Thanks for advice, Vik. I really appreciate it.

Unfortunately we've been having so much rain and cold weather, that I haven't had a chance to take the bike for a real test ride yet.
How easy is it to change the position of hoods? I know I can take it back to the dealer to have it done, but would prefer to learn to look after it myself, so I don't have to run to the store with every little thing. I don't mind having to change the tape, I could go for one in different colour. :)

I will first move the drops up and see if it feels any better. This weekend, hopefully.

Thanks again!

It's probably the battery, I was thinking about.

Yes, please post more pics!

It's not hard Lucille...I'd recommend you get a decent bike repair book and some basic tools...MEC/REI will carry everything you need.

I should have all the tools I need, but will look for the book, thanks. One downside of having a really friendly bike shop is, that you never learn to do anything by yourself. ;)

OK, I had a chance to move the handlebars up quite a bit, and they feel much better, it's also easier to reach for the shifters.
Attachment 150721
But I'm still not comfortable moving my hands under the bar to reach for the breaks. It feels really awkward and like I won't have enough time to break. And are all hoods standard size? I feel like my hand is too small to comfortable reach for breaks (no, I don't have freakishly small hands ;-)

I'm thinking it's just that I'm not familiar with using drops(I've only ever used flat bars) and hope it I will get used to them. I'm going for a longer ride this weekend, hopefully I won't end up getting totally frustrated and walking my bike... :cry:

I apply my brakes by pulling on the brake levers with my thumb still hooked over the hoods. Just sorta reach around kinda. It takes some getting used too.

You should be able to brake by grabbing the levers from the hoods....you shouldn't have to move your hands much....I typically ride with my thumbs hooked over the hoods and my fingers loose down on each side of the levers...braking just takes a small hand movement.

If I am bombing downhill fast I'll move to the drops and be in a position to brake harder.

OK, so I guess I'm not totally off the mark here. That's how I was breaking as well. But I could only reach the very top of the levers, and didn't feel like I was getting enough of the breaking power. Since I've never done it before, I assumed I had to move my hands under the bars to do the breaking.

Braking from the hoods is less powerful than from the drops, but it should be sufficient for day to day riding...if not there is a problem...I'd drop by a LBS and show them what you are doing and get some advice...this sort of thing is hard to evaluate online.

It was sufficient in a parking lot, I thought. But not as strong as I'm used to with my other bike with flat bars. Yes, I agree it's hard to do it on line, I do appreciate your help though. I will pop over to the store and ask.

Lucille,

At least you're not having the problem our daughter brought to out attention yesterday. She says she isn't getting a good enough work-out on her new NWT because the bike goes uphill much too easily - and she wasn't kidding!!! Who knew.

Lou

Heh heh.... well, she can put her gears up a little....;)

Do your elbows stick out when you reach for the brakes? (from rotating your hands) That is one of the signs that the reach is too long.

There is no standard size to hoods. Campy hoods for instance are distinctly different from Shimano hoods.

I vaguely recall some feminine bars which supposedly decrease the reach for the brakes by changing the shape of the bar/tubing.

If you can get decent leverage on the brakes then it just might take more practice and a brake adjustment. Technique-wise, remember that the front brake does almost all of the work but people often under utilize it.

Agree. I'm taking her an extra 42T middle chain ring I have in my parts box (to replace her current 39T) when we go up there in a couple of weeks. That should raise her mid-range and make it a bit more difficult! :>)

We put 'interrupters' on my wifes BF. She wanted drop bars but isn't comfortable braking with them.
I agree with Vik's advice on learning to do some of your own work but this would need to be done by someone with some experience.
Here's a link to what they look like. They're extra brake levers on the top part of the handlebars, seen best in the third photo.
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...t=#post9842609

enjoy, Greg

We finally got a chance to ride the bikes for a while. Not too far, about 50 kms. I really like the feel of the bike, it rolls beautifully and the gears are perfect!
I like how smooth the bar-end shifters are, but I wish I didn't have to reach so far down for them.

The only real problem was with breaking, which is a big one. I had a really hard time reaching the levers, but then figured that if I lean my body forward, I can reach the breaks much better. Still, the space between the bar and the lever seems far away, and even after such a short and easy ride (this is a ride we do when we don't have time to go for a "real" ride, and have done it hundreds of times), my hands are killing me. I can't imagine touring on roads with cars, it just doesn't feel safe. Any ideas how could I fix this? Is the stem too long? The hoods too big for my hands? Are drop bars not for me?

