Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Bicycle Mechanics
Reload this Page >

Need to move hands higher to distribute weight

Notices
Bicycle Mechanics Broken bottom bracket? Tacoed wheel? If you're having problems with your bicycle, or just need help fixing a flat, drop in here for the latest on bicycle mechanics & bicycle maintenance.

Need to move hands higher to distribute weight

Old 09-06-10, 01:27 PM
  #1  
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 84

Bikes: Specialized Hybrid

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Need to move hands higher to distribute weight

Folks, I really need some help here. AND…I know the real answer is get fitted at LBS before buying a bike. I tried but am underwhelmed by 4 that I have been to within 50 miles. Three tried hard to sell me what was in stock and I knew not what I wanted and not right for me, and the fourth guy is too big time to spend any consultative time with me.

So…I got a 19.5” 2009 Jamis Coda Elite from Bananas. I made a bad assumption on the geometry. I got the “lean forward” posture I was after but that results in way too much weight on my hands…I am a lardazz, but getting better. I have installed some Ergon Grips but all that has done is to put checkerboard indentations in my palms.

The bottom line is that I need my hands about 2 to 2 ˝ inches higher (I think). Here is what I have in that regard:

• Headset Ritchey LB Aheadset, 1 1/8”
• Handlebar Ritchey Comp flat bar, 6061 T-6, 5D bend x 580mm wide
• Stem NVO Components adjustable threadless system (ATS) forged aluminum stem, 80mm (16”), 100mm (17.5”/19.5), 120mm (21.5/23”)

I think, I need a new stem, one that will let the hands get higher than the existing stem. I have the existing stem (see above) at 100mm up. Alternatively, a different handle bar arrangement could work too while retaining the existing stem. I think I prefer a “higher” stem solution, but I don’t know jack..only that I am certain I have too much weight on my hands. I am, by the way, happy with my seat, its position and angle, and on it, my knees are in great shape in regard to the centerline of the pedal.

I would appreciate a concise and complete answer, if possible, since I am not good at connecting the dots in regard to cycling components.

Thank all responders very much.
jcinnb is offline  
Old 09-06-10, 01:44 PM
  #2  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 8,688
Mentioned: 46 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1074 Post(s)
Liked 295 Times in 222 Posts
If you're really that troubled by it, you should probably look for shorter-and-higher as opposed to only higher.
Also, if you're fairly new to riding you can probably benefit from having several positions to choose from, so have a look at trekking bars. Looks like there's some adjustability in that stem already, have you tried that yet?
dabac is offline  
Old 09-06-10, 01:51 PM
  #3  
AEO
Senior Member
 
AEO's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: A Coffin Called Earth. or Toronto, ON
Posts: 12,258

Bikes: Bianchi, Miyata, Dahon, Rossin

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 5 Times in 5 Posts
https://www.habcycles.com/fitting.html

getting something like a 35 degree stem at 130mm long, should give a slight reduction in reach over your current 100mm, and boost the height up drastically.

If you feel that you are comfortable with your current saddle position, then it shouldn't be putting too much weight on your hands. moving the saddle backwards and slightly down will put less weight on your arms and hands.
__________________
Food for thought: if you aren't dead by 2050, you and your entire family will be within a few years from starvation. Now that is a cruel gift to leave for your offspring. ;)
https://sanfrancisco.ibtimes.com/arti...ger-photos.htm
AEO is offline  
Old 09-06-10, 01:57 PM
  #4  
12mph+ commuter
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Oak Park, IL
Posts: 863
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
I'm guessing they sized the frame for in a size smaller than would be optimum for comfort. How tall are you?

BUT- I have seen fixes for short threadless systems: https://sheldonbrown.com/harris/stems/index.html Scroll down to the bottom for threadless stem risers. Like dabac said, you might want to look for a shorter stem. You've got a 100mm stem now, you could go down to at least 70mm, and a different angle of rise if you wanted.
Scheherezade is offline  
Old 09-06-10, 02:01 PM
  #5  
Senior Member
 
BCRider's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: The 'Wack, BC, Canada
Posts: 5,556

Bikes: Norco (2), Miyata, Canondale, Soma, Redline

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 44 Post(s)
Liked 45 Times in 35 Posts
19.5 inch frame..... How tall are you?

