2nd ride on my 'new' road bike...

[Globalti]

Yes I agree, that seatpost is set far too short. Either the bike is too big for you or you are riding with your knees too bent.

Can you place both feet flat on the ground when seated?

What size is the frame and how tall are you?

The handlebar is an old-fashioned shape with a big distance to the drops. A modern handlebar like the one in the illustration I posted above is more appropriate for an un-trained rider, meaning you won't find riding on the drops so uncomfortable.

 

[Alan Frame]

Don't mess with that stem, start by re-setting the handlebars in a more comfortable position, i.e. by rotating them a few degrees backwards so as to flatten the tops and the hoods, giving yourself a much more comfortable hand position and gaining at least a couple of inches. Ride that for a few miles to see if it suits you before canting the stem up at a stupid angle.

Good setup on the right:

View attachment 369436

I don't know if my eyes deceive me, but looking at the existing stem, flipping it would make the bars even lower.....
Adjust the bars first, as stated

 

[GilesM]

I don't know if my eyes deceive me, but looking at the existing stem, flipping it would make the bars even lower.....
Adjust the bars first, as stated

There is a slight angle (perhaps 5deg) down in the current position, flipping it would lift the bars a wee bit.

 

[Globalti]

...which would mean the OP would be riding around on a bike with the bars ridiculously higher than the saddle. When sorting out a bike fit the first thing is to get the seat height right, then the distance from bars, saddle angle and finally the handlebar position and stem height and reach.

 

[Arjimlad]

As others have said, the bars need tilting upwards, look at these bikes https://www.giant-bicycles.com/gb/road-bikes

 

[DCBassman]

Right, have tilted the bars back somewhat. Can't overdo this, as the previous owner has kept the cables short. Not a big issue, as I will be recabling and taping fairly soon. Will try this today and report back!
Once again everyone, thanks for all the advice.

 

[GilesM]

...which would mean the OP would be riding around on a bike with the bars ridiculously higher than the saddle. When sorting out a bike fit the first thing is to get the seat height right, then the distance from bars, saddle angle and finally the handlebar position and stem height and reach.

I agree that the bars do not need to be raised, I think they are already a bit too high with respect to the saddle, I also think that if the bars are tilted back it could help, but if the OP does that, I would advise moving the brake levers down the bars a touch, otherwise they will be sticking up in the air at a strange angle, this would put your hands at a very odd angle when climbing out of the saddle, and look wrong.

 

[DCBassman]

Well, I went for broke. Tilted bars as already described, moved saddle forward 1.5cm, flipped stem. Went for a ride. Great improvement. I will get a shorter stem at the earliest opportunity, though. Next, will flip the stem back and see if it gets worse again. Doubt it will make much differrence. It needs to be shorter to match my stumpy arms.

More generally, I miss my granny gearing, despite still having three chainrings! Having lightened the bike, I must now seriously lighten the rider.

Core strength was mentioned earlier in the thread. I knew mine was not good. I went for physio this morning, back problems. I discovered pretty quickly that my core strength is absolute crap.So more work to be done there!

 

[Slick]

Well done. You will be surprised just how quickly you can improve your ability to handle the bike over a bit of distance.

 

[Globalti]

Your back pain will disappear as your back strengthens thanks to those road miles. I suffered lower back pain all through my life until I took up cycling.

 

[Alan O]

Well, I went for broke. Tilted bars as already described, moved saddle forward 1.5cm, flipped stem. Went for a ride. Great improvement...

That's excellent. As you gain more experience with your bike and get more used to your riding position, you might well find that finer adjustments will make things even better. It took me a few months to get the fit right on a bike I built last year, and the last adjustment I made was a change to my saddle angle of just one click of the micro-adjustment seat post - and it was one of those "Oh, yes, that's perfect" moments.

 

[DCBassman]

That 'one click of the seat post' was actually my next stop - felt it was a bit up at the front with the new position.

 

[Globalti]

Good news but it doesn't explain the height of the saddle, which looks too low to me. What size is the frame and how tall are you? Can you touch the ground with both feet while seated?

 

[DCBassman]

54cm frame, I'm 172cm (shrunk by 2! Back surgery...) and I have short legs. Can just tip-toe the ground when seated. Yes, the frame is at the big end for me, but the price was right...zilch.

 

[Alan O]

Tip-toes on the ground is fine. Maybe don't worry too much about the saddle being higher than the bars - there's no law that says it has to be that way, and your initial problem involved too much weight on your hands. Raising the saddle above the bars just because that's the fashion at the moment could make that worse.

Agree totally. My touring bike saddle is level with the bars, and that seems perfect for me.