cocoarmadillo

Hello everyone!

I need help with my fitting. I have a new road bike and I've replaced the stem to try and get a better position and something went horribly wrong. All my weight seems to be in the front, and my hands are taking a beating. My center of gravity also seems a bit off. I've included a picture for review. Just from the picture, any hypotheses as to what my problem is?

Thanks so much for the help!
Coco

Leisesturm

Hmmm. Your back angle is reminiscent of someone riding on the flats of a drop-bar yet you are on the hoods. Way too short a stem and bars way too high. I'm sure they were much further out and a lot lower before your stem change. You thought bringing things in would help, but it seems to have made things worse. It probably hasn't made them worse, it just seems that way. It hasn't made them better though. What will? Time, I suspect. Time and miles. Gloves may help.

Igualmente

Is the saddle comfortable? Is it level? Does it have any setback (tip of saddle relative to bottom bracket)?

pakossa

Most likely cause of too much weight on the hands is the saddle being too far forward, which looks like it may be from the photo. To check, move the saddle as far rearward as it will go, then see if it feels the same.

Carbonfiberboy 

Agree that you should start by moving your saddle back, then go back to your old stem and do a new photo. People think and much too frequently advise that moving the bars back and up will take weight off the hands. The opposite is usually the case.

Here are some photos of about what a moderate road position should look like:
https://www.bikeforums.net/long-dista...l#post12207030

This is me in a fat phase. I need to redo these! Besides the notes accompanying the photos, also note that my upper arms make ~90° angle with my upper body, no matter how I hold the bars.

Moving the hands forward increases the lever arm which keeps you from falling forward, and thus reduces the pressure on your hands. More photos here:
https://www.bikeforums.net/road-cycli...l#post12953035
Note how stretched out these women are. It's actually more comfortable like this though one has to be flexible.

Velocivixen

I find that if the nose if my saddle is angled down even the slightest amount I suddenly have pressure on my hands. Once I level it out a bit all is resolved.

philbob57

How much riding have you done this year? My hand pain has diminished as I've ridden more and strengthened my core.

Dave1978

I've been having the same problem. I just got a new State Fixed gear with FSA compact drop bars. It's 55cm and I'm 5'9. I just ordered a pair of nice gel padded gloves. When I got the bike the saddle was all the way back, I've moved it more towards the center and that seems to have helped a bit. I'll probably take it to an lbs and ask them to fit it for me if the gloves don't help and/or my hands just get more used to riding. (It's been a while.)

andr0id

Sliding forward on a tilted saddle and subconsciously resisting that force is probably the cause of most hand fatigue and numbness.
Yet everyone tries to fix the problem with bars and stems.

Velocivixen

Yeah, I found it out accidentally. I had installed a new saddle and the amount of pressure on my hands was good and I felt very balanced, however the nose was a tiny bit high irritating the soft tissues down below. I lowered the saddle nose, what I thought was a tiny amount, and noted the pressure below was relieved, but suddenly there was a lot of pressure on my hands that wasn't there before. I adjusted the nose up even a tinier amount and got it "just right".

I was surprised by how little saddle adjustment can affect the fit.

drummergeek

I vote move your seat back and raise it up a bit as well.

Lenkearney

I am also struggling with the hand pressure issue (65M, 5'8", 220#) - i bought a new bike and had a professional fit, I am dealing with two issues. Saddle pain and hand pain.

first is addressed by rotating my pelvis to flatten my back and get off the tuberosity points and onto the front side. this seems to help,

TO take weight off my hands- I have to pull my body back requiring i curve my back and rotate the pelvis back. Damned if you and ...

according to the fit sheet he set it up with a one degree down angle- will play with that. As I understand it - i should be able to hold a bent over position without holding onto the bar. when i try riding like this - i feel like I am rotating forward. Fitter says just ride and get stronger..

Carbonfiberboy 

You are finding that your hands feel better if you move your center of gravity back. So do that: move your saddle back until you feel comfortable with the flat back that a comfortable road position demands. I'd level the saddle, too. Caution: the adage about having one's hands light on the bars applies when pedaling, not when sitting still on the trainer. I assume you mean too much hand pressure while pedaling.

You have the final say over your own fit.

jyl

Slide saddle back (rearward) as far as it will go. Probably have 1/2-1" adjustment there.

(When your pelvis/hips are too far forward relative to your feet, that means your center of gravity is forward, which forces your hands to support more weight)

Rotate bar upwards (brake levers move up) about 10-15 degrees, so that the ramps (where the bar slopes down to the brake hoods) are closer to a flat surface. Lower stem a little so that your hands are not any higher than they are now.

(Right now, your hands are trying to grip a downward sloping section of bar, or resting on some fairly narrow brake hoods)

Make saddle level (place a large book on saddle, it should be level).

(As noted already, even a slight nose down tilt causes your body to slide forward, so you have to push back with your hands)

See if that helps.

Ali89

Why is that?

Carbonfiberboy 

As lever arm decreases, force increases. Moving the upper body CG aft decreases force some, but not as much as decreasing lever arm, at least until one is almost upright. Plus if one makes the arm more vertical, the hands are more effected by vertical road shock. The standard road position has been this way for over 100 years because it works best.

Lenkearney

FYI

Carbonfiberboy 

Any idea why? They load fine for me, Win 7/Chrome.