2010 Novara Randonee - Standing while pedalling
 

The 2010 Novara Randonee is the bike that has come the most close to fitting me in years. I am overweight and not very flexible. The stock bike is almost perfect while riding seated since it has the relaxed head tube angle.

However, I cannot seem to find any leverage when I stand to pedal. When I stand to pedal on bikes in the past I usually could use the bars for some leverage.

Is there anything that I can do to the stock setup on the Randonee that will help when I stand to pedal? I'm guessing that I would have to give up some comfort while pedalling seated to get what I want to pedal while standing.

Oh well, I thought I would ask anyway.

My best guess is that with the bars raised up, and possibly if your reach is shorter, standing doesn't give you much leverage.

The only thing I can think of offhand is to try putting your hands in the drops and standing, see if that works.

I stand and pedal all the time on my 2010 Randonee. Maybe you are cramped? Is it possible you need a longer stem? That bike has a nice stiff frame that loves to be ridden out of the saddle. Much stiffer frame than my old Jamis Aurora or the LHT that I test rode.

maybe your handlebars are too high. Post a photo of your bike setup, profile view

My bike is the standard one from REI with no changes. See link below. Due to a stiff back, if I move the bars much further from the seat, then the reach will be too far to be comfortable. Maybe I need to try the next size up even though the standover would be close. I think it will just come down to a compromise. I think it will take moving the bars further away, but it will not take much to make the reach too far. It feels so good while seated. When I stand to pedal, the bars feel too close to me almost.

http://www.rei.com/product/796696

do your knees hit the handlebars when standing?

With this new geometry (to you), you may need to relearn how to stand. On most road bikes, when you are not sprinting, there should be very little pressure on your hands. You'll see photos of pros climbing out of the saddle with just the crotch of their thumb on the hoods, hands completely open. The saddle nose should just touch the back of your thigh on every stroke. If you rock the bike when you stand, the bike should already be moved over when your foot comes down. So the first thing I'd do is to experiment with changing the timing of the rock vs. the pedal stroke, and/or changing the amount of rock.