Riding a road bike "upright"
#1
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2011
Posts: 30
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Riding a road bike "upright"
How possibly or easy is to ride a road bike upright, to make it more comfy and easy to use as a city/casual bike.
So I bought a gorgeous vintage peugeot mixte. It is definitely my size, and has been completely overhauled and restored. It already has flat handle bars and I plan on moving the shifters up to the handle bars. And adjusting the seat lower, handles bars higher. However I'm not a bike genius. Will this work to turn my adorable road bike into a more practical city bike? Then I would still have the option to convert back to a road bike for a longer trip in the future.
This also might help me to be a little more comfortable on my bike as well. To be honest I haven rode much since I was a child and on my mountain bike. I bought another vintage mixte about 6 years ago and road her for a year or so, then moved, had a kid, got distracted with life... ect. That mixte had a frame that was too small and I used it as a comfort crutch lol, and I put as wide as possible rims/tires on the bike. Now I am really wanting to get back into riding and I want to do it correctly. I have my daughter a trail a bike, that hubby might have to use at first until I am more comfortable. When I bought my last bike I somehow literally forgot how to ride a back and had to relearn.
We I am in the same boat now, I am fairly uncomfortable on such a tall, narrow and because I am inexperienced - wobbly bike. I am thinking these adjustments may help me build some confidence too. Anyway long story over, is it possibly to somewhat convert my road bike into a more upright city type bike. Long term, and with my goals I do think I want a road bike so I am happy with the purchase, just seeing what my options where. Thank you.
So I bought a gorgeous vintage peugeot mixte. It is definitely my size, and has been completely overhauled and restored. It already has flat handle bars and I plan on moving the shifters up to the handle bars. And adjusting the seat lower, handles bars higher. However I'm not a bike genius. Will this work to turn my adorable road bike into a more practical city bike? Then I would still have the option to convert back to a road bike for a longer trip in the future.
This also might help me to be a little more comfortable on my bike as well. To be honest I haven rode much since I was a child and on my mountain bike. I bought another vintage mixte about 6 years ago and road her for a year or so, then moved, had a kid, got distracted with life... ect. That mixte had a frame that was too small and I used it as a comfort crutch lol, and I put as wide as possible rims/tires on the bike. Now I am really wanting to get back into riding and I want to do it correctly. I have my daughter a trail a bike, that hubby might have to use at first until I am more comfortable. When I bought my last bike I somehow literally forgot how to ride a back and had to relearn.
We I am in the same boat now, I am fairly uncomfortable on such a tall, narrow and because I am inexperienced - wobbly bike. I am thinking these adjustments may help me build some confidence too. Anyway long story over, is it possibly to somewhat convert my road bike into a more upright city type bike. Long term, and with my goals I do think I want a road bike so I am happy with the purchase, just seeing what my options where. Thank you.
#3
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: Cambridge UK
Posts: 1,703
Bikes: Trek Emonda SL6 .... Miyata One Thousand
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 63 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 29 Times
in
22 Posts
just ask your local bike shop to add a pair of these brake levers, raise the handlebars a bit and you will be ok:
#4
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2011
Posts: 30
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Thank you for the feedback. That is a similar placement to where I was considering having the shifters moved too. I was original thinking closer to the break. Like level with the break but on the opposing side. I kind of like them a bit further out like you have pictured, so they don't get mixed up with the breaks but are still higher than stem shifters.
Last edited by Kaity; 08-09-16 at 02:57 PM.
#5
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Bozeman
Posts: 4,094
Bikes: 199? Landshark Roadshark, 198? Mondonico Diamond, 1987 Panasonic DX-5000, 1987 Bianchi Limited, Univega... Chrome..., 1989 Schwinn Woodlands, Motobecane USA Record, Raleigh Tokul 2
Mentioned: 25 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1131 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
A couple of things.
Saddle position is solely determined by where your knees need the saddle to be. Too low and your knees will hurt, too high and your knees will hurt. Putting the saddle down so it will be more COMFORTABLE is a recipe for disaster and health issues.
The bike pictured is indeed gorgeous, but it may be close to the limit to what you can do to make it more upright. The stem is already very much extended, it already has swept back handlebars. You could get longer swept bars that'll bring the grips closer to you, but that's a bit of a process (and a crime on the above bike.)
How do you plan on moving the shifters to the bars? That would involve getting completely new shifters. (Or doing some sort of hodge podge where you use one of the downtube shifter mounts on the bars and that would be... weird.)
My only suggestion would be to get a different stem.
Something like this one pictured. That would bring the handlebars up and back a bit. You'll probably also need to recable the bike as the cables and housings will probably be too short at that point.
In my honest opinion. You bought the wrong bike for the type of riding you want to do. It is pretty, but beauty should never be the sole reason you buy a bike if you plan on riding it. You would probably do much better with a "crank forward" design of bike. Like the townie from REI. These bikes feature upright riding, low saddle heights (so you can put both feet on the ground at the same time), comfortable seats, and handlebars/shifters you don't have to reach for. I honestly apologize for suggesting you get a different bike, but it seems that you want to turn the above bike into something it's not really designed for, and you probably will not be happy with the result, which means that gorgeous bike will sit in a garage for the next X number of years, which means you're not riding. All of those things are not good!
Saddle position is solely determined by where your knees need the saddle to be. Too low and your knees will hurt, too high and your knees will hurt. Putting the saddle down so it will be more COMFORTABLE is a recipe for disaster and health issues.
The bike pictured is indeed gorgeous, but it may be close to the limit to what you can do to make it more upright. The stem is already very much extended, it already has swept back handlebars. You could get longer swept bars that'll bring the grips closer to you, but that's a bit of a process (and a crime on the above bike.)
