What am I doing wrong?

[OrangeSuperduke]

Thanks for the great replies, Going to change 2 things! first of I went out at got some gel padded fingerless gloves what are a but more of a loose fit.
Now the biggie, I originally moved the seat forward thinking that would make me sit more up right and take the weight of my hands. I will move the saddle an inch back and try it out. Been working on core strength at my local gym too
Is there any way of knowing or finding out what length of stem to use before I just start buying?

Rog

 

[Doobiesis]

If you bought your bike new, take it in and they'll change it normally for free. At least measure your reach to see if that would help.

Most bike shops are extremely helpful and staff are very knowledgable. (Not Halfords) and will like nothing better than to hear your woes and try and help you more confortable.

 

[Elswick Cotterpin]

With regards to getting the correct stem length, and assuming the bike is the right size for you and saddle adjusted etc, I read somewhere a long time ago that when you're sitting relatively comfortably on the bike, say, hands on the brake hoods, if you look down at the front wheel the handlebars should obscure the front hub. If, when you look down, the front wheel hub is behind the bars then the stem is too long, if the hub is in front, it's too short....

There are probably a million people who will say this method isn't right/doesn't work/ bull, etc, but I had trouble choosing the right stem length and it worked for me.

 

[Illaveago]

Congratulations on loosing weight. I was wondering if you might be suffering from Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. I used to suffer from the problem years ago, my little finger used to go completely dead and white in the cold. I've since had an operation on both wrists and don't get it any more. You can get the syndrome from using vibrating tools, riding motorcycles, hammering and typing.

 

[Ian H]

Very rough rule of thumb for length of stem is to place your elbow against the nose of the saddle, fingers pointing towards the bars. Your fingers should be just behind the bars, up to an inch. However, this does assume that your saddle is in the right position. I don't have much faith in commercial 'bike fit' offerings but one might give you a starting point.

 

[robjh]

You say you get it in the left hand only, so it suggests some imbalance or difference in the way you use your right and left sides.
Are you sure the saddle is absolutely straight on the bike? the same for the handlebar angle - is it absolutely at 90 degrees to the wheel, and are the bars centred correctly?
Are the levers in exactly the same position on both sides?

These may seem obvious but are worth checking. A tiny difference can sometimes have a great impact on riding comfort. At one point I got a repeated ache in my left arm and I not sure quite what fixed it but it seemed to go off after a combination of fiddling with all these things.

 

[Illaveago]

I just measured my Falcon with the elbow method and found that my finger tips are 2 inches from the handlebar. I thought that it looked long! It is the original set for the bike.

 

[cyberknight]

You say you get it in the left hand only, so it suggests some imbalance or difference in the way you use your right and left sides.
Are you sure the saddle is absolutely straight on the bike? the same for the handlebar angle - is it absolutely at 90 degrees to the wheel, and are the bars centred correctly?
Are the levers in exactly the same position on both sides?

These may seem obvious but are worth checking. A tiny difference can sometimes have a great impact on riding comfort. At one point I got a repeated ache in my left arm and I not sure quite what fixed it but it seemed to go off after a combination of fiddling with all these things.

I have similar , on my left hand too and i think its linked to my fecked shoulder from an old injury + shortened pectoralis minor which needs constant stretching or i get bad posture (hunched shoulders) which in turn traps the nerve in the neck leading to tingling fingers .
Some days mine does not play up at all and others i cant ride more than a couple of miles before its tingling .

Anyway i found after posting piccie of my position on here i was to far forward so i moved it back to KOPs and a shorter reach as i had to much weight to far forward which was aggravating it , its certainly a lot better .

 

[Fab Foodie]

With regards to getting the correct stem length, and assuming the bike is the right size for you and saddle adjusted etc, I read somewhere a long time ago that when you're sitting relatively comfortably on the bike, say, hands on the brake hoods, if you look down at the front wheel the handlebars should obscure the front hub. If, when you look down, the front wheel hub is behind the bars then the stem is too long, if the hub is in front, it's too short....

There are probably a million people who will say this method isn't right/doesn't work/ bull, etc, but I had trouble choosing the right stem length and it worked for me.

Sorry but that's utter bollocks ...

 

[OrangeSuperduke]

Just tried the elbow measure, (remembering I've moved the saddle back an inch a few days ago) I now have an inch gap between my fingertips and the bars. Also checked the alignment of the bars, hoods and saddle etc, visually it all looks straight and centred.
I'm a bit nervous of changing too much at the moment as I've entered a 60mile charity ride on Sunday, although I'll commute to work tomorrow which is a 25mile round trip, to give the changes a test.
The LBS where I got the bike from will be my next port of call as they were great when I bought the bike.

 

[Cyclist33]

You say you get it in the left hand only, so it suggests some imbalance or difference in the way you use your right and left sides.
Are you sure the saddle is absolutely straight on the bike? the same for the handlebar angle - is it absolutely at 90 degrees to the wheel, and are the bars centred correctly?
Are the levers in exactly the same position on both sides?

These may seem obvious but are worth checking. A tiny difference can sometimes have a great impact on riding comfort. At one point I got a repeated ache in my left arm and I not sure quite what fixed it but it seemed to go off after a combination of fiddling with all these things.

Indeed, and also riding technique, for example if you use the back brake a lot more than the front it is easy to subconsciously grip the left side of your handlebar harder than the right because you're relying on / expecting to use that brake.

There are loads of factors that could come into play.

Are you anywhere near an experienced cyclechattist who could spend a couple of hours looking at your riding setup with you?

 

[Cyclist33]

Just tried the elbow measure, (remembering I've moved the saddle back an inch a few days ago) I now have an inch gap between my fingertips and the bars. Also checked the alignment of the bars, hoods and saddle etc, visually it all looks straight and centred.
I'm a bit nervous of changing too much at the moment as I've entered a 60mile charity ride on Sunday, although I'll commute to work tomorrow which is a 25mile round trip, to give the changes a test.
The LBS where I got the bike from will be my next port of call as they were great when I bought the bike.

Moving the saddle by an inch is a fairly vast adjustment. Try half a cm at a time. What you need to do is give yourself a couple of hours one evening where you just go out on the bike without a ride plan, pick a route you know, take some hex keys and have a play with some incremental tweaks to saddle and handlebar. For some, rolling the handlebar up and back really helps. I find it better for my lanky wrists if the handlebar is rolled forward and down a notch. But we're all differently shaped monkeys.

 

[Fab Foodie]

Thanks for the great replies, Going to change 2 things! first of I went out at got some gel padded fingerless gloves what are a but more of a loose fit.
Now the biggie, I originally moved the seat forward thinking that would make me sit more up right and take the weight of my hands. I will move the saddle an inch back and try it out. Been working on core strength at my local gym too
Is there any way of knowing or finding out what length of stem to use before I just start buying?

Rog

Basically you need to get your seat position relative to the bottom bracket right first so that you are balanced on the bike i.e you can reach forward to touch the bars or almost touch them without falling forward. You'll then get a rough feel for whether the bars need to be closer to you or not. You should be able to ride with just your finger tips on the bars.
Some help here (ignore the first bits about crank length):

http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/fitting.htm

 

[Illaveago]

What happens if you ride mainly on your right hand ? Also did you get the problem before you switched to drops.

 

[Elswick Cotterpin]

Sorry but that's utter bollocks ...

Nice, can't you just say you disagree?


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gx4UxRKhgl8