Spare me any I Told You So's with Halfords but? I'm in pain

Rulebritania

Hello,
I recently bought a Carrera TDF from Halfords as it fitted with my budget into road cycling. I went to the store and sat on a M bike and spoke to the Bikehut expert who was about the same height as me and we ordered a Med. I am 5'7" slim build and aged 43yrs. However after 11 rides covering 151miles I have a pain in the neck and cycle most of the time with my head down constantly glancing up to look ahead. This I know is not the safest way but I have really taken to the sport and love getting out.
I have been onto halfords and asked to raise the handlebars but they need to order a new stem (gone are the days of undoing a bolt and lifting them), this will I presume have the effect of lifting my body and therefore I will not have to raise my head to such an angle.

My Q is should I have ordered the size S and not the M? :?:

HALFORDS Size Guide:
A Compact Geometry bike has all of the same features such as the sloping top
and shorter wheelbase. The difference lies with the top tube; the sloping angle of the top tube is greater than that of Semi Compact bike. The result is a road bike with an increased stand over clearance
Feet and Inches.....Centimetres Top Tube Effective Top Tube Seat Tube Bike Size
5' 5" - 5' 7" ...........165 - 170.....52.5 - 54.0.........54.0 - 55.5............. 48.5 - 50.0...... S

5' 7" - 5' 9"........... 170 - 175..... 54.0 - 55.5.........55.5 - 57.0............ 50.0 - 51.0..... M

thescouselander

Sounds like you have the right size bike. A new stem could be the answer but you might be able to raise the bars a bit by simply "flipping" the stem you have.

Rulebritania

I have done that to an angle where I can still get my hands gripped for downhill stretches, I hope its a simple fix as I have really taken to it.
I am wondering also if it could the turn in weather noticeable chill in the air?

SPOC

I had a Carrera TDF, I am 5'8 and just over 150lbs and had the Large Frame and that fitted perfectly with a slightly shorter stem on it.

The Bike dynamics seem a little funny, and I found the medium when weighing up my options way too compact for my liking.

When you finally find the right set up, it's a great bike for the price by the way, I loved it.

thescouselander

It's difficult to say what might be happening without seeing you on the bike. What sort of height difference is there between the saddle and handlebars now? Also, another rough check for your setup is that the axle of your front wheel should be abscured by your handle bars when you look at it in your normal riding position. If the axle is in front or bahind the bars as you look at it the stem length might be wrong.

Also, what position are you riding in normally - on the hoods or the drops?

Rulebritania

thescouselander wrote:

It's difficult to say what might be happening without seeing you on the bike. What sort of height difference is there between the saddle and handlebars now? Also, another rough check for your setup is that the axle of your front wheel should be abscured by your handle bars when you look at it in your normal riding position. If the axle is in front or bahind the bars as you look at it the stem length might be wrong.

Also, what position are you riding in normally - on the hoods or the drops?

I'll check the axel and height difference after work, I normally ride with my hands on the upper part of the brake stem. Even then I need to look down.

theescapedslave

I'm 5'10" and there is no way I would go with anything larger than the medium that is specified there, so I would have thought that at 5'7" you would be better with the small IMO. Although without pic hard to say for certain

It is easier to size up a bike i.e. longer stem, raised saddle/setback post, than size down...i.e. hack saw.

theescapedslave

also try this sizing calulator...not perfect (nothing is)...but it gets you pretty close...provided you take accurate measurements and then you can tweak things by feel from there...
http://www.competitivecyclist.com/za/CC ... ATOR_INTRO

Brava210

I am sure Halfords do not do the TDF in small.
Medium and large only.
I don't get why people knock Halfords so much. I get mega discount at Halfords, which is why I now have a boardman road which cost me £495 instead of £670
I admit they are not the best, but there are advantages.
I had the TDF for 2 weeks and decided to return it after using it quite a bit, refunded no questions asked.

zummerzet-lou

Do you have a peak on your cycle helmet? If you do, remove it now! This causes you to have to raise your head higher to look up.

