Originally Posted by
mack_turtle
don't put too much stock in getting your knee over you pedal spindle. that's a useful reference point, but if moving your saddle so that your knee is fore or aft of that position makes you feel comfortable and balanced on the saddle, that is the right position for you.
Noted. The geometry is mainly me trying to learn while I can't comfortably ride.
Originally Posted by
55murray
Well, I'm primarily on C&V bikes with the classic quills and I have just switched them out since I like the look so much better. Not a trivial effort, I note carefully on a ride where I would like my grip to be (after absolute confirmation that I have the saddle exactly where I want it) and note the exact difference from what is currently on the bike, and order the closest size to get me there. Last winter I optimized the reach on my modern hybrid commuter and that was so much easier to do, not having to strip everything off the bars.
I agree, the classic quill stem is a great look. If I decide I need to raise the bars I'll probably order a Technomic long quill model. But it does seem like an adjustable mtn stem would make it a lot less painful to find out what position in space I want the bars to occupy. I stopped at the local bike library today and they didn't have either the long quill or an adjustable. So fiddling with that is on hold for the moment.
Originally Posted by
Iride01
Don't be in a hurry to make too many changes till you've had a chance to try one out for enough miles to know it was the right thing to do. What feels good for a 10 miles ride might be different for a 40 or more mile ride.
I agree. I've made my one change now by lowering the saddle a bit. I took a very short ride on it today and I think it was an improvement. But further testing will probably have to wait until next week for my shoulder to settle down some more. I usually ride the same two trails every day. One 19 mile and one 12 mile. So I have historical data about my ride times and avg speeds. And I know how I felt after a few days of riding them in a row. I am thinking 3 days of riding for any one change. Unless it's quickly clear that the resulting change is negative.
Really wishing I could get in a good ride today.
Thanks all,
Michael