Help needed

[Lizzy]

Hi

I'm a relatively newbie cyclist, been cycling since last August on a Pashley poppy, which has 3 gears and is horribly heavy and simply doesn't do hills.
I cycle up to 120 miles per week so been finding the pashley hard work for the last few months so I decided to buy a new bike with more gears and lighter.

I live in a district that is largely flat, has tow paths etc but also a hilly area fairly close by, so opted for hybrid a Specalize bike which does dirt and road. A week later (and it was certainly coming on while on the pashley), I have cycler's palsy so I went back to the shop. I have felt my body weight is very far forward. The shop say that the saddle needed adjusted to tip up..... my question....

I have long legs so they fitted me a large size, however I'm concerned that my arm length is too short for the bike frame (and this will require a confrontation with the shop). Right now I have a numb pinky and ring finger so I need to give it a rest before I re-try the bike with the saddle adjusted...

Is the saddle adjustment likely to fix the problem or is the frame size too big? How do I tell.... my arm length is about 60cm from wrist to central underarm... the bike dimensions are as follows:

Seat Tube Length - Center to Top 482mm
Top Tube Length (Horizontal) 600mm
Standover Height 622mm
Head Tube Height 130mm
Stack 646mm
Reach 415mm


I don't know enough about bike sizing to know if this is something the shop can adjust the bike to fit or if they have sold me a bike that is too big. The leg length feels right....

Help...

PS please explain any technical terms you use

Thank you for any help

Lis

 

[vickster]

My bike is probably a little big for me - gammy knee, need plenty of space, long legs and arms, the size down felt cramped (I was trying it 2 weeks after knee surgery, maybe not the best time to buy lol). I recently changed the saddle and have set this one up a little further forward and it feels better. Maybe ask the bike shop to do this for you

 

[Lizzy]

Thanks Vickster....

Ewe not sure I'd be buying a bike just after knee surgery, but so agree on the leg room, the bigger bike is so much more comfortable for leg room.

If I don't sort out the reach however I could end up with tendinitis or Carpel Tunnel syndrome - ie perminant damage to my hands... I still don't have feeling back in my fingers (from a long cycle on Saturday).... My issue is, if in reality the frame is too large, the longer I cycle on it and not return it, the less chance the shop will be to accept it back and replace it with a smaller version. They seem very up for selling me add ons to change the posturing rather than admit the bike is the wrong size. Clearly they may be totally right and the adjustment of the saddle may sort it, but I have low confidence in this hence my post.

I'm kind of hoping someone can advise me on what I ought to measure to get a proxy of the type of reach I ought to be able to fit without putting too much weight on my hands - which is the cause of the cyclist palsy

Lisa

 

[Andy_R]

If you can live with "quicker" steering, see if you can get a shorter stem which will bring your bars closer to your steerer, or as vickster has said, move the saddle forward

 

[jig-sore]

common mistake made by most people. they never consider the reach of a bike, only the saddle height

most people say my bike is too small because the saddle is too high, but it's the most comfortable bike i've ever had and i can ride for 4 hours with no discomfort.

go figure

 

[Lizzy]

I don't know what quicker steering is....

What has been done already.... the guy in the shop raised the handle bars to their max (very limited because of stem type).
Now he has tipped the saddle to e slightly higher at the front (guess there is a prospect of issues on my girl parts)...

Jig, for me the issue is ultimately about reach... the leg length is fine... but I don't know how to assess if the reach issues is frame related, posture related and adjustable via the saddle (hope this makes sense). I don't know how to establish if it's a frame size/body size issue.

Thank you all for replying, I'm looking forward to having feeling back in my hand in the next few days.


Lisa

 

[Andy_R]

"quicker" steering is more...twitchy I suppose. Personally, I wouldn't have tipped your seat up, as that doesn't bring you any closer to your bars, if anything it may make you slide back away from them.

Have a look here http://www.sheldonbrown.com/frame-sizing.html which may make things easier to understand

 

[jig-sore]

considering bikes have so much more adjustment on saddle height than they do on reach im constantly amazed at how few people consider reach when buying a bike.

if you feel over stretched on a bike it's far easier to go down a frame size and have the saddle higher.

your option is to fit a shorter stem to the bike but as said this will have a slight effect on the feel of the steering. generally a shorter stem will make the steering more responsive... but go too short and it can feel twitchy

 

[xpc316e]

I'd certainly go for a shorter, raised stem in order to bring the 'bars higher and closer to you. Consider padded gloves, decent bar tape, or ergonic grips to spread the load. If you slide the saddle forward, past what is ideal for you, that will bring other issues to the fore. Take your time and spend some money on different components to get the bike to be comfortable for you. Bike fit is often claimed to be a science with certain measurements having to be 107% of the distance between two of your body parts, and such like; I reckon that it is more like an art, with some ideas being good starting places. Is the bike a women's specific model by the way? I ask this because you differ from men in the ratio of trunk length/leg length, and many makers make specially proportioned bikes to suit.