How do you plan on moving the shifters to the bars? That would involve getting completely new shifters. (Or doing some sort of hodge podge where you use one of the downtube shifter mounts on the bars and that would be... weird.)
My only suggestion would be to get a different stem.
Something like this one pictured. That would bring the handlebars up and back a bit. You'll probably also need to recable the bike as the cables and housings will probably be too short at that point.
In my honest opinion. You bought the wrong bike for the type of riding you want to do. It is pretty, but beauty should never be the sole reason you buy a bike if you plan on riding it. You would probably do much better with a "crank forward" design of bike. Like the townie from REI. These bikes feature upright riding, low saddle heights (so you can put both feet on the ground at the same time), comfortable seats, and handlebars/shifters you don't have to reach for. I honestly apologize for suggesting you get a different bike, but it seems that you want to turn the above bike into something it's not really designed for, and you probably will not be happy with the result, which means that gorgeous bike will sit in a garage for the next X number of years, which means you're not riding. All of those things are not good!
Last edited by corrado33; 08-09-16 at 03:15 PM.
#6
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2011
Posts: 30
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Thank you for your honest opinion. I do still believe long term, I have the right bike. However right now you may be correct, however I think my issues are more personal than practical for wanting a more upright bike. On my last road bike I never let myself get fully comfortable, however I rode 10+ miles a day and 30+ on the weekend. We rode a lot and farish. Now that I work in the city I see myself using the bike for both longer distance and also for city riding. Just right now I want to work from ground zero. I rode far and once I took off, I was comfortable enough driving, but I "cheated" I used too small of a frame where I know I was not utilizing the bike properly and I was always awkward at take off and dismount. I want to do things different this time and start off working on city driving where I will be forced to get more comfortable. I was in a big bike accident as a kid and stopped riding my bike, however many of my best memories where on my bike as well and I long for the felling and natural high I get while riding. I just want to start off small until I am comfortable instead of going all the way from the start and trying to cut corners to make myself temporarily feel more comfortable. I guess what I am saying is long term I think a road bike will fit me best. If I could borrow a friends cruiser for a couple months I would love to, but I don't want to invest in a bike I know will be temporary.
#7
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: St Peters, Missouri
Posts: 30,225
Bikes: Catrike 559 I own some others but they don't get ridden very much.
Mentioned: 16 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1572 Post(s)
Liked 642 Times
in
363 Posts
Peugeot mixte.
That might not be the best bike to make a lot of changes to. Depending on when, exactly, that bike was made it might have a lot of parts that are just a wee bit differently sized than replacement parts that are commonly available. The French used to do that. I think that it was to make it harder for German invaders to use their stuff.
If the pictures that you posted are of your bike, it is indeed a beautiful bike, My advice would be to try to love it as it is or to find another bike that more nearly matches your needs.
That might not be the best bike to make a lot of changes to. Depending on when, exactly, that bike was made it might have a lot of parts that are just a wee bit differently sized than replacement parts that are commonly available. The French used to do that. I think that it was to make it harder for German invaders to use their stuff.
If the pictures that you posted are of your bike, it is indeed a beautiful bike, My advice would be to try to love it as it is or to find another bike that more nearly matches your needs.
__________________
My greatest fear is all of my kids standing around my coffin and talking about "how sensible" dad was.
My greatest fear is all of my kids standing around my coffin and talking about "how sensible" dad was.
Last edited by Retro Grouch; 08-09-16 at 08:22 PM.
#8
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 1,532
Bikes: Working on replacing my stolen Soma Buena Vista Mixte
Mentioned: 21 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 417 Post(s)
Liked 95 Times
in
44 Posts
I will concur that you should likely get a different bike. You are setup semi-upright now. It may not be possible to get the bars much higher. You could find bars with more rise. Maybe switch the stem. But you aren't going to get much further up the. You have now. That bike is pretty "racy."
Maybe keep that one as is and try out something like the Linus Dutchie or a Public C7. These are very upright and not semi-upright like you have now.
Maybe keep that one as is and try out something like the Linus Dutchie or a Public C7. These are very upright and not semi-upright like you have now.
#9
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: Metro Detroit/AA
Posts: 8,215
Bikes: 2016 Novara Mazama
Mentioned: 63 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3640 Post(s)
Liked 81 Times
in
51 Posts
I've got nothing to add that hasn't been said, especially about how it is a French bike from the late 70s or so that will make swapping parts out difficult, and that it is already fairly upright.
I just wanted to say it is beautiful, though!
I just wanted to say it is beautiful, though!
#10
Don't make me sing!
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Western PA
Posts: 1,022
Bikes: 2013 Specialized Crosstrail Elite, 1986 Centurion Elite RS, Diamondback hardtail MTB, '70s Fuji Special Road Racer, 2012 Raleigh Revenio 2.0, 1992 Trek 1000
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 308 Post(s)
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Where, the heck, do you find a mature pumpkin patch in August?
#11
Senior Member
I expect that wobbling is a matter of practice.
Another option for brake levers are 'guidonnet' levers, but make sure you get metal ones, not plastic/Delrin.
You can also find 'stem shifters' which attach to the stem, but IIRC French stems are 21.9 or 22.0 mm, slightly smaller than most stems found in the US.
Another option for brake levers are 'guidonnet' levers, but make sure you get metal ones, not plastic/Delrin.
You can also find 'stem shifters' which attach to the stem, but IIRC French stems are 21.9 or 22.0 mm, slightly smaller than most stems found in the US.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
cehua
Classic & Vintage
30
05-05-19 11:00 AM
jade408
General Cycling Discussion
10
08-29-15 06:17 PM