The lean and weight on the hands and wrist issue will get better with more riding time as you get more used to useing the seat and bars more as body postioning points rather than places to sit and lean on. Also your wrists will toughen up during this same time frame. But that doesn't help much for now. The point here is that assuming that the bike is not the wrong size is that you should keep the old parts to put back on as you condition yourself into the more aggressive posture.

Instead of a stem it sounds like an easier solution would be a set of riser bars. The riser bars will both lift the grips higher and sweep the grip angle back a little more compared to many flat bars. This sweep will move the grips back a hair as well as altering the angle to one that I find much more wrist friendly. You can get riser bars in a number of rise values from 1 inch to around 2.5 inches of rise. Unless you bought a bike that is way too small for you the 1.5 inch rise bars would very likely give you the lift and back plus angle that you want.

And finally can you flip the stem over to change the angle to a more upright one or is the stem already flipped that way? Or is it the one that is symetrical by being at 90 degrees to the steer tube spacer sleeve?
BCRider is offline  
Old 09-06-10, 02:07 PM
  #6  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 8,688
Mentioned: 46 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1074 Post(s)
Liked 295 Times in 222 Posts
But the position that's right for a trained rider doesn't have to be right for a rookie rider, even if the fit is supposedly "anatomically correct".
It takes some time to to build up enough strength and endurance to be able to support the torso when you're hunched over forwards.
dabac is offline  
Old 09-06-10, 02:34 PM
  #7  
AEO
Senior Member
 
AEO's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: A Coffin Called Earth. or Toronto, ON
Posts: 12,258

Bikes: Bianchi, Miyata, Dahon, Rossin

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 5 Times in 5 Posts
Originally Posted by Scheherezade
I'm guessing they sized the frame for in a size smaller than would be optimum for comfort. How tall are you?

BUT- I have seen fixes for short threadless systems: https://sheldonbrown.com/harris/stems/index.html Scroll down to the bottom for threadless stem risers. Like dabac said, you might want to look for a shorter stem. You've got a 100mm stem now, you could go down to at least 70mm, and a different angle of rise if you wanted.
you have to factor in stem angle too. 100mm stem with 6 to 8 deg angle is actually longer than a 130mm stem with 35 degrees rise.
__________________
Food for thought: if you aren't dead by 2050, you and your entire family will be within a few years from starvation. Now that is a cruel gift to leave for your offspring. ;)
https://sanfrancisco.ibtimes.com/arti...ger-photos.htm
AEO is offline  
Old 09-06-10, 07:50 PM
  #8  
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 84

Bikes: Specialized Hybrid

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Thanks for the input. I have some ideas to try out. Appreciate your help. As for size, I am a wierd ....5'11" but short legs and long torso. I think the longish torso is what has me bamboozled. My prior hybrid was a 17.5 and the local shops were split 50/50 on 17.5 or 20, so I went with 19.5. I dunno.

jcinnb

Last edited by jcinnb; 09-06-10 at 07:56 PM.
jcinnb is offline  
Old 09-06-10, 08:03 PM
  #9  
Banned
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: NW,Oregon Coast
Posts: 43,598

Bikes: 8

Mentioned: 197 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 7607 Post(s)
Liked 1,354 Times in 861 Posts
If the bike fits you well but the handlebars are too low , Have the dealer assemble another bike from the box.
same size, brand, and model, just specify that on the one you will buy ,
you want the steerer tube left long, add some more spacers under the stem..

if not the whole length un cut down.. you can place spacers above the stem rather than cut it ..
to lower the stem without cutting it.
they start out with a 30cm long steerer tube..

On a used bike there are several stem riser options to shift the existing stem higher , since it's already cut..

Setback of the saddle takes weight off your hands , but adds to the reach..

Last edited by fietsbob; 09-06-10 at 10:20 PM.
fietsbob is offline  
Old 09-06-10, 09:06 PM
  #10  
Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Na Klang, Thailand
Posts: 29

Bikes: Alloy Mountain Bike

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
I had a similar problem with my mountain/urban bike.
When I set the seat to the correct height for peddling, I was hunched-over the bars, causing me to place a lot of weight on my wrists and shoulders.

I overcame this by installing a 140mm adjustable stem.

See attachment.

