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Correct STI lever position?

Old 03-02-20, 02:06 AM
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iamLefty
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Correct STI lever position?

Or is this too straight? The part that slopes up, it used to be almost vertically straight.
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Old 03-02-20, 04:38 AM
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Could you post a pic from further back, getting more of "the whole picture"?

It's very subjective. If you're comfortable, that's the top priority. Personally I wouldn't have the bars rotated back so much, I like a little bit of drop from the tops of the bars to the hoods, but others like the whole platform from the tops to the hoods to be flat. I also like the drops to be closer to horizontal - again, that's just me.
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Old 03-02-20, 06:30 AM
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I set my bikes up as shown, works best for me.
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Old 03-02-20, 09:53 AM
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Originally Posted by 02Giant
works best for me.
That is what you should be striving for.
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Old 03-02-20, 11:27 AM
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pref is a little bit lower.
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Old 03-02-20, 12:29 PM
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personally, for me, I tried to get an angle that works in the drops as well as on the hoods. so I think for me, the bottom is usually close to parallel w/ the ground



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Old 03-02-20, 01:25 PM
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Microshift levers need to be a little bit low to improve lever reach since there's no adjustment screw for that.
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Old 03-02-20, 05:19 PM
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Comes down to personal preference.

Not my bike.

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Old 03-02-20, 07:12 PM
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Originally Posted by dedhed
Comes down to personal preference.

Not my bike.

I see lots of bikes like that -- or worse -- on RAGBRAI.
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Old 03-02-20, 07:24 PM
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Different handlebars, with different STI's, on different bikes ridden by different people with different sizes and shapes, with different styles and goals and reasons for riding. What is right is what works for you on what you are riding, and how you ride.
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Old 03-02-20, 07:58 PM
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Ideally you want to prevent infaming any carpal tunnel issues & that geometry is up to the user.
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Old 03-02-20, 08:45 PM
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I don't think there is absolute right or wrong but what is comfortable. However GCN just did a video about this today.


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Old 03-02-20, 09:29 PM
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It's hard to say from your photo. Can you make a photo taken from farther back, aimed directly at the stem, with the camera held exactly horizontal?
Assuming the photo is level left to right: If it was my bike, I'd keep your same bar rotation, but move the hoods up the curve just a little more. It does depend on how much drop you have from the saddle.

What works for me:

I have my bars set a little higher than some riders.
This setup works great for riding in the drops and on the hoods. I use the drops as just another hand position. Drops are great for headwinds, of course. But also on rough, bumpy roads, for hand comfort and bike control. I get better braking control in the drops, too. I probably ride 35% drops, 50% hoods, 15% tops. I really like being able to switch hand positions (and get a little more aero in the drops).

My setup:
The top of the bars are about 1 to 1.5 inches below the top of the saddle.
The bar ends point to a spot a few inches lower than the rear caliper brakes. Somewhere in the middle of the seat stay is often a good starting point.
The base of the hoods are angled upwards slightly.

Setting up:
with bar tape removed:
I sit on the bike in a doorway.
I shake out my arm and hand to help relax into a neutral hand position.
See if the palm lands evenly on the drops without having to angle the wrist. Adjust the bar angle by loosening the stem clamp a bit, and rotating.
This sets the handlebar angle for comfortable drops with even pressure across the palm.
Do the same thing with the hoods. Shake arm, reach to the hood, see if the hood base fits the palm, minimizing wrist angle changes.

It's helpful to just temporarily tape the cables to the bar with electrical tape, and test ride. Apply the bar tape when everything is set.
I have long fingers, so I don't have any lever reach problems.

Last edited by rm -rf; 03-02-20 at 09:40 PM.
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Old 03-03-20, 12:21 AM
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Originally Posted by ridelikeaturtle
Could you post a pic from further back, getting more of "the whole picture"?

It's very subjective. If you're comfortable, that's the top priority. Personally I wouldn't have the bars rotated back so much, I like a little bit of drop from the tops of the bars to the hoods, but others like the whole platform from the tops to the hoods to be flat. I also like the drops to be closer to horizontal - again, that's just me.
Originally Posted by rm -rf
It's hard to say from your photo. Can you make a photo taken from farther back, aimed directly at the stem, with the camera held exactly horizontal?
Assuming the photo is level left to right: If it was my bike, I'd keep your same bar rotation, but move the hoods up the curve just a little more. It does depend on how much drop you have from the saddle.

