My previous best bike was built with a cheaper Alu bar but of the correct width (I didn’t know that at the time and I was experimenting). When I built the new best bike I reused it though as it was such a good fit. Besides for me the the only carbon bar I’ve had I wrote off but I’ve never wrote off a alu bar.
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Ok, I know you can’t always tell from a single picture, but do you think I could benefit from going to a longer stem? This was from a race where I was putting in a big effort to establish a break. I look scrunched up and thinking I could extend out and get more aero.
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If pressure on hands and neck pain allows for it, I’d say it could be worth a try. But some other approach would be moving saddle back.
You could absolutely use more reach…you have a lot of low-hanging aero gains to grab.
I’m wanting to swap bars from 42 width to 40. I have 40s on my trainer bike and have gotten used to them and took my road bike out and the bars felt wide. I’m also looking to get a one piece bar and stem so was thinking about getting a longer stem along with the bar width change.
How much will steering be affected by going from 110 to 120, along with going from 42 to 40 width? Just something to get used to?
Edit: Also, I did a quick calculation and going from 42 to 40cm bars would shorten the reach by 3mm. So a 10mm longer stem would only be 7mm longer than my current setup.
My fitter is out this week and I have a question. My new aerobars are swept forward:
New bars are about 3/4 inch forward at the bend, which is one position I use a lot.
And hands on hoods, another common position, new bars are about 1/2 - 3/4 inch forward.
Seat adjustment rule of thumb to compensate?
You really shouldn’t use saddle adjustments to compensate for changes in the cockpit…saddle position should be based on optimal power output, not achieving a fit.
Are you sure there is a reach difference between the bars? I know the new ones sweep forward, but that could just affect the hand position on the tops. What do the reach specs say for each bar?
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Totally agree with P13. Leave the saddle alone and look to a possible stem change, but only after comparing the bar specs along with your measurements.
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This showed up in my email and is relevant to some recent discussions on Reach:
thanks, you and @Power13. My fitter agreed in an email, and I’m going to see him Tuesday. Also think there is something going on with my right glute. During my workout today I tried to figure what was going on during the 2nd sweet spot interval, trying to notice if it was my right knee moving around or something else. After the ride I noticed my right side was feeling some tension in and around
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right glute (not sure which of the 3 major muscle it was), possibly the gluteus minimis
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the left side of right leg from the knee and going up, possibly the lower vastus medialis
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Let us know what you find out. Always interesting how some changes lead into a chain that cause problems not previously seen or felt.
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Did some piriformis stretches last night and it really helped. Sent email to my coach and woke up this morning to some stretching and strength routines on my calendar
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I think stretching is the best value performance enhancement a cyclist can get.
Cyclist has bike fit, cyclist rides, eventually performance and comfort drop off as muscles shorten. Back to bike fitter and now the fitting window has narrowed making it harder to achieve the desired outcome for the cyclist.
For all you youngsters, if you want to be competitive as you get older, join a yoga class now. It’ll benefit you in other parts of your life too.
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Yeah I already stretch a lot. We changed our chairs in the kitchen and it seems my piriformis got a little aggravated.
Still going to fitter because after 2+months I want to shorten the stem.
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I’m struggling the latter part of this year with my feet. Hit the two hour mark and they start hurting.
I’ve went thru everything I can think of to rectify it. The shoes aren’t tight, they are Lake Wides (sized on their recommendation) custom BG fit heat moldable insoles. Cleats 19 and 18mm behind the first met.
Saddle height maybe???
I’m at my wits end, because this is the issue that’s causing me to stop riding instead of being tired.
Hump
What exactly is hurting? I was having arch pain so I saw my podiatrist. He had me move my cleat back and more centered and it all but solved my problems. Additionally, he has me doing calf stretching before and after riding because apparently I have tight calves that’s contributing.
Also, I have very high arches so I’ve been fitted for custom sole inserts (partially covered by insurance). They haven’t came in yet so I can’t comment on their usefulness.
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The balls of my feet. I’ve had custom insoles for years. First ones were done by D2 custom shoes, then the Specialized BG Fit since December of 2020.
And actually up until about a month ago, I wasn’t having issues. It seemed to start after having Covid, but I’m striking that up as coincidence.
Hump
I had a similar issue recently . It started as a tight left calf then ended up in my foot. Then my
Other foot started feeling it on the heel, ball, and outside edge. I have been stretching and using the theragun a ton which has helped a little. The one thing I did change was my everyday footwear. Just in case. I never know if cycling is causing the issue or just aggravating it
Visit to the fitter yesterday:
- rotate handlebars slightly up, to bring hoods in a bit
- move seat forward a smidge
- cleats were off after being replaced in SLO ~6 weeks ago, adjusted
Spun for 35 minutes, long enough to notice it was better. If the slight handlebar rotation isn’t enough, I’ll go for a shorter stem.
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Nice! Bar rotation is a change I use frequently. Mostly to get a more comfortable wrist angle on the hoods, but it works as a minor tweak to Reach & Stack as well. Good and easy thing to try before swapping stems, especially if that means a new purchase vs swapping to one already on hand.
Another trick that sometimes works, is flipping a stem from the negative orientation to the positive, and then adjusting spacers to get a similar bar height. This has the impact of “shortening” the stem a few mm while keeping height the same. This assumes there are some spacers under the negative stem at the start, because swapping to a positive stem angle requires a lower spacer base to keep the bar height similar.
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