mickey@spooky

That's kinda what I was hoping for actually.
Self deportation.

himespau 

So general rules of thumb regarding hubs:
1. you should be able to read the label through the valve hole.
2. if your stem is the correct length when you're on the hoods you should look down and the flats of the bar should be in a straight line between your eye and the hub.
3. your saddle nose should not be pointing at your front hub.

that right?

Nick Bain

TLDR my guess is that its cause the cockpit is to forward or they are trying to get down in front with to forward of a cockpit. that was my problem when i had to long of stems.

rat fink

#2 is horribly incorrect.

mazdaspeed

Stem length is a tough one because what's right, at first, feels bad since your back and core needs to build up the strength to ride comfortably. I figure lots of people are riding on stems that are too small because they got a sore back from the longer stems and didn't stick with it long enough. At least that's what the santa claus looking bike fitter at REI told me, I agree with him.

datlas 

I am only 6 feet and a half inch tall....but with 97cm cycling inseam. Must have custom geometry. I know the bike looks funny but that's because I have a very short torso and long legs.

rat fink

That's funny. I'm pretty much the opposite: 6'1" with an 87cm cycling inseam. I'm taller than most people, even several inches taller than me, sitting. That, and decently long arms lead to a riding position like this:

himespau 

Not something I thought about when setting my stem, just tried a couple of lengths until I found one that felt right, but I've read that around here somewhere - not that reading it on bikeforums makes it right by any means.

ahsposo 

That seat has got to be illegal nowadays...

And talk about relaxed geometry!

datlas 

You are my alter ego!! Everyone who sees me sitting thinks I am short....then I stand up and they are surprised!!

eippo1

Hah, I'm the same height with a slightly shorter cycling inseam. My position looks very similar to yours. My wife called me "Torso" back when we were dating.

mickey@spooky

We get lots of custom orders from spider monkey people. Mid 6' range, 57cm toptubes and 15+cm or drop. It usually looks extreme on paper, but once you paste a rider onto them they look nice and balanced.
It's pretty fantastic that most of the big brands make bikes with wicked long headtubes, especially right now with the DUMP and SLAM meme hitting hard.

rat fink

If we were a superhero duo, it would be Captain Longlegs and Torso man.

datlas 

"To the Velodrome!"

datlas 

Yeah I like a 56 Toptube and a 64-65 Seat-tube. Generally hard to find a stock frame like that, hence the custom...old bike is custom steel and current one on Page 1 is Habanero custom geometry. Lots of toe overlap too.

HMF

My saddle has a downward tilt, but it's nearly all the way back on the rails and I feel balanced over the BB. No soreness in the hands after 3+ hours, no soreness in the shoulders, nor do I feel as if I'm sliding forward and have to scoot back. I tilted it down because the nose was up in my taint when I got "on the rivet" in fast group rides, and it was bugging me.

Sometimes it just depends.

rat fink

"Will they get the track drops to Dr. Aerospoke on time? Will Grant Petersen and Gerard Vroomen finally announce their secret marriage?

Tune in next time!"

megalowmatt

Not sure about the level part. I usually just eyeball it.

datlas 

I thought their archenemy could be "Team Cinzano." But your idea is good too.

rat fink

Interesting. I can ride an 'off the rack' frame, but it usually ends up having to be the most aggressive race model the company sells. A frame with a 56cm stack height, a 55-56cm top tube (~73 degree STA), and a slammed -17 degree 120-130mm stem is a safe bet for me. There's actually only a few brands that don't have something like that. Though, they sometimes call it a 54 (like Specialized).

"spider monkey people" ...I'll have to remember that one.

rat fink

That's an idea. Admittedly, my idea was creatively biased.

Just saw this... That's funny. Finding fitted shirts must be hell.

znomit

Get many repeat customers?

P.S.

pdxtex

while we are on the seat rant, please send the message that your shifters should not be pointed up at crazy angles. i see bikes all the time on craigslist that have the seatposts jacked way up, seat pointing down and the the shifters way up. the lower portion of drop handlebars should also be parallel with the ground.

rangerdavid

I put a level to mine, from the nose to the highest part of the rear of the saddle, then once level and adjusted, I angle it between about 4 -6 degrees up in the front. That's what works for me. IF you have too much weight on your hands with a level saddle, move it back some.

jrobe

"Buy a level or, you're doing it wrong. "


Complete hogwash. In fact, if you see a "bike fitter" come towards you with a level or plumb-bob, run away.

What does gravity have to do with proper bike position (whether it be gravity measured with a plumb-bob or the perpendicular of gravity as measured with a level)?

For example, you could have a perfect bike fit with the optimal position for maximal power output for your body that just happened to include a saddle position that was perfectly level. Then you decide to use a larger wheel on the rear (a change in frame geometry would be another example). Now, you would have the exact same optimal body position on the bike but the saddle would be pointed slightly downward (as to its relation to gravity).

Again, if you see a clown coming at you with a plumb-bob or a level, walk out of that store. The guy doesn't know what he is doing.