Forum menu
Right this is a second hand bike and MAY be a touch small (size large and i am 6ft 2 ish witha 33" inseam. Reach feels right)
The main issue is the bars - how should they be set up - i think the top should be horizontal and the STI's vertical with a flat run in to the hoods.
How should this be - is this right, pleae look at the pictures and give me some advice. I will be re-taping the bars anyway so not bothered about moving the levers. Cheers in advance.
[img] 
[/img]
[img] 
[/img]
[img] 
[/img]
Flip the stem, rotate the bars forwards so the tops of the hoods/bottom of the bars are level with the ground. Probably a good starting point.
Oooooh.
First off, I'd be looking to upgrade the levers, but that's another story.
All this is what I would do, you may think very differently...
1. Turn the stem over.
2. Put the top of the bars inline with the stem.
3. Put the levers at the farthest extent of the top of the flat bit of the bars.
I'll get some pics of mine...
The bottom of the drops shoud be close to parrallel with the ground, that in turn will move the levers and make the bike feel longer. Saddle looks quite sloped down but if it's comfortable I wouldn't sweat it
I can't give you any specific advice, but any road ride over two hours used to cripple me. Lower back, neck, wrists etc. Went to see [url= http://pickled-hedgehog.com/?p=2503 ]Andy @ BikeScience[/url] and he sorted me out.
Sure it's £100, but today I managed 4 hours without any real aches (apart from my ar$e and that's not a set up issue 😉 ) so it definitely does work.
He didn't seem to change that much, but made a huge difference to both how long I can ride, and how much easier it is to pedal when you're all in the right position.
Just rotate the bars down a bit and see how that works. Small incremental changes are best unless you're properly mismatched with the gram size.
[img] 
[/img]
better example from crosser;
[img] 
[/img]
first there is no right way.
but this gives an idea of where to start tweaking from. Currently your bars do look far to high.
too high in relation to?
Everything. I cant see how the drops would be comfy with your bars at that angle.
They're pointing to the sky.
Rotate them forward so that the bottoms are inline with the top tube & go from there.
Stroof.
I'd just put everything in the horizontal like folk have said as a starting point.
Hard to explain this, but with the saddle pointing down and the bars in that position your probably being forced to slouch into the frame? like sitting in a collapsed car seat??
I have the most miniscule amount of uplift at the ends of my drops just so I don't start to slip off the ends on long sessions in them.
what about where the shifters are on the bar, right or wrong?
Just stick some 750mm riser bars and some 150mm forks on it, road bike bar setup is obviously far to complicated.
There seems to be a lot of conflicting advice being shouted out (and some where people havnt even looked at the pic!)
Lots of people suggest putting the tops level, which is fine and looks like they are in the pic (maybe a bit pointing up but i think thats because of the angle of the photo). However, with the bars you have this puts the very bottom of the drops at a quite hideous angle.
You could put the bottom of the drops level but this will give the tops (or ramps as they are often called) a very downwards slant towards the lever, probably a bit uncomfortable for a newbie. Worth noting that those bars are designed to be used like that.
Essentially then, with those bars, your kind of stuck with choosing one or the other, personally i cant stand ergo bars like yours and switch to the more round bars as shown in the pics other people have posted. Whatever you do you'll prob want to move the brake levers, aim for getting the tops of the hoods level (the face of brake lever should be vertical) as a good starting point, but expect to be moving them a few times until your happy.
Good luck.
With the bottom of the drops parallel to the top tube this is what it looks like, hows that?
[img] 
[/img]
Better, but stand that plant up!
It does look way too small Rob, I doubt you'll be massively comfy on it but you can compensate with a shorter stem.
Flip your stem upside down though. Upright stems scream Noob and to an extent with a position that tall you may as well just run an MTB with slicks.
Bars look OK now, although they're a bit of an odd shape but should be fine.
swapped it with a lad for my hybrid - both meant to be large but this seems a touch small. Ah well keepp my eye out for sommat bigger as it cost me nowt in addition to the swap
The frame's too small mate. You're going to struggle, whatever you do.
Look at the height of the saddle in relation to the centre of the bars on Crikey's and the Trek. Then look at the length of distance in between the nose of the saddle and the ventre of the stem.
If the saddle on yours is in the right position in relation to the bottom bracket, the top tube is too short for you.
To get the bar set up correctly in relation to the rest of the bike (as can be seen in Crikey's and the Trek), you'd be doubled over like you're on your way to touching your toes.
