swee'pea99
Legendary Member
'Nuff said.See if it gets better before you start adjusting things.
'Nuff said.See if it gets better before you start adjusting things.
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.
So do I and lever shims if they are not adjustable and compact bars made a huge difference. I struggled to grab the brakes from the drops on those shape bars.Yes I have fairly small hands
Shallower drop, shorter reach, different shape. Hard to see but ride them for a bit and then go to a store and look at the different shape bars on the bikes and you'll immediately appreciate it.Forgive my ignorance but what is the difference. They look the same as whats on
@Ciar I was suprised when I stood the road bike up on the front wheel. That there was that much grip and the caliper brakes would allow it. Certainly wasn't the effortless one finger stoppies I am used to but more of a 'lets squeeze these as hard as possible and see what the limits are'
…..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?
View attachment 359223
another tip for the handlebars is to use old innertube under the bar tape.
But have you rattled any teeth or testicles off?I use 100 psi back and front on both 23 or 25c and very rarely have a puncture.
If you're 70kg then 70 and 90psi are close to dead on. Add 2 psi for every kg you are over that, to both tyres. See attachment if you want to read off on a graph.Went 70 front and 90 rear to start off with which feels comfortable but does that sound about right?
Moving the saddle forwards will have increased the weight you're supporting through your arms/hands with likely detrimental effect on the numb/tingly/ulnar nerve bit. The 'knee over pedal spindle' (KOPS) formula is discredited (see this article), though useful as a starting point. Get the seat height right(qv) and provided you've bought the right size frame you should be OK.Only thing I have done up to now is adjust the saddle height and forwards to get my knee in line with the pedal when the crank is at 3 oclock.
I suggest that 'looking quite low' is a fairly irrational judgement and surely the seat height will depend on the inner leg length of the rider and the amount of seat post showing will depend on the size of the frame. Heel on the pedal (one side at a time) with the pelvis level is a good place to start.The saddle looks quite low, maybe try raising it and see if that helps.