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Help fitting to a bike that's too big.

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Help fitting to a bike that's too big.

Old 07-26-19, 09:04 AM
  #1  
runnergoneridin
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Help fitting to a bike that's too big.

I'm convinced that my bike is too big of a frame, and didn't realize this since I got it used when I was brand new to road cycling. I've always feel like I have too much of my upper body weight resting forward.
  • Well, over time I've moved the seat all the way forward, which seemed to help some. I still slide forward some while riding, and have to move my butt back on the saddle again and again over time (I can't stay put in the saddle. And if I tilt the seat upward to keep from sliding forward, it's uncomfortable)
  • My inseam is 31-5/8", and I'm 5'8.5" tall.
  • The bike has a 23.5" frame, which is tall. I have no standover clearance to speak of (especially with shoes off). My bars are adjusted all the way up (all the shim spacers are under the bars).
Can I just get a stem that brings everything back a good bit? Or even get a non-offsetting stem of some kind?
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Old 07-26-19, 09:43 AM
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Bandera
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Sell the bike, and buy one that fits.
Trying to "fix" a bike that's the wrong size is a waste of time, $$$ and effort .

-Bandera
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Old 07-26-19, 01:17 PM
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Iride01 
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Road bike? You actually can wind up with too much weight on your arms by sitting upright in the more relaxed position that some want to use for riding a road bike (I was one of those too at one time). Actually getting lower can let the stretching of your lower back muscles and other parts along with the compressing of your gut and abdomen reduce the force going into your arms.

However it does seem that your bike might be way to big. 23.5 inch seat tube length is 59 to 60 cm which is what I ride with a 34.5 inch inseam and 5'-11" tall. Lowering the bars might actually help some if you absolutely have to stay with that bike.
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Old 07-26-19, 04:10 PM
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Sell the bike and get one that fits you perfectly, now that you know what to look for. There are tons of bikes available, don't settle for one that doesn't fit right.
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Old 07-26-19, 04:20 PM
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All sound advice. And it’ll be a lotta fun testing more appropriately sized bikes.
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Old 07-26-19, 04:32 PM
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You can't really "fix" a bigger bike. I'd rather it be a smaller size than too big. Sorry to tell you but you have to get rid of that and get a better fitting bike.
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Old 07-27-19, 10:22 AM
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Having owned a bike that was too big and a bike that was too small, I think both diminish the joy of riding. I actually found riding the too big bike better than riding the too small one, because I prefer stretching out to being cramped - but I cringed too much at the thought of coming down on the bar the wrong way.

Get a bike that fits.

A couple of thoughts:

1) Although it may not make sense intuitively, try out moving the saddle back to stop sliding forward.
2) Too much weight on your hands can very easily come from bad technique and/or a weak core. (No need to ask how I found that out....)

Last edited by philbob57; 07-27-19 at 11:36 AM.
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