Skunk

Now that the body is accepting being on a bike again I got a question on riding position. How much weight should I be taking with my arms, I feel like its quite a bit, does that maybe mean the bar position is wrong or something else or is that right. The bike is an old Shogun Katana.

GrannyGear

Skunk,
As I recall, Shogun is a mid/late 80's bike. If you're the original owner, and if the bike is set up as it was 20 or so years ago for your younger self, then the place to start is the bar height. Bars significantly lower than your saddle can bring your torso down (also depending on reach...distance from saddle to bars) putting more weight on your hands and less on your butt. A place to start might be with your back making a 45 degree angle when your hands are on the hoods, arms flexed, and you're feeling comfortable. Many us ride with bars about an inch (some less) below the saddle. No absolute rules in bike comfort except how do you feel after a relatively longish ride.

Don't pull your stem up above its minimum insertion mark. Taller stems (with a longer insertion) are available from Harris Cyclery (online).....look for Nitto Technomic.

Others here at the forum know far more than I about fit, but while waiting for them, go out and check your bar height. Next would be the extension-- the horizontal length-- of your stem. Good luck!
David

John E

Listen to your GrannyGear. A taller stem with a shorter forward reach can make a huge difference. My PKN-10 is about 2 cm too tall and too long for me, but replacing the original stem with a very short-reach unit taken from a small-framed Fuji rendered it quite comfortable for me.