Adjustable Stem..jpg
ramjet1953 is offline  
Old 09-07-10, 07:00 AM
  #11  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Loveland, CO
Posts: 7,212

Bikes: Cinelli superstar disc, two Yoeleo R12

Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1090 Post(s)
Liked 554 Times in 443 Posts
One common problem is placing the saddle too far forward. If you're not balanced over the saddle, the common, but incorrect solution is raising the bars. You may also need to work on core strength. Carrying a lot of extra weight doesn't help either.
DaveSSS is offline  
Old 09-07-10, 07:29 AM
  #12  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 8,688
Mentioned: 46 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1074 Post(s)
Liked 295 Times in 222 Posts
Originally Posted by DaveSSS
.. You may also need to work on core strength....
+1

That, and pedalling stamina. Despite coming from a background of regular MTB-ing and frequent utility riding it still took me some 18 months and 3 stems to get to my current riding position on my commuter bike. (which is still a bit wimpy compared to some I see out there)
dabac is offline  
Old 09-07-10, 07:47 AM
  #13  
Thrifty Bill
 
wrk101's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Mountains of Western NC
Posts: 23,570

Bikes: 86 Katakura Silk, 87 Prologue X2, 88 Cimarron LE, 1975 Sekai 4000 Professional, 73 Paramount, plus more

Mentioned: 96 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1236 Post(s)
Liked 957 Times in 624 Posts
Originally Posted by jcinnb
Thanks for the input. I have some ideas to try out. Appreciate your help. As for size, I am a wierd ....5'11" but short legs and long torso. I think the longish torso is what has me bamboozled. My prior hybrid was a 17.5 and the local shops were split 50/50 on 17.5 or 20, so I went with 19.5. I dunno.

jcinnb
I am 5-11 with really short legs (30 inch inseam), long torso and arms. I usually ride a 56cm frame size (22 inch). I have zero standover, which to me is a lousy way to size a bike, but that gives me a better top tube length.

Since you are on a pseudo hybrid, smaller sizes work OK, 19.5 is small for you IMHO, but probably do able. I would look at one of the stems mentioned above, along with trekking handlebars to give yourself more hand positions.

I really hate flat bars. They limit your hand positions. A lot of new riders shy away from drop road bars, then they eventually move to a road bike.

Last edited by wrk101; 09-07-10 at 11:26 AM.
wrk101 is offline  
Old 09-07-10, 11:17 AM
  #14  
Senior Member
 
BCRider's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: The 'Wack, BC, Canada
Posts: 5,556

Bikes: Norco (2), Miyata, Canondale, Soma, Redline

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 44 Post(s)
Liked 45 Times in 35 Posts
Your long torso is likely what is confusing the whole fit. That and I remember how my own hands and wrists hurt at first even with a very mild lean forward. So take our suggestions and consider what you really need and make whatever mod will do the trick. At 5'11" I would say that a 19.5 inch bike is not way out of the picture by any means. Especially with the upper torso of a 6' to 6'2" tall person with compact legs The top tube SHOULD be a decent reach and not stretch you out too much. Likely a lot of the issue is just getting out and riding more and build the core strength and wrist toughness. As I and a couple of others suggested you should not be "resting" on the saddle and handlebars and just letting your legs do all the work. You want this to be a whole body sort of deal where the saddle and bars are as much used for just positioning your body on the bike as they are for taking a breather on the downhills. Once you ride in that manner then you'll find that a lot of the aches and pains go away pretty quickly.

If you still can't seem to find a fit that makes you more comfy in the short term then perhaps get a buddy to take a few pictures as much directly from the side as possible as you ride by him. These side on shots would aid us in seeing any really major fit faux pas' and let us suggest some further ideas.
BCRider is offline  
Old 09-07-10, 03:24 PM
  #15  
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 84

Bikes: Specialized Hybrid

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Again, some great responses. I am carrying a lot of extra weight, and several of you have described issues very similar to what I feel.. The real answer is core strenght and weight loss, but I need some interim steps to get me to the levels I need. I have some great ideas and options. Thanks for all so far, keep inputs coming.

jcinnb
jcinnb is offline  
Old 09-07-10, 03:43 PM
  #16  
Mechanic/Tourist
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Syracuse, NY
Posts: 7,522

Bikes: 2008 Novara Randonee - love it. Previous bikes:Motobecane Mirage, 1972 Moto Grand Jubilee (my fave), Jackson Rake 16, 1983 C'dale ST500.

