Riding position...

2

Comments

  • Mr OCD
    Mr OCD Posts: 382
    cooldad wrote:
    Mr OCD wrote:
    cooldad wrote:
    Is that onboard TV?

    Yep... iPhone :lol::lol::lol:

    Isn't there an app for sizing bikes.

    Probably... :lol:
    2009 Carrera Fury
  • Mr OCD
    Mr OCD Posts: 382
    It does look like you stole it from your girlfriend, or a child. The bike looks far too short (front to back) as well as too small.
    With that in mind, I have absolutely no idea how you are ending up with sore arms, since logic would suggest you are dam well near upright on it.

    Nah ... no where near upright ... I'm leaning forward over the bars ... I will take some more pictures later this evening with me on it :)
    2009 Carrera Fury
  • Mr OCD
    Mr OCD Posts: 382
    Ok got the Wife to take a pic with me on bike in riding position:

    e2b95373.jpg

    :lol:
    2009 Carrera Fury
  • warpcow
    warpcow Posts: 1,448
    Ok, so the bike may be too small (short in length, perhaps not height for you) and really shouldn't cause the issue you're having, as mcgee has said.

    Could it actually be the fork causing the problem? If you have the rebound set too fast, it can cause a jarring sensation in your hands and wrists. Too slow and it'll pack down losing its ability to soak up consecutive hits.
  • Mr OCD
    Mr OCD Posts: 382
    Ok you mean the top tube could be longer?

    Since I have moved seat back it feels better but still a little discomfort in my wrists/lower arms which goes as soon as take weight off them...

    Good call on forks have been messing about with the settings so will have a look.

    Not entirely sure what else could be the issue... Could just be training needed?

    I do have access to an 18" frame free (Carrera ultimate) but like said it felt massive to me...

    Trouble is I haven't been on an MTB until Xmas in over 15yrs so it could just be me.
    2009 Carrera Fury
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    Bike is too small. Your position should not be causing any arm strain. MTFU and go do some pressups or something. :lol:
  • Jack 123
    Jack 123 Posts: 118
    Yeah that bike looks small what size is it ?
  • Mr OCD
    Mr OCD Posts: 382
    Ok so why is bike too small?

    As I said upper core strength is not a problem... ;)

    I'm wondering if it's all down to motorbike riding / racing where I'm used to putting all my weight through my legs / stomach so that my upper body is light for easy of movement.

    On the MTB it feels as though all my weight is being pushed through my arms as I don't know how to support myself correctly. Should my weight be going through my legs / pedals? Perhaps I have bad posture on the bike?

    Worthwhile doing some training perhaps?
    2009 Carrera Fury
  • Mr OCD
    Mr OCD Posts: 382
    Jack 123 wrote:
    Yeah that bike looks small what size is it ?

    It's a 16" Fury...
    2009 Carrera Fury
  • cooldad
    cooldad Posts: 32,599
    Most of your weight should be taken by your legs/ backside. Your grip on the bars should be for control only. (Obviously there are times you need to push into corners, take braking strain etc)
    I don't do smileys.

    There is no secret ingredient - Kung Fu Panda

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    Parktools
  • Jack 123
    Jack 123 Posts: 118
    Thats a small you should have a medium or large thats the problem you are probably to tall for the bike. That bike looks small for you I am 6ft and I take a large you have a small
  • popstar
    popstar Posts: 1,392
    That bike does look small. I imagine if OP rides day epics would get pains in lower back due to awkward position and inability to stretch out into comfortable riding position.
    Looking at photo OP is seriously cramped into chimp mode, straight awkwardly stretched out arms pushing weight over the bars recipe for overloading all group muscles not only of wrists but hands and shoulders. OP don't joke yourself with assurances as if the fit is fine, cuz it's not. The bike is way too short.

    Talking about wrist pain etc, most probably that certain group muscle isn't used to stress which MTB brings but then there are many factors to think about. Backsweep angle of bars does make big difference (carnieges from ragley etc even as they look hippy they do have their purpose exactly for that reason), OP ask your riding buddies to swap bikes and see if bigger size is more comfortable to ride.

