What riding stance do you prefer? (or maybe you prefer a mix)
More aggressive or Less aggressive?
Wide bars to open the chest or narrow for aerodynamics?
etc.

Personally I ride my modern bike with a slightly aggressive stance with the saddle only 2-3 inches above the bars and the bars the same width as my shoulders
However,
My vintage bike I ride with the saddle level to the bars actually placing the drops at the same height as the hoods on my modern bike. I prefer the comfort for casually riding with my wife who rides a hybrid.

I've seen a pretty radical range of sets ups on this site and would just like to hear a little bit more about them, why you choose the stance you have and what kind of riding you do (short rides, racing, long rides etc.)

I never new 3 years ago when I got into biking how many different ways you can fit a bike, I always assumed there was one right fit (how the shop set me up) and till recently when I started taking a real interest in biking (other than solo rides with no knowledge of the sport) I never questioned the set up.

I have written about this a few times on this site. I have seen Waterrockets quote a similar dynamic...WR is one of the fastest guys here.
It is not an overly complex construct when it comes to riding position. Riding position should match the aggressivity of the rider in terms of speed or effort. So why is that? It is because the pedals are a platform to stabilize the rider's upper body aka torso as he leans forward on the bike. If a rider takes a bike with a 4 inch drop out for a 12 mph ride, he will have a lot of weight on his hands. This is why you like a more upright bike for riding with your wife. If he takes same 4 inch racing like drop on a bike ride where he routinely rides 21-23 mph, then this amount of drop will be much more comfortable. There is much more than that however. I tend to ride pretty fast for my set up. I prefer the drop position and I am old and can't tolerate great back and neck flexion. So I ride with my bars up near saddle position and therefore my drop position is about 5 inches below that. Many pros ride with more drop on their hoods.
So overall conditioning, flexibility and very importantly the force you apply to the pedals matters in terms of comfort on the bike and weight on the hands.
Next time you go for max speed on your bike...whatever that is...take note of how much pressure you are applying to the handlebar. Quite possible you are even pulling up on the handlebar and not pushing down. A good rider will natively want a bit more weight on the hands to counteract big efforts that push him out of the saddle.
HTH.

Get and read the book Bicycling Medicine by Dr. Arnie Baker. He explains a bit about the purpose of different bicycle fits.

For example, here is some of what he has to say about saddle height:

"Seat height is a compromise between aerobic economy, aerodynamics, bicycle handling, injury prevention, muscle fatigue, stroke fluidity, and power.

...

... Base the seat height on the angle from the horizontal formed by the knee at the bottom of the pedal stroke. This angle is measured in degrees of flexion. With the lower leg extended straight out, this angle is zero degrees by convention. As a starting point, many racers are best positioned so that the angle of the knee is 25 degrees. This is a good compromise between aerobic economy, muscle fatigue, stroke fluidity, and power.

...

Aerobic economy and power can be improved with a higher position: a knee angle of 15 to 20 degrees.

...

More control can be obtained with a lower position: a knee angle of 30 degrees. This is important, for example, when riding a bicycle on a steep velodrome.

Riders with pain in the anterior (front) knee - due, for example, to arthritis or patellar tendonitis - do better with a higher seat position and a knee angle of 15 to 20 degrees. Riders with pain in the posterior (back) knee, in the Achilles tendon, or in the back of the calf or thigh do better with a lower seat position and knee angle of 25 to 35 degrees."
(pages 119 - 120)


"A seat height that results in 25 to 30 degrees of knee flexion when the pedal is at the bottom of the stroke tends to result in the least injury but is not optimal for cycling power or aerobic efficiency.

The higher your seat, the more likely you are to have pain in the back of your knee, Achilles tendon pain, or buttock ache. Those with limited flexibility are the most likely to have problems."
(page 148)



But no, there isn't one single right fit. There's a reason for different setups, and they depend on the type of cycling you do, the terrain you ride on, your flexibility, weight, whether or not you've had a recent injury, and many other factors. Your fit will also change from year to year as those factors change too.

Good reference Machka. Just shows the relative complexity of a single bike fit parameter...seat height. And OP of course seat height is only the tip of the iceberg. Seat setback and even tilt matter a lot. Suffice to say that bike fit is an enigma wrapped in a conundrum. After four decades of riding road bikes of every shape and variety, I have mine pretty much dialed but have spent countless hours tinkering with it for the simple reason that when I ride 4 hours hard like I did yesterday...it is simply worth it.

I was out riding with my riding buddy yesterday on a perfect day. My buddy and I when not just chatting and riding side by side take turns pulling for one another...sometimes aggressively. We are riding out to our favorite park and come upon a kid who I would say is averaging 20 mph on a BMC with aerobars. We all stopped together at the light and began to talk a bit. This kid was one of the most perfect physical specimens I have seen and he rode along nicely. He was out for a hundred mile ride and was training for an ironman as it turns out. Ah to be 22 years old and ripped. So we rode along for a while with the kid and then my buddy and me dropped him. I am almost 3x's his age. He was a very nice kid tho.
Dialing your fit if you do big miles is particularly important for injury prevention OP and worth it for both comfort and speed.