Mentioned: 10 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 486 Post(s)
Liked 11 Times in 11 Posts
I want to reinforce checking the saddle fore-aft (and of course height) before making any stem adjustments. Having the saddle too far forward and even too high can put too much weight on your hands irrespective of the stem/bars. Once the saddle is OK the distance between saddle and handlebars should be addressed before height, although youj need to make sure with threadless design that your stem allows enough latitude for
cny-bikeman is offline  
Old 09-07-10, 11:21 PM
  #17  
Senior Member
 
DannoXYZ's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Saratoga, CA
Posts: 11,736
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 109 Post(s)
Liked 9 Times in 6 Posts
Ironically enough, drop-bars are actually more comfortable than flat bars. You ride on them with less bend at the wrist than flat-bars and there are multiple positions to vary the load on your wrists. I see a lot of riders using too wide of bars, which causes you to ride with locked or inverted elbows, very bad for absorbing road shock. The results are sore wrists, arms, shoulders and necks in a short time. Don't do this:


https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...icerOnBike.jpg

Also, DO NOT squeeze the bars tightly with a deathgrip using your fingers, that's what causes improper positioning and pain. You want to place the place ALL of your upper-body weight passively through the heel of your palm on the spot of the bar that balances sliding off the top versus slipping off the back of the grip. The imaginary spot on your palm is where your arm-bones would extend out past your wrist. With your weight balanced on this spot, you can actually wiggle all your fingers and be relaxed. You can ride for hundreds of miles with your fingers loose.

Here's a good example, even if you have higher bars, you want to keep your elbows bent, with very little bend in the wrist... fingers loose:


https://www.giant-bicycles.com/_uploa...race_dirt5.jpg


https://www.singletracks.com/blog/wp-...oped-hand1.jpg

Last edited by DannoXYZ; 09-07-10 at 11:41 PM.
DannoXYZ is offline  
Old 09-07-10, 11:25 PM
  #18  
Banned
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: NW,Oregon Coast
Posts: 43,598

Bikes: 8

Mentioned: 197 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 7607 Post(s)
Liked 1,354 Times in 861 Posts
Im using Trekking bars on one of my bikes , quite like them, lots of hand positions on their figure 8 bend,
mountain bike controls work, grip shifters and Hydraulic brake levers.
fietsbob is offline  
Old 09-08-10, 03:07 AM
  #19  
headtube.
 
zzyzx_xyzzy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Posts: 803
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 3 Times in 3 Posts
So, here's what seems to be true for me, weight on my hands is often a symptom of wrong saddle position rather than wrong bar position (saddle's probably too far forward, and if it's tilted nose-down that doesn't help either.) I think long torsos would generally like to run the saddle further back--it's all about putting your body's center of gravity in the right position above the pedals.

You should be able to put yourself on a slightly high gear on a shallow climb so you're mashing a bit and breathing a bit hard, ride along and you should be able to 'float' your hands above the handlebars without sliding off the saddle or changing your posture or straining unusually. The proper setback and tilt will enable this.

I'm a fan of the highish bars combined with long forward reach, I think it makes the arms less of a load bearing member when the upper arms are at a more horizontal angle. Too short a reach, however, can counterintuitively encourage you to rest more weight there, because the bar is closer to being "below" your body. if the bar's in the right position It should be natural during the above hill climbing exercise to have your elbows bent slightly. So if I wanted a lot more height I would at first avoid shortening reach at the same time, maybe go from a 100mm*6deg stem to a 120mm*25deg or so -- try this program to see what different stems will do for you:

https://alex.phred.org/stemchart/Default.aspx

Last edited by zzyzx_xyzzy; 09-08-10 at 03:17 AM.
zzyzx_xyzzy is offline  
Old 09-08-10, 02:06 PM
  #20  
Senior Member
 
oldbobcat's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Boulder County, CO
Posts: 4,370

Bikes: '80 Masi Gran Criterium, '12 Trek Madone, early '60s Frejus track

Mentioned: 6 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 508 Post(s)
Liked 434 Times in 331 Posts
Or you could just slam your saddle back. And compensate for the stretch by lowering it a bit.
oldbobcat is offline  
Old 09-08-10, 04:56 PM
  #21  
The Left Coast, USA
 
FrenchFit's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 3,757

Bikes: Bulls, Bianchi, Koga, Trek, Miyata

Mentioned: 8 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 361 Post(s)
Liked 25 Times in 18 Posts
Originally Posted by jcinnb
Folks, I really need some help here. AND…I know the real answer is get fitted at LBS before buying a bike. I tried but am underwhelmed by 4 that I have been to within 50 miles. Three tried hard to sell me what was in stock and I knew not what I wanted and not right for me, and the fourth guy is too big time to spend any consultative time with me.

