Just curious as to how everyone has their bars set compared to the height of the saddle.

I will start …here’s mine…..

Is it now fashionable to have a big drop or is it really personal preference?

[url=https://flic.kr/p/r7LTSj]cidImage_FOTE008.JPG[/url] by 20ston, on Flickr

[url=https://flic.kr/p/qSmknm]cidImage_FOT60D5.JPG[/url] by 20ston, on Flickr

Edit: but it’s irrelevant how everyone else has their bikes set up. Set yours up so it fits you. Unless you’re starting to have doubts whether you’ve bought the right frame size….

Ignore what anyone else does
on a mountainbike set your bars to the correct height for riding technical terrain while standing with your cranks level and set your saddle height for the correct extension for pedalling.
Drop on other peoples mountain bikes is irellivant to you.

There’s a little bit of drop on mine.

Bregante initially I was a bit concerned that I had bought the wrong frame size.

However the top tube it slightly longer and the reach is apparently but as its got a slacker head angle it feels different. Plus the seat angle is steeper putting me in a different riding position to my old 5 spot.

I’m not going to lie to you but I’m not gelling with it quite yet.

Is it now fashionable to have a big drop or is it really personal preference?

Leg length vs frame size really.

20″ frame, +34″ inside leg

[/url]2014-09-06 14.43.51 by rlockwood64, on Flickr[/img]

Lovely bike shredder.

I know I asked this before but how many of you also pay any interest to the knee over pedal spindle set up ?

On the fiver spot mine was behind but on the trance its about level and my quads are feeling it just above the knee ??

Ignore what anyone else does
on a mountainbike set your bars to the correct height for riding technical terrain while standing with your cranks level and set your saddle height for the correct extension for pedalling.
Drop on other peoples mountain bikes is irellivant to you.

If anything Renton I’d say yours looks short and the bars fairly high in comparison to the saddle, due to the rise on your stem. But as I say, comparison with others is fairly impossible unless its in direct comparison with someone with identical proportions on an identical frame.

And even then, back issues, general flexibility, style of riding are all variables.

[url=https://flic.kr/p/nNMdV9]IMAG0556[/url] by MattNSmith, on Flickr

Large frame with a 30″ inside leg.

I guess me flexibility isn’t the best which is why I’m trying to get a more upright position without feeling to cramped.

Are there any good core/back exercises I can do to help rather than flogging my bike again !!!

I do actually quite like this one.

http://www.bikeradar.com/commuting/gear/article/core-training-for-cyclists-41207/

Are there any good core/back exercises I can do to help rather than flogging my bike again !!!

Deadlifts.

This bears repeating again:

Ignore what anyone else does
on a mountainbike set your bars to the correct height for riding technical terrain while standing with your cranks level and set your saddle height for the correct extension for pedalling.
Drop on other peoples mountain bikes is irrelevant to you.

Your saddle looks miles back though and your bars very high.

I deadlift 150kgs 3 times a week ??

What does that mean to you chief???

Help a brother out here !!

Three people have already given you the correct answer…

Ok but my saddle is at the right height for max leg extension?

Have I just got to forget about kops then and let me legs get used to the different riding position.

@ renton

What’s your height / frame size?

According to my RAF id card I am 183cm and riding a large frame.

The size sounds fine for your height so I wouldn’t worry about the frame being the wrong size.

Where am I going wrong then and why doesn’t it feel “right”??

Are you related to hora?

I deadlift 150kgs 3 times a week ??

Strong enough but poor flexibility through the hips?

Unless you’re mincing along on endless tarmac’ed paths forget the bloody KOPS crap. It’s about as idiotic a means of measurement for a mountain bike as you could think of. Once you’ve done that set it up as you feel you need to, maybe done some excercises to become for flexible, cycle on in comfort not giving a shit about how other people’s bikes look compared to yours.

Edit: maybe “forget” is a bit strong, but now you know it doesn’t feel right, so just work from there. Most people who start off believing KOPS and find it just doesn’t work for them seem to end up somewhere forwards of it.

I’d start off by moving that saddle forward a bit then taking out a few of those spacers from under the stem.

Warpcow as I mentioned before when I move the saddle forward a bit I get a bit of muscle pain just above the knee.

Reading up on bikeradar about bike fit they say to get the correct cockpit length to put your elbow on the end of your saddle and then your longest finger should be halfway between top cap and bars.

I’ve set mine up that my longest finger just touches the top cap so I guess the saddle could go forward a bit.

I’m going to experiment over the next week and see how I get on.

Get that stem slammed and inverted.

All of these things are just rules of thumb. They sort of apply to loads of people but really actually properly apply to very few. Use them as a starting point but don’t feel beholden to them.

et voila…

apparently….

The Andy Pruitt (Spesh body geometry guru) book may help you on setups. It sounds like you are combining various techniques and coming out with a poor result.

Saddle a bit higher.

crimsondynamo – Member

et voila…

Wow, 40mm of spacers, inverted stem (bullshit(80’s movie reference)) & 30mm risers, quite a combo! 😉

Iainc I suspect you maybe right.

I know it’s easy to get wrapped up in what gets published about set up and also to adopt what someone else does who maybe of similar physique to yourself.
However, just for the sake of finding out if you are barking up the right tree , or not. Why not simply do what may seem ‘wrong’ but instead of going by small increments, just go all out to the opposite extreme and see if if really is as bad as you think it might be. It’ll take minutes.
Slam the stem to the tube , slide the saddle forward a bit and maybe tip it nose down a degree or two.
It could be that this would put you more in the middle of the bike and feel more comfy .
Just a suggestion I’m pretty certain that the frame size should be right for you. At 5’9 I’m on a medium Giant and my mates large Trance feels just too big for me , he’s 6’1.