First ride.

solidsneek

So took a punt on a BTWIN 500SE Triban today and cause of the price (£60) I didn’t check it over rides fine but Iv never road ridden before it’s a 54” frame I think and my back feels hunched over and uncomfortable. I am 5’11-12 max. It was such a weird ride couldn’t gear properly and every bump hurt

daniel_b

£60 is a very good deal for what was a £300 bike with carbon forks.

It will be a 54cm frame, not inches though, and as you have already established is likely too small for you.
You could attempt to modify it by popping a longer stem on, stock is likely 100mm, but you can pick them up second hand or new sometimes for £10-£20, I just bought a new Hoy 110mm one the other day for £8.50.

If yours is 100mm, then you might want to try something between a 120-140 one.

You could theoretically also slide the saddle back on the rails a bit.

Best route might be to sell it, and find one that fits though, likely a 56/7/8cm frame.

solidsneek

Thanks man. And yeah 54CM don’t get me wrong I wasn’t in pain but I just felt low I think my seat is roughly right and when I extend my leg is slightly bent still. Can’t raise the handle bars any more unless they make a longer middle bolt.

daniel_b

The 500 is more of a 'racing' bike than some, but technically on most road bikes you are meant to be lower at the front, ie bars below saddle, but this would be accentuated if it's too small for you.

Does the stem have all the spacers underneath it?
It's likely you can invert the stem, which will lift the front end a bit. If you are unsure, expect there are multiple videos on youtube of how to do it, should only take 5-10 minutes tops, and may make the difference.

Is the seatpost at max extension? It's no good if you can't extend your legs enough, again you could buy a longer (400mm for example) seatpost for not much lolly, but it could all be in vain.

BikerGroveish

A 54 isn’t far off what you need at your height. Get a bike fit done. That will give you a much better idea of where you’re at as far as the comfort goes.

solidsneek

Gonna try the small adjustments the seat extended and stem is a great idea I think if I was longer I’d feel fine. Plus it’s my first ever road ride it was an awful attempt couldn’t gear change and my road sense is awful even though I drive. I have a lot to learn lol.

jgsi

By the way stems have altered since your last bike.... you cannot pull bars up anymore with modern headsets by the middle bolt/allen nut.
Just in case you try, it will all fall to pieces.

solidsneek

Going to make the small adjustments to suit Tbh I am watching more and more videos and road biking just seems to be high at the back and low down and uncomfortable at the front when you first start out. It’s getting used to all the road changes and what not.

svetty

Always best to ride a bike for a while before making adjustments as you will adapt to some degree. Having said this I would imagine that a longer stem would help considerably.

solidsneek

Think it will just be a case of getting used to it and improving the saddle. Should my saddle be as high as possible surely that makes it harder to reach? I did enjoy the time I was on it just need to get used to the gearing and get a comfortable seat and attire.

BikerGroveish

solidsneek wrote:

Think it will just be a case of getting used to it and improving the saddle. Should my saddle be as high as possible surely that makes it harder to reach? I did enjoy the time I was on it just need to get used to the gearing and get a comfortable seat and attire.

A lot of it will be adjusting to the drop bar position and learning to ride with your hands on the hoods rather than in the drops all the time.

imposter2.0

solidsneek wrote:

Should my saddle be as high as possible surely that makes it harder to reach?

The saddle should not be 'as high as possible' - rather it should be 'the right height'. There are plenty of clips on YT which will explain how to set your saddle height. One of these should at least get you a good approximation.

solidsneek

Thanks guys - all this said I am really looking forward to getting in to it and even if the bike lasts me 3-6 months for £60 I am happy then I can look at advancing when I get more in to it. Thinking about signing up to the 75KM St mary hospice ride in april ride the reservoir.

daniel_b

For what it's worth, recalling my first ride on a road bike, it will feel pretty alien, twitchy and uncomfortable first time out, and even for a few times after that.

I used to have chronic back pain, AND bought a bike (2nd hand Felt F70) based on height which was too big for me - I eventually figured this out, and made it more workable with a 60mm stem (Opposite of your problem I guess!) and an inline seatpost - I also had the stem inverted.

Another thing to consider is handlebar width, and also to a lesser amount, reach and drop - my felt came with 44cm wide bars, where as now I am on 40cm ones - 44 was too wide for me, and made the stretch even further.

However over the years of riding, sorting my back out, gaining core strength, and becoming more flexible, I have now managed to get to a place where I have the stems in the 'correct' orientation on all of my bikes, including the Felt, and use setback seatposts - I'm also using longer stems than I used to, and have a plan to extend the stems on my Felt (my turbo bike) to stretch and extend me further over time - I'll see if that pans out or not!

solidsneek

Agree it felt weird! Every little bump I went over I felt ha ha.

I liked the feel of it though just couldn't gear.

DeVlaeminck

It's been mentioned above but flip the stem so it points more upwards. If that helps a longer stem maybe at a steeper angle will will get you longer and higher at the front.

BikerGroveish

DeVlaeminck wrote:

It's been mentioned above but flip the stem so it points more upwards. If that helps a longer stem maybe at a steeper angle will will get you longer and higher at the front.

Don’t do this. You’ll end up with a hard to control monstrosity. It might be superficially more comfortable but it will make for a nightmare handling bike.

imposter2.0

BikerGroveish wrote:

DeVlaeminck wrote:

It's been mentioned above but flip the stem so it points more upwards. If that helps a longer stem maybe at a steeper angle will will get you longer and higher at the front.

Don’t do this. You’ll end up with a hard to control monstrosity. It might be superficially more comfortable but it will make for a nightmare handling bike.

You're going to have to explain that one...

daniel_b

Imposter wrote:

BikerGroveish wrote:

DeVlaeminck wrote:

It's been mentioned above but flip the stem so it points more upwards. If that helps a longer stem maybe at a steeper angle will will get you longer and higher at the front.

Don’t do this. You’ll end up with a hard to control monstrosity. It might be superficially more comfortable but it will make for a nightmare handling bike.

You're going to have to explain that one...

lol, gotta love old preconceptions.

solidsneek

So did 10 Miles today around Wombourne and struggled towards the end legs and back were hurting still feels low to me. Enjoyed it though and got used to the gearing as well