All this is just based on pictures of the bike. How about a picture of you riding it? It would be clear as day then that the frame is too small.
I don't think you'll ever get right on it.
This is how Paul Hewitt set mine up.
The top of the bars are level with the ground and the hoods are set so that as you move along the top of the bars, you move onto the hoods at the same level.
[url= http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7032/6621842895_79e189ae47_b.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/17059060@N00/6621842895/ ]P1040343[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/17059060@N00/ ]eastham_david[/url], on Flickr
you could try Flipping your stem, remove the bar tap and drop the hoods down the bars.
As above i'd set the tops of the bars to be level, then adjust the position of the brake levers so the hoods are level too. I spend 95% of the time on the hoods so it makes sense to set the bars up for that and worry less about the position of the end of the drops.
I'd ignore all the "flip the stem" comments if its comfortable as it is! This is just aesthetic. No point in knackering your back up to please some cycle nerds.
With that much seatpost I'd leave the stem as it is. It'll be very racey with it flipped. 😯
Second pic looks not far off to me.
mind you looking at it, fit a set of tri bars and you might actually have the right sized bike.
i fell quite stretched out
Its far too small. Sell it on and get a size up.
this is 54cm
I have exactly the same bars on my Carrera vanquish.
I had mine set up like your second photo, then I decided I wanted a flat run into the hoods so unwound all the tape and moved the levers and rotated the bars.
Then I found that when speeding in the drops my wrist angle was not comfortable because the part shaped for your palm was at the wrong angle, and also I couldn't reach the brakes easily and found it a bit dangerous at high speeds.
After much tweaking and adjusting so that I was comfy in the drops and able to reach the brakes easily it ended up back like you have it in your second photo with a slope into the hoods. I think thats how these bars are designed to be. IMO/E - remember though everyone is different and set things up how its comfy.
This is how Paul Hewitt set mine up.The top of the bars are level with the ground and the hoods are set so that as you move along the top of the bars, you move onto the hoods at the same level.
That only works with bars designed to be set-up like that, the OP's anatomic bars wont allow that type of set-up. Best he can hope for is a middle ground compromise like his latest pic.
[edit] I agree with allmountainventure above.
cruzheckler
this is 54cm
A 56 cm would be far more like it. Given your stats maybe even a 58!?
Even though there's nothing to stop you riding that bike as it is your not going to enjoy it as much as a bike that's a good fit.
Right this is a second hand bike and MAY be a touch small (size large and i am 6ft 2 ish witha 33" inseam. Reach feels right)
this is 54cm
Thta's not a size too small, that's about 3 sizes too small!.
I'm 6'3" with a 34" inseam and my road bikes (depending on brand) have varied from 59 to 62cm although 60cm seems to be spot on for me.
The reach on that feels OK cos you've got 1ft of seatpost and a flipped stem that's also way longer than what the bike came with.
Give up on the angle of the bars, no matter what you do it'll never be right as the whole bike is wrong for you.
54? My bosses at my old shop rode 54s and they were 5'7 and 5'8 respectively. I ride a 56 and a 57 and am 5'10". You need a 58 or 60!
Im the same height as you and ride a 58cm road bike with a 120mm stem, I would have thought a 54 would be far, far to small.
anyone got owt for me that'd fit? Swap the (shit) kit over from this one
Sell it and buy another cheap complete thats the right size. Probably easier I'd have thought.
I'm Mr Average at 6' with a 32" inside leg and a 56cm frame is perfect for me. Sell it.
the ribble bike builder suggests a 56 or 58 cm frame - will 2cm really make THAT much difference?
Anyone got one of the ribble winter frames and carbon forks?
Welcome to the dizzying world of bike manufacturer sizings!
Dont go by the Ribble guide. Their frames, the winter ones particularly are bizarrely sized. I am 5'11 ride 55.5 so I bought a 56. It was gate like, really, you [i]must[/i]sit on a Ribble winter frame first.
Consider yourself warned! 🙂
how can i do that as they are mail order as i live miles away
measure the top tube to get the size of your bike.
They are ubiquitous! Ask someone on here? Perhaps your size is local.
thomthumb - any more detail?
thomthumb
measure the top tube to get the size of your bike.
Not so. The reach was right on the Ribble I bought. I just couldnt get my leg over *story of my life* 🙂
Anyone care to estimate the value of my frame/fork/headset/wheels/and seatpost please?