trying to get it comfortable for the wife

[jackthelad]

Hi guys was wondering if you could help or give advice

The wife has started getting Arthritis in her left hand.I have seen her take her hand of the bars several times on long runs 25 miles and above.

I went for a really comfy bike for her a vita comp with carbon forks and carbon seat stays.I would like to increase the comfort for her and was wondering which direction to go.I have fitted end bars and put on (grip puppies)these are foam tubes that go over the end bars to help with comfort and give her choice of hand placement.

I am now looking at carbon handlebars and carbon seatpost to see if these would help with road vibration and also if she already has carbon seatstays would the carbon seat post make any difference.She does not have any issues with the saddle and wears padded shorts.

If these items can help any advice on which bars and seatpost to purchase would be highly appreciated.I have looked at the Bontrager Race X Lite carbon flat
and the
Bontrager Race X Lite carbon seat post and was wondering if this is a good choice for an alu bike with carbon.

as said above any help appreciated

jackthelad

 

[ASC1951]

You don't mention this, Jack, so I'll state the obvious - you need to start by making sure her riding position is absolutely spot on. I would invest in a full bike fitting session on a jig before making your choice of high-end components.

On the component side, I believe you can get stems with some suspension/damping, which might help.

 

[jackthelad]

asc thanks for the reply but dont know what you mean with a bike fitting, she got the bike for her size in the shop and I have went thru the bike setup in the shop and also taken info from the road bike setup and maintenance dvd from driven and ridden.com presented by darryl kelbrick,info regarding proper setup.

It is more trying to get road vibration out of the bike is the reason i asked about the carbon extra bits.I was basically wondering with the bike already having rear carbon seat stays,would the carbon seat post make any difference or is it just a waste of cash, and do carbon bars make that much of a difference to make it an issue to purchase.

Any help to make a decision would be highly appreciated.

jackthelad

 

[upsidedown]

I've heard that butterfly bars can help with joint pain, might be worth a go.


paul

 

[betty swollocks]

Maybe it's not the road buzz causing her discomfort, but rather too much bearing of her weight on the bars? Maybe.
Consider a more sit up and beg position, with more of her weight on the saddle. This may involve raising the bars.....somehow!

 

[515mm]

I don't wish to pour doubt on your bike set-up skills but - (you guessed I was going to say 'but' didn't you?) following a DVD is one thing, being measured on a set-up jig by a professional with many years experience is quite another.

I used Paul Hewitt of Hewitt Cycles and I can't praise the guy highly enough. Patient, methodical and asked lots of questions.

He charged me £100 (refunded when you buy a bike from him) and £50 to apply the measurements to my bike.

About the same price as a pair of quality carbon handlebars.

Best of luck to you and the Mrs............

 

[jackthelad]

I don't wish to pour doubt on your bike set-up skills but - (you guessed I was going to say 'but' didn't you?) following a DVD is one thing, being measured on a set-up jig by a professional with many years experience is quite another.

I used Paul Hewitt of Hewitt Cycles and I can't praise the guy highly enough. Patient, methodical and asked lots of questions.

He charged me £100 (refunded when you buy a bike from him) and £50 to apply the measurements to my bike.

About the same price as a pair of quality carbon handlebars.

Best of luck to you and the Mrs............

515 you are quite right a dvd does not replace experience, and a proper fit might be required.The wife is the perfect weight for her height 8st.12lbs 5ft 6in,so have not looked at weight being an issue,relating to pressure on wrists,as the bike is a hybrid,but then this might be the issue .I would like to thank all the guys for their views and suggestions and I will review the different options before haste decisions

jackthelad

 

[battered]

trying to get it comfortable for the wife

Hi guys was wondering if you could help or give advice

Aye, well, just stop rushing at it and take your time.

Some people might recommend a massage or a small drink. It all helps.

OK, i'll get me coat.

 

[ASC1951]

asc thanks for the reply but dont know what you mean with a bike fitting, she got the bike for her size in the shop and I have went thru the bike setup in the shop and also taken info from the road bike setup and maintenance dvd from driven and ridden.com presented by darryl kelbrick,info regarding proper setup.

What I meant was the sort of bike fitting that 515mm went for (although mine was only £50, a few years ago). I had the same session before I bought my best bike and the set-up is so perfect for me that I can ride all day without gloves or handlebar padding. I have used the printout to set up every bike I have. Definitely the best bike-related money I have ever spent.

I'm not suggesting that you have got the wrong sized bike, or that it is way out on positioning. It is just that even 1/8 inch on saddle height, for instance, has an effect on riding comfort - and the huge advantage of a jig is that you can make small incremental adjustments instead of swapping components in and out. Carbon seatposts and stays are fairly pricey items and you may find that your LBS will knock you something off the price of a jig session if you buy the bits through them.

I do sympathise with your wife about the arthritis. I'm beginning to get it in my big toes and it's a bit of a bugger. The GP helpfully says, "well, you must expect some degenerative change at your age."

 

[jackthelad]

What I meant was the sort of bike fitting that 515mm went for (although mine was only £50, a few years ago). I had the same session before I bought my best bike and the set-up is so perfect for me that I can ride all day without gloves or handlebar padding. I have used the printout to set up every bike I have. Definitely the best bike-related money I have ever spent.

I'm not suggesting that you have got the wrong sized bike, or that it is way out on positioning. It is just that even 1/8 inch on saddle height, for instance, has an effect on riding comfort - and the huge advantage of a jig is that you can make small incremental adjustments instead of swapping components in and out. Carbon seatposts and stays are fairly pricey items and you may find that your LBS will knock you something off the price of a jig session if you buy the bits through them.

I do sympathise with your wife about the arthritis. I'm beginning to get it in my big toes and it's a bit of a bugger. The GP helpfully says, "well, you must expect some degenerative change at your age."

thanks again guys for the replies looks like it will be a visit to the lbs for peace of mind and a starting point before anything else is changed

jackthelad

 

[515mm]

Now that I think about it, it was about £100 in total - 50 for the fit - 50 for the application. Even better value.

Another thought is that the saddle could be too far forward. Does she slide forward on the saddle or tend to have her cheeks over the back of it? Moving the seat back may enable her to balance her (perfect ) weight that bit better.

 

[jackthelad]

Now that I think about it, it was about £100 in total - 50 for the fit - 50 for the application. Even better value.

Another thought is that the saddle could be too far forward. Does she slide forward on the saddle or tend to have her cheeks over the back of it? Moving the seat back may enable her to balance her (perfect ) weight that bit better.

515, tonight I did the measure from her knee to middle of the cleat position with the pedal at the 3 oclock position using a string and weight and the saddle was quite forward.So reset the saddle further back
the saddle was also slight off after testing with book and spirit level so sorted that as well,so the saddle is dead centre now on the spirit level.
Also checked her arm setup after the saddle was reset and got them correctly positioned with a slight bend.So hopefully these small changes will help to sort her small problem.But I must say thanks to you guys who mentioned about checking the fitting position as this was further from my mind as I thought the bike shop had this spot on when she purchased.Just shows you never take anything for granted

thanks again

jackthelad

 

[515mm]

You're welcome!

Many bike shops offer decent service but haven't been trained in bike set-up, which is a real shame as it offers a great deal of extra value to their business. Folk are more likely to buy locally if their LBS can fit them perfectly to their new bike and 'expert' help is available for only a few quid more than the internet boys. They wouldn't need a fitting jig to start with - a turbo trainer on a level floor would get you close enough to use the plumb line and goniometer which aren't expensive tools......

 

[steve52]

i got some proline aero bars and as a by prouduct dont get achey wrists any more as my weight is taken by my fore arms , its an idear