New To Me Bike Day! Quick question about forks/handlebars/headset rattle on bimos
 

Double post

New To Me Bike Day! Quick question about forks/handlebars/headset rattle on bimos
 

2004 Lemond. Outfitted with narrower handlebars and shorter headset or something. Seems to fit fine so far. Maybe if I post a pic you can advise on fit.

Can't seem to edit the pic for some reason so you can see how excited my daughter is about my new purchase

Totally agree with your daughter. Maybe it'd fit her.

Thanks for pissing on my parade. I agree it looks small in the pic but it actually feels ok.

Anyone know any bike forums where people aren't complete *******s? Seriously.

That chainring right next to the couch is giving me the willies.

The way to check for a loose headset is squeeze the front brake with one hand and push the bike forward and back with the other. If you hear knocking, or feel it through the frame, your headset is loose. If you don't know how to fix that, and especially if you don't have a torque wench, take it to your LBS.

How tall are you? That doesn't look like it's any bigger than 56 cm, and more like 54.

I'm 5'10 maybe it is small guess I'll throw it in the dump. Happy now?

A pic with hands on the hoods might provide better insight on fit. I think since your hands are back on the bar and has your posture more upright might be throwing us off.

I don't see a problem with it. If those are the shoes and pedals you're using, I'd lower the seat a few mm. Congrats on the new bike.

Ok thanks for the civil reply. I'm going to ride it Monday with a local group and get feedback from them. But thank you

What are your goals with starting the thread? Is it for fitting advice or just to let people see your new bike? If you really want fitting advice, don't be a wanker. You get nothing constructive going that route.

Appreciate it guys.

Feedback is fine. Snark isn't.

If it's too small say "I think it's too small.". Simple, right?

Looks like a nice bike

if it feels good to you it is good

it is very difficult to access fit based on a picture. Unfortunately to do it right, someone needs to watch you ride from multiple angles.

i happen to think a proper bike fit from a reputable LBS is worth the $100 or so they might charge. They may tweak the saddle and handlebar angle, height of the handlebar, or recommend a different size stem or change the position of your cleats if you use them. The thing about bike fits is you are only talking about mm of differences that can make the bike more comfortable, responsive and ultimately more fun to ride. I went from having neck and back pain after every ride to being able to ride hours without problems after a bike fit which included getting a shorter stem, raising the seatpost, moving the saddle forward and rotating the handlebar. All these changes were quite small but definitely noticeable.

Do you need a proper fit? It depends on how much you value post ride pain and getting the most performance from a given bike - as well as if something doesn’t feel like it fits right.

Of course, you can ride a bike for years without a fit, it is not a requirement

congrats on the bike. Agree with above, hard to tell if it’s too small due to the way you are sitting. Highly recommend taking it to a local bike shop and having them give it a once over and helping you get the fit right. Even if it is too small, it’s not the end of the world. Bike shop can help you make it work.

Oh, lighten up, Francis! This is the internet. Are you new here? ;)

Here's a tip - take a picture of the bike without you, against something like a wall or garage door. That will tell us whether the saddle is slammed forward, or back or is about neutral. It will also tell us how much seatpost is exposed.

Next, measure your inseam by standing in bare feet and jamming a book in your crotch, and measure from the floor to the top of the book.

Next, measure the seat tube from the center of the crank to the middle of the top tube, and then the top tube from the middle of the seat tube to the middle of the head tube. Also, the stem from the center of the steerer tube to the center of the bars. Then the bars from the center of one end to the other. Ideally in centimeters, but if you only have inches, multiply by 2.54.

Next, put on some shorts, get on the bike leaning against a wall, and have someone take pics of you with the cranks at 3:00 and 9:00, and at maximum extension. Make sure the spindle of the pedal is under the ball of your foot, not the middle.

It is POSSIBLE to make a smaller frame KIND OF fit, but it will always be a compromise. I had to give up a bike I really liked because I could not make it fit. The bars would always be too low unless I used an ugly, extra tall stem.

Based on the pic posted, the bike does look to be a size down too small. But, easier to work around/fitting a bike that is smaller than a bike sized up too big.

Again, based on the pic posted, first thing I'd do is throw on a setback seat post and then lower the seat post height in order to give your knee a better bend and range of motion. A good start would be around 30° and if you feel too crunched up front when on the shifters or on the drops, you can always go with a longer stem.

These are all positive comments. Thank you. Fwiw the top bar fits firmly against my junk when I straddle it flat footed.

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...79841d670c.jpg

I agree on a fitting. I'm going to ride with some folks in Monday and see how it feels. I do feel like I am in "over the front wheel" a bit, but maybe that's ok.

