LisaSH, your new handlebars

[sandra]

Please tell me about your new handlebars. I am curious. What makes them "shorter reach"?

I love my new bike, BUT, my biggest problem seems to be my handlebar reach. I could stand for my seat to be a little higher, but that puts my reach a little further. Just the smallest amount of increase in seat height causes noticeable discomfort.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Hi Sandra,

There are many things one can try in attempting to solve a too-long reach. Others can perhaps chime in with their experiences.
The problem might be solved by means other than changing the bars, depending on what you are feeling.

Do you think you got the right size frame? How did you pick the bike, or how was it picked for you, and was it fitted to you by the bike store?

Perhaps you should describe exactly what your "symptoms" are first?

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

As to my new handlebars, since you asked:

Yes, the new Salsa Poco bars are good. They were so different however that it took until my third ride today to really get a take on them. I especially first had to get used to not having my interruptor brake levers on the tops of my handlebar anymore- i took them off- oh what a panic the first day when I kept grabbing for those brakes at every intersection and they simply weren't there!!! =8-O You can bet I adapted to THAT pretty quickly, needless to say. The new bars have ergonomic "bumps" that fit my hands nicely and make for comfy hand position changes.

I got the new bars to try to shorten my reach by about 1 1/2 to 2 cms. They do not sweep forward at the hood area quite as much as my old regular style road bars. Also the drops are not quite so low down.
Oddly, my reach doesn't "feel" shorter, but they are, I measured. What's different is that now I can ride with my hands comfortably up on the hoods again- I couldn't really get comfy there before without feeling my weight falling forward too much. So that is good.

But the BEST and most unexpected thing is that they seem to be eliminating the significant left elbow pain I have suffered with for many months now when riding more than 10 miles. Today I kept expecting my elbow to really hurt after 20 miles or so, as usual, but no, just a twinge and then no pain, then another twinge and then nothing again. I made it through 30 miles with no big elbow pain for the first time in about 6 months. What an odd sensation that was. It has got to be the bars because the change is so sudden and dramatic.

I have them taped with new cork tape and twine now, am still figuring out how exactly I want to finish them. But I am definitely staying with them. Will take a picture soon so I can post "before and after" pix.
I probably should have ordered some short reach brake levers for my relatively small hands at the same time, but I didn't so that will just have to wait.

[sandra]

Maybe you missed my post when I bought my bike. I happened to find it used for a great price. It had only been ridden once and was in perfect condition. It is a 52. I rode the bike and it seemed like a good fit. I did take it in to the bike shop and have the stem flipped. Otherwise I've been making small adjustments myself. It's really not bad. I keep wondering if there is any little tweaking I could do to make it even better. It is certainly much easier to ride than my hybrid.

Maybe I should consider paying a bike shop to help me.

A small sidenote: Dear hubby is still plugging along on his hybrid. Yesterday he said "my goal has been to pass someone! I finally did, but she was stopped" He test rode a couple of bikes and is in search for the perfect bike.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Sandra, from looking at your bike, I would suggest you start by moving your saddle as far BACK (yes, back) on its rails as you can, and go to the LBS where you bought it (or to any good LBS) and ask to get a slightly shorter stem. Your stem looks to me to be about a 9 and I think a 7 might help a lot. Find out what size you have now- I might not be seeing it right and you might have a 7 on there already. But it looks longer than a 7 to me. Don't be tempted to get a stem shorter than a 7 as it will definitely make your steering wobbly like what happened to me. I went from a 9 to a 5 to a 7 stem, which is now just right.
When you have the stem switched you might want to have them put on a Salsa Poco handlebar- that will help as well.
Pushing the saddle back will make you bend a bit more, lengthening your reach, and also it will pull your center of gravity back a bit and take some of the weight off your hands. Sounds counter-intuitive I know, but my DH explained it well and it worked REALLY well for me.

Paying a good bike shop $100 or so to fit you is a good idea actually. Insist on having the most knowledgeable person there make an appt with you for a thorough fit session. Find out which bike shops have fitting trainer machines (is that what they are called?) that might take measurements of you while you pedal.

Others may make different or better recommendations than I did....I'm no expert.

Again- can you describe your symptoms in detail that make you think your reach is too long? What exactly do you feel on your bike, what's the problem(s)?

[sandra]

Saddle back and a shorter stem! Yes, it does sound counter-intuitive, sounds like it would be lengthening the reach, but I trust your knowledge and will give it a try. Yesterday I tried to raise the saddle but I noticed more shoulder discomfort. I'll try shoving it all the way back and see what happens.

I've only had the bike for 2 weeks today, so there is still an adjustment period to just riding a road bike period.

