Maiden Voyage/Ride-Pic

[Catrin]

Fantastic maiden ride on my yet-to-be-named LHT!

Good news - The ride was much smoother than my Trek 7.6 - which is saying something, I could certainly tell a difference in the short distance I rode (see bad news). The LHT is MUCH lighter than Stella, both have to be lifted pretty high up on the rack so there is no doubt. The LHT is FAR more responsive this was unexpected, but will adjust, I am sure.

Shifting? This is a "fixee" until I get tired of being in the same gear I think that once my fit/brake lever/pain thing is corrected that it will be much easier to move my hands. I do like the riding position, which was a little concern for me as I had not used road bars before.

Bad News Could only ride about 2 miles until my hands were screaming with pain. It is almost an hour later and there is still tenderness in my hands. Who would have thought my hands too small for levers meant for small hands? I cannot blame the bike for that. I figure it this way, I got $200 off on the MRSP of the bike - so even if I do have to pay a little to get this fixed, then I am not going to complain at all.

Fantastic ride though, pain aside. It felt great to be on a smaller bike, as you can tell from the smile on my face below. The saddle does need to go up, and it will. Bit by bit... At least I have another bike to ride until the fit/bar/levers issue is settled.

[tulip]

Can you post a picture of you actually riding the bike, taken from the side? I bet you were gripping your bars for dear life, elbows straight, shoulders up to your ears. That's not surprising since you're a new rider on a new bike with new features, but it's not a habit you'll want to develop.

Relax your shoulders, bend your elbows, and be light on your hands. In order to do this, you'll need to use your core to hold you up. If you don't already have a strong core, you may want to consider adding some strengthening exercises (like Pilates) to your routine.

Congrats on the bike!

[Kathi]

Are you wearing gloves? The picture doesn't show it.

[Mr. Bloom]

Catrin, I had the same issue with hand pain and started using Pearl Izumi Gel-Vents that made all the difference in the world!

Over time, I learned better posture and now I've gone on centuries without any gloves at all.

[Catrin]

Relax your shoulders, bend your elbows, and be light on your hands. In order to do this, you'll need to use your core to hold you up. If you don't already have a strong core, you may want to consider adding some strengthening exercises (like Pilates) to your routine.

Congrats on the bike!

If I can find someone to take the picture then I will do so Part of the problem is that I can't "relax" my hands on the hoods - it is a stretch just to get two fingers partially over the levers. Now, that doesn't mean that there may not be posture issues, and I am sure there are, but I can't relax my hands. My back and neck seemed fine, which is good.

Catrin, I had the same issue with hand pain and started using Pearl Izumi Gel-Vents that made all the difference in the world!

Over time, I learned better posture and now I've gone on centuries without any gloves at all.

I do have gloves, the above pic was taken at home after taking my bike off of the rack. I have PI Gel gloves, shown below. Are these the same gloves?

Thanks for the tips! If I can get a sideways picture taken then I will.

[moderncyclista]

Bad News Could only ride about 2 miles until my hands were screaming with pain. It is almost an hour later and there is still tenderness in my hands. Who would have thought my hands too small for levers meant for small hands?
Fantastic ride though, pain aside. .

Um. That's not normal. I've had really loooong rides. 20 or more miles where my hands would go numb from bad fitting, hand clenching, not switching hand position, etc, but never only 2 miles. I hope that they can dial the bike in to fit you. Tenderness in your hands - that lingers - doesn't sound normal either. Those brake levers look like they're installed a little high to me. That could be part of your discomfort.

One bike shop sized me completely wrong and I bought a bike one size too small for me. Short distances were fine - but long distances were torture. I never went back to that shop. They supposedly have years of experience too. My current shop let me trade in that bike a while back - towards a new and different bike. I will go to them from now on. They fitted me just right on my beloved (____) *I won't say it, because I gush about it a lot and I sound like a corporate shill. *

Anyhow, best of luck to you Catrin. I hope all works out. The bike is lovely.

[withm]

First - you are using arms and shoulder muscles in new ways, so some soreness is not unusual. Nervousness and anxiety may be causing you to tense up, and maintain a death grip on the handlebars. Relaxing your hands, arms, and shoulders will help a lot.

It looks like the reach might be a little long. And the bike looks awfully short in the photo. Your seat could probably be raised quite a bit, and that will change how your arms and shoulders fit the handlebars.

Most people ride with hands on the hoods, with only occasional forays down to the drops. 2nd-3td fingers restong bit not gripping, the brake levers, but think along the lines of "shaking hands with the hoods." That should give you the correct position. You don't need to keep fingers on the brakes all the time, but be able to slide into position when slowing, or if a stop is anticipated. It will become second nature eventually.

And finally, you may need to slide the seat forward a little provided it still keeps your "knee over pedal" position reasonably close.

But, first you need to get the seat position - height, and fore/aft locked in. Then address the reach and handlebar issues. You may need a shorter stem on the handlebars. Your shop where you bought the bike should swap out the stem at no charge if you need a change.

If you try to work out handlebar adjustments before the seat height - well you'll just have to do it all over again when you raise the seat. I don't think you are doing yourself any favors by keeping the seat so low You will get used to a higher seat, and in the long run a more comfortable position, a lot faster than you think, especially when all your parts aren't hurting any more.

