Introductions - Hello from Fresno, CA

I am an older, 50, rider, just starting to take riding seriously. Because of my younger brother's cancer, I got involved in the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team in Training for the Lake Tahoe Century Ride.

My bike is only about 6 years old, but is so "old school" compared to my teamates. I wonder if I am being hampered by the lack of adjustments - particularly minute ones - that were not available on older bikes that are now available.

Shoul I get a new bike? Spending $2K for a new bike right now does not appeal to me.

I have a 2000 Specialized Sirrus road bike - 58cm - I am 6' and weigh 260, and very strong.

Any advice would be helpful.

Hello, Hardheadmandca,

That's a good thing you're doing for the L & L Society.

I don't think you really need a new bike, but if you want some arguments for, you might want to visit the Road Cycling forum.

Otherwise, you should be more than adequate with the Specialized Sirrus--it's the engine that counts, not the bike (or so I've been told).

Welcome to BF!

East Hill

I appreciate your comments.

I think the trouble I am having with this bike is that the top tube is too short. I feel bunched up. It is a 58cm and I can stand over it fine, but I have a long torso.

I feel like the bars need to be raised and pushe out farther or that the seat needs to go back.

Those types of adjustments seem to be hard to do with an "old school" stem and seat post.

Thanks again.

Brian

I appreciate your comments.

I think the trouble I am having with this bike is that the top tube is too short. I feel bunched up. It is a 58cm and I can stand over it fine, but I have a long torso.

I feel like the bars need to be raised and pushe out farther or that the seat needs to go back.

Those types of adjustments seem to be hard to do with an "old school" stem and seat post.

Thanks again.

Brian

Brian,

I don't think you want to compensate for a short top tube by pushing your seat back. Your seat should be adjusted based upon femur length and whether you are a slow or fast cadence rider. Do a search on the internet and you can find lots of help adjusting your seat positions; height as well as fore and aft. A longer stem could be the answer.

Good luck getting it right! It makes all the difference.

Jay

You might wander over to General Cycling, then, and ask a question along the lines of "Is my top tube too short?" I would NOT recommend talking about being 'bunched up' :roflmao: . You may get a few comments other than helpful ones :p . I think though that the folks there can probably offer you a few suggestions that may help with the fit.

East Hill

A pair of bar ends could give you a more stretched out riding position. Clip-on aero bars could give a better riding position, provided you dont use them when among a bunch of other riders or in heavy traffic. 58 cm sounds a bit small, but not drastically.

Hi HardHeadmandca,

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I live in Fresno too. A Specialized Sirrus is a flat bar road bike, right? If so, the advise above is correct, bar ends will help you stretch out more, I use them on my fixed gear bike and also a beater road bike that I have. They both have flat handlebars and I use the bar ends to stretch out, or when standing to sprint. They also offer another hand position, which is important for long rides.

A longer stem could help too. Go to Tri-Sport, I saw a big selection of stems there (threadless) some as low as $20.

Dave,

Thank you for the suggestions. However, my Sirrus seems to just predate the Flat Bar Roadbike version. It is a traditional drop handle bar style. I have recently had the stem raised and that helped somewhat - the folks at Tri-Sport did it. I also asked them about a replacement adjustable stem or other options and they told me their weren't any.

Folks from Stephen's did our SAG for the ride on Saturday and they gave me a number of inexpensive opinions including an adjustable stem or a replacement longer stem.

Makes me wonder some about the folks at Tri-Sport for the first time.


Hi HardHeadmandca,

vbmenu_register("postmenu_3823999", true);
I live in Fresno too. A Specialized Sirrus is a flat bar road bike, right? If so, the advise above is correct, bar ends will help you stretch out more, I use them on my fixed gear bike and also a beater road bike that I have. They both have flat handlebars and I use the bar ends to stretch out, or when standing to sprint. They also offer another hand position, which is important for long rides.

A longer stem could help too. Go to Tri-Sport, I saw a big selection of stems there (threadless) some as low as $20.

i was going to suggest dropping by Steven's bicycles to see how they can help you. as was mentioned before, you really shouldn't adjust the seat position to get more reach. i'm not sure if your bike has a threadless, or quill stem, but i'm assuming it has an old-fashioned quill stem. while the variety available for different quill stems isn't near as much as the newer threadless stems, there still are options available.

i don't know what type of budget you have, but you can also get your current bike professionally fitted to you for a fee. you may be surprised how far off some things may be, and how much a proper fit helps. during the fitting they will be able to tell you if certain components need to be changed for an optimum fit.

and if you decided that you do want a new bicycle, last i checked Tri-sport (a couple weeks ago) had some very good deals on several sizes of 2006 Trek 1200's and 1500's. Trek is also offering a sale right now on 2007 1500's.

Try this old fashioned way of judging correct seat to bar distance. When you are riding the bike the bars should hide the front wheel axle. This isnt exact, but it will give you an idea if the frame is much too long or much too short. I have an adjustable quill stem, which provides for adjustment of both reach and height. This also lets you make more adjustments as your body gets used to the bike. The height of my bars is about 1" lower than the seat. I am 6', 235 lb, 65 yr old and not as fast as I used to be, but still enjoy the bike.