So…I got a 19.5” 2009 Jamis Coda Elite from Bananas. I made a bad assumption on the geometry. I got the “lean forward” posture I was after but that results in way too much weight on my hands…I am a lardazz, but getting better. I have installed some Ergon Grips but all that has done is to put checkerboard indentations in my palms.

The bottom line is that I need my hands about 2 to 2 ˝ inches higher (I think). Here is what I have in that regard:

• Headset Ritchey LB Aheadset, 1 1/8”
• Handlebar Ritchey Comp flat bar, 6061 T-6, 5D bend x 580mm wide
• Stem NVO Components adjustable threadless system (ATS) forged aluminum stem, 80mm (16”), 100mm (17.5”/19.5), 120mm (21.5/23”)

I think, I need a new stem, one that will let the hands get higher than the existing stem. I have the existing stem (see above) at 100mm up. Alternatively, a different handle bar arrangement could work too while retaining the existing stem. I think I prefer a “higher” stem solution, but I don’t know jack..only that I am certain I have too much weight on my hands. I am, by the way, happy with my seat, its position and angle, and on it, my knees are in great shape in regard to the centerline of the pedal.

I would appreciate a concise and complete answer, if possible, since I am not good at connecting the dots in regard to cycling components.

Thank all responders very much.
Don't let the 19.5 comments throw you, I've built up a 15" 29er and 18" MTB for my 6 foot frame, they fit wonderfully. I also have a 19.5 inch MTB tourer that's fine for LD riding, and a 58cm sprint bike - both fine with a few mods. Having shorter legs and a long torso changes all the rules. As a first step, try a stem extender you can pick up from ebay. It will effectively raise your bars 2-4 inches, and see how it goes. I like the idea of having your LBS trade you for a uncut steerertube IF the height is the difference you need, but right now you don't know that for sure. Personally, I ride a deep drop in spin class and on my track bike, but I like a higher road bike bar and spend more time in the drops. So, fit is a matter of preference and riding style, don't buy in to someone saying it's because you're a noob. Make you bike comfortable for yourself now, if you adjust over time, then so be it.
FrenchFit is offline  
Old 09-08-10, 11:28 PM
  #22  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Toronto, ON, Canada
Posts: 409
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Originally Posted by FrenchFit
Don't let the 19.5 comments throw you, I've built up a 15" 29er and 18" MTB for my 6 foot frame, they fit wonderfully. I also have a 19.5 inch MTB tourer that's fine for LD riding, and a 58cm sprint bike - both fine with a few mods. Having shorter legs and a long torso changes all the rules. As a first step, try a stem extender you can pick up from ebay. It will effectively raise your bars 2-4 inches, and see how it goes. I like the idea of having your LBS trade you for a uncut steerertube IF the height is the difference you need, but right now you don't know that for sure. Personally, I ride a deep drop in spin class and on my track bike, but I like a higher road bike bar and spend more time in the drops. So, fit is a matter of preference and riding style, don't buy in to someone saying it's because you're a noob. Make you bike comfortable for yourself now, if you adjust over time, then so be it.
+1

Make sure you are comfortable, even if that means getting a much longer stem or whatever way to raise the bars as high as is possible, and even if that means you have to replace some cables.

I had to raise the bars on my road bike several inches, but I went from having pain after 1 hour, to being fine riding 10 in a row.
bijan is offline  
Related Topics
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
johngwheeler
Road Cycling
66
04-27-20 05:58 AM
banaeatingbiker
Bicycle Mechanics
10
01-02-18 08:09 PM
ATPAH
Fitting Your Bike
8
11-10-17 11:04 PM
TheOutdoorsman
Bicycle Mechanics
9
09-17-14 09:02 PM
spwelton
General Cycling Discussion
10
07-13-10 05:42 PM

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.