Boardman ht comp 650b and an unfit rider.. Working on both.

StinkinHippy

Hi folks, long time reader, first time poster. (From memory)

Just getting back into riding after an almost 2 year break.. The scales were sat at the wrong side of 17.5 stone again, and cycling really is the only exercise I enjoy.

Just picked up a 16 inch boardman hard tail from the trained chimps at halfords (though they were dead set on me needing an 18.. Test ride was extremely unsettled on an 18) but don't plan on ever taking it back there, already picked which lbs I will most likely be giving further monies too.

Couple of the regular type of questions really, couldn't find results specific to my particular bike, so sorry if the information is buried within other threads.

Firstly the suntour raidons.. They're by far the nicest forks I've ever had on a bike, but I get that really isn't saying much compared to other forks out there. My riding is mostly canal paths and the occasional single track through the local woods, so have no issues with the forks at the minute, but intend to start doing the likes of the Malvern hills and Cannock chase (FTD) as my fitness levels and weight increase and decrease respectively. At what point are the forks likely to start really ruining my experience and what are the usually recommended upgrades when it comes to 120-130mm travel for xc style riding?

When it comes to pedals I've always used dmr previously (easily sourced from my old LBS) but always found that they got a bit creaky quite quickly.. I've seen nukeproof recommended round the forums and was wondering if they are as 'fit and forget' as the name would suggest?

Finally we come to the brakes.. My first hydraulics in the form of avid DB1's.. Are these really any good or should I be looking to find a set of deore's or something similar as an upgrade, and what's the honest difference in better (more expensive) systems?

Sorry for the text mountain and thanks for any/all help

kyle17290

The raidons are a decent fork, they will be more than fine for trail centres etc.
As for pedals, various offerings from nukeproof and superstar etc are a good place to start.
I dont have much experience with the db1's but the deores are a solid piece of kit.

The Rookie

Just ride with the Raidons until you really feel they are no longer doing what you need, they are a perfectly competant fork and come on many well rated bikes.

The DB1's are Avids attempt to shake off the bad rep of the older brakes, reports so far are positive so I'd stick with them for now.

esa2

What height and inside leg are you? Im just curious about the size disagreement. You being unstable couldve just been down to having not been on a bike for 2 years and youve ended up getting a bike thats too small for you.

StinkinHippy

5' 10 with an inside leg somewhere between 28 and 30 I'd guess.

Put bluntly, on the 18 frame, when stood over the frame I had ZERO clearance.. I was squashing my gentlemans area and extremely uncomfortable. The guy in halfords was trying to convince me to size up to a 19 inch frame at one point, so i suspect he was just a clueless idiot.

The 16 frame felt instantly more comfortable from the first second of riding, feels more planted in the corners, feels like I'm riding the bike as opposed to just sitting atop it. Since I plan on riding it off-road the 18 didn't seem like a good idea at all.. Had my intentions been to ride road only then the 18 may have made sense, but the bike wouldn't of.

The Rookie

Standover clearance shouldnt be used as a measure of whether a bike is the right size or not.

I used to use a 16" and now have an 18" (different bikes but the new frame has an effective top tube length 25mm longer than the old) and it fits me better and I feel more confident riding it.

18"+circa 12.5" BB height less circa 2" above the TT CL to top of seat tube means an inside leg of 28" would be dangling the CJ's on the tube, pretty normal.

StinkinHippy

Perhaps I over emphasised the clearance issue, it's really not a massive amount of difference with the 16.. But I can stand with the bike upright between my legs.

The main concern was just that I didn't feel like I was riding the 18 as opposed to just being on it... These bikes don't ever allow the saddle to sit on the top tube, the frame is curved below the saddle so that the saddle sits a few inches above the frame as a bare minimum, which left me feeling ridiculously high in the air with a high centre of gravity. Hoping photo bucket works so I can add a couple of pics. First being my riding saddle height, second being the minimum. Again this is on a 16.






Again, I know that shouldn't be a real deciding factor (should it?) but the 16 inch frame really doesn't feel too small.. I feel a little too far forwards stood up on steep climbs, but that could just be because I haven't rode in so long, it's getting less each ride. But for stability and comfort everywhere else, it's really on point. I don't feel at all squashed into the bike when I'm in the saddle or stood up on anything except the steepest uphills.

The Rookie

As the BB height is the same and as your leg length is the same you will be sat at the same height on both frame sizes surely?

Feeling too far forwards ona steep climb suggest the frame is too short (small) height is pretty irrelevant as you have a massive adjustment in the seatpost, it's the length that matters.

StinkinHippy

I see your point. I just don't know how else to explain the unsettled feeling on the bigger bike. The lack of perceived grip cornering in comparison to the on rails feeling of the smaller one.

Could this be a side effect of frame length?

cooldad

If it feels good just ride it.

StinkinHippy

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19682887#p19682887]cooldad[/url] wrote:

If it feels good just ride it.

