Originally Posted by
GhostRider62
Fore/aft position depends on age, weight, condition of the rider, the bike, and the type of event.
TT bikes have the rider's CoG quite forward for aerodynamic purposes but the rider typically loses aerobic power.
If a normal road bike position has the rider having difficulty holding a stable, comfortable position, it is a good bet that their breathing capacity is reduced by excessive recruitment of muscle to stabilize the torso.
Bring a 5mm and mess around on a training ride until you are comfortable. I cannot hold the positions of my youth and do not even try.
Yeahhhh ... there can be a lot of crap to carry for a "general riding kit! Much of this can be satisfied with a typical cycling multitool, but not all. I carry a 6 mm Allen for the angle of my Nitto seatposts and the tension of my Selle Anatomicas, a 5 mm for saddle height, a 4 mm for Rivet saddle tension, a Brooks wrench or the Park saddle adjustment wrench to set (rarely is this needed) Brooks leather tension, and a 4 mm for my Rivet saddle tension. For the older bikes with Campy Record microadust poosts, I need a 10 mm combination with a small or vvery offset head. For modern Campy drivetrains the 5 mm and 6 mm Allens are all one usually needs (a small pliers for cable tensioning). For French-equipped bikes (love my vintage Huret wide-range rear derailleurs like Duopars) I need 8 mm and 9 mm combination wrenches as well. And always a small electrician's pliers for pulling cable so tension as you secure them! Luckily I had all this metric stuff left over from when I worked on air-cooled VWs! It's a bit of a pain to think about what tools I need for a fitting ride for each bike!
Another complication is Brooksies - some are quite stiff! I have a Brooks Select Professional which is kind of supple and easy to get a wrench up and under it to set angle on a Campy seatpost, and another Select which is hard as a rock- and the same situation with a pair of Ideales, one a 92 and one an 80. For that one I need to carry a Park offset 10 mm combination wrench which can reach up and under the Brooks Pro saddle to set the tilt adjusting bolts.
So if I carry all of this I feel like a dork and have a guaranteed 8# penalty, not that I care so much. If I on't carry all this, I need to choose my kit for every ride. Which one is really tolerable?