 

[Lizzy]

Andy - thank you for that link... but I got lost with the.... I got a bit lost with the old school measurment???

There are a number of sizing systems available today, which require various measurements of the cyclists body and recommend frame sizes on this basis. Probably the best known of these is the New England Cycling Academy FitKit. I use this system myself, but not in a blind, rote manner. The FitKit makes recommendations for a particular seat tube length, and a range of top tube lengths with corresponding handlebar stem extensions. For instance, for a particular rider, it might suggest a 58 cm seat tube with a combined top tube and stem extension of 66 cm. This 66 cm might be from a 61 cm top tube with a 5 cm stem, or a 54 cm top tube with a 12 cm stem, or any other combination that adds up to 66 cm. Any of these combinations will give an equivalent posture on the bike. One or two combinations are particularly recomended because the more extreme variations of stem length can cause a bike to handle strangely because of the positions of the hands relative to the steering axis.


So in my language... Vertical bat = 58, horizontal bar = 66, and then I get lost about what the 61 and 5 are suppose to be....lost...


my inside leg is around 81 cm, arm arm length is 60 cm (under arm to central palm).....frame


Top Tube length is 600mm (smaller size is 580mm)
Reach of the bike is 415mm (the smaller size is 398)
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Jig - are you suggesting I ask for the medium size frame as the easiest fix? will that then be too short/less roomy in the leg.


[font="'Times New Roman"]xpc.... it is suppose to be a womans bike (Specialize Ariel Sport). Although if that be the case why is the seat so hard.... LOL after a brooks saddle of the pashley I suspect any saddle would feel inferior[/font]
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[font="'Times New Roman"]Sorry I don't mean to be such a numpty... I just don't want long term hand damage.. or pay a tidy sum for a bike that causes me trouble. [/font]
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[font="'Times New Roman"]Lisa. [/font]

 

[endoman]

very interesting all this, I understand a lot more now about how to adjust my saddle and bars, will be out with the Allen keys before the ride tomorrow,
Thanks

 

[Lizzy]

wow this got moved, caused confusion....

 

[vickster]

How tall are you by the way? I am 5'10, 32-34" inside leg and monkey arms. I sold a large Trek women's bike as it felt tiny after getting an XL men's bike - Specialized Crosstrail! My faster bike is an XL Sirrus, the Large felt a bit cramped with my gammy knee

I have never been keen on having the saddlle way up high, I think maybe being on the heavier side, it makes me nervous lol. I also like to be quite upright, so the bigger frame, lower seat suits me

 

[jig-sore]

Jig - are you suggesting I ask for the medium size frame as the easiest fix? will that then be too short/less roomy in the leg.


Lisa.

im thinking you should at least try one for size, to see if that helps. you can raise the saddle more to give the leg room you need. you can go all the way to the limit mark on the seat post, there is no law against this.

but then you could probably get the same reduction in reach on your current bike by simply fitting a shorter stem

you have two options. i think swapping the stem would be easiest and more likely to get the go ahead from the shop

but in the future people should think more about reach when buying a bike. it seems to be the current trend to stick people on the biggest frame they can get away with. this seems a bit blinkered to me

 

[Lizzy]

Thanks Jig, when you say shorten the stem - sorry numptiness - do you mean lowering the handle bars?

I expect the bike shop to advise newbies on sizing of bikes, I am not able to tell them what I need because I don't know how different parts impact on the cyclist.

I've been appalled by the lack of advice from the bike shop I received on both occasions when buying a bike... pretty much have a ride around on this... no real discussion, simply is it comfortable after 5minutes around a car park.... impossible to tell really. I actually thought I'd selected a more helpful bike shop - impressed by their website and the pre-sales amble, but not by the actual trial bit....

I will see how my hand fairs in the next 5 days (hopefully the feeling will return tomorrow and I can rest it on Wed/Thur and re-try the bike on Friday and see how it impacts my hand....

Thanks for all your help

Lisa