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#11
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Too much weight on hands....
On Apr 6, 6:02 am, "Bob in CT" wrote:
On Thu, 05 Apr 2007 12:45:58 -0400, gds wrote: On Apr 5, 8:52 am, "Bob in CT" wrote: and I feel as if I keep pushing myself backward on my saddle. I have a new Brooks saddle that is pointed slightly downward (say, by one increment). I believe this is the set up I used to ride my racing bike for two centuries two years ago, in addition to a bunch of additional miles. I also rode last year, but sadly not much. I am not 100 percent sure that this is the exact set up I had been using two years ago, as a while ago, I went from a 130mm stem to a 110mm stem, but also installed a much wider (say, 2 inches) handle bar. I cannot remember when I did that. The original stem on my LeMond was 110mm. The Brooks saddle is back as far as it can go. When I ride, I feel as if I would like a longer stem (say, 120mm). I currently have a 130mm and a 110mm stem, so I could put on the 130mm stem, but I'd like to have some opinions as to what might cause too much weight on my hands and the feeling that I need to push myself backwards. I'm currently riding with my butt basically at the end of the saddle. Are too much weight on the hands/pushing backwards because of too short a stem, a saddle that's not parallel to the ground, a saddle that's not far enough back, or some combination of these? By the way, I googled "weight on hands fit bicycle" and found several websites. One said that too much weight on the hands was caused by too short a stem, while another said that the cause was too long a stem. So, now I'm confused, as it feels to me that the stem could be longer. If I put my hands on the ends of the hoods, for instance, I feel better. -- Bob in CT Seriously, it is really hard to diagnose and refit a bike on the web. If you really want to solve the problem without a whole lot of trial and error why not just go into a good bike shop and have the bike refit to you? If the fitter is good that process will take ~30 minutes. And, at least around here, if you are a regular customer some of the shops will do it for free; they figure you will be a better future customer and they probablu get to sell you some stuff to make the bike fit correct. You know, every time I've done this, they do a poor job. For instance, I went to one bike shop that used the "fit kit". I hated that position. Absolutely hated it. I pushed my saddle back, put the saddle down a tad, and put a longer stem on. That rocked! The fit kit was abysmal. -- Bob in CT- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - I think the key is that you need to find a competent fitter. Whether they se the formulaic Fit Kit, another system, or can do it simply by eyeballing you the key is competence. Where in Ct are you? I used to live in New Haven and if you are nearby I can recommend a very good fitter. Gary BTW I agree with the comments about leveling the saddle, but I still think it very hard to diagnose and prescribe off some text. You will do much better having someone actually do a fit. |
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#12
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Too much weight on hands....
On 2007-04-06, Mike Jacoubowsky wrote:
Level out the saddle. An even-slightly nose-down position on many, if not most saddles, will cause exactly what you describe. You get the feeling the stem's not long enough, too much pressure on the hands, and something you didn't mention but usually comes with it, tense shoulders & neck. The issue is that you're maintaining position on the saddle by pushing back from the bars with your hands. Serious bad news. You want a neutral position on the bike, where you expend zero energy being comfortable. No squirming around. Good info.. I went for a ride last weekend with my kids for the first time in a LONG time and found that my hands were bothing me as well as my shoulders.. It didn't used to do that last time I rode -- however, I recently changed out my seat from the stock seat and put a new one on.. Perhaps I've got an angle issue as well.. Unfortunately, that's only one issue I've got to solve with this bike -- I've got to do some serious PM on it -- way overdue. Thanks for the tip! I might take the bike in for fitting as well once it's cleaned up. |
#13
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Too much weight on hands....
