Adapting fit from one bike to a different type of bike
09-06-18, 08:12 AM
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Adapting fit from one bike to a different type of bike
I have a road bike that is near on perfect for me and I can ride comfortably for long periods of time.
I have been struggling to dial in the fit on a touring bike so that I get a more upright position but my shoulders/arms get cramped and my hands get fatigued after much less riding time than the road bike.
Originally, the touring bike had a 100mm quill stem on there, but it felt too low, too stretched out for a touring bike. Origin8 makes an inexpensive extended quill (180mm), quill stem and is offered in at a max of 80mm reach. So I bought the Origin8 ($15) to see if I could get a more upright position. It certainly brought my chin up and into a more upright position but I now I get the cramping in the shoulders/arms/hand fatigue where I did not experience that before. I suspect the reach is the difference maker here.
Before dropping $50 on a Nitto Technomic however I wondered what the general philosophy was for adapting the contact points from one type of bike to another? I mean both are drop bar road type bikes so there should be some similarity there right? Is it normally just "try to keep the reach the same but increase your stack" to get that "more upright position" that is desired in a touring bike?
How about going from a Road bike to a MTB? or to a cruiser style bike? Do you try to keep all the contact points the same? I'd imagine the hand positioning would change given the different disciplines...
Let me know what your thoughts are.
I have been struggling to dial in the fit on a touring bike so that I get a more upright position but my shoulders/arms get cramped and my hands get fatigued after much less riding time than the road bike.
Originally, the touring bike had a 100mm quill stem on there, but it felt too low, too stretched out for a touring bike. Origin8 makes an inexpensive extended quill (180mm), quill stem and is offered in at a max of 80mm reach. So I bought the Origin8 ($15) to see if I could get a more upright position. It certainly brought my chin up and into a more upright position but I now I get the cramping in the shoulders/arms/hand fatigue where I did not experience that before. I suspect the reach is the difference maker here.
Before dropping $50 on a Nitto Technomic however I wondered what the general philosophy was for adapting the contact points from one type of bike to another? I mean both are drop bar road type bikes so there should be some similarity there right? Is it normally just "try to keep the reach the same but increase your stack" to get that "more upright position" that is desired in a touring bike?
How about going from a Road bike to a MTB? or to a cruiser style bike? Do you try to keep all the contact points the same? I'd imagine the hand positioning would change given the different disciplines...
Let me know what your thoughts are.
09-06-18, 10:07 AM
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Speaking only for myself, my bikes (all road bikes) have similar reach and do not vary much in height, regardless of whether it’s a “racing” or touring frame. I have not measured, but I suspect that the maximum difference in height at the stem is less than an inch. I am comfortable on all those bikes. If a certain fit works for you, why change it just to fit some perceived expectation for touring bikes?
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09-06-18, 11:37 AM
#3
Jedi Master
Have you tried moving the saddle back or adjusting the tilt to get some of the weight off your arms on the touring bike?
My road bike has a 9cm saddle to bar drop and my touring bike has the bars level with the saddle. The reach is pretty close, but a little less on the touring bike. I have a bunch of other bikes and the fit is all over the place.
My road bike has a 9cm saddle to bar drop and my touring bike has the bars level with the saddle. The reach is pretty close, but a little less on the touring bike. I have a bunch of other bikes and the fit is all over the place.
09-06-18, 11:49 AM
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Speaking only for myself, my bikes (all road bikes) have similar reach and do not vary much in height, regardless of whether it’s a “racing” or touring frame. I have not measured, but I suspect that the maximum difference in height at the stem is less than an inch. I am comfortable on all those bikes. If a certain fit works for you, why change it just to fit some perceived expectation for touring bikes?
09-06-18, 11:50 AM
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Have you tried moving the saddle back or adjusting the tilt to get some of the weight off your arms on the touring bike?
My road bike has a 9cm saddle to bar drop and my touring bike has the bars level with the saddle. The reach is pretty close, but a little less on the touring bike. I have a bunch of other bikes and the fit is all over the place.
My road bike has a 9cm saddle to bar drop and my touring bike has the bars level with the saddle. The reach is pretty close, but a little less on the touring bike. I have a bunch of other bikes and the fit is all over the place.
09-06-18, 10:47 PM
#6
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But first, are you sure your seat height is good? I recently switched to using Greg Lemond's sizing calculation for seat height and it's worked out for me. I had my seat much too high and that in turn helped my fit as far as the cockpit goes. With the seat too high, I had way too much weight on my hands. I've read numerous places that you should be able to hover your hands over your hoods and be balanced there w/o having to place your weight on the bars.
09-07-18, 06:53 AM
#7
Jedi Master
I see a lot of people with a saddle that looks way too high or low to me, so it’s good advice to get that right first. If your hips are rocking back and forth, that’s a good sign that your saddle is too high, although I rode a 1200k a few weeks ago with a guy who’s seat seemed at least a few centimeters too high to me, but it worked for him, so everyone’s different. I always start with my heel on the pedal at full extension and make little adjustments from there. The saddle on my touring bike is a little lower than the saddle on my road bike because I find that to be more comfortable at a relaxed touring pace over longer distances. Regarding saddle adjustment, start with something that seems reasonable and make little adjustments from there until you have minimized the discomfort. Don’t be afraid to make a little adjustment, ride it for a while, then adjust it again to see how it affects your comfort. Eventually you’ll find something that works and you won’t need to adjust it anymore. While KOPS is a good enough starting point, there’s nothing magical about it. I’ve never checked it on any of my bikes, so if my knee is over the spindle it’s pure coincidence.
You may want to get an adjustable stem so you can experiment with different height and reach before you pull the trigger on a nice nitto stem. After you find a position you like, you can use this calculator to figure out which stem to get.
You may want to get an adjustable stem so you can experiment with different height and reach before you pull the trigger on a nice nitto stem. After you find a position you like, you can use this calculator to figure out which stem to get.
