My seat is level with my handlebars. (Is that ok)

NITR8s
NITR8s Posts: 688
edited April 2012 in Road beginners
Due to my unfortunate short legs (28 inches) my seat is only raised about 6 inches and is about level with my bars.

I have noticed that everyone else seats are raised alot higher than there bars. Is it ok for my seat to be roughtly the same level as the bars?

Comments

  • keef66
    keef66 Posts: 13,123
    It's fine by me. Back in the day most bikes were set up like that.

    Only downside is you won't be quite as aerodynamic as a rider with his @rse in the air
  • Velonutter
    Velonutter Posts: 2,437
    NITR8s wrote:
    Due to my unfortunate short legs (28 inches) my seat is only raised about 6 inches and is about level with my bars.

    I have noticed that everyone else seats are raised alot higher than there bars. Is it ok for my seat to be roughtly the same level as the bars?

    Sounds to me like your bike is too big for you, in the old'un days we used to ride like that, but nowadays the saddle is some inches above the top of the stem.
  • NITR8s
    NITR8s Posts: 688
    Bike to big for me? Im 5 foot 5 and ride a size 50 frame, if I go any smaller I would be on a womans/kids bike.

    Velonutter wrote:
    NITR8s wrote:
    Due to my unfortunate short legs (28 inches) my seat is only raised about 6 inches and is about level with my bars.

    I have noticed that everyone else seats are raised alot higher than there bars. Is it ok for my seat to be roughtly the same level as the bars?

    Sounds to me like your bike is too big for you, in the old'un days we used to ride like that, but nowadays the saddle is some inches above the top of the stem.
  • amaferanga
    amaferanga Posts: 6,789
    Is that a 50cm sloping geometry frame? If so then that's not actually that small. What length top tube?

    Any spacers under the stem? How many degree rise is your stem? Could the stem be flipped to lower the bars a bit?
    More problems but still living....
  • NITR8s
    NITR8s Posts: 688
    amaferanga wrote:
    Is that a 50cm sloping geometry frame? If so then that's not actually that small. What length top tube?

    Any spacers under the stem? How many degree rise is your stem? Could the stem be flipped to lower the bars a bit?

    To be honest I dont really know, by the below link has a pic of my bike (obviously it is not my exact bike) but you get an idea of the frame type and how the bars are setup. If I can I will take a pic of my bike tonight so you guys can have a look how it is setup.

    http://www.evanscycles.com/products/claud-butler/echelon-2009-road-bike-ec018834
  • wishitwasallflat
    wishitwasallflat Posts: 2,927
    Set up is very personal and the comments above about aero position are spot on - but - for me the bottom line is if you are comfortable then your set up is good. If you want to be more aero then great tweak your position to give a smaller profile. If you want to optimise everything get a bike fit - but - if its comforatable I still stand by the statement that it's right (i.e. don't go low just because you think you should or because others do :D )
  • migrantwing
    migrantwing Posts: 385
    Judging by the pic in the link you have posted, it looks like there are spacers on the steerer tube. You could possibly take these off and drop the height of your bars a little to what suits you best. See if this works.

    I have a 53cm frame (Ghost Race 5000 2011 model) which has a completely different geometry to my last bike (50cm Carrera TDF 2008 model). I found the newer bike to be very 'close' and compact, but the bars felt like they were miles away from the rest of the bike. I simply flipped the stem to give a few degrees rise, and it now feels a lot, lot better. A lot of the time you will find that even the most minute adjustment can make a world of difference.

    As wishitwasallflat says, if your bike is comfortable and feels good to you, then stick with it.
    Ghost Race 5000 (2011) Shimano 105 Black
    Carrera TDF (2007)

    http://www.bike-discount.de/#

    http://www.bike24.com/
  • NITR8s
    NITR8s Posts: 688
    I am also guessing that as the stem sloaps up, I would be able to flip it so it sloaped down.

