Road Cycling - new roadbike addict, and a few questions..

Finally got my Trek 1100 out of the shop, first roaddbike, and today was the first run....well that didn't go too well. Mostly due to buying used, and having the LBS jsut fix anything that's broken (never had them adjust any fit, just a "make sure I don't die on it" inspection)...It fit standing fine, but forward it just did not work....not long enough. So I messed with it a bit, then went to teh LBS and asked them to get me a longer stem.


Well later I desided to give it anoher go, this time figuring out how to get around the standing knee/handlebar clearance issue that was making moving from a stop so hard. Figured it out and MAN.....it's a blast. I went 20 blocks before I even knew it....usually on my mountain bike 20 is where i start choking to death if I havent swilled from my water bottle yet....absoutely heavenly.

On the way home, I found another issue...handlebar pain...is ther any guide to postioning your brakes and handlebars right? I think my brakes may be too far down into the drops...I can't seem to manipulare them with anything but my index finger. Is that normal? On another note, how do you gague what the right handlebar width is? I'm not sure if I need a wider bar, but I did look at some "ergo" bars on nashbar...how do ergo bars compare to the round drop bars?

On the way home, I found another issue...handlebar pain...is ther any guide to postioning your brakes and handlebars right? I think my brakes may be too far down into the drops...I can't seem to manipulare them with anything but my index finger. Is that normal?

Are you saying you're have a hard time reach the levers from the drops? Maybe a different profile handlebar might help. Some have a deeper bend that will position your hands closer to the levers thus giving you a shorter reach.



On another note, how do you gague what the right handlebar width is?

Most bars are measured center-to-center. That is they are measured from the center of the bar where the bends to the drops start on one side to the other. Rule of thumb states that you should size them to the same width of shoulder blade to shoulder blade. However, you will probably want to increase by 2cm if you want to open up a little more for breathing (note that this increases air resistance) or go 2cm in the other direction if you prefer speed and a nimble maneauvering. I generally find that taking a pair of bars and dropping them over my shoulder blades (wear it like a jacket) to see if they fit snug works best for me.



I'm not sure if I need a wider bar, but I did look at some "ergo" bars on nashbar...how do ergo bars compare to the round drop bars?

Ergo bars tend to have straighter bends... especially in the drops. This may end up moving your hands further back from the brake levers thus increasing your reach.

I guess shoulderblade to shoulderblade the bars are about right. I guess the width stays.

I do need to increase my reach a bit, just get a bar profile thats easy to get the brake levers closer to the top of the drops. Rigth now I can't ride teh drops at all due to how short the reach is...I need about 4 + inches of reach. Problem with having short legs/long torso....extremely hard to find anything that fits. Right now I tend to ride with my hands on the tops of the brake levers.

I guess shoulderblade to shoulderblade the bars are about right. I guess the width stays.

I do need to increase my reach a bit, just get a bar profile thats easy to get the brake levers closer to the top of the drops. Rigth now I can't ride teh drops at all due to how short the reach is...I need about 4 + inches of reach. Problem with having short legs/long torso....extremely hard to find anything that fits. Right now I tend to ride with my hands on the tops of the brake levers.

Okay, I'm a bit confused here. Let's get some terminology straight first... What exactly is too long or too short, too far or too close? Please refer to the diagram.

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yes the position of the brake is far lower than in that picture. When riding on the hoods, my hands get cramped really quickly. That flat line you see in that picture between tht top of the bar and the hoods jsut doesn't seem to happen. I was wondering of being uper low on the old school rounded style drop bars is normal?

I can't determine reach due to the stem being way too short, but I think reach is ok, at least when I'm out of saddle.

You should be able to loosen the clamp for the brake levers and move them. This will probably necessitate undoing the tape and rewrapping. You might want to refer to the Park Tool Co. webpage on how to adjust your brake levers (http://www.parktool.com/repair_help/lever.shtml). I'm assuming you have Shimano levers. In this case you can gain access to the mounting screw by peeling away the outside hood cover. Look for a small recessed hole that's angled inwards.

http://www.parktool.com/images/repair_help/lever17.jpg

One thing about Shimano hoods is that I could never get them to produce a fully flat transition profile while still maintaining proper lever position. I like my levers to point vertically downwards otherwise I will have problems with reach from the drops. In this sense, Campy hoods and lever designs fit my hands better.

:) very nice spread of the hood to expose the clamp region of the lever doc :D

You might want to go down to your LBS and get profesionally fitted. Also fwiw a compact road frame fits us short leg/long torso guys quite well :D

yes the position of the brake is far lower than in that picture. When riding on the hoods, my hands get cramped really quickly. That flat line you see in that picture between tht top of the bar and the hoods jsut doesn't seem to happen. I was wondering of being uper low on the old school rounded style drop bars is normal?

I can't determine reach due to the stem being way too short, but I think reach is ok, at least when I'm out of saddle.

