In agony...Bike setup

justin1978

Hi guys,
ive got a bit of a dilemma,basicly I brought a second hand full sus xc bike and after doing a couple of 10 mile rides ive come to conclusion that the front of the bike is too low.

If I put the seat up to the correct position for pedalling the im hunched right over the front wheel and if I stand up to pedal im right over the front wheel which is hurting my back and legs.If I have the seat in a position where I don't feel im going to go over the bars my legs start to hurt after about 5 mins of riding.

Theres not enough steerer tube for me to add any more spacers and I already have a stem with a rise angle that I don't want to go above.

Apart from new forks what else can I do as im seriously on the verge of selling it.

By the way the bike has been custom built for the prevous owner and im not sure what frame it is but heres a link

http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=10002&t=12974705

Thanks for looking

njee20

Is it actually the right size? Doesn't sound like it.

rockmonkeysc

How tall are you and what size frame? Or do you have a photo of you on it?
It's unlikely to be the height of the front end. It's not uncommon to see mountain bikes with the saddle 6" higher than the bars. It could be the length of the bike causing you problems.

justin1978

im about 5 foot 11 so I don't think im that big for the frame.

A mate of mine who I go riding with has a 16 inch Carrera frame and I rode that for a few miles and im fine on it but he does have a higher front end.

Maybe the bike is too short?

Its got a 100m stem on it already so theres not a stem that would make a huge difference to the riding length

kajjal

To setup a bike :-

First set the saddle height so when the pedal is at the lowest position with your heel on it make sure your leg is locked out. Then when you put your foot in the normal pedalling position and your knee will be slightly bent.

Next read up about KOPS and use it to get your saddle in the right fore / aft position. If you use flat pedals you may need it a little further forward. KOPS is only a starting guide and make sure your saddle is level, not pointing up or down.

Next measure the drop from your saddle vertically down to your handle bars. While road bikers can have this set to several inches most mountain bikers only go for an inch or two at most. To reduce the reach and raise the bars flip the stem to the upright position and put the spacers underneath the stem as per the manufacturers recommendation. If the bars are still too low / too far away unless you have very short arms or a unusually short low angled stem the bike is likely too small for you. You can try a more upright stem longer / shorter as required but after a point this affects the handling of the bike.

Sounds like the bike is the wrong size or style for your needs , a photo would help.

Wigster

It looks like a semi dirt-jump style/sizing to me? Of which you'll never get a super high seat position.

justin1978

Kajjal wrote:

To setup a bike :-

First set the saddle height so when the pedal is at the lowest position with your heel on it make sure your leg is locked out. Then when you put your foot in the normal pedalling position and your knee will be slightly bent.

Next read up about KOPS and use it to get your saddle in the right fore / aft position. If you use flat pedals you may need it a little further forward. KOPS is only a starting guide and make sure your saddle is level, not pointing up or down.

Next measure the drop from your saddle vertically down to your handle bars. While road bikers can have this set to several inches most mountain bikers only go for an inch or two at most. To reduce the reach and raise the bars flip the stem to the upright position and put the spacers underneath the stem as per the manufacturers recommendation. If the bars are still too low / too far away unless you have very short arms or a unusually short low angled stem the bike is likely too small for you. You can try a more upright stem longer / shorter as required but after a point this affects the handling of the bike.

Sounds like the bike is the wrong size or style for your needs , a photo would help.

Thanks for the advice

I think the bike maybe to small,too short to be exact.

To get the correct leg position for me the seat post is higher than probably it should be and im hanging over the front wheel.The handling is bad aswell,lots of twitchy turns and felt like the bike will go from under me.

The bike was built by the prevous owner and although the spec isn't bad I don't think the frame was meant for the set up.

IM gutted to be honest because I was looking forward to some nice long rides in the sun but the bike is so uncomfortable 1 mil feels like 20.

justin1978

Wigster wrote:

It looks like a semi dirt-jump style/sizing to me? Of which you'll never get a super high seat position.

Its a full sus with a rockshox sid rear shock so more xc than anything

The Rookie

Get us a picture of the bike, side on, with you on it as a starter.

You can lengthen the cockpit using a setback seatpost if you have an inline now (or vice versa), you can use riser bars to lift the grip section.

Measure the cockpit length from steerer to saddle clamp on your friends Carrera verses your bike - also the drop from saddle to grips (measure both to the ground and take one from the other) it shouldn't be impossible to replicate it on your bike, but 16" (small) sounds very small for someone of 5'11" (Mine is a 16" and I'm 5'9").

kajjal

justin1978 wrote:

Kajjal wrote:

To setup a bike :-

First set the saddle height so when the pedal is at the lowest position with your heel on it make sure your leg is locked out. Then when you put your foot in the normal pedalling position and your knee will be slightly bent.

Next read up about KOPS and use it to get your saddle in the right fore / aft position. If you use flat pedals you may need it a little further forward. KOPS is only a starting guide and make sure your saddle is level, not pointing up or down.

Next measure the drop from your saddle vertically down to your handle bars. While road bikers can have this set to several inches most mountain bikers only go for an inch or two at most. To reduce the reach and raise the bars flip the stem to the upright position and put the spacers underneath the stem as per the manufacturers recommendation. If the bars are still too low / too far away unless you have very short arms or a unusually short low angled stem the bike is likely too small for you. You can try a more upright stem longer / shorter as required but after a point this affects the handling of the bike.

Sounds like the bike is the wrong size or style for your needs , a photo would help.

Thanks for the advice

I think the bike maybe to small,too short to be exact.

To get the correct leg position for me the seat post is higher than probably it should be and im hanging over the front wheel.The handling is bad aswell,lots of twitchy turns and felt like the bike will go from under me.

The bike was built by the prevous owner and although the spec isn't bad I don't think the frame was meant for the set up.

IM gutted to be honest because I was looking forward to some nice long rides in the sun but the bike is so uncomfortable 1 mil feels like 20.

Unfortunately I think you are right , best to change it for a bike that fits you so you can enjoy your riding.

felix.london

I'm 5'11" (and a half ) and I wouldn't go near a 16" bike without at least sitting on it first and even then I'd be pretty certain it'd be too small for me.

You probably wanna be looking at 18-20" bikes or M/L bikes. Sell it, get something that fits

The Rookie

The 16" is his friends bike, not his, I can't see anywhere were he says the size of his own frame.

CitizenLee

Here's his bike...

viewtopic.php?f=10002&t=12974705

Higher rise bars might help?

The front end on my gf's Scott Voltage was too low originally but a set of 3" rise Blk Mrkt Bada Boom bars sorted it out.