On Apr 5, 11:25 pm, "Mike Jacoubowsky" wrote:
"Bob in CT" wrote in messagenews and I feel as if I keep pushing myself backward on my saddle. I have a new Brooks saddle that is pointed slightly downward (say, by one increment). I believe this is the set up I used to ride my racing bike for two centuries two years ago, in addition to a bunch of additional miles. I also rode last year, but sadly not much. I am not 100 percent sure that this is the exact set up I had been using two years ago, as a while ago, I went from a 130mm stem to a 110mm stem, but also installed a much wider (say, 2 inches) handle bar. I cannot remember when I did that. The original stem on my LeMond was 110mm. The Brooks saddle is back as far as it can go. When I ride, I feel as if I would like a longer stem (say, 120mm). I currently have a 130mm and a 110mm stem, so I could put on the 130mm stem, but I'd like to have some opinions as to what might cause too much weight on my hands and the feeling that I need to push myself backwards. I'm currently riding with my butt basically at the end of the saddle. Are too much weight on the hands/pushing backwards because of too short a stem, a saddle that's not parallel to the ground, a saddle that's not far enough back, or some combination of these? Level out the saddle. An even-slightly nose-down position on many, if not most saddles, will cause exactly what you describe. You get the feeling the stem's not long enough, too much pressure on the hands, and something you didn't mention but usually comes with it, tense shoulders & neck. The issue is that you're maintaining position on the saddle by pushing back from the bars with your hands. Serious bad news. You want a neutral position on the bike, where you expend zero energy being comfortable. No squirming around. We get customers coming into the shop all the time with nose-down saddles. First thing I ask them is if they're experiencing any neck or shoulder pain. They'll often get quite defensive, wondering why I'm bringing that up and in fact yes, they do experience such issues, how did I know? And I'll explain the mechanics of saddle positioning, work on why they think they need it nose-down (very often it's because the stem is too low rleative to the saddle, and sometimes too long as well, but height is more typically the reason... the larger drop is causing them to put too much pressure on the front of the saddle, so they "solve" the problem by dropping the nose). By the way, I googled "weight on hands fit bicycle" and found several websites. One said that too much weight on the hands was caused by too short a stem, while another said that the cause was too long a stem. So, now I'm confused, as it feels to me that the stem could be longer. If I put my hands on the ends of the hoods, for instance, I feel better. What size frame, how tall are you, and how much drop from the top of the seat to the top of the bars? --Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycleswww.ChainReactionBicycles.com Hi Mike, I'll take advantage of your questions here. I posted about a numbness problem in the, err, groin, two weeks ago. I had the saddle height lowered, and purchased a new, wider saddle with a shorter nose. The saddle nose is down a notch - level seems to put too much pressure on the you-know-what. There's no recurrence of the numbness problem below, but now I have pain in the shoulders and hands, and some numbness in one of my hands during a ride. I'm riding a Trek Navigator, 18 inch frame, with the handlebars in the highest position - I have scoliosis and need to remain as upright as possible. Any suggestions other than "don't ride" or "buy a bent"? :-) Neil http://historian2wheels.blogspot.com/ |
#14
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Too much weight on hands....
The Historian wrote: {snip}
... ... ... I posted about a numbness problem in the, err, groin, two weeks ago. I had the saddle height lowered, and purchased a new, wider saddle with a shorter nose. The saddle nose is down a notch - level seems to put too much pressure on the you-know-what. There's no recurrence of the numbness problem below, but now I have pain in the shoulders and hands, and some numbness in one of my hands during a ride. I'm riding a Trek Navigator, 18 inch frame, with the handlebars in the highest position - I have scoliosis and need to remain as upright as possible. Any suggestions other than "don't ride" or "buy a bent"? :-) Buy a slightly higher stem, but first try rotating the handlebar "up" a bit (raise the grip area with the rotation). Sounds like you're closing in on the right setup...for now! (It can change as you gain fitness and flexibility.) Keep at it. Bill S. |
#15
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Too much time on hands....
