morgothaod

Long story short: I had a trek mountain track 800 that I liked but had mechanical problems with it and decided to buy a comfort cruiser but found out that I did not like it. I unfortunately did not take measurements and ended up buying another mountain bike. I know the bike that I bought has a lower top tube. On the old bike I barely cleared it with my 30 inch inseam and on the new bike I have 2-3 inches of clearance when putting my legs over it. But with Covid and bikes being slim pickings, I went ahead and bought the bike. Anyways, I was wondering if it can be modified to give me a better fit. I feel like the handlebars are too low and I'm leaning too far over them. I have the handlebars at the maximum height and I was wondering if a quill raiser or a different shaped handlebars would help me. I'm 5'7" and the bike that I bought is a Trek Mountain Track 820 18" frame 45.5 cm. Any advice is appreciated, thanks.

Here is what I look like on the bike:


and a photo of the bike itself:



and my old bike:

fietsbob

Quill stem raisers are a chromo tube reduced half way down, so bottom fits in the fork with its own wedge,
and then you put your stem in the top. top ID = bottom OD..

added height will require longer cables of course.. you can do the raising part , then see if you like it. no? hook the cables back up..

Maelochs

It looks like you might have stretched that stem as far as it goes. You can probably buy an extender (maybe google bicycle quill stem extender) but at some point you will be endangering yourself---too long a stem puts too much stress on the head tube when you ht bumps, and you could snap the stem (dangerous but replaceable if you survive) or ovalize the head tube (frame is then junk.)

I just grabbed the first few link .... you would do well to do your own research, but this does at least show that you can find the part you are looking for. So long as you aren't actually mountain biking, you should be fine.https://www.lightinthebox.com/en/p/a...470ebafddfeb3f



https://smile.amazon.com/Fouriers-Ex...ngshoppinga-20



https://www.ebay.com/itm/174352068160



https://www.walmart.com/ip/Bike-Fork...pter/348108343

70sSanO

The other solution are riser handlebars. You can get them fairly straight or with a little sweep.

John

Trakhak

Agree that the fit looks good. Have you ridden the bike? Ride at more than a walking pace or up a hill and you might find that your position is fine or even a bit too upright.

morgothaod

I'll ride it a bit more to see how it makes my back and shoulders feel. The bike previous to this one was a comfort cruiser with a just about upright riding position. My initial impression after riding it for like 15 minutes is that I'm sitting really high and the bars are way too low and I feel like a giant on the bike. With my seat at the current height I barely touch the ground with my big toe pointing downwards.

Flip Flop Rider

any higher and you might as well be on a unicycle

sovende

To me, it looks like you've pretty much maxed out (and then some &#128556 the modifications to make that bike frame fit your human frame. As mentioned in another reply, it appears the the quil is very close to not meeting its minimum insertion depth. The exposed length provides a fair amount of leverage that (as also mentioned) could result in component damage. Even with a quil extender, the leverage is still there and perhaps enhanced. Similar thinking might be an issue with the seat post, although I realize that newer frame geometry makes long seat posts commonplace.
Again to me (yes, some think otherwise), that frame is too small for you! You didn't mention what the "mechanical" issues were with your "old" bike. Nor did you mention if you still had it. Perhaps if you still had the old bike, (and the frame wasn't the source of its problems) you could piece together a "Frankenbike" using the best parts of each 🤔.

fujidon

I think the fit looks pretty good too, but maybe your saddle is a little high.It couldn't hurt to lower it a little and see how it feels.

Saddle height also depends on where/how you ride. For trail riding (which I don't do anymore), I preferred my saddle a little lower than my road bike. I felt it gave me better control.

mack_turtle

that bike looks VERY upright and the frame looks too small for you—the space from the saddle to the handlebar makes you look "scrunched" on it.

you have to use your core and your arms to balance yourself on a bicycle, but you need to start by getting yourself balanced by means of the saddle position. that saddle looks like it's tilted down, which could encourage your butt to slide forward on it while you're riding. as a result, you have to push yourself back with your arms to keep from sliding forward, which strains your arms and shoulders, leading to further neck and back pain.

it's a bicycle, not a tractor. if you want anything more upright, get a beach cruiser or a Dutch-style bike. Something like an Electra Townie would be better for that.

davei1980

If it feels too low, it's too low. That said, as you ride more and your body gets stronger some discomfort will go away naturally.

Get your saddle height set first (that's a pretty standard setting based on your PBH * 0.883 or using Rivendell's approach) then go from there.

