Shortening reach

surfingjoyner
surfingjoyner Posts: 89
edited June 2014 in Road general
Hi,

I have done about 200 miles on my new (second hand) bike and I think that the reach is too far for me as I cannot ride on the hoods in comfort and have trouble applying the breaks. On the drops things are fine just the hoods. I pushed the saddle forward but this did not feel comfortable. I am riding FSA Energy Traditional bars but am thinking that I could use some compact ones or am I barking up the wrong tree? The stem is not that long so do not really want to go shorter on that.

Thanks,

Richard

Comments

  • jonny_trousers
    jonny_trousers Posts: 3,588
    Compact bars might help a little, but going down a size on stem will probably be more noticeable. I guess if you've got a short stem already, however, there's only so much you can do. How long is it?
  • markhewitt1978
    markhewitt1978 Posts: 7,614
    How long is the stem is the obvious question. A lot of people for example think a 100mm stem is short, when it isn't really.
  • ai_1
    ai_1 Posts: 3,060
    The only differenece between adjusting the reach with shorter reach bars or a shorter stem will be in the position of the tops. A shorter stem obviously brings the tops closer so if that's a problem for knees or you just want more stability on the tops a shorter reach bar would probably be preferable but it'll make no real difference either way at the hoods and drops. Shortening the stem is obviously easier!
  • Thanks for replies. Stem is 90mm - is it possible to go to 70mm and not compromise handling?
  • mfin
    mfin Posts: 6,729
    You haven't got the bars ridiculously high have you? (and or because of the bike being too big?), it is sounding like the bike fundamentally doesn't fit you and you might be okay in the drops but the drops aren't that low as the bar is way high... just guessing. How tall are you, how flexy, and what bike and size is it? (photo might help too).
  • Bike is a 57cm Orbea. I am 6 foot. How high is too high for the bars

    Here a couple of pics (maybe of no use!) Thanks

    RIMG0275_zpse8811ea6.jpg

    RIMG0277_zpsf887387a.jpg
  • darkhairedlord
    darkhairedlord Posts: 7,180
    Bend your elbows and you will magically find it comfortable.
  • Bend your elbows and you will magically find it comfortable.

    :D Was trying not to topple over!!

    and TBH I think it may be a case of altering my own body position
  • jp1970
    jp1970 Posts: 134
    Also looks like the seat post has a slight layback... May want to bring the saddle forward a touch....

    Do you find yourself shuffling forward slightly ?
  • foggymike
    foggymike Posts: 862
    Can't you just move the sti's up a bit which leaves the tops and drops as they are but would shorten the reach on the hoods only?
  • ic.
    ic. Posts: 769
    I notice you're hooking your little finger under the bars. Do you do that deliberately to make yourself more comfortable or stable?

    If so, I'd say its a good sign things aren't quite right.

    I think your bike is the right size, but you're way out on fit. And that handlebar setup isn't helping, I'd say your levers are too far round the drop. I'm not personally keen on the bar shape either, something like an FSA Wing Compact might be better. Saying that, there's little point swapping anything at the bars until your seat height and setback are correct. Moving the seat forward on the rails to cure a reach issue is a BIG no no and can only make things worse

    Have you thought about a bike fit? Expect to pay 70-150 quid. You'll be fit to the bike pedals first, then to the seat height and layback, then the reach and saddle to bar drop and hoods angle are last up.
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  • Thanks - I will try moving the levers up the bar and see if that helps in the short term - looking into getting a bike fit asap.
  • markhewitt1978
    markhewitt1978 Posts: 7,614
    From that picture I wouldn't say that your stem is too long, rotating the bars up a little may help.
  • monkimark
    monkimark Posts: 1,935
    I guess you've blocked out family picture etc on the wall but what the hell do you have in the fruit bowl that needed censoring?
  • monkimark wrote:
    I guess you've blocked out family picture etc on the wall but what the hell do you have in the fruit bowl that needed censoring?
    :lol:

    I do look a bit stretched out.

    I will rotate bars a bit and see if that helps as well. Local bike fitting to me is £120 which I don't have at the moment so I guess I will just have to try and adjust what I can and see what difference it makes
  • 964cup
    964cup Posts: 1,362
    For that sizing, I reckon you need to get more flexibility - as another poster said, your arms should have a relaxed bend at the elbows, which will mean rotating your hips forward and bringing your shoulders down. Moving the shifters up to raise the hoods (or rotating the bar backwards) will also change your hand angle, which may strain your wrists.
  • To get more flexibility I guess it is just a case of adopting a different position (hips forward, shoulders down) whilst riding the bike and doing stretching/flexibilty exercises
  • ic.
    ic. Posts: 769
    Correct seat height and saddle layback will balance you correctly and stop you leaning too much on your hands, thus allowing bent elbows and a relaxed upper body. At the moment, you are using your hands to brace yourself, hence the little finger hooked behind the bars

    I don't think you look stretched out at all.

