How can I make my commute more comfortable?

[oldbikechick]

Hello everyone-

I’ve seen lots of threads about bike fitting and equipment, but I have some questions I’m hoping the collective wisdom can help me with.

-I have a trek fx 7.5 hybrid that I’ve had for a couple of years, but it’s never really been comfortable. I commute 8 miles each way (from approx Ballston to Smithsonian) and my right hand always goes numb around Roosevelt Island. It seems like that shouldn’t happen on a relatively short ride. Also, my joints and muscles feel a bit “shattered” after I ride. I like that the trek is light for going up the hills, but I need to do something about the aches and pains.

-I finally decided to try to make things better last fall and took the bike in to get fitted by Clovis, who came highly recommended. He did his best but was honest in saying that there wasn’t much he could do with my bike. He suggested I get a road bike and get that properly fitted. I’ve never liked road bikes and much prefer the upright position for commuting, so I haven’t acted on that suggestion.

-I am open to getting a new bike at this point, but I really don’t want to end up in the same situation. So, where would be a good place to shop for a comfortable bike for commuting? A place that would also take care to make sure it fit properly. Someplace that’s not just going to tell me to get a road bike. I don’t want to spend more than I did for the trek since I’m not a “performance” style rider doing races, etc. I really just commute. But I do it a lot, so I’m hoping I can make it more comfortable.

-This may be a silly question, but is there such a thing as suspension on a hybrid bike? Or do you just get a mountain bike? Can you have suspension and still have a light bike that’s not too hard to haul up the hills? Would this help with the numbness and achy bones and muscles?

I appreciate any and all tips and ideas.

Topic

[mstone]

@rcannon100 49122 wrote:

The Trek handlebar, at least mine, was VERY tight. There was no room for bar extensions (I have bar extensions on my primary bike and really like them). And I found the shape of the Trek handlebar dug into my palm. [/quote]

Something like this is an option if you don’t have much room w/gripshifts: http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=17284 But yeah, if the sweep of the handlebars isn’t right for you there’s not much to try but new handlebars.

Quote:

So I swapped out the Trek handlebar and put in trekking (or butterfly) handlebars. I bought handlebar foam tubes (not tape) to make the bars more comfortable. This is comfortable and gives you a LOT of different hand positions. In the forward hand position, this also draws your torso down a little making you slightly more aerodynamic.

That’s a configuration that should be more available for people who don’t like drop-bar bikes and want a more upright primary position, but do want more hand positions and some ability to get down out of the wind. Unfortunately they tend to be hard to find in shops. On the up side, they’re a relatively easy conversion that can reuse the shifters from a flat bar (unlike a drop bar conversion, which requires expensive new shifters).

Quote:

The Trek fx 7.5 is a VERY upright bike and it has like 35 or 38 tires. That makes it a slow bike.

I’d argue that tire size by itself doesn’t make a bike slow or fast. Within a size, tires vary by tread type and construction. A smooth, wide tire will be faster than a narrow knobby tire. Tires that weigh a lot will certainly accelerate slower than lighter tires, but if you’re not riding in a leisurely fashion that doesn’t matter much, and tire construction can be as big a factor in weight as tire size. My favorite related line is: “if narrower, lighter, and higher pressure are always better, why isn’t everybody riding on thin steel disks rather than rubber tires?”

And to the original poster: if you decide to stay with straight bars, that’s a perfectly valid choice. Hopefully there are things in this thread that you might not have considered, that might give you new ideas, but in the end you are the one best able to decide what you will be most comfortable with.

[oldbikechick]

Thanks everyone who took the time to share these great ideas. I think I’m going to need to break down and learn how to use some tools so I can try some of these things. I should have mentioned that Clovis set me up with some fancy new cork grips with bar ends, but unfortunately these were not more comfortable, so it may be the handlebars themselves. I had never seen the butterfly ones before – very intriguing. My arms are pretty straight when I’m sitting on the bike. I’m just using the original tires that came on the trek, and don’t pump them up too hard due to the comfort factor, but maybe I can try some fatter ones. The points about stretching and recovering are also well taken. Especially reading about some of the other commutes on this forum, I have always considered mine pretty short and not worthy of any particular “recovery” routine, but I’ll re-think this and try some more stretching and hydrating. I was also interested to read about the slowness of the hybrid compared to the road bikes. THAT explains why I’m slower than everyone else. I thought it was me So, I may try test-riding some and see if my prejudice against road bikes can be overcome. I don’t know if I have the guts to ride a recumbent bike.

Thanks again and I hope to meet some of you at one of these coffees or happy hours soon. I took the day off today due to the storm.

