Originally Posted by
azzzaoo6
Success, guys! I managed to sort it. I did some hard riding yesterday — constant braking; hard, you call it bedding in. It has made a big difference. How long does it take to fully bed in new pads? Another issue: when I shift into the easiest gear, it slips off the centre chain rings. Does the back wheel need pulling back, or are the teeth wearing out on it? One thing I noticed: the front handlebars I think are too low how high should they be As of now, they are at the lowest level, as is the seat. I'm reaching down when riding straining my back slightly...
if the seat post and steering stem are "all the way down", and your knees are not nearly straight when you pedal, then the bike's frame is too big for you. or the seat post is now too low in the frame.
if you set the handle bars too high, it effects your knee angle too, and can cause more pain as your lower back is forced to bend with every pedal stroke.
here's a rather cool method to find a decent starting point on seat height...
the pic labeled "high" in the cover shot is actually about where the knee angle should be, for most riders.
as you pedal, your foot points down some, changing that knee angle... if you are flat foot on the pedal, the knee nearly straightens out, and you lose power when the leg is straight.
getting the seat height correct is a perfect way to make riding your bike funner and less exhausting.
as to the bars' height... the best is almost level with the seat, if the frame is the coirrect size for you... i've watched people get caught in the ever-higher loop many times, thinking a higher bar will make their back pain vanish... it does not.
the pain gets worse as bars become too high for the rider, and their hips begin to hurt from rocking back and forth more too.
Most of the "Wallflower Bikes" i see with no tire wear have the bars jacked all the way up, and super-wide seats installed that cause painful chafing too.
Glad to hear that your brakes are now working better!
they will now bed in a bit better, after more miles/kilometers of riding.
and i ALWAYS do some stretching exercises before a ride... ALWAYS... i'm 67, and have numerous past injuries to deal with, none of which were caused by bicycles.
