A question about reach

[Bigtallfatbloke]

I have just adjusted my saddle (forwrd and tilted more up)...because I kept feeling the urge to slide back onto my sitbones more...I had to raise the saddle a bit , but found it harder to ride so i lowered it a bit....anyway...since then I find I am placing more pressure on my hands and my arm is hurting.

...i feel the need to lower the saddle to ease the foward pressur eon my arms, but I want the saddle that high because I can get more power in my legs and less pain.

I have all the spacers on the bars in place so it is as high as it can go.

I will mess around with all the settings but just wanted to ask if anybody here has anu pointers/suggestions...

 

[stevenb]

Do you feel your stretching forward to far or not enough? A new stem might be the answer here BTFB.

 

[Bigtallfatbloke]

I feel as if there is pressure on my hands against the drops and the hoods (to a lesser extent). I suppose I feel as if I need shorter arms

 

[stevenb]

Sounds like you need a slightly shorter stem BTFB.
from my small amount of knowledge a touring bike requires a more upright position than a road bike whereby you are leaning forward more for a sleeker position.
How long have you been riding in discomfort?

 

[Bigtallfatbloke]

since I changed the saddle position the other day....but I have always felt a continuos need to shift my arse backwards on the saddle. I can get a shorter stem by removing a spacer right?

 

[stevenb]

No mate. the stem length is fixed. the height of the handlebars is controlled by the height of the stem. of course you can turn the drop bars up a little in the stem clamp meaning the gear changers are higher up or lower down. but to bring the bars nearer to you you'll need to buy a new or 2nd hand shorter stem.
To measure it take the centre point of the steerer tube and the centre point of the stem/handlebar clamp. then go for a shorter one. if for example to have a 100mm stem then you might find an 80mm would be better. 90mm might not make much difference.

 

[Fab Foodie]

I have just adjusted my saddle (forwrd and tilted more up)...because I kept feeling the urge to slide back onto my sitbones more...I had to raise the saddle a bit , but found it harder to ride so i lowered it a bit....anyway...since then I find I am placing more pressure on my hands and my arm is hurting.

...i feel the need to lower the saddle to ease the foward pressur eon my arms, but I want the saddle that high because I can get more power in my legs and less pain.

I have all the spacers on the bars in place so it is as high as it can go.

I will mess around with all the settings but just wanted to ask if anybody here has anu pointers/suggestions...

BTFB
Forget the bars for a mo.
Move saddle rearwards and upwards if required until you are nicely balanced i.e you can touch the bars with your fingertips with virtually no pressure (supported by your torso), then if the reach is too far, get a shorter stem.

Saddle position first for comfort and power, then bars.

 

[John Ponting]

As stated, stem length affects reach not height.

The classic gauage of reach was to put point of elbow against nose of saddle and finger tips would just touch the bars where they go through the stem. The distance by which finger tips fell short of the bars was the extra length stem that was required.

This presumed that the top tube length was in the right ball park to start with. An over short stem would make the bike skittish.

I know you have a Galaxy and they normally start off with a balanced set of components and tube lengths but .... not everybody is in the same proportions.

 

[Bigtallfatbloke]

The classic gauage of reach was to put point of elbow against nose of saddle and finger tips would just touch the bars where they go through the stem. The distance by which finger tips fell short of the bars was the extra length stem that was required.

...I just did a quick check on this basis. The tips of my fingers reach to the edge of the handlebar tube nearest to me when I ride, but are 1cm short of the centre line of the handlebar tube...sound right to you?

 

[John Ponting]

Sounds around the mark based on the classic way of measuring. How is you saddle setup looking/feeling? I've blatantly copy/pasted from a Sustrans leaflet. The same info is available from many other sources.


Seat height:

this should be set so that your leg is

almost straight when you're sitting on the saddle
with one heel on the pedal at its lowest point.
Note: too low can be hard on the knees, too high​

can be bad for the lower back.

Seat position: ​

​

this can be adjusted forwards or

backwards - as a general rule, your kneecap should
be directly above the mid-point of the pedal when
the pedal is at its furthest point forward.
The saddle should be level, or tilted forward very​

slightly for greater comfort.

More old fashioned standard for touring was no more than 2 hands of seat stem showing if frame was correct size. Difficult these days with compact or sloping top tube frames.

You've done a lot of miles this year (many more than me) so something must be right. I feel a bit like an egg sucking tutor to a granny.

Apart from the section on sizing for sports bras (in spite of your recent thread on man boobs) you may find this link to Edinburgh Bicycle coop interesting, and hopefully usefull.

http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/comms/srv.a4d?f_pg=sizecharts.htm&f_Cardinal=3#adjusting
​

​

 

[Bigtallfatbloke]

Thanks all for your help..most useful...

John I have only been riding since may (ish) and I have no real idea about setting up my bike...more a case of push it and poke it until it feels ok, so you post was most helpful.

 

[slow down]

Definitely saddle position is most important to get right first. Only once that's right should you worry about stem length (and height).

 

[Bigtallfatbloke]

ok...I moved the saddle as far back as it will go and raised the saddle about 5mm. It feels more comfy, especially on the drops. My finger tips touch the bars when I am sitting upright and they touch the stem with my elbow on the tip of the saddle. My legs are just about straight with my heel on the pedal but have a small bend in them when I am clipped in. I made the adjustments at the end of todays ride so i will need to wait until tomorrow to test it all on a longer ride.

Thanks again for your kind help.

 

[Fab Foodie]

BTFB
Just found this...was looking for it a while for you....
http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/fitting.htm

All you need to know!

 

[fossyant]

You have some good ball park measurements there - I personally like a stretched out position and guite a drop in height (saddle to bars) but it will take you time to adjust to your position, hence some discomfort. Try not to move too much at once and allow your body to adjust to the new position