Originally Posted by
kwmcd
What riding stance do you prefer? (or maybe you prefer a mix)
More aggressive or Less aggressive?
Wide bars to open the chest or narrow for aerodynamics?
etc.
Personally I ride my modern bike with a slightly aggressive stance with the saddle only 2-3 inches above the bars and the bars the same width as my shoulders
However,
My vintage bike I ride with the saddle level to the bars actually placing the drops at the same height as the hoods on my modern bike. I prefer the comfort for casually riding with my wife who rides a hybrid.
I've seen a pretty radical range of sets ups on this site and would just like to hear a little bit more about them, why you choose the stance you have and what kind of riding you do (short rides, racing, long rides etc.)
I never new 3 years ago when I got into biking how many different ways you can fit a bike, I always assumed there was one right fit (how the shop set me up) and till recently when I started taking a real interest in biking (other than solo rides with no knowledge of the sport) I never questioned the set up.
I have written about this a few times on this site. I have seen Waterrockets quote a similar dynamic...WR is one of the fastest guys here.
It is not an overly complex construct when it comes to riding position. Riding position should match the aggressivity of the rider in terms of speed or effort. So why is that? It is because the pedals are a platform to stabilize the rider's upper body aka torso as he leans forward on the bike. If a rider takes a bike with a 4 inch drop out for a 12 mph ride, he will have a lot of weight on his hands. This is why you like a more upright bike for riding with your wife.
If he takes same 4 inch racing like drop on a bike ride where he routinely rides 21-23 mph, then this amount of drop will be much more comfortable. There is much more than that however. I tend to ride pretty fast for my set up. I prefer the drop position and I am old and can't tolerate great back and neck flexion. So I ride with my bars up near saddle position and therefore my drop position is about 5 inches below that. Many pros ride with more drop on their hoods.
So overall conditioning, flexibility and very importantly the force you apply to the pedals matters in terms of comfort on the bike and weight on the hands.
Next time you go for max speed on your bike...whatever that is...take note of how much pressure you are applying to the handlebar. Quite possible you are even pulling up on the handlebar and not pushing down. A good rider will natively want a bit more weight on the hands to counteract big efforts that push him out of the saddle.
HTH.