argh... the continuing saga of bike fit

[mimitabby]

Okay, i got my bike back, the beautiful Bianchi Veloce with the New and Improved fork...

I have the traditional female problem of long legs and short torso (well, relatively long legs, i am 5'3 1/2" tall)

BUT My hands still hurt...

I still feel like i can't let go of the handlebars to signal.. (I usually force myself)

Do I want to give up on this bike? (NO!)

My DH says to give it a little time.

I am thinking the value of this bike is going down while I am trying to get used to it.

My back feels good, this bike really moves nicely; except the steering is shaky
sometimes it seems like.

I don't want to buy a bike with two different sized wheels.
I would consider a bike with 650's on it.
I am not sure i even like road bike handlebars at all!!

I like having a light fast bike, because I live in hilly country. i can't even commute without going up a fairly steep hill.

Doesn't somebody make a bike like this?
Thank you all for listening. (maybe i should have posted this in to whom this may concern thread)
mimi

[spokewench]

Okay, Mimitabby! I'm a little confused - you have a nice bike (with a new fork). What is the difference between the old and new fork? What were you trying to fix by buying it?

It kind of sounds like you might be too stretched out when you say you are the normal gal, long legs, short torso! You say the bike is twitchy in the front end?

It's always hard to tell someone what to do with a bike if you don't see them on it. But, how long is your top tube? How long is your stem? What size is the bike? Do you have a lot of seatpost showing? Is it a compact frame?

Of course, they make bike to fit you that are not tug boats!

I'm 5'4" (sorry, i'm not real short torsoed), but I have always been able to ride a regular men's frame bike (not all of them) but some. I have the best luck with the new compact frames. They seem to fit a woman of our size better. You should be able to get a light bike to fit with a few adjustments, seat position, stem length, etc., etc.

Tell me some more so maybe we can help! Thanks jan

P.s: Sometimes twitchy in the front end means you are hanging on for dear life and if you get your weight off the handlebars, RELAX, support yourself with your core and bend your elbows, mysteriously your bike isn't twitchy anymore! A lot of girls that have horses all talk about how their instructors used to tell them to keep their heels down! Well, I rode horses and taught riding for years so I'm quite familiar with this. On the bike, the term is "bend your elbows, relax your shoulders, get the weight off your handlebars!"

[FreshNewbie]

Looks like I have ongoing problem with saddles and you have ongoing problem with your bike, isn't it frustrating ? The fact that you are saying that you can't let go off your handlebars to signal might be because you are either putting too much weight on your front wheel or not putting enough weight. Did they adjust fitting after they put new fork ? Could it be just not being used to the bike? I know when I got my new bike which is half as light as my old one, it took couple of rides to be able let go off the bars because I was not used to bike being so light. Another thing, if it is so bad that it's not comfortable to ride, maybe you should consider selling it and buying something else? I know it will be pain in the ... umm you know what, but in the end you will feel better. I hope you solve it soon

[Veronica]

Heck my bike felt quite strange on my first ride after the Nova Scotia tour. Remove the handlebar bag and the trailer and wow the bike was twitchy! It and I are back to normal now. But anything new or different can feel weird.

V.

[mimitabby]

[QUOTE=spokewench]Okay, Mimitabby! I'm a little confused - you have a nice bike (with a new fork). What is the difference between the old and new fork? What were you trying to fix by buying it?

i bought a used bike. the fork was short so i bought a new one to bring up the handlebars a little. i went and paid for a professional fit.

It kind of sounds like you might be too stretched out when you say you are the normal gal, long legs, short torso! You say the bike is twitchy in the front end?

yes
a kind person on here actually analyzed me based on all the things she had done and we agreed that the top tube was a little too long for me; so i hoped that the new piece between the tube and the handlebars and the new fork
would take care of that.. nope.