That's my current working theory, lol

Do think I need to do something about fork pressures though.. They seem really stiff still. Not that I've given them too much reason to loosen up over the first 200 or so miles

esa2

Looks to me from where that saddle is that the frame is too small for you. Saddle looks low aswell though Im used to having my saddles around the same height as the handle bars. Newbies(and I still consider myself that) can be guilty of having the saddle too low as they feel safer but that ends up making pedalling hard work as you cant fully extend the leg. A simple to guide to height is sitting on the saddle, pedal pointing down and your knee just short of being fully extended, Feeling too high can be a bit disconcerting when youre starting out but I suggest thats where you need to be.

StinkinHippy

I'm not too sure on saddle height.. Still messing with it to find the most comfortable combinations of positions. Has come forwards a little for this mornings ride.. Was only back that far as I was figuring out what was hurting my butt.. Turns out is was saddle angle not position in the rails. I actually sat it back down slightly for this mornings ride too, as I'd really messed my knee up the last ride, which I suspect was through over-extension. Will be seeing how I get on over the next few rides.

I'm aware of the suggestion that knees should be a little off straight at full extension and that is where I had it sat in the first of two posted pictures.

coulddobetter

I would make small adjustments one at at a time to asses how they affect feel. Same with fork pressures , check sag rather than recommended pressures.find a favourite bit of trail and keep riding it . Small adjustments can make quite a difference. I've been more than happy with avid brakes though did put a larger disc up front as I got quicker .

StinkinHippy

Lol, think I'm a long way off needing a bigger rotor. Not really going down hill to be fair.. Unless locks on the canal path counts?

buddy_club

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19684499#p19684499]esa2[/url] wrote:

Looks to me from where that saddle is that the frame is too small for you. Saddle looks low aswell though Im used to having my saddles around the same height as the handle bars. Newbies(and I still consider myself that) can be guilty of having the saddle too low as they feel safer but that ends up making pedalling hard work as you cant fully extend the leg. A simple to guide to height is sitting on the saddle, pedal pointing down and your knee just short of being fully extended, Feeling too high can be a bit disconcerting when youre starting out but I suggest thats where you need to be.

Surely if the saddle was low then it would suggest the frame is too big? If the saddle was extremely high that would suggest the frame is too small.

esa2

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19685153#p19685153]buddy_club[/url] wrote:

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19684499#p19684499]esa2[/url] wrote:

Looks to me from where that saddle is that the frame is too small for you. Saddle looks low aswell though Im used to having my saddles around the same height as the handle bars. Newbies(and I still consider myself that) can be guilty of having the saddle too low as they feel safer but that ends up making pedalling hard work as you cant fully extend the leg. A simple to guide to height is sitting on the saddle, pedal pointing down and your knee just short of being fully extended, Feeling too high can be a bit disconcerting when youre starting out but I suggest thats where you need to be.

Surely if the saddle was low then it would suggest the frame is too big? If the saddle was extremely high that would suggest the frame is too small.

It's difficult for us to tell for sure without actually having pictures of the OP sitting on the bike but its sounding to me like he just doesn't feel confident sitting upright on the bike and is sizing everything down

buddy_club

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19685159#p19685159]esa2[/url] wrote:

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19685153#p19685153]buddy_club[/url] wrote:

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19684499#p19684499]esa2[/url] wrote:

Looks to me from where that saddle is that the frame is too small for you. Saddle looks low aswell though Im used to having my saddles around the same height as the handle bars. Newbies(and I still consider myself that) can be guilty of having the saddle too low as they feel safer but that ends up making pedalling hard work as you cant fully extend the leg. A simple to guide to height is sitting on the saddle, pedal pointing down and your knee just short of being fully extended, Feeling too high can be a bit disconcerting when youre starting out but I suggest thats where you need to be.

Surely if the saddle was low then it would suggest the frame is too big? If the saddle was extremely high that would suggest the frame is too small.

It's difficult for us to tell for sure without actually having pictures of the OP sitting on the bike but its sounding to me like he just doesn't feel confident sitting upright on the bike and is sizing everything down

Ah okay, but if he needs to have the saddle that low to get a good pedal position then the bike may well be too big.

StinkinHippy

Been thinking about the slight odd feeling when climbing and the comment someone made about handlebars and saddle being in line more..

Given the stack of spacers underneath my stem, there's room to lower the bars some, which to my thinking would extend my reach a little when stood up which should counteract the bars feeling too close perhaps?

StinkinHippy

So I think we can put the size debate to rest. After making a final adjustment to saddle angle and heading out for a 27 miler this morning I'm pretty sure I have it cracked, including the climbing position. (Turns out that was rider error and poor form/positioning)

While the frame size may not be the 'Perfect fit' I went the whole ride with no trouble from my dud knees (thanks grandad) no pull on my right shoulder (used it instead of my face to hit a tree a couple years back) and no worries from my lower back (drinking incident and a whole other story). Oh and no pain in the rear end either