Metavira

Hi guys. I have just purchased a Cannondale Caad8.
Size: 56.
Stem: 110mm (11cm) - stock

Basic measurements of mine:
Height: 1m78 (5ft11)
Inseam: 83 CM


The stem was way too long and had my shoulders stretch and hands hurt under the effort. Turning the stem more upright did not help.

I tried a 90mm (9cm) stem in the position shown in the pics. While I feel ok on the bike, I need to know the following:

i) Is the bar too upright, should it be turned more downwards or is it ok?
ii) Is the different positions I am in ok in terms of arm reach?
iii) Can I go as low as a 80 or 85mm stem?

Thanks

andr0id

In picture 3, see how your wrist is bent up when you're holding the drops? That should not be, your wrists should be straight. Turn the bars down some and get your wrist straight in that position. Then you may need to *move* the levers to get you wrists straight on the hoods (picture 2) Twisting your wrists in the two most common position puts a lot of strain on your hands and arms, so you need to fix that.

Stem length looks fine. I see no good reason to go any shorter.

Carbonfiberboy 

Look at your upper arms in the photo on the hoods. They should make a 90° angle with your torso. They do not. I.e. your reach is too short. Move your saddle back to reduce pressure on your hands and probably also go with a longer stem. Also flatten your back. It should be straight when on the hoods, not curved. One does this by rolling the pelvis forward.

In correct position, with your hands on the hoods and forearms horizontal, your elbows should be in front of your knees by 1"-2". If that puts too much weight on your hands, your saddle is too far forward.

noglider 

Your saddle looks to be too low. I recommend fixing that before making other adjustments.

I respect your decision to black out your face, but I'm curious about why you do it.

Metavira

Thanks for the very informative responses guys. Much information to digest and try...

1. Turning down the bars would put me slightly in a more forward position on the hoods. I'll try it. Never realised I had such a bad 'position' for my wrist...Not yet ridden the bike, only fitting it.

2. By moving the levers, you mean moving it slightly upwards or/and inwards?


I found myself (perception) too stretched with a 11CM stem. I have taken pics of those too. I'll put it up for you to compare and tell me if you think the angle is ok? I feel the pressure on the palm of my hands when on the hood with the 11 CM stem though.


Are you sure about that? I felt I had the 'right' knee angle when I adjusted it...I'll try a new height and see what it does to my reach and stuff.
About the pic. I know nobody cares about my face here. We are only interested in cycling. I am more afraid of google which has the tendency to pop up searches about nicknames, names and stuffs like that It is of the creepy 'people' out there googling up your stuff that I am trying to protect myself against! Hope that answers the question.

Igualmente

A couple of things:

1) if you haven't cycled much lately (on a road bike) and are feeling stretching or pain somewhere, it is probably good to think in terms of having an initial position that you later change as you adapt to the bike. What I see there, aside from the handlebars possibly angled up too much to use the drops comfortably, seems ok. You probably want to check on what others have said about saddle setback, height etc, but I can't really see issues from the photos (though photos can mislead due to angles, I actually wondered if your saddle was setback too far... but it probably is not). The handlebar height seems ok for a starting point (it is lower than the saddle, if I see things correctly)

2) You can go to a shorter stem, but unless you have pain, I would not. It won't affect steering or handling much to go 10mm shorter, but I don't see the point in contemplating it until you have a real issue from real riding to resolve.

3) Go for some rides. See what hurts. Start with shorter distances if you are new to road bikes (are you?). If it turns out you have no shoulder or neck pain issues, you can soon think about a longer stem with less angle up or even some angle down. A lot depends on flexibility, core strength...

noglider 

No, I'm not completely sure your saddle is too low, since there is no picture with one foot at the bottom of the pedal stroke. If it is only a little too low, raising it to the proper height won't make much difference to your upper body.

Carbonfiberboy 

Hand position posts to look at:
Lovely Bicycle!: Drop Bar Hand Positions: an Introduction
https://www.bikeforums.net/road-cycli...l#post12953035

With your hands on the hoods as in photo 2, if you bend your elbows some you want your wrist to lay down on the bar top. That's the correct bar angle which should work for the drops, too. Another check is that your brake levers will then be vertical. See the 2nd and 3rd photos in the Numb Hands post.

I think your saddle height is probably fine. The sandals throw everything off.

More stretch might feel too much, but try it. I think in a month you'll come to like it. It takes time to adapt.

Metavira

Thanks for the information link up guys...What do you guys think of going for a 70MM stem as opposed to the 90MM one in the first set of pics? I will have to adjust my brakes on a more vertical position and this will make me have a further reach...

