# How would i achieve a more upright riding position on a road bike or fixed wheel similar to a positi



## cycling fisherman (22 Nov 2009)

How would i achieve a more upright riding position on a road bike or fixed wheel similar to a position on a mtb ?

title says it all really... I am 6'2" and a large build, how would i achieve a more upright position ?

i am guessing largest bike possible in the selected range ?

am i right ?


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## Sam Kennedy (22 Nov 2009)

Lower the seat as far as comfortable, get some spacers for the stem, replace the stem with a highly inclined stem, sorted 

Take it down to your LBS though, there is a limit on how many spacers you can put on a stem before it becomes unsafe.


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## Norm (22 Nov 2009)

Whoa! Careful with that one, I wouldn't use spacers to fix the stem above the top of the steerer tube. You can get adjustable stems, or fit a fixed stem which is longer and taller than the one fitted. 

Or you can change the bars.


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## CorsairC (23 Nov 2009)

Maybe I'm missing the obvious. But perhaps you simply need a different bike that has an upright position?


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## jimboalee (23 Nov 2009)

The seat height is dependent on your physical dimensions, so it is 'fixed' within +/- 5mm.







Fit Ape Hangers.


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## PaulSB (23 Nov 2009)

You might consider changing to butterfly bars for a more upright position


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## accountantpete (23 Nov 2009)

One clean way - get a frame with a long seat tube and a relatively short top tube.

Alternatively lot's of small adjustments.

1) If you don't use the drops that much swivel the bars upwards slightly and make sure the brake levers are as high on the bar as is comfortable/safe.

2) Get a shorter reversible stem and set it up so as to raise the height of the bars.

3) Move the seat forward a tad.


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## numbnuts (23 Nov 2009)

Thorn bikes come in all sizes, but you can chose short, medium and long top tube
I wanted the same as you as I have a back injury
http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/lkid/110/article-Thorn-Cycles-Ltd-ThornCyclesLtd.htm


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## palinurus (23 Nov 2009)

My previous commute bike had a nice low position, great for grinding into a headwind but a bit too much for the uses I was putting it to. I now commute on a Specialized Singlecross (fixed) which has higher bars, works well- I haven't changed the stem, just bought the size bike that suited me and left it as it was. I also have a geared 'cross bike which I use on occasions too.


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## 4F (23 Nov 2009)

jimboalee said:


> The seat height is dependent on your physical dimensions, so it is 'fixed' within +/- 5mm.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## GrahamNR17 (23 Nov 2009)

I ended up with a quill-type stem and north road bars to achieve an upright position on my "trundle to work" bike. Might be overkill for what you're trying to achieve though.

Graham


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## jig-sore (23 Nov 2009)

surely the best thing would be to get a multi angle stem, like this one....


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## weevil (23 Nov 2009)

cycling fisherman said:


> i am guessing largest bike possible in the selected range ?
> 
> am i right ?



Generally, a larger framed bike would have a longer top tube, so going large would be the wrong thing to do in your case.

Fit a longer seat post and multi-angle stem, as others have said, to a smaller frame and you should achieve your aim.

BTW, are you looking to buy a bike, or adjust one you already have? If it's the former, try to get test rides.

It's just occurred to me that ladies' bikes have different geometry to gents'. I _think_ that they have shorter top tubes for a given frame size, but maybe someone else can confirm this. If that is the case, then they might be worth a look.


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## RecordAceFromNew (23 Nov 2009)

CF I am not sure if a smaller frame compensated by longer seatpost (as suggested by another member) is necessarily a reliable way forward to help meet your need, it is because a) the headset will correspondingly be lower requiring you to reach down to the handlebar, and  while the top tube length of a smaller frame might be shorter, the "virtual top tube length" and your forward reach will be increased (as dictated by the seat tube angle) when the saddle is raised in a smaller frame.

Which frame is best to meet your need will therefore likely be dependent on their relative geometries.

An adjustable stem as Anorak has suggested above, or a shorter and/or raised stem enabled by spacers/longer quill will definitely help however.

For someone who has the bike already, a quick/free solution to become more upright is to move the saddle forward on its rail (given the traditional "knee over pedal" objective is pretty much discredited). Lowering the saddle has more negative consequences on power and comfort I feel.

As usual excellent advice around the subject has earlier been provided by Sheldon:

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/handsup.html

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/kops.html


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