Spacers

[roadiewill]

OK with my tarmac again, Im starting to get used to the head down arse up position. However, currently all of the spacers are in and I was just wondering how quickly I should remove them. I was aiming for removing 1 every 2 months so buy the summer and racing season Il have quite an aero position. Do I just keep on removing them until I feel like another one would be too uncomfortable? Is it common on such an aggressive positioned bike to remove all of the spacers?

thanks

 

[Randochap]

What does your body want?

 

[Smokin Joe]

What does your body want?

Have you seen his avatar?

 

[Radius]

How about leave them there and stop worrying?

 

[spandex]

Have you seen his avatar?

So dose that go for you was well then?

 

[Randochap]

Have you seen his avatar?

Looks like he needs space-age spacers

BTW, I got enough spacers for all of us!

 

[jimboalee]

When your saddle is in the correct height and horizontal position to achieve the 'plumbline drop' from knee to pedal spindle ( see other threads ), the handlebars should be in a 'for-aft' position so your elbow touches the front of the saddle and your longest fingertip touches the back of the handlebars.

When this 'Reach' is set, the height of the bars should be so your lumbar vertebrae are at 45 Deg inclination.

When you are riding comfortably, if you glance down, the front wheel spindle should be obscured by the handlebars ( at the stem clamp ).
If this is not so, do some minor tweeks.

Job done.

 

[Smokin Joe]

When your saddle is in the correct height and horizontal position to achieve the 'plumbline drop' from knee to pedal spindle ( see other threads ), the handlebars should be in a 'for-aft' position so your elbow touches the front of the saddle and your longest fingertip touches the back of the handlebars.

When this 'Reach' is set, the height of the bars should be so your lumbar vertebrae are at 45 Deg inclination.

When you are riding comfortably, if you glance down, the front wheel spindle should be obscured by the handlebars ( at the stem clamp ).
If this is not so, do some minor tweeks.

Job done.

That is oft repeated these days, but is no way to tell if your position is correct or not..

 

[John the Monkey]

On my Giant, I removed a spacer at a time. If I felt comfy, I stuck with it - if I felt I wanted a lower position after a month or so, I took out another spacer, etc etc.

 

[jimboalee]

If the saddle is at the correct height, the saddle is at the correct fore-aft position, the handlebars are at the correct reach and the lumbar vertebrae are at the correct angle with relation to the pelvis, what can be wrong?

 

[jimboalee]

Thinking again.

Adding or taking a 6mm spacer might alter the lumbar by 1 deg.
When I adjusted my Dawes from 'as delivered', I took 18mm out to lower the stem.
It did feel different from the original position, but in no way was the original OR the new 'correct' position uncomfortable.

By the same token, +/- 3mm in saddle height, +/- 3mm in saddle 'fore-aft' and +/- 3mm in reach should not be noticable.
Tweeking the adjustments by these ammounts should be compensated for by muscular adaption after 2-3 outings.

All in all, if the measurements are 'about correct', your body will change to suit.

 

[youngoldbloke]

"the handlebars should be in a 'for-aft' position so your elbow touches the front of the saddle and your longest fingertip touches the back of the handlebars."
Have just checked - I have about 2" space, and if anything need a slightly longer stem - of course this might be because I have short arms (off the peg shirt and jacket sleeves always too long), and small hands - You just cannot make hard and fast rules.

 

[jimboalee]

My sincere appologies ladies and gentlemen.

I have looked up in my book and the CORRECT method is :-

Elbow on nose of saddle and fingertip Level with front of STEERER TUBE.


This would of course coincide with the rear of the handlebars if the bike was an old fashioned 'upright'.

Send me your No. youngoldbloke and I will fax you a fiver.

 

[youngoldbloke]

Phew - that's a relief - I'm not such a freak after all!
I - or rather my bike set up - conforms exactly to your revised CORRECT method!
Now, how about that obscured front axle rule - is that hands on the tops, the hoods, or the drops? Think I have seen all of those quoted in various sources. With my existing (comfortable) set up the axle is always visible in front of the bars (which leads me to believe I need a longer stem to stretch me out) - but of course the stem height and angle will also affect this - as will length of one's neck ........

(Nice gesture, but don't worry about the fiver - to err is human after all, or something like that ....)

 

[RedBike]

Perhaps you shouldn't remove them on the Tarmac. There's already quite a drop from the saddle to the bars.