Will a longer stem reduce hand pressure?
07-05-17, 05:08 PM
#51
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Originally Posted by Classtime
I'm with Whyfi. Tilt the nose of your saddle up.
07-06-17, 12:47 AM
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Originally Posted by NormanF
If you're between sizes, you could go up a size. My rule of thumb if its a long tube tube, I prefer to go one size down with long legs for my height; otherwise I stick to the recommended size.
I am 5'11 and ride the Med TCR. I can also get my fit on the M/L but it works out better with the M.
07-06-17, 09:15 PM
#53
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Originally Posted by johngwheeler
I'll try to take one this evening.
You can see the bar rotation has brought the height up maybe a couple of cm. Moving the saddle forward a bit took a bit of weight of my hands. The hoods were angled inwards about 5 degrees to reduce pressure between thumb and index finger.
IMG_2517.jpg
07-06-17, 09:57 PM
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Originally Posted by johngwheeler
Here you go:
You can see the bar rotation has brought the height up maybe a couple of cm. Moving the saddle forward a bit took a bit of weight of my hands. The hoods were angled inwards about 5 degrees to reduce pressure between thumb and index finger.
Attachment 570773
You can see the bar rotation has brought the height up maybe a couple of cm. Moving the saddle forward a bit took a bit of weight of my hands. The hoods were angled inwards about 5 degrees to reduce pressure between thumb and index finger.
Attachment 570773
07-06-17, 11:06 PM
#55
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Originally Posted by Reynolds
Your saddle looks level or even a bit nose-down. You can put a bubble level on it and check. As said before, a slightly nose-up saddle often reduces hand pressure. It's a very simple test and you can always go back.
07-07-17, 05:02 AM
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Originally Posted by johngwheeler
I'll check; I seem to recall that the fitter actually put the saddle slightly nose down, which I thought was an odd way to solve hand pressure problems! I think we was looking at my overall balance and position when he made the adjustments. It certainly didn't make the problem worse. He seemed to know what he was doing, even though some of his suggestions were the exact opposite of what I was expecting... the end result seems good though :-)
07-07-17, 05:19 AM
#57
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Originally Posted by johngwheeler
I've been experimenting with various aspects of bike fit on a Giant medium frame, which may be a little of the small side for me (5'10 / 178cm tall).
One of my problems is feeling that I have a bit too much pressure on my hands when on the hoods. Part of this is lack of core strength, but some of it is due to simply having too much of my body weight in a forward position.
I've moved the saddle back as far as it can go, and as an experiment I scooted back so my backside was hanging over the end of the saddle. I immediately felt less weight on my hands - but of course the position is impractical. I was wondering whether getting a longer stem would have the same effect? I currently have a 9cm stem, so was thinking of trying an 11cm.
Am I likely to notice much of difference in comfort or handling with a 2cm stem length difference?
Thanks for any advice!
John
One of my problems is feeling that I have a bit too much pressure on my hands when on the hoods. Part of this is lack of core strength, but some of it is due to simply having too much of my body weight in a forward position.
I've moved the saddle back as far as it can go, and as an experiment I scooted back so my backside was hanging over the end of the saddle. I immediately felt less weight on my hands - but of course the position is impractical. I was wondering whether getting a longer stem would have the same effect? I currently have a 9cm stem, so was thinking of trying an 11cm.
Am I likely to notice much of difference in comfort or handling with a 2cm stem length difference?
Thanks for any advice!
John
07-07-17, 05:49 AM
#58
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Originally Posted by Carbonfiberboy
You could have a look at several threads about this subject on the Fitting your Bike forum, which is the proper location for this conversation anyway. To determine if your saddle in in the correct position for you, while pedaling with your hands on the hoods, lift both hands briefly off the bars. You should be able to do this comfortably and without sliding forward on the saddle. If you can't, move the saddle back until you can. You should also continue riding comfortably while moving one hand from the bars and placing it behind your back, again without sliding forward. Get this right first and then fiddle with the stem as necessary to get that 90° angle between upper arm and torso.
07-07-17, 04:46 PM
#59
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[QUOTEOriginally Posted by Carbonfiberboy View Post
You could have a look at several threads about this subject on the Fitting your Bike forum, which is the proper location for this conversation anyway. To determine if your saddle in in the correct position for you, while pedaling with your hands on the hoods, lift both hands briefly off the bars. You should be able to do this comfortably and without sliding forward on the saddle. If you can't, move the saddle back until you can. You should also continue riding comfortably while moving one hand from the bars and placing it behind your back, again without sliding forward. Get this right first and then fiddle with the stem as necessary to get that 90° angle between upper arm and torso.
[QUOTEOriginally Posted by Carbonfiberboy View Post
You could have a look at several threads about this subject on the Fitting your Bike forum, which is the proper location for this conversation anyway. To determine if your saddle in in the correct position for you, while pedaling with your hands on the hoods, lift both hands briefly off the bars. You should be able to do this comfortably and without sliding forward on the saddle. If you can't, move the saddle back until you can. You should also continue riding comfortably while moving one hand from the bars and placing it behind your back, again without sliding forward. Get this right first and then fiddle with the stem as necessary to get that 90° angle between upper arm and torso.