    As for your -balls issue- if you always think about balls brush on TT, most probably you will. I personally saddle my bike up by leaning it first the same as I jump off it.
    What could have been (Video)

    I'll choose not put too much stake into someone's opinion who is admittingly terrible though
  • Bar Shaker
    Bar Shaker Posts: 2,313
    Sizemybike is the iPhone app.

    It's quite good too.
    Boardman Elite SLR 9.2S
    Boardman FS Pro
  • Mr OCD
    Mr OCD Posts: 382
    Thanks for the feedback guys. Appreciated.

    Just annoying that I spent a lot of time researching before buying this bike and even on here I was told to buy what feels / fits right and to me the 16" Carrera felt perfect ...

    In the short term I will have to make do and try and turn the bars to give me more room but I will starting looking at re-frames... but looking around this isnt a cheap option and I might be better off buying a new bike! :shock:
    2009 Carrera Fury
  • cavegiant
    cavegiant Posts: 1,546
    If it feels perfect, then do not worry about the size, the size is not your complain here.

    Can you go in to detail here why exactly do you think there is too much weight on your arms, what hurts, what you want to improve.

    I think the sitting position looks fine, should not be stressing your body.

    e.g. if there is too much weight on your wrists and they are hurting, that is more likely bar angle/sweep/grips to fix.
    Why would I care about 150g of bike weight, I just ate 400g of cookies while reading this?
  • Mr OCD
    Mr OCD Posts: 382
    cavegiant wrote:
    If it feels perfect, then do not worry about the size, the size is not your complain here.

    Can you go in to detail here why exactly do you think there is too much weight on your arms, what hurts, what you want to improve.

    I think the sitting position looks fine, should not be stressing your body.

    e.g. if there is too much weight on your wrists and they are hurting, that is more likely bar angle/sweep/grips to fix.

    Ok thanks...

    It feels as though I'm leaning too heavily on my wrists which is causing mild discomfort... hence assuming there is too much weight pushing down on my arms. It feels as though my whole body weight is being pushed through the bars if that makes sense although I dont seem to be leaning forward too much from the picture.

    My bike also has flat bars ... is it worth turning these or trying a riser / wider bar?

    My mate has some bars off his Carrera ultimate I could borrow to try but no idea if they are the same / different to mine.
    2009 Carrera Fury
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    How can it feel "right" if you're complaining about it?
    You're really starting to test my patience, so I'll leave you to this bizarre forum love-in that's going on.
    So many Muppets here it's like the Jim Henson workshop.
  • Mr OCD
    Mr OCD Posts: 382
    How can it feel "right" if you're complaining about it?
    You're really starting to test my patience, so I'll leave you to this bizarre forum love-in that's going on.
    So many Muppets here it's like the Jim Henson workshop.

    I meant when riding on trail / DH... so lose the attitude and wind your neck in ... if you have nothing more constructive to add then jog on. :roll:
    2009 Carrera Fury
  • Mr OCD
    Mr OCD Posts: 382
    Bar Shaker wrote:
    Sizemybike is the iPhone app.

    It's quite good too.

    Cheers... just downloaded that and will sort tonight.
    2009 Carrera Fury
  • warpcow
    warpcow Posts: 1,448
    I think popstar is right on the money. With the bike being too short for someone of your size, it just puts your arms in an unnatural/awkward position. That's assuming you don't ride around constantly with a death-grip on the bars too. Some of it probably could be made better with a change of bars and stem, maybe even some Ergon grips, but that's a pretty small window for tuning out what sounds like a pretty big problem. Definitely try out a riser bar; the wider the better probably, without getting ridiculous. The only problem there is that a wider bar should be mated to a shorter stem, which isn't exactly what you're looking for just now.

