Two issues with going drop bar....

[Salty seadog]

Morning all, I have recently gone down the drop bar route with a Specialized Roubaix carbon disc machine.

I am confident I have the right size in a 58cm, I'm 183cm with a 94cm inside leg according to Evans. The next size up being a 61cm.

One issue is that although perfectly comfortable on the hoods when I get into the drops I feel a little scrunched up as if being in the drops is a shorter reach than being on the hoods. It also feels a little short of space in the pedal stroke (feeling in the legs), again this could just be getting used to working the muscles slightly differently.
It may be that I just need to get used to the riding position as it's 20 years since my last drop bar bike.

The other issue again whilst in the drops, I have to stretch my fingers out fully and can only just get minimal purchase on the front facing surface of the brake levers. This is with the reach adjusted inwards to the limit.

Any comments insights etc gratefully received.

Many thanks,

ssd.....

 

[Deleted member 26715]

Bike Fit

 

[roadrash]

with regard to the brake lever reach, you can get spacers that bring the lever closer to the bars , like these...

available online or most good LBS

 

[Supersuperleeds]

What's 183cm in real money? I'm 6' 2" and ride a 58cm (Specialized.)

It took me ages to get used to a drop bar after riding flat bar. Like you the braking felt wrong for a while.

You could play it safe and get rid of the bike, I'll come and collect it for £500

 

[Andrew_P]

I would give it a little more time the reach in the drops you could adjust with an extra 5-10mm on a new stem. The reach on Shimano levers is silly, I have small hands and I struggle with it.

 

[DCLane]

Bike Fit

+1 - you need it to fit you right and it does appear that it's an 'odd' setup.

However they do ride differently and the saddle needs to be higher than you think it should be.

 

[vickster]

See whether a different shape / width bar would work. +1 to bike fit given how much the bike cost

@Supersuperleeds given the bike is black, £300 would be a fairer offer

 

[Supersuperleeds]

See whether a different shape / width bar would work. +1 to bike fit given how much the bike cost

@Supersuperleeds given the bike is black, £300 would be a fairer offer

I don't want to rip off a fellow CC'er and anyway I like black bikes.

 

[Salty seadog]

What's 183cm in real money? I'm 6' 2" and ride a 58cm (Specialized.)

It took me ages to get used to a drop bar after riding flat bar. Like you the braking felt wrong for a while.

You could play it safe and get rid of the bike, I'll come and collect it for £500

That's a shade under 6'1", as for the kind offer to rid me of this nightmare for such a generous sum I will get back to you.....

I would give it a little more time the reach in the drops you could adjust with an extra 5-10mm on a new stem. The reach on Shimano levers is silly, I have small hands and I struggle with it.

Yeah, have thought about stem length, but as you say give it more time to naturally adjust to the position.

+1 - you need it to fit you right and it does appear that it's an 'odd' setup.

However they do ride differently and the saddle needs to be higher than you think it should be.

I'm usually pretty good at setting up a bike to suit, I also run a lot of seatpost, I'm pretty much at maximum now.....

@Supersuperleeds given the bike is black, £300 would be a fairer offer

Now now Vic, we've almost agreed on a monkey here....

 

[Globalti]

You'll get used to it, don't worry. It takes a few hours for the skeleton and muscles to adapt to a new position.

Make sure you've got the saddle at the right height, position on the rails and angle, then worry about the bars. The Roubaix SL4 is an excellent bike, one of the best endurance machines. Be sure to treat it to some decent tyres not the standard Specialized el Cheapos.

 

[helston90]

Bike fit suggestion again- you say you run a lot of seat post- this may not be right, you may benefit from a lowered seat post and flipped/ shorter stem to decrease the angle of the drop (may).
If you're wanting to put the hours in on the bike in comfort having not ridden that sort of bike get fitted to it.
That or spend a lot of time adopting to a position which may still be wrong at the end of the day.

 

[MichaelW2]

Drop bars come in different radius drops. You sound like you need deep drops. Shallow drops have made a recent comeback/
Check your crank arm length against your previous ride.

 

[shouldbeinbed]

Bike fit is a good suggestion but Re the scrunched feeling - what have you come from to drops? Different bikes do feel different through how they place your body on the contact points saddle/pedals/bars, I know what you mean from my drop days, I put it down to the torso being effectively elongated as your body profile is flatter to the bike down on the drops vs hoods or tops where you are more sit up and beg and your arms aren't needing to stretch as far, the pedals thing, again I always felt I was kneeing myself in the guts for the same reason that my torso is down there more in the way of the upstroke than on a more relaxed style bike.
The more I gravitated to flat bar bikes the less and less comfortable I felt on the same road bike.

Brake levers, you may need to have the bar tape off and fiddle with the siting of the brakes around the curve of the bar to get the best hand/lever position to suit you, not just take the generic build placement as gospel or look for different levers?

 

[Wolf616]

I used to scorn bike fits but then the physio did one for me and all my pain (lasting pain, it still hurts like fark to go up hills [in a good way]) went away. It's incredible how moving a saddle a few mm and changing your cleat position a tiny bit can completely change how you cycle

 

[Globalti]

I missed the comment about the seatpost being almost at maximim, which worries me. Why don't you post a pic of the bike taken from the side, both with and without you sitting on it? There are plenty of experienced eyes on this forum who will be able to help you.