"Bill Sornson" wrote in message ... The Historian wrote: {snip} ... ... ... I posted about a numbness problem in the, err, groin, two weeks ago. I had the saddle height lowered, and purchased a new, wider saddle with a shorter nose. The saddle nose is down a notch - level seems to put too much pressure on the you-know-what. There's no recurrence of the numbness problem below, but now I have pain in the shoulders and hands, and some numbness in one of my hands during a ride. I'm riding a Trek Navigator, 18 inch frame, with the handlebars in the highest position - I have scoliosis and need to remain as upright as possible. Any suggestions other than "don't ride" or "buy a bent"? :-) Buy a slightly higher stem, but first try rotating the handlebar "up" a bit (raise the grip area with the rotation). Sounds like you're closing in on the right setup...for now! (It can change as you gain fitness and flexibility.) Keep at it. Bill S. |
#16
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Too much weight on hands....
I'll take advantage of your questions here. I posted about a numbness
problem in the, err, groin, two weeks ago. I had the saddle height lowered, and purchased a new, wider saddle with a shorter nose. The saddle nose is down a notch - level seems to put too much pressure on the you-know-what. There's no recurrence of the numbness problem below, but now I have pain in the shoulders and hands, and some numbness in one of my hands during a ride. I'm riding a Trek Navigator, 18 inch frame, with the handlebars in the highest position - I have scoliosis and need to remain as upright as possible. Any suggestions other than "don't ride" or "buy a bent"? :-) Your saddle might actually be too soft, which causes it to drop in the center, essentially raising the front up and increasing pressure in places you'd rather it didn't. But the first question to be asked is this- when you have the saddle level (and it put too much pressure where you didn't want it), did your hands & shoulders feel better? If so, the goal is going to be to find a saddle that will allow you to ride with it level, and not have the pressure. --Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles www.ChainReactionBicycles.com "The Historian" wrote in message oups.com... On Apr 5, 11:25 pm, "Mike Jacoubowsky" wrote: "Bob in CT" wrote in messagenews and I feel as if I keep pushing myself backward on my saddle. I have a new Brooks saddle that is pointed slightly downward (say, by one increment). I believe this is the set up I used to ride my racing bike for two centuries two years ago, in addition to a bunch of additional miles. I also rode last year, but sadly not much. I am not 100 percent sure that this is the exact set up I had been using two years ago, as a while ago, I went from a 130mm stem to a 110mm stem, but also installed a much wider (say, 2 inches) handle bar. I cannot remember when I did that. The original stem on my LeMond was 110mm. The Brooks saddle is back as far as it can go. When I ride, I feel as if I would like a longer stem (say, 120mm). I currently have a 130mm and a 110mm stem, so I could put on the 130mm stem, but I'd like to have some opinions as to what might cause too much weight on my hands and the feeling that I need to push myself backwards. I'm currently riding with my butt basically at the end of the saddle. Are too much weight on the hands/pushing backwards because of too short a stem, a saddle that's not parallel to the ground, a saddle that's not far enough back, or some combination of these? Level out the saddle. An even-slightly nose-down position on many, if not most saddles, will cause exactly what you describe. You get the feeling the stem's not long enough, too much pressure on the hands, and something you didn't mention but usually comes with it, tense shoulders & neck. The issue is that you're maintaining position on the saddle by pushing back from the bars with your hands. Serious bad news. You want a neutral position on the bike, where you expend zero energy being comfortable. No squirming around. We get customers coming into the shop all the time with nose-down saddles. First thing I ask them is if they're experiencing any neck or shoulder pain. They'll often get quite defensive, wondering why I'm bringing that up and in fact yes, they do experience such issues, how did I know? And I'll explain the mechanics of saddle positioning, work on why they think they need it nose-down (very often it's because the stem is too low rleative to the saddle, and sometimes too long as well, but height is more typically the reason... the larger drop is causing them to put too much pressure on the front of the saddle, so they "solve" the problem by dropping the nose). By the way, I googled "weight on hands fit bicycle" and found several websites. One said that too much weight on the hands was caused by too short a stem, while another said that the cause was too long a stem. So, now I'm confused, as it feels to me that the stem could be longer. If I put my hands on the ends of the hoods, for instance, I feel better. What size frame, how tall are you, and how much drop from the top of the seat to the top of the bars? --Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycleswww.ChainReactionBicycles.com Hi Mike, I'll take advantage of your questions here. I posted about a numbness problem in the, err, groin, two weeks ago. I had the saddle height lowered, and purchased a new, wider saddle with a shorter nose. The saddle nose is down a notch - level seems to put too much pressure on the you-know-what. There's no recurrence of the numbness problem below, but now I have pain in the shoulders and hands, and some numbness in one of my hands during a ride. I'm riding a Trek Navigator, 18 inch frame, with the handlebars in the highest position - I have scoliosis and need to remain as upright as possible. Any suggestions other than "don't ride" or "buy a bent"? :-) Neil http://historian2wheels.blogspot.com/ |
#17
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Too much weight on hands....