That said, you look pretty darn upright in the photos but everyone's comfort level is different. Try some swept-back bars as well, those will get your hands in a better position

davei1980

+1 on the small frame/hi saddle ^

mack_turtle

reach to the ground from a seated position has NOTHING to do with how a bike fits. it's not a scooter, so your ability to reach the ground from the saddle is irrelevant. when you want to get off the bike, take one foot off the pedal, stand up, and shift your weight forward in front of the saddle.

as I noted above, neck and shoulder pain are likely the result of a saddle that is tilted down.



I think your frame is too small. as a bike frame size goes up, the head tube usually gets taller, and the frame gets longer. sometimes a longer bike is counter-intuitive, but it will likely fit better.
edit: that's the right size bike. something else is going on.

GAtkins

I agree with lowering the seat a little. According to the Trek estimated sizing spec, the bike is the correct size for your height. Maybe you're a little long in the torso compared to the rest of your height.

Let us know how it works out.

Glenn

cb400bill

Thread moved from General to Fitting.

PoorInRichfield

^ Agree.

It's my (unpopular) opinion that if you have to be nearly vertical on a bike to feel comfortable, chances are you've got some underlying health issues that are preventing you from bending over. Those issues are going to impact you on more than just your bike. It wasn't until I entered my mid 40s that I started to realize how incredibly inflexible I was and not only was it impacting my cycling, it was impacting all sorts of areas of my life. Lower back pain was just one of the signs of my lack of flexibility. As such, I've been stretching every morning and regularly doing "core exercise" get my body in a better state versus having to purchase taller and taller bicycle stems.

mack_turtle

This this this! don't make a bike fit the the limitations of your body and consider the matter settled. most modern humans sit too much and don't move around enough and have weak cores and poor hip mobility—myself included! when they get on a bike, most people want to sit very upright like they are sitting in an office chair. imagine that! to ride a bike with grace, speed, confidence, and skill (if that is your goal), you need to be able to get into a more athletic position on the bike. that will put you in a position that will be "uncomfortable" if you've conditioned for sitting a chair all the time. you'll need to work that core into shape, or embrace your limitations by riding an upright beach cruiser-type bike.

Iride01 

I have to agree that trying to make a particular bike type fit the rider that doesn't want that type of position it's designed for is asking a lot. You end up with a franken-bike looking thing.

A beach cruiser does allow for a more upright riding posture that is for leisurely riding. And maybe beach is a bad term to use for the bike. But frequently that type geometry bike has been only found on bikes the manufacturer describes as beach cruiser.

It puts the BB way more forward and actually makes a very upright position much more comfortable. Some manufacturers only offer them as fixed speed bikes. But I'm seeing more and more with gears now and liking the looks.

I've tried several times to get my wife on a bike but the type of bikes we found were more like the OP's and one we bought she had to have the stem ridiculously raised and angled back. But none had the bb forward or were anything like the bike she grew up on as a pre-teen and early teen.

This bike was suggested by another member in another thread and it caught my eye for what might be a good bike for my wife to try. Also might be good for the OP to consider.

https://electra.trekbikes.com/us/en_...mfort/c/EB900/

There are also some other good looking cruiser type bikes on Trek's site too. Some with gears, some without. But they have that BB forward design that should be good for very upright positions.

https://electra.trekbikes.com/us/en_...bikes/c/EB600/

morgothaod

It looks like the saddle on my purple trek is angled upwards. I'll make the seat flat and see how it goes. I'll also lower the saddle a little bit. I have it at the same height as my hip. Here is a video showing the height of my handlebars, should I move these down as well?

tyrion

That sounds normal to me. I agree with mack_turtle that your saddle might be slanted downward too much. Coming from an upright cruiser bike, this bike might feel strange, but your position in the photo looks pretty good. It might just take some getting used to and some minor adjustments.

But if you want a higher hand position, I think the easiest way would be get a riser bar. You might need longer brake/shifter cables if you raise the hand positions.

morgothaod

On the handlebar stem it says

| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
insertion (arrow pointing upwards) and it has a whole bunch of lines marked above it. Should I move the stem down so those marks aren't visible?

Rolla

Yes, that's the minimum insertion point. Lower it just enough obscure the marks with the headset top nut. I think a riser bar would let you lower the stem even more and help you find a more comfortable position.

unterhausen

You might be happier with swept back bars. I agree that you should level the seat, at least a little. I expect that causes you to be pushed forward onto your hands.

Homebrew01

Another vote for lowering the saddle and inch or so.

morgothaod

I tried to keep the seat at it's current position and make it level by loosening the bolt under it. However, after I made it level it began to tilt sightly downward when tightening the bolt. So for me to get the seat level, I had to move it back a little. I plan on riding a trail tomorrow and will give an update on how the bike feels.