My road bike seems to big- Help

paulvread

I wonder if anyone could assist me. I am 6.3 with a 34 inside leg, i bought a Giany Defy 2 XL a few months back and i am getting a really sore lower back on any rides longer than 20 miles. When i took it to get fittet properly (only the other day) i was told the bike was too big for me and i am leaning forward to much, which makes sense as riding in the hoods was always a little uncomfortable on long rides. Apart from shortening the stem from a 105 to 80 is there anything else i can do as i am sure the bloke in the bike shop was just trying to sell me another bike, which i don't have the funds for and my wife would definitely not be a happy camper.

Slack

I would suggest you go for a decent bike fitting, as there could be a number of contact points which need adjustment with your set-up. Another factor relates to your fitness, in as terms of how long have you been cycling? It may be, your lower back muscles just need to adjust and loosen up a bit.

Do you actually feel uncomfortable when riding...are your arms bent slightly, are your shoulders dropped and relaxed....?You will get a myriad of responses, to which the only outcome I can envisage is to get a proper bike fit done, where your body will be measured and assessed to get the optimum position for you.

paulvread

Thanks Slack, i have riding for a few months so would definitely class myself as a beginner. I would also say that my fitness levels are good due to me road running twice a week, but i understand this is completely different from being fit on a bike.

When i am on the hoods of the bike my arms have no bend at all and after prolonged riding the position just becomes uncomfortable. My saddle height was checked and also was placed in the correct position for my pedals. I am at a loss what to do apart from shortening the stem.

zx6man

I had that with a 120 stem found swapping to a 80 made all the difference, cheapest thing to check/change anyways.

Insideinfo

Maybe move your seat forward a bit as well? Also, check the seatpost, is it an offset post? or setback? by that i mean does the clamping system sit right on top of the seatpost or is it set further back? If its setback then you could buy what they call a 'zero offset' post where the clamp is right on top. That can give you a few cms more to move the seat forward.

As others have suggested making the stem smaller would certainly help. Otherwise there isnt a great deal you can do to shorten the ride position.

drlodge

If the frame is too big, there's not a lot you can do. Try shortening the stem for sure, but do NOT move the seat forward to compensate for a frame that's to big. Rather than help but reducing the reach, it will actually makes things worse by moving your CofG forwards and place yet more weight on your hands. Make sure your seat is in the right fore/aft position in relation to the pedals. Moving it back will take weight off your hands/arms since it acts as a counterbalance.

paulvread

Thanks for all you responses. The seat has not been moved at all, is in the correct position in relation to my pedals. I will have to go for the shorter stem and see how i get on. Hopefully the cycle shop will have this in before i do the Epping Sportive on Sunday, signed up for 90 miles, Ouch

siamon

The XL's are massive.

Some people ride larger frames because they prefer to feel less cramped,(or more streched out whichever way you see it) and don't want to resort to a 140mm stem that will make the front end very responsive (or downright nervous, again depending on how it feels to you).

Not sure an 80mm stem on an XL large will do the handling much good. It might be similar to turning an ocean liner.

But I wouldn't worry too much about moving the saddle forward, too far back might cause issues but I'm not sure shifting it forwards will. I would be more worried about your arms being straight when you are on the hoods. Low bars may be very fashionable and very pro but they won't do you or me any favours whatsoever.

You can get shorter reach bars as well as a shorter stem, to bring the hoods closer. And load up on some spacers!

To be honest, your position WILL change and adapt as you rack up the miles, so it may be that any fix will only be required on a temporary basis. After another 3 months with shorter reach bars + stem you might feel a little cramped and go back to what you have now.

Good luck on Sunday. Just ride on the tops if you haven't sorted by then (and nudge that saddle forwards!).

jezzpalmer

Shorter stem would make it more responsive, longer stem less responsive, wouldn't it?

styxd

I'd stick at it a while and give it time. You might need time to adapt to the position.

I've ridden an XL Giant and I'm 6'2" with longer legs than you, plus it had a 125mm stem and none compact bars. Yes it was too big, but I could ride it!

Going by this, I'd have thought at 6'3" with shorter legs than me and a shorter stem, it be just about right.

Another thing you can do, try moving your hoods further back to shorten the reach slightly.

mattshrops

The Giant Defy is a compact frame shape and with your height and leg length i would have said XL was the right size for you. You obviously have quite a long body/short leg combination anyway so providing your standover height is ok(that is when you stand flat on the floor in front of the saddle-you should have a slight clearance over the top tube) it may well be as a beginner you are not used to the position and /or are not very flexible. We are all different and some people can take quite a long time to adapt to a road bike position.
My suggestion would be to try flipping the stem to just raise the bars/shorten the reach very slightly. This can often be enough to make all the difference. You can always swap it back later if you get used to it.

Edit- p.s. any changes you make , do them one at a time and wait to see if they have any effect. Dont try to change everything all at the same time.

robbo2011

Have you tried flipping the stem?

That can make quite a difference in terms of comfort as you will not not be reaching down so much.

Edit. I see that has already been suggested that in the post above!

lotus49

I am just over 6'2" with 34" inside leg and I'm waiting for my XL Defy 3 to be delivered and now I am starting to fret whether it will be too big. Being tall with fairly long legs I am used to buying the big size so I have been rather surprised to see a couple of comments about the XL being too big for tall men. According to the sizing charts I consulted, the frame should be the right size but the only real way to tell is to try them in your LBS when they have both in stock. I've seen a few people saying that their LBS tried to push them towards a different size than they expected and when they asked whether the shop had their desired size were told that they did not. What a coincidence.

I am far too much of a newbie to advise you on fitting, but I may slightly be able to reassure you. Not having ridden for years, I went out with my son on a borrowed MTB on normal roads a couple of times recently. I expected that it would be my legs that hurt afterwards but it was my wrists and lower back and that bike was only just big enough for me. The riding position is not a natural position to be in and is bound to feel uncomfortable for a while.

My suggestion is to try riding in the drops for a while and then, when you go back to the hoods, it will feel like you are almost upright again :-).

paulvread

Again, thanks for all you advice, the stem was flipped and a 90 stem added onto the bike last night. My seat was also pushed forward a few mm. I noticed the difference immediately on my short ride home from the bike shop, but will only be able to tell once i do a longer ride.

It also transpired my hoods were bent outwards a little, which undoubtedly did not help with the ride comfort. All sorted now and i will just see how i get on a the weekend. I agree with many posts about you body needing to get used to the riding position of a road bike, as i believe the size of the bike i have is correct from me, however i just need to train my body to become used to the riding position.

Thanks for all your replies it is much appreciated. Epping here i come.