Adjusting to a more aggressive geometry

[TwoWheelsDC]

@jrenaut 115697 wrote:

My fixed gear is a very different fit than my regular commuter – the seat is higher relative to the bars, and it ends up putting much more of my weight forward on my hands, and it’s sometimes a little uncomfortable.

Are there techniques for getting used to the more aggressive position? I already try to follow Dirt’s advice to wiggle fingers and toes on longer rides before they start to hurt.

Ride in the drops as much as possible…after a while, riding on the hoods will feel almost too relaxed 😎

[jrenaut]

@TwoWheelsDC 115698 wrote:

Ride in the drops as much as possible…after a while, riding on the hoods will feel almost too relaxed 😎

I already spend most of my riding time with two kids on the back to make me faster on the fixed gear – there’s only so much extra abuse I can heap on myself.

[creadinger]

Put on another layer of bar tape to make them more cushiony?

[jrenaut]

@creadinger 115731 wrote:

Put on another layer of bar tape to make them more cushiony?

Thought about that. And I think they make pads to put under the bar tape?

[creadinger]

I don’t know about pads specifically, but that seems reasonable. Alternatively, you could wrap your bars in barbed wire, to force you to use your back and ab muscles to hold your upper body up.

[Emm]

@jrenaut 115697 wrote:

My fixed gear is a very different fit than my regular commuter – the seat is higher relative to the bars, and it ends up putting much more of my weight forward on my hands, and it’s sometimes a little uncomfortable.

Are there techniques for getting used to the more aggressive position? I already try to follow Dirt’s advice to wiggle fingers and toes on longer rides before they start to hurt.

When I struggled with this last year and had hand/wrist/elbow pain, the guy doing my bike fitting flipped my stem, making the bike a little more aggressive. This sounds counter-intuitive, but it forced me to actually engage my abs, vs putting so much weight on the hands/wrists. It helped alot. As did doing sit ups 2-3 times a week (kinda hard to engage your abdominal muscles when you have none…). Wrist/arm/elbow pain is gone.

[jrenaut]

The stem is already pointing down. Flipping it is aesthetically unacceptable.

[kwarkentien]

I put a head tube extender on my Cannondale R700 that I bought too small for me and had me in a way too aggressive position for my taste. It made a world of difference and now I love riding that bike when I visit it at my brother’s house in NY.

[jrenaut]

So, this is my problem. On my commuter, I’m okay making adjustments for the sake of fit that are aesthetically unappealing. But this is my beautiful lugged Italian steel bike. The way it looks is important.

[DismalScientist]

You should have listened to Grant Petersen and bought a bigger bike.:rolleyes: Perhaps you can buy a longer fork.

My seatpost and bars tend to have the same relative height regardless of the particular geometry of the bike.

[jrenaut]

@DismalScientist 115747 wrote:

You should have listened to Grant Petersen and bought a bigger bike.:rolleyes: Perhaps you can buy a longer fork.

My seatpost and bars tend to have the same relative height regardless of the particular geometry of the bike.

The bike is already a bit too big, I had to get a shorter stem just to get to where I am now. I’ve been considering a fitting, but I’m not sure there’s a whole lot of adjustment that can be made at this point. That’s why I’m looking for advice on adjusting myself.

[vvill]

If you get a fit they might tell you the bike itself is just too big and then you’ll cry.

My advice based on absolutely nothing but my own intuition: bend your elbows up to 90 degrees (engaging your triceps more, and letting them do the shock absorption), and also mix in a comfortable grip position where you place your hands on the bars beside the stem (the “tops” but even closer to the center) – which will be the least aggressive position on the bars for your back. (I assume this is how the fixed gear riders with tiny little flat bars ride all the time.) It’s weird, but when I first started riding on drop bars I used the hoods the most, but after getting used to them for a year or so I started using more and more hand positions. Try some others to see if you like them more.

Also, if you like, ride no-hands for short periods to totally shift your weight on the bike…

Another option: get a 28mm front tire.

[jrenaut]

I do try to vary my hand positions. The bent elbows thing I haven’t really tried, but I will.

[mstone]

Are you sure you have the seat adjusted properly? If your balance is too far forward it’ll never feel right. Can you take your hands off the bars and maintain your position (with effort), or would you immediately and uncontrollably topple forward? You mention that the bike is too big; if you’ve had to push the seat forward to reach the bars, the problem is likely unsolvable.

[jrenaut]

@mstone 115759 wrote:

Are you sure you have the seat adjusted properly? If your balance is too far forward it’ll never feel right. Can you take your hands off the bars and maintain your position (with effort), or would you immediately and uncontrollably topple forward? You mention that the bike is too big; if you’ve had to push the seat forward to reach the bars, the problem is likely unsolvable.

The seat is a bit forward but I think it could go further. I realize there isn’t much I can do as far as the fit – I was hoping there were techniques for helping me be more comfortable given a static bike fit.

[Author]

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