Next thing to look at would be the bike geometry - perhaps find someone who could do a proper bike fitting? Makes the world of difference - might be you need a different stem, your seat moving up, down or even forward or backwards?

Buying new components and then finding they don't solve the problem gets expensive. Also, between each bike change, give your body a chance to adjust to the new position. It takes a while for your muscles to adjust - you don't say what you were riding before?


All the best,
Lou

stronginthesun

well done on getting that discount . i have just bought a boardman team hybrid and couldnt even get a saddlebag thrown in and i tried 3 stores ! ( unless i took out the service plan ) im 5ft 8 and got a medium and it seems fine

Rulebritania

zummerzet-lou wrote:

Do you have a peak on your cycle helmet? If you do, remove it now! This causes you to have to raise your head higher to look up.
Buying new components and then finding they don't solve the problem gets expensive. Also, between each bike change, give your body a chance to adjust to the new position. It takes a while for your muscles to adjust - you don't say what you were riding before?


All the best,
Lou

I don't have a peak but cheers for checking. I also am new to cycling, I have given it a month and 11 rides to allow my body to adjust. When it comes to the fitting I have emailed customer services regarding this as it was known from the start that I had no idea when it came to road bikes. The adjustment to the handlebars is something that I did not think required a new stem. All the bikes I had in the past mountain bikes and a junior ralliegh arena I just did myself.

giant_man

I'll go with raising the bars as well. Same thing with me, and flipping the stem thus raising the bars sorted it.

Btw you DON'T get a bike from Halfords ....

Sprool

+1 for flipping the stem, my new scott S30 stem (110mm) felt a little too much of a reach for me so I flipped it so its pointing up and it raises the bars and brings them a little closer which has made a big difference to my comfort when riding. As I get fitter, more experienced, more flexible I may use a spacer and flip it back again but for now it has helped a lot. I also have a cheap shorter stem awaited from an ebay purchase, they always have loads of stems coming up for sale, so for £10 - £15 you can try a different stem size to see if that helps. If not, you can sell it on again in ebay.

Rulebritania

Flippin the stem??? Err hello Newbie

nicklouse

Rulebritania wrote:

Flippin the stem??? Err hello Newbie

turn it over, it will raise or lower the bar postion depending on how it is fitted now.

Sprool

Rulebritania wrote:

Flippin the stem??? Err hello Newbie

Have I violated some cycling code of conduct? Yes I'm certainly a newbie to road bikes, the guy in the LBS said stem flipping was possible but he said it in a way that led me to believe it was not always entirely acceptable. I cope with the stares and giggles as its enabled me to cycle further in more comfort

wilshawk

That halfords sizing guide looks a bit confusing to me hard to figure out what the actual seat tube lenght is, but even assuming the smallest measurement there 48.5 is still reasonably lenghty so I would have thought you would have been better off on a small frame.

Brava210

They do not sell the TDF with a small frame
Med and Large only.

Rulebritania

Sprool wrote:

Rulebritania wrote:

Flippin the stem??? Err hello Newbie

Have I violated some cycling code of conduct? Yes I'm certainly a newbie to road bikes, the guy in the LBS said stem flipping was possible but he said it in a way that led me to believe it was not always entirely acceptable. I cope with the stares and giggles as its enabled me to cycle further in more comfort

No No No perhaps I did not make myself clear enough and the word "HERE" as in I don't have the foggiest idea.. :oops:

apreading

The stem is at an angle to the top of the forks. On road bikes, often it is angled down as per picture here:


But it can be unscrewed, turned over and will then be angled up as per picture here:


Hopefully it is clear to see the difference - if yours is angled down, then you can flip it over to both raise the handlebars and bring them closer to you. This means that you will be sat more upright and higher up and wont need to crane your neck to much to see forwards.