[Catrin]

Um. That's not normal. I've had really loooong rides. 20 or more miles where my hands would go numb from bad fitting, hand clenching, not switching hand position, etc, but never only 2 miles. I hope that they can dial the bike in to fit you. Tenderness in your hands - that lingers - doesn't sound normal either. Those brake levers look like they're installed a little high to me. That could be part of your discomfort.

One bike shop sized me completely wrong and I bought a bike one size too small for me. Short distances were fine - but long distances were torture. I never went back to that shop. They supposedly have years of experience too. My current shop let me trade in that bike a while back - towards a new and different bike. I will go to them from now on. They fitted me just right on my beloved (____) *I won't say it, because I gush about it a lot and I sound like a corporate shill. *

Anyhow, best of luck to you Catrin. I hope all works out. The bike is lovely.

Thanks for your thoughts on this. I do not think the bike sized incorrectly - I actually went to two different LBS to get sized for this bike without telling them that someone else had suggested a specific size. Outside of my hands I was comfortable this morning - but two miles isn't a very long ride...

Should I be able to get more than two fingers over the levers? Is this normal? It would be helpful to know that, thanks!

The saddle has already been positioned fore/aft, I am the one who lowered it. I marked where it should be though and will put it back and see what difference that makes. I never dreamed that might be causing part of the issue. I am so used to keeping a couple of fingers lightly on the brake levers of my Trek that I never thought about just leaving them on the hoods outside of a need for stopping.

It is true that the LHT is a very different style - and while I like that style very much - it is different

[OakLeaf]

I don't have anything to add as far as fit...

but it's a testament to how much you love riding that you thought the ride was "fantastic" in spite of the hand pain! Congrats on the new bike and hope you get the hands sorted soon.

[Catrin]

I don't have anything to add as far as fit...

but it's a testament to how much you love riding that you thought the ride was "fantastic" in spite of the hand pain! Congrats on the new bike and hope you get the hands sorted soon.

I am sure we can work something out

I took another look at the pic I posted. My neighbor took the pic and as he is rather taller than I am, I think the camera angle makes it look like the bike is smaller than it is. The TT length is just a smidgen shorter than my Trek (which is too long).

[tulip]

I brake with two fingers, I think. I'll have to pay more attention tomorrow. But I never have all my fingers on the brakes.

[t.ruf]

Congratulations on your maiden voyage! You'll figure out the handlebar/brake thing. And don't worry if you and drop handlebars can never be BFF; there are LOTS of options available to you. Take a look at the photos of different sorts of set ups at the Surly LHT Owners Facebook page. Again, so happy for you!

[indysteel]

I've had a tremendous amount of hand pain with my new(ish) bike, so I'll share what I learned from trying any number of things. Hand pain can be a function of a number of variables: the bars and how they are positions, the hoods and how they are positioned, stem length and rise, and saddle position both height and fore/aft position.

I'd start with getting your saddle positioned correctly. Not only will that maximize your power on the bike, it will hopefully get your weight properly balanced over the bike. You ideally want the majority of your weight in the rear of the bike, such that you are not bearing too much of your weight in the your upper body. Not only is this more comfortable, it also makes your bike handle better.

I would echo the advice that you raise your saddle to where your shop originally placed it. Ideally, you want the greatest amount of extension that your hamstring and knee can handle.

As far as fore/aft. Most fitters will tell you that knee-over-pedal-spindle is just a rough guide. I'm a bit farther back on my saddle than KOPS--by a couple of centimeters if memory serves. There's a limit with my current set up of how much more setback I can get. I'm as far back the saddle rails as I can go and, if memory serves, I already have a seatpost with a fair amount of set back.

Getting your stem length and rise, along with bar position, is in my experience more trial and error than anything. At wits' end last year with my new bike. I went to a fitter that is an expert in biomechanics. We went through a process during the fitting where he had me pedal with my hands behind my back and then, while still pedaling, I was instructed to reach for my bars. He watched as I did so and more or less eyeballed where my hands were gravitating to. From there, he would reposition the bars and adjustable stem and start again.

Sadly, that expert fitting didn't relieve my hand pain. Because the original fork I choose for my bike turned out to be overly stiff, we just recently changed it. I noticed a big difference in my hand pain over smooth roads versus bumpy bad roads. I really haven't been able to figure out if it's going to help. We're otherwise at a bit of a loss. This was a custom bike.

So, Catrin, all I can say is that it often takes a while to dial things in. I will say that with my first bike, I had a fitting at Nebo Ridge, and Jonathan got me set up extremely well. I hit the ground running thanks to him. I will second the advice to work some pilates or yoga into your routine in order to build core strength, too.

[Catrin]

IndySteel - thanks for your take on Nebo Ridge. I've already decided to visit Johnathan for a full fitting but they want me to get 200 miles on my bike before doing that...

I hear everyone about getting my saddle back up where it belongs - it is just a block that I have - that I must get over. The seat on my Trek gets higher every week - and it is about where it should be. My personal trainer has worked in a lot of core work into my workouts (he is an very active/avid mountain biker). I can't spring more for Pilates or Yoga classes, but will talk with my trainer about extra things I can do to work on core strength.

[MommyBird]

You do not need a Pilates class unless you have special physical limitations. Joseph Pilates designed his classic/basic mat work so that it could be done anywhere. In his day, all you needed was a towel and enough room to spread out, length and width wise. Today we have the advantage of a much cozier yoga mat.
Just get a book or video and make sure it specifies that it is the "Classic" or "Basic" Mat Work and you should only get the JP designed exercises and not all the yoga/fusion/modern moves.