It's always hard to tell someone what to do with a bike if you don't see them on it. But, how long is your top tube? How long is your stem? What size is the bike? Do you have a lot of seatpost showing? Is it a compact frame?

the bike is a 49 (sorry bianchi's website is down so i can't get the specs)and I have plenty of seatpost showing; i have a 30" inseam
(bike measurement)

P.s: Sometimes twitchy in the front end means you are hanging on for dear life and if you get your weight off the handlebars, RELAX, support yourself with your core and bend your elbows, mysteriously your bike isn't twitchy anymore!

I WILL TRY this tonight on my way home!

On the bike, the term is "bend your elbows, relax your shoulders, get the weight off your handlebars!"

the lady at the LBS told me that actually...
i will keep trying

[DebW]

How long have you been riding this bike? Steering does feel different depending on the geometry of the front end: head tube angle, fork rake, and trail. A steep head tube angle with little trail will feel twitchy, especially at low speed. It should feel stable at high speed but steer nimbly. You may simply prefer a different frame geometry, though you could probably get used to it in time (or has it been long enough already?). I used to switch between 2 bikes with different geometry and it took a month or more to get used to the twitchier bike. A bike built for touring would have a longer wheelbase and more stable steering.

Or perhaps the frame geometry and your size are forcing your handlebars too far behind the front axle. That's a problem you won't overcome.

[mimitabby]

How long have you been riding this bike?

Or perhaps the frame geometry and your size are forcing your handlebars too far behind the front axle. That's a problem you won't overcome.

i got the bike about 2 months ago, but much of this time it has been in the shop or waiting to be set up. I just got it back wednesday. i've been riding a
hybrid in the meantime..

FORCING my handlebars behind the front axle?? That sounds interesting, please explain?

[mimitabby]

Looks like I have ongoing problem with saddles and you have ongoing problem with your bike, isn't it frustrating ? The fact that you are saying that you can't let go off your handlebars to signal might be because you are either putting too much weight on your front wheel or not putting enough weight. Did they adjust fitting after they put new fork ? Could it be just not being used to the bike? I know when I got my new bike which is half as light as my old one, it took couple of rides to be able let go off the bars because I was not used to bike being so light. Another thing, if it is so bad that it's not comfortable to ride, maybe you should consider selling it and buying something else? I know it will be pain in the ... umm you know what, but in the end you will feel better. I hope you solve it soon

Yeah, one of the reasons I bought a Bianchi is that they have good resale
value!!
I might have to sell it.

[greenmachine]

Hi Mimi,

I understand your frustrations! I'm 5'7" with the "longest inseams on the planet" says my frame-builder. And I have a short torso.

The ONLY bike that fits me is one with a really short top-tube, and long seat-tube, which makes for some really steep angles. A 24" front wheel was the only option; no steering clearance with a 700c or 27". When my bike was made in the late 80's, there wasn't even a Terry bike that would fit me. That may have changed since then though.

Even after having my fitting done, I have tweaked a bit with my own position.

How is your handlebar height? Rivendell says a good starting point is to start with the handlebar tops level to the top of your saddle height, but the bars shouldn't be more than 5cm lower than the top of your saddle.

HTH,
Judy

[mimitabby]

Hi Mimi,

I understand your frustrations! I'm 5'7" with the "longest inseams on the planet" says my frame-builder. And I have a short torso.

The ONLY bike that fits me is one with a really short top-tube, and long seat-tube, which makes for some really steep angles. A 24" front wheel was the only option; no steering clearance with a 700c or 27". When my bike was made in the late 80's, there wasn't even a Terry bike that would fit me. That may have changed since then though.

Even after having my fitting done, I have tweaked a bit with my own position.

How is your handlebar height? Rivendell says a good starting point is to start with the handlebar tops level to the top of your saddle height, but the bars shouldn't be more than 5cm lower than the top of your saddle.

HTH,
Judy

Judy, I saw a gal built like you the other day. SUCH LEGS!!!
my handlebars are a good inch higher than the saddle now. not sure which bars should be more than 5cm lower than the top of the saddle though.

[tulip]

When you're riding, relaxed as you can be, and you look down, do your handlebars (the flat, top part) mask the front hub, or is the front hub in front of or behind the top of the bars?