FullGas

fwiw, since some fit adjustments are made in small increments, you should probably be wearing the shoes you'll be riding with, not flip-flops.

bikernew

[/QUOTE]About the pic. I know nobody cares about my face here. We are only interested in cycling. I am more afraid of google which has the tendency to pop up searches about nicknames, names and stuffs like that It is of the creepy 'people' out there googling up your stuff that I am trying to protect myself against! Hope that answers the question.[/QUOTE]

Ditto. I myself have nothing to hide, but dont do Facebook, Twitter, etc etc. The world has become a crazy place, and Big Brother IS always watching...

RichSPK

This! I was mildly surprised how much I had to raise my seat when I rode in boots this winter. Don't set your seat height while wearing flip-flops. Your flip-flops may have a thicker or thinner sole than your riding shoes. They may also prompt you to move your feet fore or aft versus your riding shoes, which will really throw things off.

Metavira

​Great piece of information again guys..I have NOT tried the fit with riding shoes...Something to try tonight itself.....I will report/post new pics if needed. What about going for an ultra short 70MM stem? Will this affect bike handling?

pacificaslim

When you are just sitting on the bike, you may feel a lot of weight on your hands. But when you are pedaling the bike, your legs will be supporting your weight, not your hands.

Fiery

You can't fit your bike leaning against the wall, you have to ride it to get any idea of what it feels like. And your saddle is too low.

oldbobcat

You might hit your knees on the handlebar when you get out of the saddle.

You are humping your upper back, which explains why you find the 11 cm stem too long. With your hands on the hoods, your back starts at around a 50 degree angle above the hips and then curves to practically horizontal about where the shoulders are. Then you have to crook your neck up to see where you're going. The classic S bend of the spine. I'll explain some of the dynamics of how you got here after you try this:

Bend forward directly from the pelvis, keeping your back as straight as you can right to the base of your skull. Think of your mom telling you to stop slouching and stand up straight, except you're doing it on a bicycle. Stretch forward with you nose and chin. Have your wife photograph you and post it here. Notice how much shorter the whole cockpit feels. Notice how your spine likes being straight, even though you're probably sitting more upright and your hands are probably almost directly in a vertical line with your nose.

So why are you sitting like this? I think your handlebar, which is high and close, forces you to sit higher than your back wants to be, and you're hunching the neck and shoulders to compensate. Your back doesn't like it and the intuitive urge is to go even shorter and/or higher. I think that if you get used to straightening your back you'll first want to lower the handlebar. Eventually, you'll want to try an 11 or even 12 cm stem.

Wildwood 

The frame is too small.
as you progress as a rider you will migrate to a 58cm frame, minimum.

greesycaf

I'd start riding the bike and seeing how things feel. In my experience it takes riding and paying attention to your body in order to dial in a fit. The handlebars do look really high though and your saddle on the low side. It's funny how a centimeter here or there, or even a degree of saddle tilt canals huge differences!

Metavira

Well I went at the LBS this week and he made an adjustment to my handle bar. They are definetely more horizantal. He explained to me that he would not advise against changing my stem yet as I have not yet done proper riding with the bike to know the potential sore spots (neck, hands, etc) I might get. Then he stated that I adjust stuffs like saddle, tyre pressure etc and then come change the stem after it fails because what I might feel 'too stretched' for me looks normal to him.
Also not more than +2 or -2 CM in stem lenght...
I will update this thread once I ride more and know the outcome. Thanks guys.

Metavira

An update. I started riding again after a long time and I get pain in my elbow/elbow joint about 45 mins into riding. I feel there is too much weight on the elbow....
My stem is still the stock 11cm/110mm one.

NickFit0036

Honestly, none of it looks too bad. The biggest issue I see is that the handlebar is tilted too far clockwise or up. As a result, your drops are at a bad angle for your wrists. The bottom of the drops should be just slightly pointed up from being parallel to the floor (about 10-15 degress from parallel). Many bikes from the factory come with the hoods mounted too far down the bar. In order for the rider to get a good hood position, they sacrifice the drop position. So turn that bar a bit and if your hands are not comfortable on the hoods (holding them like a pistol), then you should have the bar unwrapped and have them slide up a few cm. Since you are not riding in clips I can't make too many other observations, but in the pic with your leg at bottom dead center, your heel is over the pedal axle. In that position,your leg should def be more extended, so I would suggest moving the saddle up a few cm.

Yes, I am a certified fitter. More info on that is below.
https://cnj.craigslist.org/bik/5767293727.html

superdex

don't change the stem. Rotate the handlebars so the hoods are a flatter. You should be able to put your hands in the drops without bending your wrist. Yes that will pull you forward, but the awkward wrist position(s) might be why you're not comfortable.

Metavira

This is an old pic guys. The LBS moved the hood downwards as @NickFit0036 suggested. @superdex: I was thinking about this too. I will put an updated pic tonight and hope you guys can help me sort out the elbow issue.
Thanks everyone for the help.

philbob57

Your elbow pain is most likely because you don't bend them enough.

Did you change your saddle height? Just curious....