First ride, think I need a new stem?

[dexter101]

Im not sure if its helpful but on my first ride (2 weeks ago) I felt the same, very stretched out. I am now feeling much more comfortable and my body seems to have naturally found a position which is comfortable to me and don't feel stretched any more. My rear end is also tough as old boots now and don't feel uncomfortable, not even in padded shorts.

My advice is give it a couple more rides to see if your flexibility improves etc.

 

[uphillstruggler]

can you lift the handle bars a little? it may take some of the pressure off.

post a picture of the bike, there may be something that is jumps out with the set up that you may not be noticing.

 

[Phixion]

I've been out a few times since and although I feel better on the bike, it still feels as if I'm falling forward, maybe the muscles required to hold myself in the correct position aren't good enough yet?

I have considered taking it in to a LBS, but I guess they'd want me to pay for a full fitting, when in reality I just want some advice on whether either a riser handlebar and/or steeper/shorter stem would help me.

I really wanted a more laid back riding position to be honest, I feel as though I'm on my old road bike atm.

Also, If I put my elbow at the end of my saddle my hand reaches the stem, not the handlebar - is that a sign the frame is too big?

 

[Learnincurve]

Hang on a second. People are talking about height but that's only one of the two measurements we need. Inside leg measurement is also a huge factor.

For example I am 5"5 but my inside leg is 33". This means that I have legs that belong to someone who is 5"10+ and although I can easily stand over and pedal a 19", I have problems with neck pain on the default set ups because I have to reach too far over for the handlebars.

 

[vickster]

I am guessing you are female, we are often long legged...unlike blokes who are often relatively long in torso and arm, short in leg

 

[jay clock]

In terms of falling forward that can be to do with the saddle. Same happens to me if I have the saddle even a tiny bit tilted forwards. I have min raised about 3-5mm higher at the front

 

[RedRider]

Not wishing to complicate things further but another factor could be the saddle angle. If the nose of the saddle is pointing downwards then this means you're likely putting more weight on your wrists to hold yourself in position and stop yourself sliding forward. The usual advice is to start with your saddle level - use a spirit level if you have one - and tweak from there. I think this holds for the Charge Spoon you've got/are getting. Men often end with the nose pointing slightly upwards for the most comfort.
You shouldn't be able to touch the bars with your elbow on the saddle's nose btw, I think you have duff info there

TMN to twinklefingers @jay clock for for saddle tilt advice

 

[Ticktockmy]

The thing to remember, that when you see experienced rider appearing to have no problems with their cycling position, that because they have spend time tweaking the various parts of the bike out on rides,stem, saddle position length of crank etc, also as has been said when you are fairly new to cycling it can seem that everything seem wrong. So when you are out riding, have your tools ready, lucky for me I have everything that need adjusting uses allen keys, which I carry in a pocket so I can quickly adjust anything that needs to be out on the ride.

 

[ManxJason]

From what I understand is you should never move your saddle forward to make reach more comfortable - doing so can cause damage to your knees. When in the saddle, and your pedals are level, a plumb line from your forward knee should hang over the pedal axle.

When I started riding I felt too stretched too, but after several rides it started to feel much comfier. Make sure to stretch etc before rides and review the situation after several rides. As others have suggested though, try flipping the stem to give you a bit more height

 

[Kittykat1976]

Hi, been viewing this site for a while this is my first post!!! I can't help with all the technical stuff, but I do have experience of a Boardman Hybrid and I also found the reach far to much for me, I felt more stretched out on it than my road bike! I am 5ft 9" and the bike frame size is 49cm. My husband tried all sorts to make me more comfy but the end I just cut my losses and purchased a Trek 7.4fx WSD (48cm/19" frame) and its a totally different ride - so comfortable and from the beginning no aches and pains - just my experience, hope it helps (did I read in a earlier post that you are female - if not whoops sorry)

 

[Suffolk Cycling]

My wrists were really painful for around a month after I started. Much better now!

 

[Phixion]

Hi, been viewing this site for a while this is my first post!!! I can't help with all the technical stuff, but I do have experience of a Boardman Hybrid and I also found the reach far to much for me, I felt more stretched out on it than my road bike! I am 5ft 9" and the bike frame size is 49cm. My husband tried all sorts to make me more comfy but the end I just cut my losses and purchased a Trek 7.4fx WSD (48cm/19" frame) and its a totally different ride - so comfortable and from the beginning no aches and pains - just my experience, hope it helps (did I read in a earlier post that you are female - if not whoops sorry)

Yep, I'm worried that this may be the case for me too.

I may experiment with riser bars and a shorter/steeper stem before cutting my losses though.

 

[SpokeyDokey]

Shorter stem plus narrower bars might help - but really, you need someone experienced to take a look at you on the bike before you start spending any more.