How much bend should your arms have for a commuter hybrid bike?

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Thursday guy

Active Member
For my bike, which is just a regular flat handlebar commuter, when I'm sat properly on the saddle, both hands on the bars, there's enough bend in my arms to allow me to stretch them a further 4-5 inches or so. I wonder if that's what it should be.

Another thing I've noticed is that when I'm on an uphill incline, I naturally seem to lean forward on the bike which increases the bend in my arms.
 
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shouldbeinbed

Rollin' along
Location
Manchester way
Your arms are part of your suspension system, bent to soak up bumps and lumps without jarring and allowing you leeway as you experience for going up or downhill
 

Keith Oates

Janner
Location
Penarth, Wales
The amount of bend in the arms is up to the individual when he is feeling comfortable but the one thing not to do is to lock them straight.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 

steveindenmark

Legendary Member
I cycled for 30 years before I went for a bike fitting at my LBS. It made a huge difference to the comfort of cycling.

Take a hint.
 

mjr

Comfy armchair to one person & a plank to the next
Trouble is there's various bike fitting methods which don't agree exactly. Between the bikes I usually ride, I probably break at least a sacred invariant of each major fitting system (one isn't KOPS, a couple don't have eyes clamp and hub in line, ...)

If you're comfortable and not putting weight on your arms when you don't want to, it's probably OK.
 

MikeW-71

Veteran
Location
Carlisle
Another thing I've noticed is that when I'm on an uphill incline, I naturally seem to lean forward on the bike which increases the bend in my arms.
It's a good thing to do. If you don't do that, you could lift the front wheel quite easily on steeper climbs. Very familiar to MTBers.
 
Many smaller hybrid riders are using bars that are too wide, making flexed arms even harder to achieve.
I took 1cm off the ends of my On One Mary , swept-back bars to make them fit me.
 
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