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Old 01-07-19 | 03:29 PM
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79pmooney
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Joined: Oct 2014
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From: Portland, OR

Bikes: (2) ti TiCycles, 2007 w/ triple and 2011 fixed, 1979 Peter Mooney, ~1983 Trek 420 now fixed and ~1973 Raleigh Carlton Competition gravel grinder

That GCN video misses the core practice that I follow. (Perhaps in part because they were riding bikes that didn't allow it?) I rotate the handebars, drops, levers and all, up or down and watch whether my wrist and hand discomforts get better or worse. In recent years I've been having more issues (65 yo with a lot of miles under my belt). I've found when I rotated the handlebars down, the discomfort both on the bike and after, went away. I now have the flats of my drops dead flat or past horizontal, a steep slope down on the tops going into the brakes and the brake hoods very close to horizontal. Not what any modern bike would ever have but I can ride a 100+ mile fix gear ride with hills and come home with happy hands.

I consider this so important that I will never,ever, own a bike with a modular one-piece handlebar-stem.

Edit: I ride with a lot of weight on my hands, especially on my fix gears since the only relief I can get going upwind is getting low. I am also tall and light. A lousy upwind combo, even with gears. I cannot pass the no-hands test of that video unless I am riding hard in too big a gear. It's not core muscles. I simply fall forward for lack of support. (Yes, many would say I should have my seat further back and tilted up. Thanks, but I like my crotch. I also like an open thigh/torso angle.) So I need hand positions that are comfortable with real weight on them. And I have them.

Ben

Last edited by 79pmooney; 01-07-19 at 03:36 PM.
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