Maiden Voyage/Ride-Pic

[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.