    Like I said before, moving the saddle forward is a really bad idea.
    2020 Reilly Spectre - raw titanium
    2020 Merida Reacto Disc Ltd - black on black
    2015 CAAD8 105 - very green - stripped to turbo bike
    2018 Planet X Exocet 2 - grey

    The departed:

    2017 Cervelo R3 DI2 - sold
    Boardman CX Team - sold
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  • IC. wrote:
    Correct seat height and saddle layback will balance you correctly and stop you leaning too much on your hands, thus allowing bent elbows and a relaxed upper body. At the moment, you are using your hands to brace yourself, hence the little finger hooked behind the bars

    I don't think you look stretched out at all.

    Like I said before, moving the saddle forward is a really bad idea.

    So (sorry if this is obvious) how do adjust saddle height and position forward if I cannot move saddle forward or is it more to with height?
  • itsnotarace
    itsnotarace Posts: 518
    edited June 2014
    Looks like you have a classic shape bar and treating it as an ergonomic. The ends of the bars of classic bend are supposed to be parallel with the floor.

    Rotate the bars down, unwrap the tape to the levers, move the levers up to where they should be, put the tape back on. Reach shortened

    If you don't want the drops parallel to the floor, buy a different bar. eg 3T Ergonova
  • team47b
    team47b Posts: 6,425
    The top of the back of the hoods should line up with the top of the bars, forming a flat line between the two hoods and the top of the bars, bringing the brakes much nearer to you.

    Everything, and more, that you will ever need to know about bar/positioning...

    http://www.stevehoggbikefitting.com/bik ... sitioning/
    my isetta is a 300cc bike
  • mfin
    mfin Posts: 6,729
    It's difficult to tell from the photos (not clipped in etc) but on first glance it looks like the saddle is too far back, I think it looks like the knee is behind the pedal axle. You look like the saddle needs to come forward 10 or 15mm, but this is only a gut impression! If you can adjust it forward something like 10mm try it, if not, you would need a non layback seatpost to try it.... then it looks like the stem needs to go down at least 10mm, bars rotated back up a tiny bit, and perhaps a longer stem too. BUT... this is only guesswork.

    Why not try going to a bike shop and seeing if they will help you get you saddle position right? Once that is right that bit must stay put regardless of the fit at the front end of the bike which you can then play with.
  • littledove44
    littledove44 Posts: 871
    My understanding is that you should do things in a set order. In the absence of a proper bike fit you might like to try this.

    1. Get the saddle height correct.
    2. Move the saddle backwards or forwards to get your knee above the pedal axle when the crank is horizontal.
    3. Now you are ready to sort out reach. Your stem is ok, try rotating the bars and or moving the shifters.


    If you are the owner of an iPad you can do most of the bike fit by using the app Bike Fast Fit.

    I am not saying all this replaces a professional fit, but if you can't afford one this is possibly 90% of the job for less than 10% of the money.
  • slowbike
    slowbike Posts: 8,498
    My understanding is that you should do things in a set order. In the absence of a proper bike fit you might like to try this.

    1. Get the saddle height correct.
    2. Move the saddle backwards or forwards to get your knee above the pedal axle when the crank is horizontal.
    3. Now you are ready to sort out reach. Your stem is ok, try rotating the bars and or moving the shifters.
    I think you have to do 1 and 2 together - saddle down and back or up and forwards - to get your knee in the right place.

    Yes - then you sort out reach ...
  • drlodge
    drlodge Posts: 4,826
    From that picture I wouldn't say that your stem is too long, rotating the bars up a little may help.

    This ----^ Either rotate your bars or move the shifters higher up so that the "horizontal" portion where you rest your hands is slightly inclined upwards towards the front.

    Moving your saddle fore/aft is not the answer, saddle position fore/aft is dependent on your leg length and nothing to do with the position of the bars.
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  • Thanks for all the replies. I have rotated bars downwards as was suggested by itsnotarace as they are traditional bars and then adjusted the shifters accordingly. With regards to saddle position - it feels ok to me and I have played around with this before. Hopefully I will get out for a longish ride this Sunday to test it all out.
  • macp
    macp Posts: 94
    Im in almost exactly the same situation with shoulder pain.My bike is also a 57 and I am 6ft too.I have done the following.

    Lowered seat height
    Moved seat forward
    Rotated bars upwards

    The stem length on mine is 115mm

    Now this seems to have stopped the shoulder pain but the drops are now at a ridiculous angle in my opinion (see my thread below.Good luck with your setup I will keep an eye on your thread.

    http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=40011&t=12972613