Hello Folks...

I tried to post an hour or so ago and it seemed to fail so I'll give it another shot.

This is my first post so I'll say alittle about myself. I love singlespeed road riding. I ride a Surly Pacer with a Singleator (curse those vertical dropouts) geared at 50x18 with 27" wheels which actually fit.

I've noticed that many folks on the list ride track geometry bikes on the road and would like to know if these bikes are ridden more than a few miles at a time. If so is anyone experiencing numbness in the hands or wrist pain due to excess weight on the bars (steep seattube).

I'm not looking to buy a track bike. At 6'4"+ and 245lbs I need a tank like a surly. But with my long torso and high center of gravity I experience lots of hand/wrist pain on any bike with a seat tube greater than 72 degrees! Sadly the Pacer is 72.5 but at least it's better than my last bike.

Am I the only one with this problem?

Thanks...
jimv

I regularly ride 4 hr rides on my Bianchi Pista track bike. I have ridden from Claremont, Ca to Victorville, CA AT NIGHT on a track bike. That's ~100 miles. I guess it's kinda what you get used to.

Hello...

I regularly ride 4 hr rides on my Bianchi Pista track bike. I have ridden from Claremont, Ca to Victorville, CA AT NIGHT on a track bike. That's ~100 miles. I guess it's kinda what you get used to.

Wow don d that's impressive. Maybe the constant pedalling of a fixie helps to unweight the hands.

Thanks....jimv

The trick to riding a bike is not to sit or lean on anything. One should be striving to use the saddle, handlebars and pedals as pivot points that the body rests on. This prevents pressure from building up in one place like the hands/wrists/butt. No matter what you do, you'll experience some fatigue, but balance is the key.

Thanks don d.

I know what you're saying and I don't want to lean on my hands but if I try to 'lighten up' my butt comes out of the saddle instead of the weight comming of the hands. Of course if I slide to the very back of my seat the problem is reduced and naturally if I start pedalling harder the problem is eliminated. I would like to be able to be more balanced (weightwise) while just cruising along. Like I mentioned the problem disappears completely with a 72 degree seat tube angle.

Anyway, thanks for the thoughts.

jimv

have no problem with track geometry(i miss it actually). i had a bianchi pista and now i have a converted lemond.
i think one get use to it. just shift positions timely and ride the different positions on the bars.
try taking up rock climbing and you'll know what hand/finger soreness is all about.
back to track bikes though...i would worry more about the inability in coast
but you'll get use to that as well. once you're hooked, forget about single speed all together!!

I generaly do about 20 mile rides on my track bike, I have not had any real problems. Out of curiousity what route did you take from Claremont to victorville? Just take route 66? Sounds like a nice ride, I have driven up 15 before, and detoured once because of fire but that is alot of climbing! I must say I am impressed!

My fixed ( converted early '80's Bianchi road geometry) used to be like a lazy boy to me. I could ride it all day 60-100 miles. Then I put a Brooks saddle on and it has been down hill from there. My mileage has gone down and I am not happy anymore. I am switching back to my old saddle. I will give the Brooks another try this winter on short rides.


I have noticed that since my saddle is so uncomfortable my hands have been getting sore and numb. I did not have this problem before I changed saddles. I think my arms are compensating and taking all the weight.

I am 6'5" and weigh 185 lbs. Just because you are a large person does not mean you should be uncomfortable. Have you ever been fitted for a bike. You may have an unusual body type (longer arms, torso or something like that). It sounds to me like your bike does not fit you. Numb hands usually means your seat height/position needs adjusting.

How do you know that >72° seat tube is uncomfortable. What other bikes have you tried?

jimv -
What is the height of your handlebars in relation to your saddle? I suspect raising your bars may remove some of the weight and pressure from your hands. Rivendell has always been a big advocate of this. Here's some reading that may help:
https://www.rivendellbicycles.com/htm...fposition.html

Have you ever heard of Mojave By Moonlight? It is usually held on a full moon weekend in the summer. Leaves Claremont and goes to Victorville. For the life of me, I couldn't tell you the exact roads, although I think it goes up through Devore pass. The last time I did it was in 91'. Great ride.

And regarding seat tube angles, this might help too
https://www.rivendellbicycles.com/html/rr_spofactor.html

I use bullhorns so that I have numerous hand positions. That has worked for me really well. Although I ride a slightly smaller frame than I need so that helps when it comes to changing butt, hand, feet pressure weight.

Hello Folks...

Thanks for all the great responses. I have much to think about. I would like to respond to some of the questions and comments.

captsven stated: My mileage has gone down and I am not happy anymore. I am switching back to my old saddle.

Yes, I know how an uncomfortable saddle can aggrevate the situation. I changed mine and it did help. I now use a Selle Italia Tri-matic.

captsven also asked: Have you ever been fitted for a bike. You may have an unusual body type

Yes on both counts. I do have a long torso for my height and have had 2 different 'size cycle' type fittings this summer. This is how I know about the 72 degree seat tube.

riderx asked: What is the height of your handlebars in relation to your saddle?

The tops of my bars are about 2" below my seat. Thanks for the links to Rivendell. The articles are excellent and very helpful.

shishi stated: I use bullhorns so that I have numerous hand positions.

My girlfriend has been having similar issues even though she's alot smaller than I am. I cut her drop bars and flipped them over to make bullhorns and she loves it. I'm going to order some real bullhorns today. Maybe I'll get a set for myself too.

So now I have some bar height/seat position tweaking to do. Thanks to everyone for the input.

jimv

i ride a track bike (not road track) with deep track drops and steep drop between saddle and bars, on a selle italia SLR saddle. i can take this bike out for 40-50 mile rides and stay relatively comfortable. i don't think that the frame itself has much to do with my comfort level, however. it's all about the bars and the saddle. if i were to go on 100 mile rides, i'd probably consider switching to bullhorns and a terry fly saddle, and raising the bars a bit.

Try Moustache bars. You'll love them.