[hozn]

The hybrid really isn’t/needn’t be that much slower than a road bike. I remember a “moment of perspective” a few years back where a buddy and I were out on a “training ride” to Purceville and on the way back some much older guy on a mountain bike had absolutely no trouble keeping up with us at 22-25mph. Yes, a more aero position will be faster and thinner tires will be marginally faster on account of aerodynamics (but not rolling resistance). But I would hazard to say that more aero/more aggressive, narrower tires, etc. are all things that generally make a bike less comfortable, not more. The idea of trading in a hybrid for a road bike to improve your comfort seems odd.

In any event, regardless of the merits of road vs. hybrid, it sounds like if you’re dealing with numbness that there is just a basic fit/physiology mismatch going on here. It’s too bad the bike fit couldn’t help here; I would have assumed that would be the best/quickest way to solve this. I recommend getting a copy of Andy Pruitt’s medical guide for cyclists book (http://www.amazon.com/Pruitts-Complete-Medical-Guide-Cyclists/dp/1931382808); it’s really useful to have around. Reading the various fit suggestions may give you ideas of things to try changing up — and there are diagnostic chapters that help suggest reasons for various types of pain, numbness, etc. Of course, the suggestions in the book may involve making changes to your bike that don’t end up improving the situation, but I’ve found it to be a very helpful perspective.

The alternative grips (e.g. Ergon) that have a wider support for your palms is probably a great suggestion (if you haven’t already tried those). If you already have bar ends, then you’ve got different hand position options now and I don’t see drop bars really offering much there.

Of course, going fast is a lot of fun and road bikes to tend to be faster, especially when you’re looking at higher speeds (where aerodynamics plays a much more significant role). I certainly love riding my road bike — and commuting on what is effectively a slightly more comfortable road bike (more upright, larger-volume tires). I’m sure once you get the fit issues nailed down so that you can ride comfortably, you’d also enjoy riding a road bike!

[baiskeli]

@hozn 49178 wrote:

The hybrid really isn’t/needn’t be that much slower than a road bike.

True. I think it’s more like you slow down more on a hybrid as your ride gets longer because of declining comfort. For many people, an upright position feels better on a short ride, but can get worse than a road bike as you put on miles (and that may apply if you’re riding day after day, like a commuter).

Thanks for the book citation – looks really valuable.

[ARL_wahoo]

@baiskeli 49208 wrote:

True. I think it’s more like you slow down more on a hybrid as your ride gets longer because of declining comfort. For many people, an upright position feels better on a short ride, but can get worse than a road bike as you put on miles (and that may apply if you’re riding day after day, like a commuter).

Thanks for the book citation – looks really valuable.

What kind of mileage would this be? I bike round-trip to work (6-7mi each way), for pleasure/exercise occasionally on weekends, and all over town during nice weather. I noticed that I got numbness in my pinky/ring finger on one hand and I wonder if it was due to my straight-across handlebars. I’ve been debating getting a new bike since my current one is a size too small, but I’ve been able to do okay with adjustments, other than my hands/arms hurting pretty bad at the end of some rides.

[dasgeh]

I find the more comfortable I am on the bike, the more I ride. The more I ride, the happier I am. So new bike = more comfortable = happier.

[baiskeli]

@ARL_wahoo 49241 wrote:

What kind of mileage would this be? I bike round-trip to work (6-7mi each way), for pleasure/exercise occasionally on weekends, and all over town during nice weather. I noticed that I got numbness in my pinky/ring finger on one hand and I wonder if it was due to my straight-across handlebars. I’ve been debating getting a new bike since my current one is a size too small, but I’ve been able to do okay with adjustments, other than my hands/arms hurting pretty bad at the end of some rides.

6-7 miles.

No, seriously, it’s different for everyone, but you might benefit from a change in bike style. Or not. Do you have bar ends? Those might be enough to give you a change in hand position every once in a while. The frame size could be a factor too. I actually built a bike out of my wife’s old frame and had to rebuild it with an old frame of mine instead, even though they aren’t much different. It made all the difference. And too small is probably worse than too big.

[TwoWheelsDC]

@ARL_wahoo 49241 wrote:

What kind of mileage would this be? I bike round-trip to work (6-7mi each way), for pleasure/exercise occasionally on weekends, and all over town during nice weather. I noticed that I got numbness in my pinky/ring finger on one hand and I wonder if it was due to my straight-across handlebars. I’ve been debating getting a new bike since my current one is a size too small, but I’ve been able to do okay with adjustments, other than my hands/arms hurting pretty bad at the end of some rides.

My wife rides a hybrid and occasionally does longer rides with me. I’d say she usually starts complaining about her hands around mile 20. YMMV.

[baiskeli]

@TwoWheelsDC 49324 wrote:

My wife rides a hybrid and occasionally does longer rides with me. I’d say she usually starts complaining about her hands around mile 20. YMMV.

Yeah, actually, when I first started on a road bike, and suddenly roadies deigned to talk to me on the trail, I told one that I had just switched from a hybrid and he said hybrids are comfortable until about 20 miles.

[Author]

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