General Cycling Discussion - Bicycle fit (reach)

I wanted to ask this forum what they think of my current bicycle setup. Currently my bicycle feels like it could be a little more comfortable (back problems) so I decided to do a little investigation into bicycle fitting. After taking repeated pictures "airbiking" I found that my reach is naturally 10" longer than while I am on my bicycle. I am thinking about getting a mustache handlebar for more reach. What do you people think?:bike2: Here are some pics:

I have had a few baseline setup rules of which have always worked for me.

SADDLE HEIGHT- pedal in down position my knee barely bent.
SADDLE FORE & AFT- with pedals level the leg that is in front my shin bone straight up and down.
REACH- after the first two are pretty close. when in normal riding position looking down at my front wheel my front hub should be hidden under my handlebar.

From those base settings I tweak my setup per bike, hope that helps.

IMHO, from what I see in that first pic that bike's a touch small for you. Moustache bars will give you more room to stretch, but will also throw more weight forward on your hands. May or may not work for you.

-R

It's hard to advise based on the picture, because you seem to not have a good posture on the bike. I don't mean bike fit itself, but just the way you hold yourself on it. It may be because you are too upright with not enough reach, not sure. It looks like you are compensating for being too bunched up.

Look at how your back is concave (bent downwards in the middle). It should be arched, or flat, but not bent inwards like that. It's asking for back troubles. I feel pain in my wrists just by looking at how yours are bent on those grips. You simply cannot maintain poor posture on a bike without problems if you ride more than a few blocks. Make sure that whatever of many possible bike setup scenarios you use, you aren't bent anywhere in weird ways. Back straight or slightly arched, wrists straight, knee more or less above the pedal for best power stroke. Don't be afraid to let yourself get used to being more bent over and more stretched out.

The pics arent entirely honest because I was leaning against the wall with a ten second camera timer. Usually my posture is a little better. The bicycle is pretty much the tallest I can get without custom (68cm Schwinn Traveler with Nitto Technomic 120mm stem).

Dude! Did you know that you've got a big square black thing on your face?

I know! My little sister was throwing CD jewel cases at me! Im trying to duck out of the way but that one came pretty close.