The problem here is actually more complicated than adjusting the brake levels. I get the feeling the frame may be too small. When the frame is too large, the first you you'll notice is your hands getting cramped really quickly. This is why a new cyclist should buy their first bike new and get the free fitting! You can probably get away without the fitting on a hybrid but not a road bike.

Riding on the hoods should have been your primary focus when riding any road bike. The bicycle should be tested for comfort in this position first and riding out of the saddle second. You may have to raise the stem or lower the saddle to find comfort or vise versa. Furthermore, if the bike is too small, you may have to set the seat all the way back! I get the feeling the handlebar is in the wrong postion. It's time to get a proper fitting.

Problem is the standing clearance is nonexistant...so it was about as big as i could get.

Definately going to get a proper fitting this week though.

I did notice last night was a bit more comfy, but I'd rather get fitted right than get used to bad fitting.

However, you will probably want to increase by 2cm if you want to open up a little more for breathing (note that this increases air resistance) or go 2cm in the other direction if you prefer speed and a nimble maneauvering. .

Shoulder blades are on your back so what are you referring to? I'd say that if you can slip bars over your shoulders then they're too wide.

The rule of thumb I've always heard (and used) is that the bars (c-to-c) should match the distance between the bony protrusions that are just to the front of your shoulders. The thinking is that the centre line of your shoulder/arm should like up with the bars (so your reaching straight ahead). If I press a set of bars in to the front of my shoulders and I feel slight pain from bone contact then I'm good.

I don't recommend anyone go 2cm under the ideal width but 2cm more is good for breathing and triangulation of the arms for stability (my personal choice is +2cm).

Shoulder blades are on your back so what are you referring to? I'd say that if you can slip bars over your shoulders then they're too wide.

The rule of thumb I've always heard (and used) is that the bars (c-to-c) should match the distance between the bony protrusions that are just to the front of your shoulders.

Sorry... that's what I meant.

Hey Catatonic!

Greetings from another San Jose rider! Lacking any other info, would have been helpful to know your height/inseam and cm size of your bike. Also did not mention if you have STI or downshifters (if model is older). Non-STI would be not as "beefy" as STI brakehoods and are a little harder to ride "on the hoods", especially if you move them higher up above the drops. The STI's offer more to grab on to and are more commonly positioned at something nearer to a 40-45 deg. angle, offering a more comfortable position for area between thumb and forefinger to rest (check out some pics of the US Postal TdF stage bikes). My winter bike still has downshifters and the hoods are smaller and positioned lower, which makes riding on the hoods feel a little less secure. The only thing that I am afraid of is if I am fully on the hoods and go over a massive bump or get careless, I'll lose my grip and go pitching over the bar. As a result, I've developed this habit of placing my ring/small fingers behind the bar, middle underneath the hood, using only my forefinger to gently brake and moving the middle finger to jam it if necessary. I tried moving the position of the hoods up on the bar and adjusting the levers, but found that I am more comfortable (personally) in the drops or stretched over the frame.

As for knees hitting the bar when standing? Treks are not generally severe in their geometry, so it sounds like the frame might be a tad small or, as was previously mentioned, the stem too short which you said you fixed. As for width, measurement notwithstanding, you want to make sure that your arms are not angled inward when on the drops, as this will inhibit your chest's ability to expand/contract under exertion and you will feel like you can't get enough air (hence, width of the shoulders...).

Good luck and have fun.

why the rubber gloves?

I'm 5'8", almost 5'9", and the bike is a 54cm. My inseam is 30". Let's put it this way, I really can't pick the bike up when over it.

I was fooling around today and I thin a longer stem and maybe seat adjustment may be all it needs. I think to have a stem any closer to the steerer tube would be in defiance of all laws of physics...the handlebar is lees than 1" from the insert part of the quill stem.

Yep the bike has downtube shifters, I think all 1100s do. This one was bone-stock when I got it. Still has Suntour Edge components all around with exception to the biopace chainrings (all 1100s came this way, I found a webpage listing the OEM parts lists). The brakes seem to be made by dia-compe tough, yet still have the Suntour Edge markings on them... Some resouces on line say they are pretty decent components for their time, so I'll let them stay around for a while :)

I also found a comfort spot...I don't ride the hoods as much, and put about 3/4ths of my hand off of it on the tops of the bends instead. This seems to be far more comfy. I guees it's just a matter of never getting a proper intro to roadbiking. Sadly the guy who normally runs the bikeshop is not a roadie, the other guy is, but he was off the entire week :(

I'll prolly invest in some ergo bars that are wider as well as a stem. For some reason I have a feeling this bike was sized for a very short woman....but even so, how short the stem is just blows my mind.

You may need a really long stem, possibly a Mtn bike stem.Hopefully the Roadie mechanic can help you find the right combination to get comfortable. It can take a few tries before it gets dialed in. There is an adapter triathletes use to get their seat back further. I really like Ritchey's BioMax bars, and I have them in a 44 (I'm the same size you are.) Works for me. I switched to bar end shifters on my old bike, nice not to have to reach down. If you can find NOS (New Old Stock)
Shimano pre-STI Durace brake levers you will find them quite a bit nicer.