Pic below. Yeah i’m also thinking of moving the hoods up by just a little bit. As for the current drop position, it’s not parallel but this works and feels good to me, been riding for a year in this position. No prob with lever reach in the hoods or drops in the older and current setup.
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Old 03-03-20, 12:27 AM
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Originally Posted by duckhuntr
Microshift levers need to be a little bit low to improve lever reach since there's no adjustment screw for that.
Mine don’t have a screw. But it has something that you put inside, somewhere near the top of the hoods, to adjust lever reach by a few mm. Two different sizes of those. Not exactly sure, maybe 4 and 8mm.
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Old 03-03-20, 05:43 AM
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Originally Posted by rm -rf
My setup:
The top of the bars are about 1 to 1.5 inches below the top of the saddle.
Is there an ideal top of the bar to top of the saddle measurement? Just by eyeballing it, i think mine’s at least 2 inches, a little more maybe.
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Old 03-03-20, 08:40 AM
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Originally Posted by iamLefty
Is there an ideal top of the bar to top of the saddle measurement? Just by eyeballing it, i think mine’s at least 2 inches, a little more maybe.
Saddle to bar drop can vary by a huge amount, depending on the size of the rider and the desired riding position. Pro riders can take the saddle to bar drop to an extreme of 6 inches, maybe more, in order to be aerodynamic. I'm old and only 5'-6" tall, but I use a 4 inch saddle to bar drop. Many people raise the bars because it reduces the weight placed on the hands, but the excessive pressure on the hands is often caused by using the knee over pedal method of setting the saddle fore/aft position. Ignoring KOP and moving the saddle further back can fix the problem. It may also improve climbing ability.

Those who buy endurance frames with taller head tubes obviously buy into the idea that they don't want much saddle to bar drop.
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Old 03-03-20, 08:45 AM
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I would just rotate the bars down a hair. Interface between the top of bar to brifters is level. On those bars, ideally you want a level surface from the tops to the brifters. You don't have to match the angle of the stem. On non compact bars, you would rotate the brifters so the bottom is level with the drops. In both cases you need to ensure you can shift and brake properly in the drops.
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Old 03-03-20, 01:18 PM
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Originally Posted by jadocs
I would just rotate the bars down a hair. Interface between the top of bar to brifters is level. On those bars, ideally you want a level surface from the tops to the brifters. You don't have to match the angle of the stem. On non compact bars, you would rotate the brifters so the bottom is level with the drops. In both cases you need to ensure you can shift and brake properly in the drops.
+1, compacts don't need level drops. For me I rotate until my wrists don't hit the hook portion of the bars in the drops when grabbing the levers. The angle will depend on how much drop you have and your flexibility
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Old 03-04-20, 12:11 PM
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Originally Posted by jadocs
I would just rotate the bars down a hair. Interface between the top of bar to brifters is level. On those bars, ideally you want a level surface from the tops to the brifters. You don't have to match the angle of the stem. On non compact bars, you would rotate the brifters so the bottom is level with the drops. In both cases you need to ensure you can shift and brake properly in the drops.
This will shorten my reach to the drops, right? With the current setup, although comfortable, i actually feel it’s a bit short. I was actually thinking of getting a 110mm stem to add more reach to the drops.
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Old 03-04-20, 06:22 PM
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I set mine up exactly as you are showing.
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Old 03-05-20, 07:50 AM
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Originally Posted by iamLefty
This will shorten my reach to the drops, right? With the current setup, although comfortable, i actually feel it’s a bit short. I was actually thinking of getting a 110mm stem to add more reach to the drops.
I can't say if it will feel any shorter, but you don't have to rotate anything. If that is comfortable for you leave it as is. It does sound like you need a longer stem if you feel cramped.
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Old 03-22-20, 02:37 PM
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On my main ride, I'm pretty sure the left and right are slightly different
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Old 03-22-20, 03:35 PM
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I see them at a bunch of angles. Depends on the bike, the rider and such...

My 29er Monster Cross top.
1986 KHS middle.
2006 CAAD8 bottom.

Not pictured, my trainer bike...

Moved them around a lot before deciding.
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Old 03-23-20, 01:34 AM
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Originally Posted by zjrog
2006 CAAD8 bottom.

Wow. Was that the first CAAD8? Mine’s CAAD8 too. 2015 i think. My brother’s got the 2012 CAAD8.
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