LHT Fitting results

I took Sully yesterday for a fitting, there have been continuing pain problems riding this beautiful bike. I also hate the bar-end shifters, I know that lots of people like them but I do not. I had a small fear that the bike was too small for me, but that turned out to be unfounded :D The fitter said that my bike is the optimum size for me.

The problem turned out to related to a combination of the road bars, the stem, and my arthritis. He dissuaded me from moving to Paul's Thumbies, because of the kind of motion that is required to use them. He really thought that while it would be an improvement over my current set-up but it would still cause discomfort and ergonomically speaking, I would be happier with the XT triggers. We did briefly consider STI shifters, the only other viable alternative. There is also the fact that road bars hurt my hands - even with a light grip - my arthritis seems to be in my palms more than my fingers. Just sitting in the trainer and holding the top bar with a loose grip hurts my hand...time for the Ergon grips!

So I will wind up with 2-inch riser bars with Ergon grips and long/curved bar-ends, a new stem (slightly longer), and of course the XT shifters and new brake levers. We still haven't settled on the actual bars, but he is going to get me a quote in the next couple of days. If the stem doesn't work then I can switch it out at no charge. What I am giving up in number of hand positions will pay in other ways. With my hands as they are I doubt a perfect solution exists, but this seems the most reasonable and I will finally be able to get out there with my beloved steel steed :D

Pictures will be forthcoming of my customized steed when he returns home!

Glad you seem to have resolved all of the issues. You are lucky to have a knowledgeable fitter.

Glad to see you have it all worked out. Sounds like you have a great fitter working with you to get everything dialed in the way you want it. Looking forward to seeing the pics :)

It sounds like you had a good fitting and found someone that knows what they are talking about. Good for you!

I feel good about this direction - it would be nice if the solution were less expensive, but a year from now I will have forgotten how much it cost and will be out there enjoying my lovely bike!

I am glad that I listened to a few people who encouraged me to go to this particular fitter, the expense is worth it AND the fitting is good for the life of the bike - so any further adjustments needed for any reason won't cost anything - I like that :p