Fifty Plus (50+) - Some good luck for a change.

The new adjustable stem came in, and the guy knew I was waiting for a few weeks for it, so he said bring the bike in and we'll put it on for you and have a look at the bike, with me on it. He said let's try something before we put the new stem on. I couldn't believe it, he started taking the whole thing apart. I was about to say something, but I said to myself, ha, I got every measurement written down at home, so have at it. He took the stack of spacers out and dropped the adjustable down about 15 degrees and when he took the spacers out that dropped the handlebars 1". I thought, man this is going to kill my back. When he got done, I couldn't believe how comfortable it was. He said don't buy the longer adjustable stem yet and try this out. So I got home and had to play with it, of course, and I dropped the adjustable to 90 degrees. Now the saddle and the handlebars are level and I can't believe the power I picked up by dropping the bars. I still may go back and get the longer stem to get me out farther, but I'm going to get a chance to ride a little tomorrow and try it out more. Man, I've got visions off a dropbar road bike. I asked if they sold any steel bikes ( sorry DG ) and he said yes, the Waterford, I said, WOW ! Anyhow, I guess I was pushing down on the pedals the way I was sitting on the bike and now it seemed I was getting more power to the pedals. Going from 12 mph to 16 and 17 really felt good. Anyhow, I still may get the longer stem and I finally found a good bike shop that I can work with. Thanks for reading and yes I do feel good.:D

That's great George. Let us know how your ride tomorrow goes.

I hope the ride tomorrow feels just as comfortable. I know how good it feels to get the bike adjusted to the point it rides and feels great. The new cranks, shoes and saddle made all the difference for me.

Funny, not he he funny, what a little adjusting will do to make you re-think the dynamics of adjustment.... ... .. .peace

Fit and position are so critical for comfort and power as you are finding out. Be very careful about getting too stretched out. I wound up getting cortisone shots in a shoulder because of being too stretched out and not having enough bend in the arms to absorb the road buzz. Geez......I suspect I've done everything incorrectly and it took learning the hard way........but at least I learned!!!!

That's great George, enjoy it even more.

Good post, George. The only thing that would top it is you buying a Rooooooooobaaaaaaaaaaaay. :D

Another one sees the light. Sometimes what you think you need in terms of bike fit is not what you need at all.

More evidence that as one works their way into better riding condition, that they need to stop and re-evaluate their config from time to time. You've put in a lot of miles and are now a very different rider than you were 18 months ago. Plus, you want to be able to ride long distances at higher speeds (unlike say ... me), so as you work at it, there will be changes that improve your performance.

I trust you're doing okay with your hands now. I know that has been a limiting factor for you.

More evidence that as one works their way into better riding condition, that they need to stop and re-evaluate their config from time to time. You've put in a lot of miles and are now a very different rider than you were 18 months ago.

Good point.

After it was all said and done and after playing around a little more today, the saddle is up 1", the bars are down 3.5" and the bars are out 5". Now the handlebars and saddle are level. I never thought I would be saying, what I'm saying, I guess this is working out pretty good. The Glucosamine/Chondroitin really helped with a lot of this. After, under a year (10.5 months) and just under 3000 miles, I think I'm ready for a nice road bike. I really like the Jamis, but I'm setting that up for touring, so I'll have to wait and see what happens around here first. I was taking some measurements of road bikes at the LBS and it looked like most of them were 26" from the hoods to the nose of the saddle and that's just about where I'm at now. So I really don't see any problems as far as fit and comfort go. Anyhow, just dreaming, and thanks for the replys everybody. Keep pedaling it works.

Funny, not he he funny, what a little adjusting will do to make you re-think the dynamics of adjustment.... ... .. .peace

It is funny how a little adjustment changes the feel of a bike. And the ridability and your future aspirations to bikes. I had just such a moment last Sunday- Well not Sunday but the day after a ride-Monday. A few little changes and I went further than I expected- did more hill riding than I expected and at a higher speed than I expected. Then Monday for the first time in 6 years- No saddle pain.

Great that the changes worked And although I do not know the Waterford- and it may be a great bike- You now have an excuse to eliminate the Other bikes around before settling on the Waterford. Well if it worked for DG it will work for anyone- It would be interesting to find out what models DG tried before the Roubaix slapped him on the butt.

It would be interesting to find out what models DG tried before the Roubaix slapped him on the butt.

As I recall, I tried:

Giant OCR 3, OCR 2, FCR 2

Trek Pilot 2.1

Trek 1000 and 1500

Specialized Sequoia and Sequoia Elite

Specialized Tricross Comp Triple

Schwinn Super Sport (2006)

Bianchi Volpe

Some kind of Raleigh

And I might be forgetting something.

As I recall, I tried:

Giant OCR 3, OCR 2, FCR 2

Trek Pilot 2.1

Trek 1000 and 1500

Specialized Sequoia and Sequoia Elite

Specialized Tricross Comp Triple

Schwinn Super Sport (2006)

Bianchi Volpe


Some kind of Raleigh

And I might be forgetting something.


And the roubaix was still an impulse buy.

As an aside. There is obviously a huge difference in the English language as spoken in the US and in GB. In US English, the following phrase has no sensible meaning:
"settling on the Waterford" ;)
http://www.waterfordbikes.com/