Help needed

[Lizzy]

Vickster, I'm 5'8 - 5'9, inside leg to floor 32" - oddly long legged - or I ought to say normal for a woman.... (I have a niece who is 6'2 with a 36" inside leg - I feel normal).....

The pashley was middle sized women's bike and I had a devil of a job when I first started cycling until I put the seat height up really high - when it was a lot more comfortable.

With the cycler's palsy I can't afford to spend several month figuring out that the frame size is too big, or I wont be able to return it, and may can perm damage to my hands.

I do appreciate that fit is part science part art, but I just don't want to end up something that I then need to pay to be adjusted back to have the same dynamics as what I ought to have purchased before.

Lis

 

[jig-sore]

the (handle bar) stem is the bit that holds onto the handle bars. you can buy them in loads of different sizes from stupidly long to quite short.

change this for a shorter one and your bars will move towards you, having the same effect as a "shorter" frame

just thought of another possibility that may help... soft foam handle bar grips !!!!

http://www.demon-tweeks.co.uk/Produ...oogle&utm_medium=Base&utm_campaign=Motorcycle

 

[Lizzy]

hmm not sure there is a stem in the same way as the pashley handle bars have...

http://www.specialized.com/gb/gb/bc/SBCProduct.jsp?spid=53286&scid=1002&scname=Transport/Fitness

the bit that is the normal stem has only 3 washers.... which means thats as far as it goes... hence my problem, otherwise i'd have just got them to jack the bars up a bit....

Ah I see you are telling me the shorter version will pull the bars towards me for the usual stem bit.... not sure it works that way with this one as the bit that is the stem is tilted slightly back....

OK I think the best bet is I go look at a medium frame in a different shop and see what the reach is like... it may be that the adjustment the chap has already made will sort it out.

Thank you for your patience with me and your help. I'm not a total egit, just new to trying to get bike shops to do a good job.

Lis

 

[Lizzy]

ahhhhh the bar you talk of is on the horizontal? hence shortening it will bring curly handle bars closer to the rider.... which makes more sence (both my bike have those bits as vertical bars... with flat handlebars...

 

[jig-sore]

stems... http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Categories.aspx?CategoryID=687

available in different lengths and angles. they can also be flipped over so instead of the angle going up... it goes down.

 

[Lizzy]

Thanks...

Ok first things first, I'm going to test cycle a medium frame, to see if they simply sold me the wrong product. and if not/they refuse to take it back I will think about extending the stem thingy.

I'm so cross that this is the second time I feel I've been miss sold a product by a bike shop. I worked really hard to find a shop that was less frenetic than the branded shops. Totally gutted that I've looped back into the been given a product - which I test cycled around the car park, which is obviously not long enough to tell anything.... SO annoying, and their website said they were experienced fitters in women's bikes too... doh

Thanks for your help - my fingers have slightly more feeling in them today.

L

 

[summerdays]

I think my leg length is about the same as yours ... I'm literally just under a 32" leg length although I am shorter than you at 5'6". I'm on a Giant M sized bike, and although I can ride my hubby's bikes - its just a little to stretched out for me (but I can get them to the LBS for a service for example). Definitely take the Medium for a ride ... although I when I first got this bike I did feel it was a bit stretched out from my previous more upright bike. Tipping the saddle up doesn't sound very good to me from a female perspective either.

 

[Lizzy]

lol @ summersday... yes not good on the girlie bits... looks like they will take it back/change it although giving valiant effort to convince me the large is the way to go.... seriously, I'll have been back 3 times... Hopefully they are ok with some wear and tare.

More later....

Lis

 

[Lizzy]

Well they have a medium size on order, still pretty miffed that I've had to create such a hooha for something that ought to have been easily resolved day 1. no idea why they simply can't say the reach is too wide for your body type...