vintage bike handlebar setting?

vinci147

I have a kind of bike fitting question but considering old, classic bike. I am 178 cm height and I have 84 inseam length and the frame on my bike (it's from the late 70's) c-t is 57 (c-c 56) and the lenght of the top tube is 57 cm. The thing is when I ride on the tops or on the drops it feels all right and comfortable and I don;t have the feeling that the bike is too big for me. But when I ride on the hoods I have he feeling that I have to reach too far and I feel like dropping on them. That is my natural feeling. I think I need about a 1-2 centimeters to feel comfortably - this when I grab handlebar a bit before the hoods.

What should I do? I've moved the handlebar a bit up (by rotating it not lifting the whole handlebar) and it is a bit better but not good for sure. Should I move Weinmanns levers up? Or maybe the frame is just too big, too long base?

Thanks for the reply!

pinno

Do you need a shorter stem? Riding on the hoods for so much of the time you are on the bike is quite a modern thing. Modern levers allow for a much higher position on the bars and bars are sculpted to accommodate that (which you probably knew anyway). However, I have Cinelli Criterium bars on both my 'modern' bikes but that is with modern levers and i'm hardly ever on the drops.

Very bent elbows!:







The whole riding position was so much different to today.

vinci147

The stem is very short already and riding in the hoods or tops feels great. I think that is the case - different position etc. When I climb or ride in more aero position I have bent elbows and riding in the hoods is nice but in casual riding, more upright position my hands lay on the ramps naturally, just before the hoods, which is (looking at old photos, Merkcx's too) I've noticed standard riding position in old bikes (upt to 80's I think) besides the tops and the drops. So now I am riding this way, changing position to drops and tops from time to time and it's ok.

But basically yes, it is different as you said. Thanks for the info, now I am sure, hearing from more experienced rider!

pinno

vinci147 wrote:

...hearing from more experienced rider!

What yer sayin' like!?

Matthewfalle

Pinno wrote:

vinci147 wrote:

...hearing from more experienced rider!

What yer sayin' like!?

that you are old.

pinno

Matthewfalle wrote:

Pinno wrote:

vinci147 wrote:

...hearing from more experienced rider!

What yer sayin' like!?

that you are old.

Who rattled your cage?

Matthewfalle

one of the MFs (not sure which one) was bored and got fractious.

pinno

More importantly, where is vintage handlebar setting bloke?

Matthewfalle

we here think that as you correctly and succintly answered his question he's buggerred orf to ride his bike and drink wine.

your work here is done.

vinci147

Here I am!

And yeah, you answered my question and I was riding my bike, although drinking beer, not wine

By experienced I meant knowledge, of course!

Thanks for the advices again!

pinno

vinci147 wrote:

Here I am!

And yeah, you answered my question and I was riding my bike, although drinking beer, not wine

By experienced I meant knowledge, of course!

Thanks for the advices again!

Beer is good. Have you bumped into 'Belgianbeergeek'? We can't find him.

Matthewfalle

#prayforBBG