This is a little rule of thumb, and is not exact, but generally you want the front hub to be about masked by the handlebars when you are looking down. A little variation either way is probably okay, but alot...that could tell you that your top tube is too long (or too short, depending on if the hub is visible behind or in front of the bars). If the top tube is simply too long for you, you could try a shorter stem and/or push your seat forward (but you also want to make sure there is a straight line down from kneecap to pedal axle). They should have measured this with a pendulum when you got the pro fit.

Best to try this on a trainer, by the way (with the front wheel elevated so the top tube is level--use a phone book or two under the front wheel and a spirit level).

EDIT, I'm 5'6 with long legs. I've only recently had the EUREKA bike, after years of racing and riding and being uncomfortable on, it turns out, too-big bikes. My new road bike is 49cm, which most people would say is way too small for me. But it works wonders! Everyone is proportioned differently; you'll get the right combo eventually.

[DebW]

Mimi, check your headset also, especially if this feeling just appeared since the new fork was installed. I know your LBS just installed it and it should be adjusted properly, but if it's a bit loose you'll get that "I can't let go" feeling. Hold the back wheel off the ground and bounce it on the front wheel. Any rattling in the headset and it's too loose. Or if you can wiggle the fork in relation to the frame even a teeny tiny bit. Or if it flops side to side too easily (subjective, but try comparing with another bike).

[mimitabby]

When you're riding, relaxed as you can be, and you look down, do your handlebars (the flat, top part) mask the front hub, or is the front hub in front of or behind the top of the bars?

This is a little rule of thumb, and is not exact, but generally you want the front hub to be about masked by the handlebars when you are looking down. A little variation either way is probably okay, but alot...that could tell you that your top tube is too long (or too short, depending on if the hub is visible behind or in front of the bars). If the top tube is simply too long for you, you could try a shorter stem and/or push your seat forward (but you also want to make sure there is a straight line down from kneecap to pedal axle). They should have measured this with a pendulum when you got the pro fit.


EDIT, I'm 5'6 with long legs. I've only recently had the EUREKA bike, after years of racing and riding and being uncomfortable on, it turns out, too-big bikes. My new road bike is 49cm, which most people would say is way too small for me. But it works wonders! Everyone is proportioned differently; you'll get the right combo eventually.

Tulip, yeah, they did all that. your rule of thumb is interesting, i must not be real stable in my seat yet because i looked two different times and the hub was in two different places.

I have already gotten two different stems (that's the part between the handlebars and the fork, right?)
I'm glad you have a bike that works for you. I really look forward to that.
EUREKA! who makes that one?

[DebW]

.
FORCING my handlebars behind the front axle?? That sounds interesting, please explain?

If you've had to switch to a very short stem to get a proper fit, the handling will degrade a bit because you won't have much weight over the front axle. I've ridden bikes with 80 (and maybe 60?) mm stems and haven't noticed a huge effect, but people claim that it's important and you should try to stay with a stem of 90 mm or longer.

[tulip]

Tulip, yeah, they did all that. your rule of thumb is interesting, i must not be real stable in my seat yet because i looked two different times and the hub was in two different places.

I have already gotten two different stems (that's the part between the handlebars and the fork, right?)
I'm glad you have a bike that works for you. I really look forward to that.
EUREKA! who makes that one?

Try on a trainer and see if you get consistent results. The stem is what attaches the handlebars to the headtube. The headtube is the short tube in front where the fork goes in from the bottom and the stem goes in from the top, bends, and holds the handlebars--am I making ANY sense??)

If I could draw a picture on this keyboard I would. Like the cuts of beef in those old cookbooks...sorry any vegetarians. But there's the headtube, top tube, down tube, seat tube...and seatstays and chainstays. But I digress.

My EUREKA bike happens to be a Luna, but other people have met their own EUREKA bikes that are different flavors. It's a marvelous thing to ride a bike and almost forget you're riding a bike! You will get there!