Originally Posted by
zactaylor
As for the fore/aft, yes, the saddle is far forward. It is almost at the 'max' on the rails. This was because I was sitting on the nose beforehand. The only explanation I can think of for that is that the stem is too long for me, but I had a 100mm on originally and the problem existed then too. I have a 110mm on now and prefer that. Is it simply a matter of 'training' myself to sit correctly on the saddle when it is further back?
This wasn't directed at me, but is related to what I was saying.
In general, what you want to do is get the saddle height and fore/aft position correct, and then worry about the handlebars. Ideally, you want to be balanced on the saddle in such a way that you put almost no weight on your wrists and hands. Then pick a stem that gives you enough extension so that you feel comfortable and can maintain the balance, and if you are interested in being aero (I am not), you want the bars as low as you can go (within reason). It seems a bit counter-intuitive, but the higher the bars, the more weight you are going to be putting on them. You want your arms to be about 90° from a line whose endpoints are defined by your spine, and the elbows at least slightly bent. Yours are quite bent, so you can probably move the saddle back if you need to without having to replace your stem.
The main point is you want to avoid correcting for a stem (or top tube) that is too long by shoving your saddle too far forward (unless you really do prefer to ride like that).