mishathepenguin

Hi everyone,

Spring is here and I am keen to get out and ride my cherished 1997 T700 that was passed down to me and rebuilt a couple of years ago.

The frame is slightly too large (TT is *right* there when standing over) but I manage well pedaling with 170mm cranks...

Right now I have about a fistful of seatpost and a Nitto Dynamic stem at minimum insertion (145mm rise) and 90mm extension with a Noodle bar. Seat and bars are about level with each other. B.17 is as far forward on the rails as possible.

The reach is too long for me; riding in the drops I am uncomfortably far forward and bent down -- poor visibility, strained neck and shoulders, same even up on the hoods.

I was thinking to get a shorter 60-70mm stem but wonder if it will affect handling much...

Do I need a shorter extension? Taller height a-la Technomic? Both? I'm not sure how height and extension interact and unfortunately don't have any spare stems to try out... So trying to minimize buying multiples.

Please let me know if you have experience with this! What I really need is a smaller frame but this bike is too important to me not to ride!

jade408

You could go rogue and get upright bars that sweep back!

Bubbleb

My too long for my comfort top tube Jamis Coda with Nitto Albatross bars. Much better fit!

Bill in VA

[QUOTE=mishathepenguin;20890020]

...The frame is slightly too large (TT is *right* there when standing over) but I manage well pedaling with 170mm cranks...

I had this issue (top tube height only) when I got older. I was OK with it for quite a while. I did not have the reach problem, though, and my setup has always been with the saddle and bars at the same height.

If I wanted to keep the bike, I would consider swept back bars (mustache, etc.) as second poster suggests, or a swept back bar mounted upside down to get a bit of drop. Another alterntive might be the randonneur type bar which would allow keeping your current brake levers.. Good sources of swept back bars or randonneur bars would be from Rivendell, Rene Herse or VelOrange, as well as Soma, Salsa, Surly, ands some of the various newer gravel bars. Keep in mind the Nitto stem "may" be a hard match due to sizing of handlebar clamp which is I believe is often 26mm. There are adapters if you have a 26mm clamp and a 1" bar, but not vice versa. Rivendell has Nitto 26mm swept back bars and also the Nitto Tallux quill stem which allows a higher mount of drop (or other) bars.

If you want to save costs while experimenting, a threadless stem adapter (one inch guill to 1 1/8 inch upper) would allow you to get a threadless stem that takes a more common handlebar diameters. I love the threadless stems as you do not have to unwrap the bars and remove brake levers to swap stem length or bar set for static test fittings.

canklecat

I've tried various tricks to feel a little less stretched out on various bikes. My bikes technically the right size for me but due to old neck and shoulder injuries I'm more comfortable with reduced reach.

I switched my '89 Ironman from the original stem (130mm, I think) to 90mm. Much better. Took a few rides to get adjusted to the handling. It felt a bit twitchy for a few rides, especially on fast curves. But it feels just right now. I wouldn't want a stem any shorter with my bike.

Tipping the bar up a bit or raising the brakes/hoods up a bit can help a little. I don't like anything too extreme or odd looking, but I've found a reasonable compromise for my bike's original drops and brakes/hoods.

Brifters like the MicroShift for 7 or 8 speed would improve the ergonomics a bit and make the reach feel a little less stretched out, compared with the skimpy hooks of older aero brake hoods, which tended to be a bit low when the drops were adjusted so the bottom of the bar is parallel with the ground. I'm about to switch my other road bike from older style aero brakes/hoods to brifters. It'll get my neck into a better position and feel more comfortable on longer rides without giving up too much in aerodynamics.

My biggest bike is an old Univega Via Carisma, which was technically my size but the top tube is long relative to the seat tube and standover height. Over three years I've switched it from the original flat to riser bars (about 1 1/2") to albatross bars. The albatross bar shortened the reach enough that I wanted to get the bar height a bit lower, closer to saddle height. The original upward angled stem wouldn't accommodate that so I swapped in the long stem from my Centurion Ironman. Perfect. The albatross bars are keepers. They combine upright comfort when using the bar end grips, to some aero advantage when leaning forward into the curved part of the bar. It feels like riding the hoods of my road bikes. And I don't feel stretched out, no neck pain.

Another tip is getting the saddle position right. While saddle position shouldn't be used to adjust reach, with some bikes setting up a saddle correctly for efficiency and knee health may also reduce the reach a bit. With my older bike's typical setback seat post, I had to shove the saddle fully forward on the rails to get the right position. A zero setback seat post would accomplish the same thing, but I haven't had any problems with my saddle rails at the forward limit. I might not try that with saddles that have a reputation for rails deforming (such as some heavier riders report with some Selle Anatomica saddles). But I weigh 150 and haven't had any problems with my Selle Italias.

99spokes

+1 for sweep back bars.

bakerjw

I'd get a quill stem adapter so that I could try different length stems as well as being able to move the stem up and down.

My first bike was an XL Schwinn Circuit. I am a tad under 6'. It was also "right there" on standover but I got used to it and like having the extra cockpit reach.

Sapperc

Another idea is to try one of the newer riser type endurance compact drop bars. That will preserve the look and feel of the bike while raising the bars a few cm to effectively allow a more upright position.

Lots of ideas to consider. Good luck!

rumrunn6

I got a hybrid that was larger than ideal. I made it work for a few years but I'm much happier on bikes that are the right size for me