Drago
Legendary Member
- Location
- Suburban Poshshire
It's a tricky one to call. Assuming the frame is generally of the correct dimensions it can take me weeks to fine-tune the riding position on a new bike, so any answer may take a while to find.
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black'n'yellow
Guest
in which case, you probably don't need a drop-bar bike....
The angles that matter aren't that much different. 'Tourers' are generally defined by their clearances, wheelbase and braze-ons - not by the head and seat angles...
mcshroom
Bionic Subsonic
- Location
- Egremont, Cumbria
Unless you are an elite racer, neither do you.
You don't ride one do you?
You get a less upright top tube and seat tube (around 1-1.5 degrees than for most compact road bikes, more for sportier models), longer chainstays (so longer trail), lower centre of gravity and a longer top tube.
black'n'yellow
Guest
notwithstanding your definition of 'elite' - I am a racer, so presumably I do need one. Or are you suggesting I pitch up at my next crit with a Dawes Galaxy..?
that's exactly what I said, oh wise one. The angles that matter (ie the ones that affect handling) are head, seat, wheelbase and fork rake. Everything else can be tuned.
D
Deleted member 1258
Guest
You need to look at both seat and top tube, though as you say the top tube is the important one now, if you already have a bike its a good idea, as long as its a good fit, to look at its top tube length and try and get your new bike with the same length top tube. I preferred it when we had frames measured in imperial measurements, if the bike had a 21.5 seat tube I knew it would fit, these days its got far to complicated..
roadrash
cycle chatterer
- Location
- sitting on the edge of wigan pier
i used to ride road bikes twenty years ago.
i bought a brand new giant defy two back end of last year , its still like brand new, it hasnt done many miles ,ive had the seat up ,down ,forward, backwards , stem flipped , turned back again,
i just cant seem to get comfy on it ,but that said i do have problems with my back now . recently i have been riding a hybrid and a giant rincon hardtail and find them much more comfy.
as much as i wanted the road bike it looks like it may be going up for sale
i bought a brand new giant defy two back end of last year , its still like brand new, it hasnt done many miles ,ive had the seat up ,down ,forward, backwards , stem flipped , turned back again,
i just cant seem to get comfy on it ,but that said i do have problems with my back now . recently i have been riding a hybrid and a giant rincon hardtail and find them much more comfy.
as much as i wanted the road bike it looks like it may be going up for sale
Rob3rt
Man or Moose!
- Location
- Manchester
black'n'yellow
Guest
I'm not a racer, but I need drop bars, it is critical to my street cred!
you can only have them if you hold an elite licence apparently - which means scoring 300 ranking points as a 1st cat. I'd best train harder....
What stem is this ?
Boris Bajic
Guest
This thread shows how hard it is to offer and seek advice online about setting up a bicycle.
Some of the posts have contradicted others and we've almost had some 'helmet-thread-style' disputes. Almost...
I find that my current bicycles are now set up like Mummy Bear's Porridge for me, but I had to try a lot of porridge over quite a few years before I got it right.
In the days of quill stems, tight people like me ended up with the 'stem' length that they got in the shop. There is more choice now, but that isn't always a wonderful thing.
To the OP:
1. You will get a lot of advice. Some very good snippets on the links posted by others and elsewhere on the Net.
2. Do bear in mind that one man's meat is another man's poison. Listen to all the advice and then select the bits that work for you.
3. Every adjustment has an effect (however small) on every other adjustment. This may sound obvious, but it is easy to get sucked into getting Part A just right and then finding that getting Part C right messes up Part A.
4. I offer this as advice only: I start with saddle height, then saddle fore & aft (with a plumb line from under my kneecap), then bar height and stem as a single entity.
5. I like the nose of my roadbike saddle to be slightly raised. There are pros and cons. Do what suits you. Most people seem to go for a level saddle.
6. Once you've done all that, be prepared to fiddle and adjust over a few months until it's just right. It is unlikely you'll get it spot-on the first time.
7. If you're using cleated shoes, do not ignore cleat location. That is another variable that can have a big effect on comfort and efficiency - and another one that used not really to exist.
Good luck and enjoy setting the bike up!
Some of the posts have contradicted others and we've almost had some 'helmet-thread-style' disputes. Almost...
I find that my current bicycles are now set up like Mummy Bear's Porridge for me, but I had to try a lot of porridge over quite a few years before I got it right.
In the days of quill stems, tight people like me ended up with the 'stem' length that they got in the shop. There is more choice now, but that isn't always a wonderful thing.
To the OP:
1. You will get a lot of advice. Some very good snippets on the links posted by others and elsewhere on the Net.
2. Do bear in mind that one man's meat is another man's poison. Listen to all the advice and then select the bits that work for you.
3. Every adjustment has an effect (however small) on every other adjustment. This may sound obvious, but it is easy to get sucked into getting Part A just right and then finding that getting Part C right messes up Part A.
4. I offer this as advice only: I start with saddle height, then saddle fore & aft (with a plumb line from under my kneecap), then bar height and stem as a single entity.
5. I like the nose of my roadbike saddle to be slightly raised. There are pros and cons. Do what suits you. Most people seem to go for a level saddle.
6. Once you've done all that, be prepared to fiddle and adjust over a few months until it's just right. It is unlikely you'll get it spot-on the first time.
7. If you're using cleated shoes, do not ignore cleat location. That is another variable that can have a big effect on comfort and efficiency - and another one that used not really to exist.
Good luck and enjoy setting the bike up!