It was such a fluke when I discovered and bought it. I found it on a classified ad of a bike shop the day it was listed. Emailed the girl and she never replied. She finally replied on a Saturday night and we happened to be going the next day to her town (which is an hour and a half away). I met her father in the parking lot of a car dealership to ride the bike. That is also where I had my first big crash with chips and straps, right as I rode back up in from my hubby and the seller.

Anyway, it was in such great condition and the price was so good, and I was in bike love. It felt like it was for me. If worst comes to worst, I know I can sell it and get my money back out of it. The bike shop owner said it was in fantastic condition.

I really think it is going to be OK but it may well be worth it to pay the bike shop to help me.

[sandra]

What exactly do you feel on your bike, what's the problem(s)?

The weight on my hands and arms is never a problem. No hurting in my arms, no numbness in my hands, etc.

I feel neck and shoulder tiredness or discomfort, which could very well be just from changing from a hybrid to a road bike.

It seemed like my saddle was too low. My leg had a little more bend in it that I thought it should, so I raised it just a hair. Then I noticed discomfort in my shoulders, so I put it back down.

How much bend do you have in your arms when you ride? I did ask the bike shop guy about that and he said a little bit, but not much. His suggestion was to ride it a month and see how I adjusted.

[Bad JuJu]

Just to throw my little two cents in here, I also have a Salsa Poco bar on my touring bike and it's great for my short reach and small-ish hands. My faster, lighter Bianchi Veloce came with a Deda 4 Girls handlebar (yes, that's what it's called), which is similar to the Poco, but maybe even a little smaller. Love 'em both.

[sandra]

I also have a Salsa Poco bar on my touring bike and it's great for my short reach and small-ish hands.

I googled the Salsa Poco bars. Please excuse my ignorance. I'm not even sure how to phrase this question. Are you talking about the "short reach" meaning the bottom bar that rolls around? From what I read it appears that THAT part is a smaller drop and reach.

IF SO, I never use that hand position at all anyway, so that may not help me. I change my hands around on the top flat bar and up on the curve (close to the brake) etc, but NEVER use the bottom drop part.

[KnottedYet]

"reach" is kind of how far the bars are from your saddle
"rise" is sort of how high the bars are relative to the saddle

(the saddle sits where it needs to be relative to the cranks, so it's not something to monkey around with once you find the sweet spot, but bars rise and reach and such can be played with a lot!)

A short reach handlebar will have a smaller/shorter pointing-forward bit on the top of the bar. If you look at the upper part of your bars from above, they kind of look like a staple before it gets bent up in a stapler, with the "legs" pointing forward. A short reach bar will have short "legs", so that your reach (distance from saddle) is shorter when your hands are on the "staple legs" or brake hoods, than it would be on a regular bar (which will have longer "staple legs" and put your hands farther from the saddle.)

[Grog]

The FSA Wing Pro compact bars (I think I am getting the name right) are somewhat similar to the Salsa Poco bars. A favourite among the members of my all-female club. Comes in 38cm, too. The tops are really cool but non-standard, so it can be a challenge to attach your computer there. Otherwise I love them, but like Lisa it took me a while to get used to them, a few rides perhaps.

[rij73]

Sandra, did you try just rotating the bars upwards? You just loosen the bolts on the stem faceplate a little, and rotate the bars up so that the brake hoods are essentially closer to the bike. I had to do that when I got my bike. Made a big difference...

Also, some of it is just getting used to the new position. I would put in some miles before making drastic changes. I'm not saying that the bike definitely doesn't need changes, but you need to wait until you're sure that it's not all just a matter of getting used to it. Also stretch your legs, arms, and back thoroughly before getting *every ride* on the bike. I just made the transition from a hybrid to a road bike. The first few days I was petrified thinking I'd made a big mistake. But, then suddenly I felt comfortable! It requires a little more flexibility (hence the stretching recommendation). Try also to not tense up on the bike. That was a big problem for me.

[sandra]

I may try that rotation. I'd love to see a picture of your bike and your handle bar position.

The guy at the bike shop also told me he could move the brakes up a little higher, but he'd have to rewrap the handlebars.

[Trekhawk]

Sandra - get yourself Andy Pruitt's Complete Medical Guide for Cyclists.
This is a great book with a large section on bike fit.

[Bad JuJu]

Yes, if you haven't tried rotating your handlebars upward, definitely try it. That's the easiest fix, if it works for you. Keep in mind that small changes can make big differences in how you feel on the bike, and you can't rotate the bars too much or it will become uncomfortable, maybe even impossible, to get your fingers around the brake levers.

As KnottedYet pointed out, the thing about smaller bars is that, while they don't bring the top bar closer to you, everything else ends up being closer and easier to reach: the brake hoods, brake levers, and the drops, if you use them. But again, I'd try the easier changes first: the rotation, and moving the position of the brakes up higher. Bike comfort is such a personal thing, and you never know what's going to help you until you try it.