I'm feeling pretty good right now after reading your reply because I, at 63, am training for my first Ironman. My first Half Ironman was in May where I averaged 20.45 for the 56 miles after the 1.2 mile swim and I'm working to average 21 for the 112. I have never been professionally fitted and just purchased a slightly larger than needed bike because I was looking for comfort not all out power/speed. After reading about shims for cleats and micro seat adjustments and factors involved during professional fittings I have to wonder if I am holding myself back???? Guess I'll never know since I'm too old to try something new.

+100000000000000000000

I ride with a very aggressive drop, and on fast rides the position is not uncomfortable at all, but on the few occasions when I'm riding with a buddy who rides SUPER slow my neck, back, and arms would be killing me. I never thought of it in a sense where it has anything to do with force applied to the pedals holding your upper body up. That definitely explains a lot.

I was "just riding along" on my trusty rusty Univega when this guy on a hot Trek pulls up alongside me at a stop sign. We got to talking and introduced himself as Lance...forgot his last name as I was too busy telling him how much better my "uni" was than his silly Trek...well anyway we rode a ways together and once he started going on about how he was training for some ride or other all I heard was blah blah blah so I had to drop him as he was interfering with the communion of me and my uni...

I prefer the downward dog stance myself...

Machka, thanks for posting that.

You are my hero.
Congrats on your success. I grew up swimming competitively but can't run worth a lick any more and come up lame if I run barely enough to train for any sort of competition. I can still swim though and bike.
I understand your rational for wanting a taller aka bigger size Tri bike. Basically the same tenant applies to Tri bikes as road bikes...longer head tube = more upright. You maybe in the best position...but you really don't know until you try other positions. Depending on how much you get into it...I suggest putting your tri bike on a trainer and experimenting with different stem lengths and rises. You can go with a shorty negative rise stem to slam your bars if you are catching too much air. For me the tradeoff is comfort for distance riding versus how much air I catch. A younger man than me is just going to be more aero and so I have to put out more watts to keep up.
All the best in your competitive riding pursuits.

I prefer to be stretched out a good bit, whatever the saddle to bar drop might be on my different bikes.

Pretty much a common dynamic. Many scratch their head and wonder after going for a ride with the wife or a slow friend, why their body hurts more than if they do a hammerfest. The thing about pros with their big drop is they put way more power to the pedals than an average rider which naturally unweighs their upper body. Plus they are a skinny as rails...basically acrobats on 2 wheels. They can ride in any position.
The skinnier I get later in the riding season...I have been dropping some weight and riding stronger, the more aggressive a position I can tolerate. With me, I don't change my bar position...just live in the drops a lot more...where I feel the best.
Cheers.

How I like to ride too...stretch out but with little drop. Many wonder how the great Lance Armstrong...I know he is tarnished can ride so upright...or what seems so upright for one of the best cyclists in the world. It is because he rides so far out. This is also why he rides a big bike for his size with 120mm stem...he prefers being stretched out to riding with more drop. I feel the same way.

All of my road bikes are fit to the Classic Guimard/LeMond system as I've mentioned in previous posts. Same basic position for decades of racing & club rides on several different bikes where efficiency, power and control rule. As Campag has noted one must bow to the lack of flexibility that comes w/ advanced age. Saddle height, position over the cranks and reach remain the same on my last build but drop is reduced. Pics of builds 20 years apart.

My town bike is set-up for plootering about picking up groceries, it is suitable to ride with a recreational rider out for a bike ride and takes the seriousness out of what is just a childish enjoyment.

Horses for courses as they say, and it's an excuse to own more than one bike.

-Bandera

You aren't riding with the same model wife I'm riding with. Perhaps an upgrade is in order.

I don't know. What kind of a cook is your wife?

Thank You. I know you are 100% correct regarding my lack of proper fitting for maximum output but as of right now I will simply go with the flow. I actually do not have a Tri-specific bike at this time, only a new Giant Propel SL3 with Profile Aerobars but if I am overly successful at my IM, my wife says I can purchase a Tri bike if I so desire. Having the drops on the Propel higher than most would have them, inverted stem, helps minimize the right shoulder pain due to a totally worn-out shoulder joint. The joint sure makes the swimming a pain and not in the butt. If I do go for a Tri bike I will take your advice and experiment for speed. The only way to try. Again, thank you for your generosity in providing helpful information.

You are quite a gentlemen and thank you for your comments. All the best in your upcoming ironman competitions. As a fellow oldster, I know how things change as we age and I give guys like you all the credit in the world. Its all about staying in the game.