On Apr 12, 11:42 pm, "Mike Jacoubowsky" wrote:
I'll take advantage of your questions here. I posted about a numbness problem in the, err, groin, two weeks ago. I had the saddle height lowered, and purchased a new, wider saddle with a shorter nose. The saddle nose is down a notch - level seems to put too much pressure on the you-know-what. There's no recurrence of the numbness problem below, but now I have pain in the shoulders and hands, and some numbness in one of my hands during a ride. I'm riding a Trek Navigator, 18 inch frame, with the handlebars in the highest position - I have scoliosis and need to remain as upright as possible. Any suggestions other than "don't ride" or "buy a bent"? :-) Your saddle might actually be too soft, which causes it to drop in the center, essentially raising the front up and increasing pressure in places you'd rather it didn't. Here's the saddle: http://www.serfas.com/comfort_saddles/DD-HY.shtml We tried two others, with cutouts, but they were entirely too narrow in the back. I didn't feel supported. But the first question to be asked is this- when you have the saddle level (and it put too much pressure where you didn't want it), did your hands & shoulders feel better? Yes, although I can't be sure since I only 'test rode' the saddle for a few minutes in the level position. And I do get strain in my upper back on the bike anyway, simply because I am a new rider and not used to working those muscles. (The pain riding is different from the pain I get using a computer for long periods, so I believe it's not related to my scoliosis.) The numbness in my hands, however, alarms me. Almost as much as the numbness in my, you know. If so, the goal is going to be to find a saddle that will allow you to ride with it level, and not have the pressure. --Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycleswww.ChainReactionBicycles.com "The Historian" wrote in message oups.com... On Apr 5, 11:25 pm, "Mike Jacoubowsky" wrote: "Bob in CT" wrote in messagenews and I feel as if I keep pushing myself backward on my saddle. I have a new Brooks saddle that is pointed slightly downward (say, by one increment). I believe this is the set up I used to ride my racing bike for two centuries two years ago, in addition to a bunch of additional miles. I also rode last year, but sadly not much. I am not 100 percent sure that this is the exact set up I had been using two years ago, as a while ago, I went from a 130mm stem to a 110mm stem, but also installed a much wider (say, 2 inches) handle bar. I cannot remember when I did that. The original stem on my LeMond was 110mm. The Brooks saddle is back as far as it can go. When I ride, I feel as if I would like a longer stem (say, 120mm). I currently have a 130mm and a 110mm stem, so I could put on the 130mm stem, but I'd like to have some opinions as to what might cause too much weight on my hands and the feeling that I need to push myself backwards. I'm currently riding with my butt basically at the end of the saddle. Are too much weight on the hands/pushing backwards because of too short a stem, a saddle that's not parallel to the ground, a saddle that's not far enough back, or some combination of these? Level out the saddle. An even-slightly nose-down position on many, if not most saddles, will cause exactly what you describe. You get the feeling the stem's not long enough, too much pressure on the hands, and something you didn't mention but usually comes with it, tense shoulders & neck. The issue is that you're maintaining position on the saddle by pushing back from the bars with your hands. Serious bad news. You want a neutral position on the bike, where you expend zero energy being comfortable. No squirming around. We get customers coming into the shop all the time with nose-down saddles. First thing I ask them is if they're experiencing any neck or shoulder pain. They'll often get quite defensive, wondering why I'm bringing that up and in fact yes, they do experience such issues, how did I know? And I'll explain the mechanics of saddle positioning, work on why