Paddywagon - modifications?
 

Hi all,
I've ridden about 30 miles on my new Paddywagon and it's been great. Quick, nimble and comfortable for the commute.

I want to sit more upright and the stock drop bars have me feel as though I'm reaching too far.

Should I get a)headset spacers b)shorter and higher angle stem c) riser bar?

It comes with a 105mm stem, I'm thinking to shorten it to at least 95mm if not more. The angle right now is 6 deg so I'm thinking a shorter, higher stem? Or will a riser bar suffice?

Any advice or experiences greatly appreciated.

b) and c) are your best bets. Riser bars should solve the problem; a shorter stem may help, too.

How much more rise do you think that you need?

A riser bar won't give you much and it'll probably be wider so your back position won't be changed very much. Since the steerer tube has already been cut you can't add much (if any) spacer under the stem.

That leaves buying a higher angle stem. Picking the right stem is tricky because you have to consider the angle and extension together. If anything you'll probably want a longer extension than what you have now.

I, too, suggest the b) option. What I did was get an adjustable stem such as this. You can use it to try to find the right angle, and (if you're too snobbish to ride a bike with it) buy a fixed stem with that angle.

I ride my bike with tha stem there. It has the advantage of making my bike more easy to ride by my wife, when she feels like. She just adjusts the angle a bit more upwards. Much easier than swapping stems. Besides, I am really not bothered by what people think of my bicycle.

EDIT: Adding a few headset spacers (if you can) is entirely cromulant as well.

I went through something similar with mine - I installed riser bars from a dew.

I had some problems with hand numbness, but then replaced the grips with ergo grips and haven't had any problems since. My commute is 7km one way, and I've had it out for a few 2.5h rides now with no more hand problems, and the bike is very comfortable.

If I was doing it again, I would probably replace it with a flat bar with bar ends or something like trekking bars so that I could have a more stretched out position every now and again.

Here's a pic a Fyxation shop in Missouri sent us with some riser bars on his PaddyWagon. Just to get an idea of how it would look.

http://www.fyxation.com/blog/whitewa...na-paddy-wagon

Those adjustable stems are ugly, but a great tool for fitting. Dial in your ride, then get a fixed stem.

Sometimes they are irreplaceable by fixed stems, because the angle that best matches the rider doesn't necessarily exist in a fixed stem.