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Old 05-12-20, 06:59 AM
  #14795  
Phatman
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Originally Posted by procrit
I bought a new bike (slightly larger), and overall it feels better, but my wrists are having a hard time. It has a 3cm longer reach to the hoods, which I'm sure is what is causing some minor wrist agitation, but I feel like it's also part of what makes my upper body feel more "open" and comfortable. Total drop from the seat to the bars is the same, and the seat tube angle is slightly more aggressive, which definitely gives my hips a more open feeling. Overall I'm faster because I can put down about 20 more watts while being as aero as possible. I've only ridden it a few times, so maybe I just need to get used to it, but I can't help but think I need to shorten the stem a bit.
I've had some wrist issues in the past, and what made the difference for me was the rotation of the bars and/or the hood position. It was the style back in ~2004-2005ish when I first started racing to have the hoods really high up on the bars so of course I set mine up that way. I found that I got pain because my wrists were basically bent backwards. Anyways, I'd work on that first before messing with the stem, especially if you're on a new setup.

I think that if you shorten the stem, I'd accompany that with a rearward movement of your seat to shift the weight back a bit, though I'll bet the wattage increase is due to the more open hip angle. Have you tried the Steve Hogg method of taking your hands off the bars while you're in your normal riding position? Do you fall forward?
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