Is this too stretched out?
#26
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If it feels good there’s nothing wrong. However if you are running 130 and moved your saddle forward 1cm, you should probably be running a 120mm stem. You never adjust your saddle for a reach problem. I am assuming your original saddle position was optimized.
I’m running a 130mm stem on my vintage bike. It becomes a balancing act when you are short and have to consider seat tube height into the equation...so your not sitting right on the top tube. If you have more than a fist full of seat post and need a 130mm stem on a standard geometry frame then yes, you could probably benefit being on a larger frame.
I’m running a 130mm stem on my vintage bike. It becomes a balancing act when you are short and have to consider seat tube height into the equation...so your not sitting right on the top tube. If you have more than a fist full of seat post and need a 130mm stem on a standard geometry frame then yes, you could probably benefit being on a larger frame.
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#27
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Yeah I have to go with philbob57 and jadocs, it does not seem like an optimized fit. Stretched out and saddle kinda high, I know you tweaked from the photo but still. I think you are getting away with it since you are young and taking short rides, so more power to you. Go longer, harder, or get older and it might stop working.
You mentioned the fun of pushing down on the front while standing and since you are enjoying the stability from that you are able to thrash harder, and thus are enjoying the ride more. But a bunch of energy pushing down on the front of the bike is energy that is not pushing you down the road - it is more efficient to have a lighter touch on the bars and have all that energy going into the pedals. Related to that is placing the saddle first in a fit to largely center your mass and only require a light push on the bars for stabilizing. Even standing should not require a hard lean into the bars.
You are having fun with the set up as is so cool, just some food for thought.
You mentioned the fun of pushing down on the front while standing and since you are enjoying the stability from that you are able to thrash harder, and thus are enjoying the ride more. But a bunch of energy pushing down on the front of the bike is energy that is not pushing you down the road - it is more efficient to have a lighter touch on the bars and have all that energy going into the pedals. Related to that is placing the saddle first in a fit to largely center your mass and only require a light push on the bars for stabilizing. Even standing should not require a hard lean into the bars.
You are having fun with the set up as is so cool, just some food for thought.
#28
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Perfect size. In the photo, your saddle is too high, and by a good bit, but drop and reach look really good. That's the way it's supposed to look. Your upper arm is supposed to make a right angle with your straight torso and that's what you have.
You would be more comfortable if you flattened your back. All the way from the top of your shorts to the back of your head should be a straight line. If your back doesn't like this position, it's not the fault of the fit, it's that you have a weak back. Strengthen it by riding lots.
I once had a bike much like yours and never did succeed in ripping the bars off it, no matter how hard I tried. Modern threadless stems and headsets are much stiffer. You could put a threadless adapter in there and put on a stiffer forged alloy stem, could also get you a little lower in front. You might like that. It's fun to go fast. That's a welded stem you have here. I've ripped the weld almost off a stem just like that on a much newer carbon bike and fortunately didn't die. Get rid of that stem.
Out of the saddle, there are two pedal strokes, rest strokes and power strokes. During rest strokes, you put even pressure on the bars. During power strokes, you pull up on the bar that's on the same side as the downstroke pedal. Try riding in the drops while standing and keeping your butt far enough aft that you feel the saddle horn just touching the back of your thighs as you rock the bike.
I have a bike fit primer here: https://www.bikeforums.net/21296948-post3.html
You would be more comfortable if you flattened your back. All the way from the top of your shorts to the back of your head should be a straight line. If your back doesn't like this position, it's not the fault of the fit, it's that you have a weak back. Strengthen it by riding lots.
I once had a bike much like yours and never did succeed in ripping the bars off it, no matter how hard I tried. Modern threadless stems and headsets are much stiffer. You could put a threadless adapter in there and put on a stiffer forged alloy stem, could also get you a little lower in front. You might like that. It's fun to go fast. That's a welded stem you have here. I've ripped the weld almost off a stem just like that on a much newer carbon bike and fortunately didn't die. Get rid of that stem.
Out of the saddle, there are two pedal strokes, rest strokes and power strokes. During rest strokes, you put even pressure on the bars. During power strokes, you pull up on the bar that's on the same side as the downstroke pedal. Try riding in the drops while standing and keeping your butt far enough aft that you feel the saddle horn just touching the back of your thighs as you rock the bike.
I have a bike fit primer here: https://www.bikeforums.net/21296948-post3.html
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