Thanks! When we were picking up the bikes, the sales person at the LBS mentioned those. I'm considering that, but I'm worried they will get in a way of a handlebar bag. Maybe not.

Lovely bike, by the way! :thumb:

I don't think my elbows stick out, but not sure. I think I would like to look at those female hoods, if I could find them.
You are right, practice did make it easier, but it's still not good enough. I couldn't ride that way on a road with cars zooming by a bunch days in a row. I can barely type this, my hands hurt so much. :(

Wait, one of the questions was "Are they dramatically slower than a typical road bike?" You sure you meant to answer yes here?

You have v-brakes with the diacompe brake levers I assume. I've never set them up; but I know several experienced cyclists that are quite happy with them. If you are interested, I can get you in contact with a great wrench that set up his own Bike Friday with them. I recall that he once posted a set of hints over at the YAK. But I don't have that handy.

At the Harris Cyclery, it appears that Cane Creek/Diacompe offers a "short reach" set of levers for smaller hands with the typical road caliper cable pull. Perhaps there is a model for short reach levers with the longer cable pull needed for v-brakes.

Of course, it might be the case that the reach is totally fine. You might just need to get stronger hands for braking from the hood position.

Is your husband having any issues braking? I think based on all the issues you've had it's time to consult a knowledgeable LBS for advice and make some changes.

Given the troubles you have with drop bars, maybe it's time to consider moustache bars like these: http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product...1_10000_200388 . It's a $25 solution and uses the same parts you have on your bike now.

http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e1...-NCL-FRONT.jpg

Here's a picture of of one on my Moulton TSR:

http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e1...onCruiser3.jpg

It allows a comfy "sit-up" position when you hold the ends of the bar. In this position, your hands are very close to the bar-end shifters. When your hands are in the curved part of the bar, the brakes are easily reached by the hands. It's a more natural hand position than drop bars, IMHO.

Secondly, on the brake levers, there is an adjustment for the reach of the levers. Have you made sure that yours are adjusted for the shortest reach?

OFF Topic rant: Given the prices of Bike Fridays, why on earth aren't they installing brifters instead of cheesy bar-end shifters. Sheesh! :mad:

Ermmmm... right you are! Yes! No! Yes! At least I hope so, or I've made a rather expensive mistake.... ;)

Well, he did have similar issues with the reach as well. We are both used to flat bars, so it is quite an adjustment.

I agree, we need to talk to somebody. I will email the BF rep tomorrow and see what she says, not sure if we should try to make adjustments to drops or just change the bars all together.

I've been looking at Bike Fridays on Flickr for some ideas, and found this one: http://www.flickr.com/photos/number5/393969311/
Maybe that's what I need? Not sure, we'll see what they suggest.

These look pretty cool, but I'm not sure how comfortable would they be for touring. And there doesn't seem to be much space for a handlebar bag. I have to have a handlebar bag, that's where my camera goes. This is such a cool bike! I like the look.

As per your rant, they do install integrated shifters. It was our choice to get bar ends, as they are supposed to be better for touring. Trek 520 comes with those, which was actually main reason I didn't get it last year. Oh, the irony.... ;)

Ummm... I think those are mounted upside down. The ends of the brake lever should be lower than the mount, so that your hands are in a neutrally rotated position when you're reaching for the brakes. Unless the picture is playing tricks on me, you now have to rotate your hands in the "unnatural" position to hold the bars.

Do you by any chance have smaller than average hands? There are levers that are designed for smaller hands. You can also get better leverage by mounting the levers higher.

Another data point is to test ride a "normal" bike with drop levers and bar end shifters at a LBS and see how that feels.

Lucille, go back to Urbane and talk to Carey, call ahead to make sure that he's in and see what he says. He's also a BF owner so he's in a much better position than us on here for advice.

+1 - this sort of thing will be hard for BF to diagnose and correct over the phone. A knowledgeable LBS can look at you riding the bike and how your hands are positioned to determine what your best options are.

You may need short reach levers if you have particularly small hands. I've never needed them, but I've heard of people with small hands who find them more comfortable. The main thing, with regular levers or short reach, is to practice good form. That means keeping your elbows relaxed and supporting your body with your core (as opposed to hunching on the bars). Start with going to the local shop to get an experienced person to look at your form and your levers, and then go from there.

Enjoy your bike!Attachment 152246