Also fwiw the guy I bought it from was a good inch taller than me. Also with longer limbs

Here's the seat and post. Not sure what info can be had from it.
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...2bb7cd75d9.jpg

Enjoy.

I thought the post was about rattling bimbos ... I just wanted to find out what I was missing.

I guess since you're another annoying Brit I'll just tell you to "bugger off, poofter."

yeah, the seat is too high in that pic .... and since you are not in your actual riding posture, it is impossible for us to guess if it fits ..... impossible anyway, because the only real test is riding as many miles as you can comfortably and then deciding.

My first thought was that the frame was too small, and even if you drop the seat a couple cm it might be .... but who knows?

Did you see the picture of me straddling the top bar? I know that's not the definitive way to size a bike, but the top bar is spot on, no?

I agree I just need to ride the damn thing and stop posting on here

Well it looks like the saddle is angled forward and you might be reaching a little. That might have you feeling that you were falling forward. I'd possibly drop the saddle a little and flatten it out. Forward-tilted saddle Can be a sign that the saddle is too high and the rider is avoiding unwanted pressure with an unhealthy tilt.

Standover height is meaningless unless you bought the bike to support your junk while hiking.

And yeah .... getting pissy about snark is not the way to joy here. It took me a while to learn it is just BF and no0ne of it matters .... lots of wise-mouths here, having lots of fun.

[MENTION=78894]Carbonfiberboy[/MENTION] is not normally snarky .... he is like 7000 years old and can do one-finger pushups, and is just a nice guy as a rule .... but he saw the same thing I saw, which is that in the first photo, the frame looked small .... i think a combination of the downward angle and the sitting position (not a riding position) made the frame look smaller than it is .... but that is a short head-tube which means whatever size the frame is, the bars will not go up much ....

As far as the guy who owned it before being taller and longer-limbed .... yeah, so? Maybe he preferred a really stretched-out riding posture so his long limbs and longer torso let him reach comfortably what you, with shorter limbs, cannot reach?

Every one of us is a unique snowflake or maybe just a flake of ash .... but we are all different. Different proportions, different length of limbs, different flexibility and range of motion, different riding styles and preferences.

Anyway, one of the classic BF posts is "I just bought this, should've I?" Not so many lately, but when people buy stuff and ask if it is worth buying .... yeah, they might get some good-natured ribbing .... because it is pretty much an idiot move. Figure out if it is worth buying Before you buy it, is usually the response.

Your post verges on that.

By the way .... for future purchases, i recommend the Competitive Cycling fit calculator (https://www.competitivecyclist.com/S...ulatorBike.jsp) I took those measurements and made a stick-figure of myself, then when buying new frames I sketch the frame on graph paper and add my stick figure to see if it fits. So far I have been able to get seat height and setback nearly perfect and stem length and angle and spacer stack just right on new frames.

Standover has almost no bearing on fit - there was a time when that was a standard for some, but that time has long passed. Hip position relative to the bottom bracket and stack and reach are the important factors.

Actually, that was just to get around the censor. I've never been to England, but I've been to Oklahoma.

Also .... you bought a bike with an unspecified rattle somewhere in the front end? ...... Really ...... okayyyyy........

Could be headset or brakes or wheel bearings or stem or bars .... and any of those things failing at speed could cripple or kill you. Good plan.

Headset .... well most likely outcome is that you will ovalize that expensive Ti head tube and the frame will be worthless. Bars suddenly shifting while riding can lead to a nasty crash .... whether they turn when the bike doesn't or the bike doesn't turn when you need it to or if they rotate out from under you .... all good ways to investigate the details of your dental insurance coverage at the very least.

If the brakes are loose, that's fine .... only risk is that they crack the fork or tear loose and gouge a huge hole in the crown, and maybe then wedge in the wheel and send you fling .... particularly exciting on a downhill turn at high speed, and best if there is no guardrail ...... And wheel bearings, who needs 'em? What could happen, the wheel could stop turning at speed, of flop sideways? What could go wrong?

While the fix might be simple, .... it might. or maybe permanent damage has already been done .... maybe the guy has wrecked his head tube and doesn't even know it. This is why I tell folks looking at used bikes to bring a knowledgeable friend along.

Coould be nothing. You might have gotten a really nice ride for a really good price. I'd say most of us here would prefer that to any kind of horror story.

But seriously .... "I just dropped $500 on this bike .... it might have terminal mechanical damage, or maybe not. I am going to ask some friends if it fits me .... what do you guys think?"

If you saw that post, what would you think?