    Then again, for the price of a half-decent new cockpit you could just bite the bullet and buy an Inbred or something (okay, perhaps a bit more than a decent cockpit). Then of course you might need to purchase tools and new cables, etc for the transfer.
  • Mr OCD
    Mr OCD Posts: 382
    warpcow wrote:
    I think popstar is right on the money. With the bike being too short for someone of your size, it just puts your arms in an unnatural/awkward position. That's assuming you don't ride around constantly with a death-grip on the bars too. Some of it probably could be made better with a change of bars and stem, maybe even some Ergon grips, but that's a pretty small window for tuning out what sounds like a pretty big problem. Definitely try out a riser bar; the wider the better probably, without getting ridiculous. The only problem there is that a wider bar should be mated to a shorter stem, which isn't exactly what you're looking for just now.

    Then again, for the price of a half-decent new cockpit you could just bite the bullet and buy an Inbred or something (okay, perhaps a bit more than a decent cockpit). Then of course you might need to purchase tools and new cables, etc for the transfer.

    Ok thanks. I should say its not MASSIVE discomfort ... just a little which was felt when out all day on the bike at Gisburn but obviously I should be as comfortable as possible on the bike which I dont think is the case.

    I agree it seems as though the top tube is too short so a re-frame will be on the cards but not just yet. But I will try a change of bars / stem in the short term to see if that helps as I really do like the bike.

    Any recommendations for bars / stem?

    Thanks for your help 8)
    2009 Carrera Fury
  • Mr OCD
    Mr OCD Posts: 382
    Ok these are the bars on it (sorry for crap photo) ... they look like a mid rise?

    mtb3.jpg
    2009 Carrera Fury
  • popstar
    popstar Posts: 1,392
    In your case go for -more backsweep- angle bars, at least no less than 9* and riser on your discression. Seriously though, I ride my wife's bike which is medium and my hands do get tired just cause of cramped position while when I ride my FS there is no discomfort at all due to bigger/better fit.

    On that small frame you just sit unnaturaly, all stretched out arms pushing over the bars will create extra stress over any bump which in turn will fatique your muscles fast. While you ride trails there should be bent angle in your wrists and elbows. Once you have a better riding position then your arms will supress all hits plus suspension will help as well = less arm pump.

    If you have flat bars with no backsweep that is very aerodynamic racy set up which isn't needed for MTB.

    Experiment on trail with better riding position, chit chat with your friends and see how it goes.
    What could have been (Video)

    I'll choose not put too much stake into someone's opinion who is admittingly terrible though
  • Mr OCD
    Mr OCD Posts: 382
    popstar wrote:
    In your case go for -more backsweep- angle bars, at least no less than 9* and riser on your discression. Seriously though, I ride my wife's bike which is medium and my hands do get tired just cause of cramped position while when I ride my FS there is no discomfort at all due to bigger/better fit.

    On that small frame you just sit unnaturaly, all stretched out arms pushing over the bars will create extra stress over any bump which in turn will fatique your muscles fast. While you ride trails there should be bent angle in your wrists and elbows. Once you have a better riding position then your arms will supress all hits plus suspension will help as well = less arm pump.

    If you have flat bars with no backsweep that is very aerodynamic racy set up which isn't needed for MTB.

    Experiment on trail with better riding position, chit chat with your friends and see how it goes.

    More backsweep handlebars? - Sorry I'm new to this ... you mean bars that come back towards me? - is it worth changing the angle of the current bars by rotating slightly?

    What does 9* mean? :oops:

    I'm not disagreeing but at present I have to make do for a month or so unless I use a mates Carrera Ultimate frame ... BUT I do prefer the look of my Fury frame :lol:

    I'm happy to re-frame in a month or so (probably ragley mmmbop or similar) but for now I need to make myself as comfortable as possible ...
    2009 Carrera Fury
  • warpcow
    warpcow Posts: 1,448
    Mr OCD wrote:
    More backsweep handlebars? - Sorry I'm new to this ... you mean bars that come back towards me? - is it worth changing the angle of the current bars by rotating slightly?