    Well I have been suffering with neck and sholder aches after about 20 miles and have been trying to think if my riding position is incorrect. So far I tried moving my seat forward as thought i was overreaching, but made no diferrence other than ball and knee ache. Measured my sholder width in comparison with bar width and both came out and 44cm. So I may have a play around with the handlebar height and see if it makes a difference.
  • Zoomer37
    Zoomer37 Posts: 725
    keef66 wrote:
    Only downside is you won't be quite as aerodynamic as a rider with his @rse in the air

    Why? You can get your back flat even when there's not a big seat to bar drop.
  • keef66
    keef66 Posts: 13,123
    Zoomer37 wrote:
    keef66 wrote:
    Only downside is you won't be quite as aerodynamic as a rider with his @rse in the air

    Why? You can get your back flat even when there's not a big seat to bar drop.

    It's the internet; I was just making a sweeping generalisation based on what I've observed in terms of saddle to bar drops on TT bikes
  • smidsy
    smidsy Posts: 5,273
    NITR8s wrote:
    Well I have been suffering with neck and sholder aches after about 20 miles and have been trying to think if my riding position is incorrect. So far I tried moving my seat forward as thought i was overreaching, but made no diferrence other than ball and knee ache.

    Well if you have those symptoms with your existing 'flat' set up raising your seat above the handlebars is not going to make it any more comfortable or forgiving on your neck and shoulders as it will increase the pressure down your arms and you will have to lift your neck even more.
    Yellow is the new Black.
  • NITR8s
    NITR8s Posts: 688
    I agree but I am thinking that as they are currently level, when riding on the hoods my arms are higher making my sholders more tense, whereas if they were lower my shoulders would be less tense as in a lower position. Another reason could be that when riding on the drops in order to compensate to get into an aero position I am huntching my sholders a neck, where as if the bar was lower it would incourage me to bend from the hips. At the end of the day if it makes it worse, I can just put the spacers back on.

    If you understand what I am trying to say.
  • Lossie Loon
    Lossie Loon Posts: 65
    NITR8s - I'm quite similar to you in that I have an inside leg of around 28 inches and I ride a 50cm frame, so my seat and handlebars are pretty much level, although I did switch the handlebars to underneath the spacers. I am generally confortable switching between the drops and the hoods as the mood takes me and thankfully don't suffer much in the way of pain beyond the occasional ache in the bottom of the back that gets rectified by a half mile in a more relaxed position - not sure that is much different from anyone else either. If there is any compromise in my aerodynamics, it probably doesn't affect me that much.

    One issue I do have with the fit I think is that I have quite a long body, so I can feel a little hunched on my Trek, although not on my old Raleigh which seems to be a slightly longer bike.
  • ShutUpLegs
    ShutUpLegs Posts: 3,522
    Your handlebars can be lower than your saddle, even with your saddle, or higher than your saddle. Whichever way you like it is right
  • cyco2
    cyco2 Posts: 593
    Without knowing your height it's difficult evaluate your problem. But it seems to me that your handle bar extension is too short. Accounts for the hunched feel.
    I have a very good set up on my bike a Giant TCR which is 44cm (tiny). The seat height is 166cm (26"), 15cm (6") of seat tube showing and my bars on a 12cm (4.75") extension are 12cm (4.75") below the seat. To get the lower bar position I tried turning an extension over but needed more drop. They do make deeper ones but settled for an adjustable one in the end. Even that may be too short but I am very comfortable and can tramp along all day without any problems.
    So, I would say beg steal or borrow other extensions until you get it right down and forward. No good if your belly is bulging though. Your frame size could be less but you should be able to position yourself ok. Also, it's not easy being short to get a fit. :cry:

    P.S. Measure the bar diameter before buying an extension because they can vary.
    ...................................................................................................

