The point?

It’s way over there ======================>

If you want an argument on whether it’s best to cover the brakes whenever possible or not maybe start a thread on that?

I expressed an opinion (based on my thought that if he moved the brake levers then covering the brakes wouldn’t be an issue and for that reason it felt relevant) and I also tried to help the OP with the problem that they said they had at the same time.

Hi John,

I suspect your bike is too small for you. I have a long body and shorter legs and had the “too much weight on the hands” issue too. In the end I bought a larger frame although I’m more in the medium range as it meant the bars were higher in relation to the saddle and I didn’t feel cramped. As you say putting the saddle to the correct height seems unlikely to make the hands issue better on its own, although as said using a layback post and riser bars might help. Have you tried any bigger framed bikes to see if they feel any better?

Jon.

Looking at your photo, your ankle looks slightly dropped. Personally I ride a little more toe down, so you may want to consider popping the saddle up a bit?

^^^ This is the advice that you shouldn’t take.

If the problem is too much weight on the hands then a layback post will make it worse. You will be more leant forward and more weight will be on the wrists.

Saddle position is critical anyway – you need to set the saddle to be correct in relation to the bb, then sort out the reach after that.

My advice, set the saddle position and the seat post height, then get a higher rise stem or bars as if the saddle height is raised, you should raise the bars by the same amount. If you can’t get the reach comfortable with the saddle in the right position then the bike is the wrong dize.

Oh, and rotate your brake levers down!

If the problem is too much weight on the hands then a layback post will make it worse. You will be more leant forward and more weight will be on the wrists.

No, it can mean a better balance that takes weight off the bars if anything. You may increase reach but it’ll be more tolerable with less weight tipping fwd.

Saddle position is critical anyway – you need to set the saddle to be correct in relation to the bb, then sort out the reach after that.

Sort of agree, in that position over bb is important in same way as saddle position is – same thing really, for balance and comfort, good fit starts there. Position over BB as in KOPS relation for pedalling efficiency etc, less so and not really where fitting should start (often does though – maybe only a driver for fit for performance riders who can tolerate a less comfy position)

OK OK OK 🙂 I will move the damn brake levers just to keep you lot happy! To my point about not covering them all the time, I use this bike for pootling along with the children and for long non technical XC rides so the need for sudden braking is lessened. I do ride with brakes covered on the full suss while on more techie stuff.

So a divided opinion on the layback seatpost approach, if I can get hold of a cheap one I will let you know.

Oddly my wife didn’t bat an eyelid when asked to photograph me riding round the garden, maybe if I was naked she might have reacted differently but who knows!

Can I confuse things and say that lower / steeper angled brake levers usually increase arm-pump for me compared to moderately angled levers? : ) Dropping the wrists a little is no bad thing. Anyway, get your balance as right as it can be on the bike first )

On the layback post thing, if you have time read Keith Bontrager’s ‘KOPS – debunking the myth’ essay, or scan through it. It’s quite detailed but the theory in it is some of the most useful out there. A DH skier analogy sums this aspect of fitting up – get into a DH skier position, sort of similar to on a bike. Similar enough to illustrate a point anyway. Your c of g is over the balls of your feet when you’re balanced. The longer (or heavier) your upper body the more your backside + lower body needs to be behind your feet for balance. Once your torso is in balance you can move your arms around a fair bit (ie bar position) and it makes little difference, ie you can set bars up for handling not just fit. But if you want to shift your c of g fwd past the balls of the feet you need something to support your hands – this is the ‘weight on the bars’ feeling that causes wrist pain for many.

So sliding the saddle back can be a way to take weight off the hands or account for different rider builds. And if you start with KOPS for saddle position, you’re stuffed if your c of g isn’t central in that position. For average builds it’s close and a fair quick-fit guide, but there’s more to it.