Uncomfortable Road Bike

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Drago

Legendary Member
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.
 
Not everyone want's to spend their time staring at the tarmac though.

in which case, you probably don't need a drop-bar bike....

Tourers have much more relaxed geometry which is probably more suitable for most people on road bikes.

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...
 

defy-one

Guest
It's something i'm experimenting with. As this bike is my commuter for central london,helps me with traffic.
 

mcshroom

Bionic Subsonic
in which case, you probably don't need a drop-bar bike....
Unless you are an elite racer, neither do you.

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...

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.
 
Unless you are an elite racer, neither do you.

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..?

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.

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
This and other threads like it on bike fitting just go to demonstrate that the current frame-sizing terminology is in fact all wrong.
It's Top-Tube length that's the more important measurement IMO.

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..
 
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:sad:
 
I'm not a racer, but I need drop bars, it is critical to my street cred!

:biggrin:

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.... ;)
 
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!
 
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