jurassic body geometry, but I am convinced that many modern road bikes are designed with the handlebars set way too far forward and low for all but the tallest, fittest and most aggressive riders irrespective of frame size, and, unlike bikes with the more traditional quill type headset, difficult to adjust for different riding positions. This is less of a problem on mtbs or hybrids with flat bars, because such bikes are designed with a more relaxed, sit-up-and-beg riding position in mind, and minor adjustments for maximum comfort can be easily done with riser handlebars, but little such choice seems to be available to road bike owners.
Why is this? My unusual body geometry may have made this issue worse for me than most folk, but it seems to me that modern road bikes are supplied with a front end set up which is uncomfortable for many of their riders, and this has a knock on effect for the ease with which such bikes are ridden, and therefore thier general safety. It was particularly bad in my case as, with the bike in it's original format, I could barely reach the brakes!
The advantage of drop bars on such bikes is that one may alter one's riding position to suit the type of ridng being done, and to relieve strain on one's wrists on longer rides, but it is only with the major surgery that I have had to do to Beryl that I have been able to comfortably reach the lower part of the handlebars at all. Previously I had been stretching to do this, and any aerodynamic advantage from the lower riding position (aerodynamic, who am I kidding....) was, until now, spoiled by my thighs thudding into my chest and interfering with my breathing. By contrast, my hack bike, an old '5-speed racer' Raleigh Arena, has never presented me with any such issues which I suspect are why some people object to drop handlebars.
The alterations have transformed Yellow Beryl into a comfortable, safe, confidence-inspiring bicycle which will be easily capable of allowing me to ride faster and for longer distances than I have for many years, which was the rationale behind buying it in the first place. but I do feel that the needs of ordinary cyclists are being sacrificed on the altar of style and fashion, and that if threadless headsets are to be used on road bikes (and I can see the advantages of that), more adjustment of riding positions should be designed in. Or am I just p*ssed off about having to spend another £40 over what the bike cost me (at a time when I am skint from having bought a new bike) to whip the beeaatch into shape....
As I have said before, this is due to my odd Jurassic body geometry, but I am convinced that many modern road bikes are designed with the handlebars set way too far forward and low for all but the tallest, fittest and most aggressive riders irrespective of frame size, and, unlike bikes with the more traditional quill type headset, difficult to adjust for different riding positions. This is less of a problem on mtbs or hybrids with flat bars, because such bikes are designed with a more relaxed, sit-up-and-beg riding position in mind, and minor adjustments for maximum comfort can be easily done with riser handlebars, but little such choice seems to be available to road bike owners.
Why is this? My unusual body geometry may have made this issue worse for me than most folk, but it seems to me that modern road bikes are supplied with a front end set up which is uncomfortable for many of their riders, and this has a knock on effect for the ease with which such bikes are ridden, and therefore thier general safety. It was particularly bad in my case as, with the bike in it's original format, I could barely reach the brakes!
The advantage of drop bars on such bikes is that one may alter one's riding position to suit the type of ridng being done, and to relieve strain on one's wrists on longer rides, but it is only with the major surgery that I have had to do to Beryl that I have been able to comfortably reach the lower part of the handlebars at all. Previously I had been stretching to do this, and any aerodynamic advantage from the lower riding position (aerodynamic, who am I kidding....) was, until now, spoiled by my thighs thudding into my chest and interfering with my breathing. By contrast, my hack bike, an old '5-speed racer' Raleigh Arena, has never presented me with any such issues which I suspect are why some people object to drop handlebars.
The alterations have transformed Yellow Beryl into a comfortable, safe, confidence-inspiring bicycle which will be easily capable of allowing me to ride faster and for longer distances than I have for many years, which was the rationale behind buying it in the first place. but I do feel that the needs of ordinary cyclists are being sacrificed on the altar of style and fashion, and that if threadless headsets are to be used on road bikes (and I can see the advantages of that), more adjustment of riding positions should be designed in. Or am I just p*ssed off about having to spend another £40 over what the bike cost me (at a time when I am skint from having bought a new bike) to whip the beeaatch into shape....
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Comments
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If your thighs thud into your chest then the bars were too low, or you have moobs
Reading your post it sounds as if the steerer was cut too low and the stem was too long.
This could have been negated by using spacers, not cutting the steerer and getting the bike sized with the correct length stem. Or even a smaller frame may have been a better option.
Your LBS should have been aware of all these possibilities.None of the above should be taken seriously, and certainly not personally.0 -
You should have had a proper bike fit and then selected a bike accordingly. Most bikes fit the average shape. If you have longer legs than normal, or longer torso, you can't expect to fit most bikes. You have to go and find out which frames are particularly long or short.
No point buying a bike that doesn't fit no matter how much you might want it. That said, because I have got a short torso, my Sportive frames give me a relatively racey orientation on the bike. If I did want something more upright, I'd probably struggle unless I went bespoke.Faster than a tent.......0