Rulebritania

OH I SEE SAID THE BLIND MAN TO HIS DEAF DOG. I will look at doing that. Although I my bike is booked into Halfords for its six week service and new stem tomorrow. I'll let you know how I get on

Sprool

most stems are between 7 and 10 degree angle, so when you flip it over you get double that in new stem angle compared to the original position.

Rulebritania

I have had feedback from Halfords CS, A new stem is still on order (weeks later) and CS have emailed me stating:
"Please can i request that you return the cycle to your local store and ask the instroe team to call me direct to discuss the issues."

Just what they are going to talk about remains to be seen. I am going on Monday when I return from holiday.

JamesB5446

apreading wrote:

The stem is at an angle to the top of the forks. On road bikes, often it is angled down as per picture here:


But it can be unscrewed, turned over and will then be angled up as per picture here:


Hopefully it is clear to see the difference - if yours is angled down, then you can flip it over to both raise the handlebars and bring them closer to you. This means that you will be sat more upright and higher up and wont need to crane your neck to much to see forwards.

That second stem is longer, isn't it? Or are my eyes playing tricks on me?

dg74

Sprool wrote:

Rulebritania wrote:

Flippin the stem??? Err hello Newbie

Have I violated some cycling code of conduct? Yes I'm certainly a newbie to road bikes, the guy in the LBS said stem flipping was possible but he said it in a way that led me to believe it was not always entirely acceptable. I cope with the stares and giggles as its enabled me to cycle further in more comfort

That really annoys me. I've had people come to my workshop with the same story from the large chain around the corner - it's just them trying to sell you something you may not need!

Next time, ask him why 'it was not always entirely acceptable'. I doubt he'll have a decent answer - unless the stem has 0 degrees either way it is flipped. Which I doubt!

Rant over.

dg74

JamesB5446 wrote:

apreading wrote:

The stem is at an angle to the top of the forks. On road bikes, often it is angled down as per picture here:


But it can be unscrewed, turned over and will then be angled up as per picture here:


Hopefully it is clear to see the difference - if yours is angled down, then you can flip it over to both raise the handlebars and bring them closer to you. This means that you will be sat more upright and higher up and wont need to crane your neck to much to see forwards.

That second stem is longer, isn't it? Or are my eyes playing tricks on me?

it is but he's using it as an example of a flipped stem.

Monty Dog

Whilst you're probably borderline in terms of sizing, flipping and maybe running a shorter stem will help, I also expect it's also down to a process of rider adaptation in particular needing time for the neck muscles to become accustomed to holding your head at a more horizontal angle and certainly expect it to take a few weeks to get used to it.

Rulebritania

Monty Dog wrote:

Whilst you're probably borderline in terms of sizing, flipping and maybe running a shorter stem will help, I also expect it's also down to a process of rider adaptation in particular needing time for the neck muscles to become accustomed to holding your head at a more horizontal angle and certainly expect it to take a few weeks to get used to it.

I started riding in August and so far 19 rides between 1-3hrs covering 194miles I would think I'd have adapted the neck muscles by now. Personally I think it's down to no being fitted to the bike in the first place. A large chain not interested in that part of a service by employing staff who aren't trained to fit as my experience indicates he stood me next the the saddle to if it was "about" hip level.

t4tomo

for my two penneth I think a Smaller frame would amke it worse as the drop from seat to handlebars would end up being greater.

Your backside is always going to be in the same place / height above the pedals, getting your handlebars higher will take some pressure off your neck.

flipping or changing thestem for a one you can angle up greater is going to be cheapest and easiest way.

Also check where the spacers are where the stem conects to the steerer. make sure they are all under the stem as in the pictures below.

Sprool

flipping the stem & playing with the spacers is a 10 minute job and costs nothing. Try it out, go for a few miles cruise and you should instantly notice if it has helped at all. If not, then you could lash out £15 on ebay for a cheap stem of different length to try. It will resell easily if it doesn't work out for you.