Yes!
[/QUOTE]
This is the method I now use instead of KOPS, and I think it's gaining acceptance. It certainly makes sense as a way to determine balance for an *individual*, whereas KOPS doesn't really allow for differences in leg-to-torso length ratio.
You could have a look at several threads about this subject on the Fitting your Bike forum, which is the proper location for this conversation anyway. To determine if your saddle in in the correct position for you, while pedaling with your hands on the hoods, lift both hands briefly off the bars. You should be able to do this comfortably and without sliding forward on the saddle. If you can't, move the saddle back until you can. You should also continue riding comfortably while moving one hand from the bars and placing it behind your back, again without sliding forward. Get this right first and then fiddle with the stem as necessary to get that 90° angle between upper arm and torso.
Originally Posted by Racing Dan
[QUOTEOriginally Posted by Carbonfiberboy View Post
You could have a look at several threads about this subject on the Fitting your Bike forum, which is the proper location for this conversation anyway. To determine if your saddle in in the correct position for you, while pedaling with your hands on the hoods, lift both hands briefly off the bars. You should be able to do this comfortably and without sliding forward on the saddle. If you can't, move the saddle back until you can. You should also continue riding comfortably while moving one hand from the bars and placing it behind your back, again without sliding forward. Get this right first and then fiddle with the stem as necessary to get that 90° angle between upper arm and torso.
[/QUOTE]
This is the method I now use instead of KOPS, and I think it's gaining acceptance. It certainly makes sense as a way to determine balance for an *individual*, whereas KOPS doesn't really allow for differences in leg-to-torso length ratio.
07-09-17, 07:52 PM
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I solved most of my hand pressure and upper back problems by rotating my bars down a bit. Big improvement, although the longer stem feels more comfortable as well and gives me more confident handling.
07-09-17, 11:02 PM
#61
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Originally Posted by autonomy
I solved most of my hand pressure and upper back problems by rotating my bars down a bit. Big improvement, although the longer stem feels more comfortable as well and gives me more confident handling.
In my case rotating the bars upwards aligned my wrists in-line with my arms, and twisting the hoods inwards a few degrees meant my wrist were at a natural, unforced rotation when on the hoods.
Just goes to show that we're all different, so any kind of advice given on a public forum always needs to be pre-fixed with "in my experience....".
07-10-17, 07:27 AM
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When you get a new-to-you bike, get the next size larger. With that much seatpost AND that many spacers, a larger frame makes sense.
07-10-17, 08:42 PM
#63
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Originally Posted by Classtime
When you get a new-to-you bike, get the next size larger. With that much seatpost AND that many spacers, a larger frame makes sense.
I'm testing a large-sized Fuji Gran Fondo on long-term loan. This is probably too far in the other direction, but it's still easily rideable and doesn't feel excessively large. It has 612mm stack and a massive 210mm head tube. The stem is a bit long (120mm), but I'm going to change this.
I'm learning a fair bit about bike fit, and understanding my own preferences. I've found I definitely prefer a minimal seat-to-bar drop (feels easier on my neck and upper back), which leads me to a tallish stack / head-tube. My first two bikes have all the spacers used and flipped stems, so going a bit larger in the stack would help me get a more balanced bar height relative to the saddle.
04-25-20, 04:35 PM
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This is a great resource for comparing stems! https://yojimg.net/bike/web_tools/ste...tools/stem.php
04-25-20, 08:59 PM
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Originally Posted by johngwheeler
I've been experimenting with various aspects of bike fit on a Giant medium frame, which may be a little of the small side for me (5'10 / 178cm tall).
One of my problems is feeling that I have a bit too much pressure on my hands when on the hoods. Part of this is lack of core strength, but some of it is due to simply having too much of my body weight in a forward position.
I've moved the saddle back as far as it can go, and as an experiment I scooted back so my backside was hanging over the end of the saddle. I immediately felt less weight on my hands - but of course the position is impractical. I was wondering whether getting a longer stem would have the same effect? I currently have a 9cm stem, so was thinking of trying an 11cm.
Am I likely to notice much of difference in comfort or handling with a 2cm stem length difference?
Thanks for any advice!
John
One of my problems is feeling that I have a bit too much pressure on my hands when on the hoods. Part of this is lack of core strength, but some of it is due to simply having too much of my body weight in a forward position.
I've moved the saddle back as far as it can go, and as an experiment I scooted back so my backside was hanging over the end of the saddle. I immediately felt less weight on my hands - but of course the position is impractical. I was wondering whether getting a longer stem would have the same effect? I currently have a 9cm stem, so was thinking of trying an 11cm.
Am I likely to notice much of difference in comfort or handling with a 2cm stem length difference?
Thanks for any advice!
John
04-26-20, 06:33 PM
#66
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Moving the saddle back will reduce pressure on the hands. Even with a 10cm saddle to bar drop, I have no problem.
04-27-20, 05:58 AM
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Originally Posted by 79pmooney
(The last bike I set up, I was having this issue, mostly in my right hand. Measured up my levers. Right was significantly higher than the left. Evened them out and dropped both roughly the distance the two had differed.
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