Spookykinkajou

Checking the standover and saddle height are part of a fitting, but there is so much more, and you can do most of it with help from one other person for free.

First, your saddle height is not found by the method you used, at least in my experience. Second, standover is pretty meaningless unless it's actually an issue where you don't clear the top tube. There are numerous sites with detailed fit information. One that I think is good if measured with precision is competitive cyclist's fit calculator. It's a bit more detailed than most I've seen online.

Finally, commuting for 14 miles is simply not a good indicator on whether or not you will handle 100 miles, or even 50 miles, comfortably. They are VERY different rides, regardless of whether you have a backpack on or are sore or not on the short ride.

Bike-Bum

Try putting your bike on a trainer (A cheap one will do) and level it up with a block or some books. Get on and peddle. Are you leaning on the bars? Try adjusting the fit till you're not leaning on the bars, just resting your hands lightly. Made a huge difference for me.
Edit: I had my seat too high, couldn't hold my self up with my feet.

bmike

peddle - 1: to travel about with wares for sale ; broadly : sell
2: to be busy with trifles

pedal - 1 : to ride a bicycle
2 : to use or work a pedal


otherwise a good place to start. core strength helps here too. you need to be able to support your torso with your core muscles... otherwise you could end up sitting bolt upright - which may affect saddle fit and issues.

Bike-Bum

I'm not trying to sell anything. Any way, what you said is is what I meant (I think), that is my core muscles coudn't hold me up, because my seat was too high, no leg leverage. I'm starting to think maybe more cyclists have their saddle too high than too low, judging from the fit and numb hand issues I see posted here. Thanks.

kmcrawford111

I'll try that, thanks. I think my seat may be too high.

As far as core strength goes, I used to do resistance training regularly but nearly stopped a few years ago. I have a pretty decent cable-crossover type machine in the basement that accomodates all different kinds of exercises, and I'm going to start using it regularly (go through all the exercises twice a week).

bmike

saddle height should be determined by knee bend and leg / core angles and alignment, not whether or not your hands go numb.

bar height and reach in relation to saddle - that's where you can tweak the fit.

get your power output in the most effective position over the pedals (legs, saddle fore aft, saddle up down), then work the bars up down and in out. this can be difficult if a frame is too large or small...

spokenword

yeah, just to reinforce what bmike is saying -- if you try to address the hand numbness issue by lowering your saddle, then you're going to swap hand numbness for knee pain. If your hand issues stem from a disproportionate amount of weight being supported by your arms, then the solution is not to lower the saddle, but to raise the bars.

Bike-Bum

When I said that I lowered the saddle, I meant that I put it at a more proper height, allowing more effective interface with the pedals, thereby putting more weight (and possibly more power) on the pedals and taking weight off my hands. My original suggestion to the OP was to put his bike on a trainer to see if he could find a solution. Adjusting the saddle position was part of mine.

illwafer

check this out:
https://www.rei.com/product/723266

only $12 grips. i have a pair on some northroad bars, and they look and feel pretty good.

Randochap

bmike has pretty much laid out the issue. I'd reiterate that the OP's method of obtaining saddle height is incorrect.

I also agree that at some point bar swap is in the works for long distance. My experience w/ bar ends on flat bars says: ulnar damage.

VeloWeb's bike fit primer is still on offer.

kmcrawford111

I inflated the tires to maximum pressure before the ride, which is what I usually do. I didn't consider that it might cause a comfort issue. They are 26" and I had them at 65 PSI. That probably didn't help either. I'll try inflating them to the middle of the range (52 psi) next time.

I'm going to have a comprehensive fitting done at a local Specialized dealer. I got a shot (it was something similar to slow-release cortizone) from the doctor today and a perscription for an anti-inflammatory. I did my first full commute since the century today and it felt great - my legs felt nice and fresh. I'm not going to do any long-distance rides for at least 3 weeks, and if I feel OK by that time, my goal is to do another century without having this problem.

As for my method of obtaining saddle height, I followed the procedure that is in the manual for the bike, and I've read the same elsewhere. I didn't have any problems with that before doing the century. Apparently when getting into long-distance it's important to be more thorough in the fitting.

