nesdog

I've got an OCR2 I've been riding for the past 6 years. It seems I'm always having to tweak the fit to get numb hands, knees, etc. from bothering me.

I've got the saddle set corrrectly but it cannot be moved any further back without causing other issues. I'm using an FSA 110 mm stem and think I'm still in a pretty upright position. In order to stretch out more, does it make sense to swap out to a 120mm?

Truth is I've outgrown the bike but just not able to buy a new one now.

njkayaker

The difference is about 1/2 an inch or 1/2 the width of your thumb. It's a small change. Won't hurt to try it. And it's cheap to try (your LBS might even let you borrow a stem).

calamarichris

Instead of trusting what feels about right, I recommend getting fitted by a pro.
My chronic knee pain plagued me for so long, I assumed surgery was necessary. As a last-ditch effort, I dropped $150 on a fitting with Nate Loyal in Santa Monica and now I can walk up and down stairs with no pain at all. (Oh and ride as much and as hard as I like too.) On top of that, the fitting also assuaged my butt-pain on longer distances.
Feel a little silly for not doing it sooner.

DaveSSS 

No mention of saddle to bar drop or whether the seatpost is a setback on non-setback style. I'm always warning people not to use a non-setback post because it's very likely to put too much weight on your hands due to an improper weight balance over the saddle.


A variety of aches and pains may be due to a lack of fitness and/or just old age. At age 56, I have plenty of pains at the start of every season, even if I ride on the trainer 4-5 hours a week, plus some rides on the road, during the winter. After the first 1000 miles on the road, I'm fit enough to avoid most of the pains.

All you can do is try the longer stem and see how it feels. If you go too long, then you'll put stress on the shoulder joint and have pains there.

njkayaker

This is reasonable advice but it might a unreasonable choice if he can't afford a new bike.

He should talk to his LBS (if they know about fitting) about his problems. They might suggest low-cost fixes to his current bike (without the expense of a "pro fitting").

calamarichris

Not all pro fitters are going to try to sell you a new bike. This guy Nate never once suggested I needed a different frame, seat, or stem. He shifted my seat, post, cleats, and stem. Might sound silly to pay 150 to loosen some bolts & make a few adjustments, but it made the difference between believing surgery was my only option, and my present pain-free riding.

OCRider2000

Currious about how much bar drop you are running as well. If you have been riding with a 11cm stem for a while you will definetly notice the difference on your first ride with a 12. Not so much at first but at mile 10 or 15 you will notice is more and more.

"but it cannot be moved any further back without causing other issues."

What other issues?

idcruiserman

IMO 10mm is a large change.

DaveSSS 

What's the alternative? Most stems come in 10mm length increments. I suppose you could move the saddle forward by up to 5mm, but that depends on where it's at now.

idcruiserman

I'm not debating it's required. Previous post indicated 10mm is not much of a change. I disagree.