    What does 9* mean? :oops:

    Rotating your bars will achieve nothing, even if it looks different. Popstar means something like these:

    ragley_carnegies_2_l.jpg

    Any bar with a sweep of greater than 9 degrees. The ones in the pic are Ragley Carnegies. Then there are quite a few others in various price ranges and shapes from On One, Titec, Ritchey, etc. There are also less extreme versions. They tend to have no rise, but be wide and back-swept by about 10-11 degrees.
  • Mr OCD
    Mr OCD Posts: 382
    warpcow wrote:
    Mr OCD wrote:
    More backsweep handlebars? - Sorry I'm new to this ... you mean bars that come back towards me? - is it worth changing the angle of the current bars by rotating slightly?

    What does 9* mean? :oops:

    Rotating your bars will achieve nothing, even if it looks different. Popstar means something like these:

    ragley_carnegies_2_l.jpg

    Any bar with a sweep of greater than 9 degrees. The ones in the pic are Ragley Carnegies. Then there are quite a few others in various price ranges and shapes from On One, Titec, Ritchey, etc. There are also less extreme versions. They tend to have no rise, but be wide and back-swept by about 10-11 degrees.

    Ok thanks 8)
    2009 Carrera Fury
  • Interesting, as a begineer I thought wow that is too small for 5 11" and then I saw the comment re upper body strength and wink. Then followed a pic and I am sure I am not the only one who saw something totally different than they expected.
    Maybe the camera to blame?

    I am comfy on my bike and it would probably be classed as too high - 19" Spec rock and I am around 5 11", I am more bothered about my pedalling technique e.t.c must get out much more over the next few months.
  • Mr OCD
    Mr OCD Posts: 382
    TowerRider wrote:
    Interesting, as a begineer I thought wow that is too small for 5 11" and then I saw the comment re upper body strength and wink. Then followed a pic and I am sure I am not the only one who saw something totally different than they expected.
    Maybe the camera to blame?

    I am comfy on my bike and it would probably be classed as too high - 19" Spec rock and I am around 5 11", I am more bothered about my pedalling technique e.t.c must get out much more over the next few months.

    :lol: good job I have a sense of humour ... :lol:

    Anyway the bike will be re-framed soon... in the meantime it will wait.
    2009 Carrera Fury
  • Mr OCD
    Mr OCD Posts: 382
    Just been in garage looking at the bike and I noticed when looking at the bike from the side that the bars are pointing down and back. So I loosened off the stem and rotated them so they are just above level and re-aligned the brake levers and gearshifts... They are mid rise bars so no idea why they were pointing down as effectively they were reducing the rise?

    Speaking to a friend of mine he reckoned the seat post was still too low so that has been risen and pushes back on the rails.

    Just been out and it has made a massive difference!

    Obviously I still need a bigger frame but in the meantime the bike is much more comfortable and I seem to have more room as well.

    I also measured the top tube which is 55-56cm which isn't too far off... I should be on a 58cm apparently but not a massive deal ATM.

    Big ride out Saturday so will see how I get on... Thanks for all the help.
    2009 Carrera Fury
  • Dan_xz
    Dan_xz Posts: 130
    Bike looks too short to me. In the sitting pic your lower back is crimped up because fo the sort top tube.
    Because of this the bend is your back is too high and sharp and so your shoulders are higher than they would be on a longer frame where you would have a more smooth bend starting from the hips. This is why your arms are stretched and your weight is pulling down and back on your wrists, putting pressure on the joints.
    It's as if your body has been split two from the bend in your back, eveything forward of the bend is being supported only by your arms. You will probably get a bad back after long rides too, as your back muscles are permanently tensed to keep you in that shape.

    Basically your body is trying to compensate for the frame size, it might feel right but only because your back is contorting to make it so.

    I did exactly the same thing in trying to get a 'chuckable' bike, but ultimately you can't deny your physique. If that bike fits you then what size would a 5'9" guy ride? or 5'6"? I haven't seen many 12" frames around just lately!! :?