I blame Cycle Chat....

[Jody]

…..for turning me to the dark side . It’s been a long time coming but bought my first ‘racer’ since I was a lad and my first bike that’s not a full suspension since the year 2000. Not sure whether I am going to get on with it long term but will see how we go.

Got some new bar tape, SPD’s and tubes on order. Still need to purchase a saddle bag that doesn’t rattle about too much, some kind of pump/CO2 inflator and mud guards before winter.

First impressions are mixed. Obviously it feels very different to what I am used to. Steering on the hoods feels very twitchy and braking from the hoods feels downright dangerous. Not sure if this has anything to do with hand size or leverage but braking on the drops stands it up on the front wheel. There is no twiddly low gear to get up some steep hills, which meant I nearly had to dismount a couple of times and walk but wouldn’t let them defeat me.

On the plus side its light and covers ground well. Tyres are grippy considering they are about the same width as a bic biro. Its certainly quick overall and like a rocket ship pointing downhill.


Which brings me on to a couple of general questions I have about this bike.

When on the drops my forearm touches the top of the bar. Is that right?

Is there any way to improve braking when on the hoods.

Hands go a bit numb/tingly no matter what parts of the bars are being used. The tape used has very little cushioning so going to swap it but is there anything else to look at.

I know tyre pressures are different for each ride but what should I be starting at. Went 70 front and 90 rear to start off with which feels comfortable but does that sound about right?

 

[byegad]

That's not the Dark side.

This is the dark side!

 

[ColinJ]

Which brings me on to a couple of general questions I have about this bike.

When on the drops my forearm touches the top of the bar. Is that right?

Is there any way to improve braking when on the hoods.

Hands go a bit numb/tingly no matter what parts of the bars are being used. The tape used has very little cushioning so going to swap it but is there anything else to look at.

I know tyre pressures are different for each ride but what should I be starting at. Went 70 front and 90 rear to start off with which feels comfortable but does that sound about right?

View attachment 359223

Forearms touching the bars sounds a bit odd! I wonder if the bars are too wide for you? If you think of changing the bars, take a look at compact drops. I have switched to that type and prefer them to bars with a conventional bigger drop.

I find braking from the hoods better if I adjust the brakes so I have to pull the levers a bit further to get the brakes to contact the rims.

You could leave the current bar tape on and put another layer on top. That will make the bars more comfortable but you may not like the feel of the bigger diameter that you have to grip.

If you are riding 23C tyres then perhaps 85 psi front and 95 rear might be a better starting point? Still fairly comfy but with lower risk of pinch punctures and lower rolling resistance. (Somebody else will come along and tell you that you need well over 100 psi, but decide for yourself what suits you!)

 

[roadrash]

another tip for the handlebars is to use old innertube under the bar tape.

 

[hoopdriver]

Good advice above from Colin J

You can get gel pads that can go under your tape, and/I'd thicker tape. Inner tubes will work too, as noted above

What kind of gloves are you using?

I second the 85 front and 95 rear for your tyres

 

[Bollo]

Welcome to the righteous path @Jody and good riddance to pedal tractors. Horrible, muddy nasty things.

With respect to the braking and numb hands, it sounds as though you're probably gripping the bars and yanking the brakes too hard because you're nervous and not used to the position. You should be able to move your hands around a bit (on top of the bars for climbing, on the brake hoods for cruising for example) to relieve the stress. You should relax in time, but if it's still a problem you may need to adjust the seat position or stem length to reduce the pressure on your hands.

 

[Jody]

Forearms touching the bars sounds a bit odd! I wonder if the bars are too wide for you? If you think of changing the bars, take a look at compact drops. I have switched to that type and prefer them to bars with a conventional bigger drop.

They don't feel too wide but was wondering if they were rotated back too far or I was holding the drops too high up. Will try and get a picture tonight if I can with me sat on it.

I find braking from the hoods better if I adjust the brakes so I have to pull the levers a bit further to get the brakes to contact the rims.

Haha. I thought they were slack when I first got it so took out some of the free play by using the adjusters.

You could leave the current bar tape on and put another layer on top. That will make the bars more comfortable but you may not like the feel of the bigger diameter that you have to grip.

Ordered some Cinelli cork/gell tape. Going to try this first and see where I go from there.

If you are riding 23C tyres then perhaps 85 psi front and 95 rear might be a better starting point? Still fairly comfy but with lower risk of pinch punctures and lower rolling resistance. (Somebody else will come along and tell you that you need well over 100 psi, but decide for yourself what suits you!)

Running 25c

 

[Jody]

Welcome to the righteous path @Jody and good riddance to pedal tractors. Horrible, muddy nasty things.

With respect to the braking and numb hands, it sounds as though you're probably gripping the bars and yanking the brakes too hard because you're nervous and not used to the position. You should be able to move your hands around a bit (on top of the bars for climbing, on the brake hoods for cruising for example) to relieve the stress. You should relax in time, but if it's still a problem you may need to adjust the seat position or stem length to reduce the pressure on your hands.

Less of the pedal tractors

I have been keeping quite a loose grip on the bars and hoods. Its more the pressure and lack of padding. The only time I have gripped them was any time at 40+mph on the drops.

What kind of gloves are you using?

To be fair I am using my normal full fingered glover which have little padding on the palm, so might try some more road orientated fingerless types.

 

[Rooster1]

Perfect ride.

 

[ColinJ]

For 25 C, maybe try 80 psi front?

The bars don't look to be rotated to an unusual extent. They do seem quite high relative to the saddle though - is the saddle height in the photo correct? Perhaps you just like a very upright position - I like to have my bars at least 3-4 inches lower than the saddle.

I like Cinelli tape, and I also ride with padded mitts.

 

[Tin Pot]

Bike fit, not bar tape.

 

[Jody]

For 25 C, maybe try 80 psi front?

The bars don't look to be rotated to an unusual extent. They do seem quite high relative to the saddle though - is the saddle height in the photo correct? Perhaps you just like a very upright position - I like to have my bars at least 3-4 inches lower than the saddle.

I like Cinelli tape, and I also ride with padded mitts.

It came with the stem already flipped so bars are slightly higher. I get lower back pain a lot so not being as bent over is OK for me. Saddle is just about right but maybe needs another 1-2cm upwards.

 

[Jody]

Bike fit, not bar tape.

Bar tape has a little nick above the hoods so is being replaced anyway. Bike fit might be something to look into if I can find someone local.

 

[si_c]

I'd agree with others above that you probably don't need to replace the bar tape even if it has minor scuffing. Give it a few more rides at least to get used to the bike as it's possible that you are gripping the bars far harder than is actually necessary as a result of lack of confidence. The transition from MTB to road bike is quite significant, most noticeable is the relative twitchiness as you call it. That comes from the generally much longer stem on a road bike, and goes away once you've got into the habit of leaning into corners rather than steering into them.

 

[Crackle]

Forearms touching on the drops is probably you not bending enough. Tingling is possibly adaptation. See if it gets better before you start adjusting things.

Can you improve the braking, possibly. It could be lever position or handlebar position. You can shim the lever to bring them closer if you have small hands. You can also change bars to a more compact design. I didn't get on with that shape of bar.

It all depends but you need a few rides to start judging things better. Same if you do go for a bikefit, which I think are overrated but some experience helps with the feedback to the fitter.