they think they need it nose-down (very often it's because the stem is too low rleative to the saddle, and sometimes too long as well, but height is more typically the reason... the larger drop is causing them to put too much pressure on the front of the saddle, so they "solve" the problem by dropping the nose). By the way, I googled "weight on hands fit bicycle" and found several websites. One said that too much weight on the hands was caused by too short a stem, while another said that the cause was too long a stem. So, now I'm confused, as it feels to me that the stem could be longer. If I put my hands on the ends of the hoods, for instance, I feel better. What size frame, how tall are you, and how much drop from the top of the seat to the top of the bars? --Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycleswww.ChainReactionBicycles.com Hi Mike, I'll take advantage of your questions here. I posted about a numbness problem in the, err, groin, two weeks ago. I had the saddle height lowered, and purchased a new, wider saddle with a shorter nose. The saddle nose is down a notch - level seems to put too much pressure on the you-know-what. There's no recurrence of the numbness problem below, but now I have pain in the shoulders and hands, and some numbness in one of my hands during a ride. I'm riding a Trek Navigator, 18 inch frame, with the handlebars in the highest position - I have scoliosis and need to remain as upright as possible. Any suggestions other than "don't ride" or "buy a bent"? :-) Neil http://historian2wheels.blogspot.com/ |
#18
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Too much weight on hands....
"The Historian" wrote in message ups.com... On Apr 12, 11:42 pm, "Mike Jacoubowsky" wrote: I'll take advantage of your questions here. I posted about a numbness problem in the, err, groin, two weeks ago. I had the saddle height lowered, and purchased a new, wider saddle with a shorter nose. The saddle nose is down a notch - level seems to put too much pressure on the you-know-what. There's no recurrence of the numbness problem below, but now I have pain in the shoulders and hands, and some numbness in one of my hands during a ride. I'm riding a Trek Navigator, 18 inch frame, with the handlebars in the highest position - I have scoliosis and need to remain as upright as possible. Any suggestions other than "don't ride" or "buy a bent"? :-) Your saddle might actually be too soft, which causes it to drop in the center, essentially raising the front up and increasing pressure in places you'd rather it didn't. Here's the saddle: http://www.serfas.com/comfort_saddles/DD-HY.shtml We tried two others, with cutouts, but they were entirely too narrow in the back. I didn't feel supported. But the first question to be asked is this- when you have the saddle level (and it put too much pressure where you didn't want it), did your hands & shoulders feel better? Yes, although I can't be sure since I only 'test rode' the saddle for a few minutes in the level position. And I do get strain in my upper back on the bike anyway, simply because I am a new rider and not used to working those muscles. (The pain riding is different from the pain I get using a computer for long periods, so I believe it's not related to my scoliosis.) The numbness in my hands, however, alarms me. Almost as much as the numbness in my, you know. "The Historian" wrote in message I have one of these saddles on one of my bikes, I think it's very comfortable but I do have a tendicy to slide forward on it. I recently have had prostate surgery and thought it would help to get back on the bike a little faster than a hard narrow saddle would. For your hand problems, have you tried some of the oversized soft handlebar grips? I assume you havc twist shifters so using them may be a problem, but for a trial you may try to put some of the foam pipe insulation found at hardware stores over your non-twist part of your grips to see if larger, softer grips would help. Also, are you wearing good bike gloves? |
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