Some stem/bars/chain questions
 

I am looking into making my Bianchi Pista a bit more comfortable for riding around town. Currently have "bullhorns" from previous owner that I realized were sawed off upside down drops when I rewrapped them. My main question is, looking at my picture, should I be trying some sort of different stem, or should I just buy the cheapest pair of riser bars that I can find and see if I like them? I will eventually invest in nice drops, but I want another option that allows a slightly more upright position. Also, I know almost nothing about the components of this bike. Are those risers under the stem, or is that all part of the headset? Sorry, I'm a bit of a newbie.


As for the chain, it says KMC K-4L but I can't find out anything about this chain on the KMC website. I believe it might be the wrong chain for the bike, since the bike makes a strange sound when in motion, but it might just need cleaning and lube.

They're called spacers, and they can be moved above or below the stem, depending on how high you want it to be. The chain is a K710. If it's working now, it's fine. Noise probably means it's too tight or the drivetrain is dirty, and your cog looks like it was recovered from the wreckage of the Titanic, so a good cleaning would be a good place to start.

What about your current position on the bike feels uncomfortable around town? Does it feel too aggressive, like you're hunched down and you'd prefer to be more upright? Or do you feel too stretched out, like you're reaching too far to get to the place you prefer holding your current bars? Since your stem is currently set as high as it can go, if you want a more upright position you should get a new stem with a greater angle so it'll raise the bars even higher. You could also try getting it 10 or 20mm shorter to decrease the reach, too. That sounds like a good place to start, rather than trying new bars -- I still use cut-off drops as bullhorns on my street fixie and love em, nothing wrong with that.

Recovered wreckage from the Titanic? :roflmao2:

I need to learn how to disassemble this thing and clean it! Or maybe I can clean it well enough without taking it apart.

It's not that I hate my current riding position. I just like options. I will definitely be more mindful on my next ride and see exactly what I'm looking to change. Thanks for the input!

Yeah, you can do a pretty good job without disassembling too much. Just take off the wheel and give the cog a good scrubbing with a degreaser (I use Simple Green) and a coarse brush or sponge. Give the chain and chainring the same treatment, wipe dry, then re-lube the chain.

Ok, so I just went out for a few miles with my handlebar position in mind, and I didn't come to anything conclusive. I wouldn't call the ride aggressive by any means, but I know that I'm looking for a bit more comfort overall. If anything, I may agree with the notion that I felt a little bit stretched out. I'm super new to the idea of trying to make my bike fit me perfectly, but with my back problems, I need to be certain that everything is where it should be.

I don't mind messing with the stem a little bit, but I'm confused that the simple answer doesn't seem to just be cheap riser bars. Would that be a bad idea?

Your bike's a fix gear. The most basic bike there is. The drivetrain hardly needs to be clean. The cog needs no attention at all unless the opinion of forum members matters. (My workhorse fix gear gets no attention for 18 months at a time save quick rinses with a light shower setting with the garden hose. I go probably 8-17,000 miles on two chains, then replace the cog, ring and chain.)

Chain tension (actually lack of tension) is important. I see to it the chain never goes tight over several full pedal revolutions until I know the chain has gone completely around. Super tight chains seem to be the popular thing now, but if you go the velodrome and watch the big boys race, you will see zero tight chains. That's right. None.

I googled KMC and found this: https://kmcchain.us/chain/k710/ I think you have a K-710. A BMX chain. It will work just fine but it is compete overkill for road riding. You hardly need peened rivets/pins. Regular rivets work just fine on 1/8" chains for our use and can be driven in and out repeatably with no damage to the side plates. (A chain I really like is the standard Isuzue chain, roughly $25. Very reliable.)

Bars and stems are so personal I won't go there. Plus I am such a drop HB guy, I know about nothing re: any other shape.

Ben

I actually ended up flipping my bullhorns towards me last night for a 5 mile ride, essentially turning them into cafe bars. This definitely made for an interesting ride. I was much more upright, which I liked since I was riding in traffic after dark, but my back still hurt after the ride. I'm now wondering if at just over 6'1" my 57 frame is a tad too small for me. I'm leaning towards sizing up my next frame and attempting something closer to a french fit.

I wouldn't go thinking too small for your height and such a short ride. I'm 190cm and rode a 58cm 200km, 2 days with a full pack without issue. And that was the first proper long ride I ever did.
Have you had the bike fitted?