In line seatpost

[Twinks]

After suffering with pain and numbness in my right hand after doing several long rides within a week ( 2 x 70 miles and 2x 50 ish..... more than I would normally do anyway) I started questioning my bike fit. Anyhow decided I might have been better with a smaller frame and went to Evans to try one. Had actually seen a bargain on line but wanted to try, a bit naughty but actually when I got in Evans I saw one I really liked and was thinking of buying it. The guy I spoke to was really good and didn't want to see me spend money I didn't need seeing as the bike is not yet one year old. Initially he thought the bike was the right size for me but after setting both mine and the smaller one up on the turbo he agreed the smaller one would have been better. However he suggested several things to adjust mine to try first. the thing I think will work best is the inline seatpost putting me in a better position over the pedals and shortening the reach. So have ordered one.

Are there likely to be any problems with this? It's a Cannondale Synapse and is designed to have a setback seatpost.

 

[mcshroom]

No problems at all. Your bike is designed to have a seat post, from there you need to work out the best position, be it in-line, laid back, or even extra-layback (the bent ones).

What you do need to know is the exact diameter of your current seat post as the replacement needs to be the same. Even 0.2mm can be the difference between a nice fitting post and one that slips/won't fit in the seat tube.

 

[Milkfloat]

Whilst waiting for the seatpost to arrive - you could also try flipping your stem. This will raise the height which should decrease the weight on your hands. I assume when you ride that you shift you hand position a lot? This was something that really helped me, well that and some good gloves and a second wrap of tape.

Take a look here: http://bikedynamics.co.uk/achesandpains.htm This is the guy who gave me a biek fit and helped me out. Interestingly he suggests the opposite of what you have been told - a saddle too far forward can cause you to be weighted on your hands.

 

[Levo-Lon]

I get numbness in my hands even with a inline.shoulders and neck pain too..
i know its more me than the bike...i have a Zero rating scrap wise..

 

[Twinks]

Thanks for your replies. I have made sure to order the correct diameter @mcshroom. 25.4 mm, though couldn't get the correct length but it can be cut down. Flipping the stem was another thing considered @Milkfloat and I must admit I don't really understand quite how that makes the difference. Having just looked at it it looks like it's upside down anyhow????

@meta lon am a bit of a demic too and I have damage to wrists and arms and know that is something I've just got to deal with but hoping to improve things a bit comfort wise.

Thing is this is what brought my attention to the fit of the bike which to be honest I've faffed about with trying to get the right position since I've had it. Can't blame anybody for that. As a complete novice just looked at the size guide and plumped for the 51cm. Being on the cusp of what Cannondale recommend for my height I should have tried both first. Oddly enough in Specialized the fit of a 51cm is perfect. I believe Cannondale "come up big".....I assume that's the geometry ???

 

[vickster]

Thanks for your replies. I have made sure to order the correct diameter @mcshroom. 25.4 mm, though couldn't get the correct length but it can be cut down. Flipping the stem was another thing considered @Milkfloat and I must admit I don't really understand quite how that makes the difference. Having just looked at it it looks like it's upside down anyhow????

@meta lon am a bit of a demic too and I have damage to wrists and arms and know that is something I've just got to deal with but hoping to improve things a bit comfort wise.

Thing is this is what brought my attention to the fit of the bike which to be honest I've faffed about with trying to get the right position since I've had it. Can't blame anybody for that. As a complete novice just looked at the size guide and plumped for the 51cm. Being on the cusp of what Cannondale recommend for my height I should have tried both first. Oddly enough in Specialized the fit of a 51cm is perfect. I believe Cannondale "come up big".....I assume that's the geometry ???

Or what bit of the bike is measured to come up with the 51cm, most manufacturers use TT but some use the seat post tube for example. You need to see where the geometries differ

What width bar do you use? I've got tendonitis in my thumb before from having bars too wide and rolling my wrists in. If it's a men's 51cm bike, you may find the bars are too wide, they seem to like a 42cm bar on a men's frame, which would be too wide for many women. I'm 5'10 and not exactly petite but the ideal bar width for me is 38cm although I can get away with a 40cm

 

[Twinks]

@vickster I think the bar width is fine. Measures 39cm. It's a women's specific.

 

[Milkfloat]

. Flipping the stem was another thing considered @Milkfloat and I must admit I don't really understand quite how that makes the difference. Having just looked at it it looks like it's upside down anyhow????

Take a look at this photo, that I shameless ripped off.

Now imagine that if the stem was taken off and turned upside down and refitted (handlebars sorted too), then what you will see is that the handlebars will be higher and slightly closer to you. it is free and costs you nothing to try. However, if your stem is already flipped, then you will actually end up making the bars lower.

 

[Twinks]

Ahh right, I see! The reason I said it looked upside down is that the writing on it is upside down.

 

[Milkfloat]

Ahh right, I see! The reason I said it looked upside down is that the writing on it is upside down.

Often there is writing on both sides so they can be flipped, if it is only on one side then it may have been flipped already. You should be able to tell if flipping will raise the height or lower the height without taking it off the bike. Just look at the stem sideways on.

 

[Twinks]

Doh! You see I'm learning something new every day

 

[Cyclist33]

I get numbness in my hands even with a inline.shoulders and neck pain too..
i know its more me than the bike...i have a Zero rating scrap wise..

Then you should try lengthening the reach. Aches are just as easy to come by from being too bunched up, people obsess over making their road bikes upright which does beg the question why they bought a road bike.