Please help me dial in my fit
 

So I just started riding my first FG build to and from work this past week. Up until now I've just been riding around the neighborhood streets a bit, so I haven't had much of a chance to really dial in the fit of the bike. I think I've ridden it enough now to know I need to change some things, but I'm not exactly sure what to change. I'm hoping that if I describe what I'm feeling when I ride and list the options I have in terms of adjusting/changing parts that someone will give me a good place to start.

My biggest two compaints when riding are that I feel like I have a lot of weight on my hands/wrist, and that I'm not terribly comfortable when I have my hands out on the "horn" sections of my bullhorns. If I keep my head down I'm fine, but when I try and look straight ahaid down the road it just isn't a very comfortable position. This may just be because I'm not used to it, or I may need to change some stuff on my bike.

Now onto what I can adjust/change on the bike. Right now I have my stem (Thomson Elite 25.4 100mm +/- 5 degree) flipped so it's angled down. I also have 20mm worth of spacers underneath the stem. I haven't cut the steerer tube yet, so raising and/or flipping the stem is definitely possible. I also am currently running Fyxation Rodeo Pursuit bars, but also have the not pursuit version in my garage that I could swap out if it would help. The only other thing I've considered is getting a shorter stem (90mm), but that is by far the most expensive option so I'd prefer to keep that as a last resort.

P.S. I also think I need to angle my seat slightly up. I felt as though I was sliding off the front of the saddle when I was riding today, and I think that might have had something to do with why I felt like too much weight was on my hands/wrists.

Post pics of your bike and/or yourself on the bike.

Start stretching after your rides. Flexibility is a big part of comfort on the bike and stretching after exercise will help tremendously.

-Try leveling the saddle and make sure the height is right, nothing will work until the saddle is right
-try flipping the stem up
-move the saddle back
-get a longer stem

fwiw, I have never experienced total comfort while using bullhorns. My Syntace Stratos have worked the best for me but it is still just "off" somewhat. You will have to do a lot of trial and error. Consider the possibility that the frame just isnt right for you.

This thread is worthless without pics.

yes pics or it never happened.

you can fiddle around endlessly with all the previously mentioned adjustments & they can help

but until you get your core strong enough to hold you up - you will continue to feel like you have too much weight on your hands & wrists...

because you do

Attached are a couple of pics I just took. Can't get any of me on the bike right now as I'm the only one here.

http://i.imgur.com/BFmcP.jpg
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=271088

Yep, with your saddle tilted down like that, the sliding-forward thing makes sense. Level it out as a first step.

Pics of you on the bike are mandatory for good evaluation. Try to get one with your leg extended (about 5:30 position), and one with the crank at the 3:00 position. :thumb:

Alot of weight on the hands usually indicates too much bar drop. Also, with the saddle nose tilted down like that also adds more weight on the hands - plus you mentioned that you feel like you're sliding the down on the saddle. This will add more weight on the hands as you're pushing yourself back up on the saddle. For startes, I would level out the saddle - nose to rear, and also raise the stem 10mm or so, or flip it so that it is raised.

Most likely it is just your saddle. Level it. I use a book and a carpenter level (some $3 plastic one I have). I like it perfectly level.

Your saddle to bar drop isn't too bad. You can try flipping your stem and adding more spacers if you are still uncomfortable.

How tall are you? And what size is your bike? I felt a total difference with lowering the saddle a little, and leveling it out. Good luck

That saddle is weird looking. I would never be comfortable on it. The back end shoots out like at a 45 degree angle, so either way it is going to be awkward if you try to level it.

It's a Selle Royal Contour saddle.

fit calc?

No wonder you're uncomfortable.

Red is current, yellow is what I would estimate to be a starting point for getting closer to ideal. You need a shorter stem with more rise. Nothing else you can do about that aspect, start looking for a cheap 70mm and go from there.

Your saddle could go up a degree or two but that's pretty close to level for that model. I think your problem is all one of reach and drop.

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v1...dels/BFmcP.jpg

Any saddle with a whale tail design similar to the one pictured, I've had to have the nose up almost level with the rear to keep from sliding forward. As always, YMMV.

Please help me dial in my fit
 

Solution: throw money at the bike for new saddle

You are just making things up. You sorta admit it, but it's bizarre! Red, yellow, what the hell-o are you talking about?

This guys' ridin' all ketchup.

You gotta mustard that sh*t.

duh.

If you have too much weight on your hands, you are too stretched out,the frame is too big.

This is relatively easy to fix (if its not too far off) by putting in a shorter stem. Its worth the $25. You can to some degree "fake" this for free by moving your seat as far forward as it will go (temporarily) to see if that fixes your problem before spending the $$$.

You really should not have any weight on your hands, your core should be holding you up. From a standing position, crouch down with your hands in front of you. This is the position you should have on the bike. Notice, you have no weight on your hands (if you are not falling over).

I adjusted my saddle last night and that made a big difference. Couldn't ride to work today because of fog, but hopefully will tomorrow. If it still feels uncomfortable I'm going to put my non pursuit bars back on, and go from there.

I really don't think the frame itself is too big. I'm just under 6'4" and it's a 61cm frame. I have another 61cm road bike that seems to fit me fine. If anything I think it's an issue of the stem being too long.

Cool. My experience is a little different from chas58's -- if the bars are too close, it's easy to lock my elbows and put too much weight on my shoulders and hands. Getting a stretched-out position actually helps me to avoid that problem.

No matter what, you should be keeping your elbows loose. Do the "chicken wing" thing as you ride to make sure. :thumb:

Is there a rule of thumb on how far forward/backward I should have my saddle on the rails? I assume it affects things other than simply brining me slightly closer to the bars, but i'm not sure how to tell where the ideal location is.

As a general rule, when the cranks are at about 3:00, your knee should be directly over the middle of the pedal spindle. Slide your saddle fore/aft on the rails to accomodate this.

Look up a fitment video on youtube and run through it with your lady/friend. It will at least give you a good starting point, and you can tweak from there.

Gotcha, so if my knee is in front of the pedal that would mean my seat was too far forward, and vice versa correct?

Correct. Using a plumb-bob is the easiest way to check it. Or, in my case, a shoelace with silly putty adhered to the end of it.