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#12
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Bike sizing
On Tue, 29 Jul 2003 22:42:02 -0700, Ryan Cousineau wrote:
In your situation, you say you feel a little compressed. Too low? Are your thighs smacking your belly? Don't laugh, I've been there. If so, you That is me. I figured that in a good position, it would be normal for my thighs to smack my belly, which is...er...enhanced. If I recline in a chair a moderate amount, the top of my belly is a beer shelf. may need bar height more than a reach adjustment. Don't forget that threadless stems with any angle to them can be flipped over for extra range or just a different adjustment. I have a stem that's longer and higher, but it's just a bit too much for my front brake cable. I have to spend some time changing that before the new stem will fit. You make me confident that the stem will be a definite improvement. If you want to rotate the hoods down you probably want the bars lower. Move some spacers above the stem. Listen to Eric. He doesn't know stems, but he's right about the fit . How about bar angle relative to the ground? Any reccomendations? I rotated my bar down so that the bottom of the drops slope down from rear to front, and the angle going from the bottom to the curve is more close to being level than it is close to being straight up and down. My hands haven't been numb, but have been painful as if I had too much weight on them; also, my wrists pained as if I've got them bent back too much. I'm hoping the adjustment I made will at least help the wrists. Note: Check your cleat bolts! My right foot (but not my left) was painful yesterday while riding, and when I went to adjust the cleat, I found that the bolt was very loose and that's why the cleat was out of adjustment. -- Rick Onanian |
#13
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Bike sizing
Unfortunately, with the idiotic threadless systems now in use, it's hard
to raise the handlebar and dangerous to lower it. (Dangerous from the standpoint that you can't raise it.) I do feel that the hoods and handlebar need to be rotated downward. Or perhaps you're talking about getting a handlebar with less rise (or more rise)? That's a good idea. Since you have a LeMond, you've got 4cm of fork column sitting above the headset... that's a *lot* of room for adjustment. You can move the stem up and down a considerably amount by simply moving spacers to the bottom or top of it, in addition to flipping the stem one way or the other. In addition, flipping the stem will also result in a subtle change in reach as well. Plus, you can very easily swap out to a different stem as well, since it's a front-loading design that allows you to change stems without having to take everything off the handlebars (unless you make such a major change that it requires re-cabling things). --Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles http://www.ChainReactionBicycles.com |
#14
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Bike sizing
In article ,
Rick Onanian wrote: On Tue, 29 Jul 2003 22:42:02 -0700, Ryan Cousineau wrote: In your situation, you say you feel a little compressed. Too low? Are your thighs smacking your belly? Don't laugh, I've been there. If so, you That is me. I figured that in a good position, it would be normal for my thighs to smack my belly, which is...er...enhanced. If I recline in a chair a moderate amount, the top of my belly is a beer shelf. may need bar height more than a reach adjustment. Don't forget that threadless stems with any angle to them can be flipped over for extra range or just a different adjustment. I have a stem that's longer and higher, but it's just a bit too much for my front brake cable. I have to spend some time changing that before the new stem will fit. You make me confident that the stem will be a definite improvement. A cable change is a minor pain, but you just do it. Fit is important. If you want to rotate the hoods down you probably want the bars lower. Move some spacers above the stem. Listen to Eric. He doesn't know stems, but he's right about the fit . How about bar angle relative to the ground? Any reccomendations? I rotated my bar down so that the bottom of the drops slope down from rear to front, and the angle going from the bottom to the curve is more close to being level than it is close to being straight up and down. Sheldon Brown has one. I think the general idea is to start with the drops parallel to the ground or something, and rotate as necessary. Note: Check your cleat bolts! My right foot (but not my left) was painful yesterday while riding, and when I went to adjust the cleat, I found that the bolt was very loose and that's why the cleat was out of adjustment. Seriously. Loose cleat bolts are really dangerous, since you suddenly can't clip out. -- Ryan Cousineau, http://www.sfu.ca/~rcousine President, Fabrizio Mazzoleni Fan Club |
#15
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Bike sizing
On Wed, 30 Jul 2003 17:48:42 -0700, Ryan Cousineau wrote:
A cable change is a minor pain, but you just do it. Fit is important. Did it last night. How about bar angle relative to the ground? Any reccomendations? Sheldon Brown has one. I think the general idea is to start with the drops parallel to the ground or something, and rotate as necessary. I thought I heard that somewhere. Well, I rotated them so the bottom points up at me a little, and I think that will help, along with the new stem. Note: Check your cleat bolts! My right foot (but not my left) was Seriously. Loose cleat bolts are really dangerous, since you suddenly can't clip out. I didn't even think of that. It doesn't matter much with the pedals I have, though, because I can never seem to get clipped in to them, but they let me out easy enough. I've ordered some Nashbar SPDs that I hope ought to be better, and I've got a birthday coming up...gonna ask for some egg beaters. -- Rick Onanian |
#16
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Bike sizing
Thu, 31 Jul 2003 16:49:10 -0400, ,
Rick Onanian wrote: Nashbar SPDs that I hope ought to be better, and I've got a birthday coming up...gonna ask for some egg beaters. They don't work with loose cleats either. -- zk |
#17
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Bike sizing
On Thu, 31 Jul 2003 13:56:54 -0700, Zoot Katz
wrote: Nashbar SPDs that I hope ought to be better, and I've got a birthday coming up...gonna ask for some egg beaters. They don't work with loose cleats either. My Wellgo R4s don't work no matter how well the cleats are secured. Not to mention, one-sided engagement, and that side always faces down. I've managed to get used to flipping them up, but I can never find the sweet spot where they'll clip, and it takes a lot of force when I do; and they come unclipped easily. I have Shimano SPDs on my MTB and here's how I get in them: I begin to pedal. It goes 'click'. Done. My Wellgos work like this: Look down. Flip pedal. Look down some more, try to align foot. Push. Cleat gets caught on pedal without engaging. Move foot. Push. Shoe falls off side of pedal, top tube gets friendly with my genitals. Cry or vomit. Look down. Flip pedal. Put foot on pedal. Push. Cleat gets caught. Wiggle foot. Foot falls off pedal. Look down. Flip pedal. Put foot on pedal. Push. Nothing. Pull. Wow, I'm clipped in. Ride for awhile. Foot flies off pedal. Further, it's impossible to ride these while not clipped in. I can ride my SPDs right away, and click in later, or just wait until it clicks itself in [usually immediately]. These Wellgos...I can't move the crankarm a millimeter without my foot falling off if I'm not in. This is especially unsafe in automotive traffic. -- Rick Onanian |
#18
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Bike sizing -- Update.
Bob M wrote in message ...
On Tue, 29 Jul 2003 22:42:02 -0700, Ryan Cousineau wrote: I have flipped the stem -- I didn't realize you could do this until the Some people also move the spacers around, i.e. have some spacers above the stem. Ugly, but cutting the steerer tube limits your options. I used to ride on the drops all the time, but that was in AZ, where it was flat. Here in CT, I'm constantly riding up hill. I often use the drops when climbing,. since I can use my back muscles to stabilize my body while exerting force on the pedals. You might find the articles on fit (and raising the stem) at www.rivendellbicycles.com interesting. Different viewpoint from what seems to be the current "wisdom." Sounds more like your favoured position. That "idiotic" threadless system lets you swap to a longer stem without having to undo all the bar tape and remove the brake levers. Actually there are a few quill stems with two-bolt clamps which allow this. caps, as I installed one on my Mikado garage-sale special. A "Zoom" brand You have a Mikado ? Did the frame break yet ? The virtues of threaded stems are small gains in lightness and strength, Did you mean "threadless ?" |
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