    If you want to be a strong rider you have to do strong things.
    However if you train like a cart horse you'll race like one.
  • Muffintop
    Muffintop Posts: 296
    All my bikes fit like this (I am a wee un' though). Are you new to a road bike? I found it more difficult on my wrists and had to make a conscious effort not to tense or lean on them too much.
    FCN: Brompton: 12, Tourer: 7, Racer: 4

    http://www.60milestonod.blogspot.com
  • phreak
    phreak Posts: 2,941
    A bike fit might help. I'm the same height as you and ended up removing all of my spacers and getting a stem that sloped down (although it was shorter than the previous one). Ridden thousands of miles on it since then and all good.
  • andrewjoseph
    andrewjoseph Posts: 2,165
    OP, get the saddle height and position right first. make sure you have a good pedal stroke, a bit of bend at the knee at the bottom of the stroke, not coming up too high at the top. Adjust the saddle fore/aft to get your knees comfortable. good rule of thumb is for the saddle to about roughly level with your hips. And don't worry about touching the ground whilst sitting on the saddle. if you can do this, the saddle is probably too low.

    Then sort out reach and drop to bars. i have my saddle about 4 inches above my bars on my mtb and road bike. my wife has the saddle lower than the bars on her mtb, and level with the bars on the roadie. Neither of us are going to win prizes for looks, but we are comfortable doing long rides and touring.
    --
    Burls Ti Tourer for Tarmac, Saracen aluminium full suss for trails
  • alihisgreat
    alihisgreat Posts: 3,872
    A lot of bikes don't have a significant amount of drop because they are designed to be more relaxed and comfortable.

    If its something that worries you then lower the stem or get one with a flatter angle.

    Lowering the stem does however increase the cockpit length so if you remove a fair few then you'll find your reach is a cm or two longer

    But that might not be a problem if you currently feel you can get a more aggressive position.
  • ForumNewbie
    ForumNewbie Posts: 1,664
    You could also consider a shorter stem. On my Audax bike my seat is actually lower than my bars as I put on an adjustable stem to bring the bars closer to me and higher. I was conviced by the shop when I bought the bike that it was the right size for me, but I soon realised that really it is too big. However by moving saddle forward and experimenting with stems, I got a comfortable riding position and although not the most aero-dymanic, I have had a good 5 years riding on it.

    I have since bought a lighter road bike, and the frame is much smaller and it is a much better fit - all I had to do was flip the stem as it was too much of a drop and stretch for me at my age. I still like the Audax though and use it as a winter bike now. So if your bike is a bit big for you, see what you can do with experimenting with different stems to get the most comfortable riding position for you.
  • NITR8s
    NITR8s Posts: 688
    Ok after getting home and having a look at my bike, i realised that the handlebars are actually higher than the seat. Ive taken the spacers off and fliped the stem, handlebars are no much lower and further away now. I think I have sorted my neck issues as I also realised that the seat being level with the ground is actually pushing my weight forward. I now have it tilted with the angle of the bar and have raised it so my heel is on the pedal and the bottom position it is completely str. I have also moved the seat slightly forward so my legs are more inline with the pedals. The is now about 2 to 3 cm lower than the seat.

    I am cycling to work tomorrow and will let you know if it has solved my problems. However just cycling around the bloke on this setup felt so much better. And this is all thanks to my wife who went on a googling spree and came back to me wiht all the info on the recommended riding position.
  • phreak
    phreak Posts: 2,941
    Would still recommend a bike fit though. You'll be riding a lot so having good position is a must, and these guys are pros. Can't be too safe where this is concerned.
  • NITR8s
    NITR8s Posts: 688
    LBS has quote £85 for the Trek bike fitting, which is a little more reasonable to what other people have been quoting fitting online. So may eventually book in their.
  • alihisgreat
    alihisgreat Posts: 3,872
    NITR8s wrote:
    LBS has quote £85 for the Trek bike fitting, which is a little more reasonable to what other people have been quoting fitting online. So may eventually book in their.

    I paid £100 for the trek system (at least i think it was the Trek system) -> looks like a good deal to me.

    Unless of course its cheap for a reason? perhaps an inexperienced fitter?

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