I did look at the links you provided; thank you (and everyone else) very much.

bmike

not necessary... do some googling on tire pressure. the max is more a manufacturers rec. than practical guide.

outdrjunkie

One thing that plagued me in the beginning of my cycling habit was the same thing. I consulted a professional and it turned out to be in my elbows. I was keeping my elbows straight and locked and made my hands go numb. I altered my arm position by bending my elbows a bit and what do you know, no more numbness. Also make sure that your wrists are not being bent a lot, this can be remedied by all the 'fitting' comments above.

rxda90

I'll chime in with my experience on this issue, which was really problematic for me ...

I have a flat bar hybrid. And was experiencing severe numbness/coldness/tingling on my ring and pinkie fingers.

I tried riding gloves. They helped some.
I switched to Ergon grips. They helped some more.
I added bar ends. They helped quite a bit.

Then I was able to do longer rides.

And I got bit by the numbness bug again.

Then I tried butterfly bars, or "trekking" bars if you prefer, available from Nashbar for $15 at the time, and haven't had any problems since. All the hardware ported over the to new bars without a hitch.

Of course, if I had to do it all over again, I would've purchased a road bike instead of a flat bar hybrid, but at the time, I was having back trouble and was concerned that the drops would exacerbate my back problems. Now I know that riding really improves your core strength, and I no longer have back problems. Who knew?

Longfemur

Actually, lowering the saddle does make sense for the recreational/transportational road cyclist. It may not be the absolute most powerful riding position, and so it may not suit a competitor, but the saddle set to the classic height using straight leg with heel over pedal may be the way to go. It's a good enough, reasonable height which will help reduce pressure on the saddle, plus at the same time, since the saddle is placed lower, it will also have to be set further back. This will have the desirable side effect of taking pressure off your hands... hence, numbness may disappear.

rhm

I never used to have hand/wrist pain, but started getting it when I switched to integrated brake/shift levers. I'd spend too much time with my hands in one position. Previously I'd always been moving my hands around, from the hoods to the tops to the drops and of course to the shifters on the downtube. Now I have the shifter and the brakes in different locations again, and my hands are good again. Neck hurts a bit, though....

positron

One last thing to check is that the brake levers are angled down in front of your handlebars... if they are angled horizontally (straight out) in front of the bars, it will cause you to keep your wrists bent too much when riding with fingers on the brakes. I used to see this ALL THE TIME from otherwise seasoned riders on MTB's at the shop.....

I also think its worth dropping the seat a bit and moving it back a bit. This will help you to move your weight backwards a little.

lutz

Actually, these Serfas grips are great. I bought them for my wife and she is very, very happy with them (I am riding drop bars myself).

cheval

Agreed- sounds more like a bike fit issue than a glove issue.

kmcrawford111

As an update, I had a fitting scheduled at the local Specialized dealer by their mechanic. He was great, and basically told me that the bike wasn't well-suited for long-distance, but he did look at the bike anyway. He lowered the seat a bit, checking my leg angle, and checked to see if I was square on the bike (which was right on). His two further suggestions were 1) (primarily) replace the bar with one with about an inch more rise, which he is going to do once the part is in while I wait, and 2) replace the grips, which he didn't think would help as much. I spent nearly an hour there, after closing time no less, and he charged me nothing for this service when I planned to pay for it (though I don't think he did the whole fitting). Fantastic shop, wish it were closer. He said that putting road bars on wouldn't work well because of the geometry of the bike. I asked about tire pressure and he said it was best to stay in the top end of the range with the type of tire (26" x 1.5), though I am now inflating to 60 PSI instead of the maximum 65 PSI.

In the meantime I've decided to start looking for a bike with drop bars. Tempatation has gotten the better of me. There are worse things to spend money on, right? (That's what I keep telling myself, anyway ) As a compromise between my tightwad unwillingness to spend and my desire to get a faster bike that will be better for long distance, I've decided to look for a good used bike. I like buying used anyway. There was a Miyata 712 bike on Craigslist that I was very interested in; unfortunately the listing was deleted today before I received a response. Looking to stay inside $400. $300 would be better.

I'd also like to give a special thanks to my new riding partner, member Barrettscv, who has devoted much of his time to helping me with this endeavor and opening my cycling horizons to long-distance when I was previously almost strictly a commuter/utility cyclist (which will probably still always be my bread & butter). Michael is a shining example of what makes this community great. I am looking forward to getting a more appropriate bike and being able to keep up with him better. Thanks to everyone else here as well.