Road handlebar angst

[elk]

freshly shot...with the new angle on the stem, and my new tape.

[TxDoc]

freshly shot...with the new angle on the stem, and my new tape.

Niiice colors! matching tape and saddle, wow!
So yes, I confirm my pevious post, the main suggestions are to 1-bring the stem back to 0, 2-swap two of the three spacers on top of the stem, 3-redo the fitting (saddle height, fore/aft, stem adjustments) on the trainer with someone that can look at you and help, 4-try and test ride to se how you feel.
It does take a while to find your optimal fit, and you need either a pro fitting service or some experimentation (trial and error, really) - so you are on the good track

[elk]

thank you for your eyes and your suggestions, ...I will give them a try...

I LOVE that Easton bar...but a 42 is just too big...if it was 40 I would've bought a month ago!!

The Ritchey is quite like what I have without the ergo bend...now that I have the shims, I could probably use them again...

but I do love looking at bars

[elk]

i moved the bar down one spacer (i'd rather go slowly...if i need to move it 2 i will) and will work on the saddle H and F/A when I get mr elk's eyes later....

I don't know yet how it will FEEL...but I must say she looks rather sleeker...

HIS new bike...the volpe should be ready soon...can't wait!! (the LBS is raising his bars to level with his saddle)

wish it wasn't QUITE so hot...want to check it all out!!! on a longish ride...

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

For whatever it's worth, I do not agree with lowering your bars, Elk.
The Jamis is a touring bike, not a racing bike. I think doing this will open yet another can of worms and compound your problems even further.

Ideally, a good LBS could help you with dialing in your bike fit. Please consider it.
But in the meantime....

The new picture looks good to me, and I hope the shims are helping you brake reach problem that you started out with. I love your description of your Jamis as a little Morgan horse- it looks just like one!!

I see that you have your saddle all the way back- that's good for now and will help keep your weight off your hands. But I think you have your bars tilted upwards too much. A good starting place is to have the tops of the bars be somewhere near level.
If the new bars feel too cramped and narrow, they could well be causing your hand pain, so possibly just put your old comfier bars back on? You wanted to get rid of the bar padding anyway, so....
On the old pictures, it almost looks to me that your leg is straightening out too straight on the pedal downstroke. If your leg straightens all the way when pedaling, then you should lower your seat a bit until your leg 'almost' straightens. Another indication of a too high seat setting is if you find your hips are rocking from side to side as you pedal. Ideally your hips should be relatively still while pedaling.

One thing we tend to do while riding touring bikes is to sit up straight and straighten our arms and hold ourselves up by leaning on our hands. Then we just let our stomachs sag down too and add more to the weight on our hands. Yes this can cause significant wrist/hand/shoulder pain. You can fix this without lowering your bars by breaking the sagging-back straight-arm habit posture. Concentrate on tipping your pelvis (by tipping your tailbone DOWN and your pubic bone UP) and curving your lower back more. (this will have added benefits of less pressure on your girly parts) As TxDoc noted, once your lower back is more curved (actually just less saggy) you can start training your core stomach muscles to hold you up instead of your weight on your hands.
I know this because I worked on correcting this posture habit in myself when riding my Rivendell touring bike with the bars the same height as the saddle. It really works if you keep reminding your body as you ride. That's my opinion based on my own experience on two touring geometry road bikes,
Remember, your bike is not a chair. Don't sit on it like you were just watching tv. Float over your bike and be one with it. You are essentially walking and moving inside a marvelous machine.

[VeloVT]

OK, in full disclosure I have not read ALL of TXDOC's and Lisa's suggestions, because my attention span is short tonight.

My impression from your photos:
--you have too much setback on your seat.
--I agree with Lisa that your seat looks a tad high.
--I also agree with Lisa that in the NEW handlebar pics, your handlebar may be more comfortable rotated down a bit -- BUT, in the photos of you ON the bike, it looks like you could put the hoods up a teeny bit higher, in that second picture your wrists look bent downward a little too much.
--I don't think you need to lower your handlebars, per se, but I do think you look a little cramped in the front end/upper body. I think you should consider a LONGER stem that puts you out farther, but not necessarily lower. Remember this is in conjunction with bringing your seat forward a bit.. What Lisa says about using your core and legs and not holding yourself up with your arms/by locking your shoulders is really important too, though, and if you increase your reach you will have to be even more conscious of this.

My two or three cents that you can take or leave .

Your bike is very pretty. Growing up in Vermont, and being horse-crazy as a young girl, I've always had a place in my heart for Morgans .

I think you should schedule a real fitting at LBS even if you have to pay for it. It is worth it.

[TxDoc]

HIS new bike...the volpe should be ready soon...can't wait!!

Wow, so he got the new volpe... PICTURES???

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Wow, so he got the new volpe... PICTURES???

Here's the thread about the Volpe:
http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=25676

[TxDoc]

Here's the thread about the Volpe

Thanks! how did I miss a thread with photos of a new bike, aahhhh!!!