Moisture

There seems to be some misconception with what sort of stems work best according to your proportions.

Most bike manufacturers spec a specific type of stem length, usually on the longer side, more or less across the board. However they think you should fit on the bike I am sure is most often a case by case condition depending on rider proportions.

I am basing which length stem I require based achieving the right balance between leaning and an upright riding position, with the seat set backwards as far as reasonably possible for better fit and balance

I understand that people with longer torsos, particularly those of you who are more on the slender side will require a longer stem and maybe even drop bars, in more extreme circumstances.

Lets say that a 25-32mm, stem is the shortest you can go based on handlebar clamp diameter.

So 25-120mm length stems are the most common range, with either of those numbers being toward an extreme side for fit circumstances. So anything in between, namely 40-90mm is likely a releastic range for the majority of bikers.

Point is, by sliding your seat further back and trying out different length stems, again, provided that your frame is a suitable fit for you, this is certainly an experiment which can be very helpful with achieved a better fit.

mack_turtle

I'm not going to mince words here. this is utter bollocks, you don't know what you're talking about, you should not be trying to pass off your ignorance as good advice, and your confidence on these topics is a textbook example of the Dunning-Kruger Effect. your advice is based on zero experience in the real world, and professional bike fitters would never agree to your methods because they have fitted hundreds of individuals, including professional athletes, on bikes using very different methods that directly contradict your assumptions.

tomato coupe

There seems to be an endless parade of threads like this ...

Eric F 

Hmmm...It seems to me that, for over a century, people have been working on how humans can power a bicycle most efficiently. While I agree with your point that each rider should find a position that is most comfortable for their unique body, and some changes to parts may be required to do that, the current level sophistication of bicycle fitting technology really takes a lot of the guesswork out of it. The advice of just pushing your seat back, and experimenting with different stems is far too random and pretty ignorant.

Your advice also completely ignores the major factor that not everyone wants to ride the same way, and different fit types are better for different styles of riding. For example, my desire is to get down the road efficiently and quickly, so my fit is intended to not only to be biomechanically efficient for my pedaling action, but also minimize the forces I'm battling against - wind resistance, rolling resistance, and gravity. As such, based on the pics you have posted of you on your bike, our goals seem to be significantly different, and your advice is pretty irrelevant.

Serenity Yee

Drippity drip knows everything.

Ferrouscious 

Why do I read these? I know I'm going to hate myself afterwards, but I still read on. smh

Branko D

Here's a simple experiment to run. Set an alarm clock early in the morning this Sunday, make breakfast and coffee and go ride for, say, six hours. That's not an exceptionally long ride, but is long enough that your body will in no uncertain terms tell you how it feels about your bike fit and you won't be able to lie to yourself about it. Then you go to a bike shop and buy an entry level road bike which is in your size and have them fit you in a rudimentary fashion, practice riding it for a couple of weeks and then repeat the same ride.

Furthermore, the idea that everyone should be on some unorthodox fit specially tailored to their body is just nonsense. The human body is adaptable (and if yours isn't, quite likely exercise to adress that would help). The same person can learn to ride a recumbent (if they are so inclined), a MTB, a road bike and a TT bike, all of which have completely different fits when setup as intended for the sport they are for.

Moisture

Setting the saddle all the way back may not make sense for everybody. But it would help you get lower, streamline yourself better, and improve power trasnfer provided you're using the correct stem length, right?

there's clearly something quite wrong with my proportions in present form to prefer such a short top tube, and a short stem on top of that. It feels fine when simply blasting down a straight road, but with my seat set so high due to my strap ins, it is extremely un aero.

, modern life is clearly about making sacrifices. I don't need to lean forward much to weigh the front axle. I don't need as much space to do so. This means that I have to be much more careful when transitioning weight to avoid upsetting balance.

This is clearly a problem which many of you do not have, or at least don't worry about. Maybe handling balance isn't top priority. I do totally agree that basing my ideas as being useful for many people for fit doesn't make any sense.

But adjusting saddle positioning and stem length- not necessarily backwards and shorter like I initially suggested - does make sense
.

aniki

WRONG!! Again with the baseless nonsense. What saddle? How long are the rails? What setback on the seat-post? What is the seat tube angle? How high is the bottom bracket? What length are the crank arms? What size is the person riding the bike? What type of riding is the person doing? There are a million variations that could affect the optimum fore and aft position of a persons saddle! Again you're just making arbitrary statements based on absolutely no facts or experience whatsoever; please stop it.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with your proportions at all. Based on what you've said in previous threads, you have very low core strength and have tried to adapt a drop bar road racing bike into a sit-up-and-beg shopping bike and your subsequent position on the bike is a complete mess.

I think you'll find that for anyone riding a road bike as it was intended, handling is very much a top priority! Most people don't have a problem with it unless their bikes are set up incorrectly.

The why do you insist on doing it?

Branko D

Think about it this way. Leg length is fixed, so if you push the saddle back and down to maintain the same distance to the pedals, you're effectively rotating the rider backwards in relation to the bottom bracket. You can rotate the rider around the BB pretty significantly - on a triathlon bike you're going to be rotated considerably forward compared to a road bike, while on a recumbent you are going to be rotated backward all the way, and people can produce power either way.
​​​​​However, consider what happens when you rotate the rider backwards a bit. To maintain the angle between the legs and the upper body (there's a limit how much you can bend over and still produce power, you can't just tell the rider to bend over more), you have to push the handlebars closer and up. You are not getting lower and more aero by pushing the rider back, on the contrary.

In any case, my advice is to get fitted on a road bike and do whatever it takes to ride it well without doing anything unorthodox with the fit. There's a learning curve and a period of adaptation, but stick with it and the end result will be so much better than if you try to reinvent bike fitting to account for your perceived unique physique.
​​​​​​

Moisture

The leaning forward position is very bad for your back. I've never heard of anyone getting optimal physical performance while training or riding with a rounded lumbar spine.

Iride01 

I've never heard of anyone getting optimal performance by staying as least aerodynamic as possible. At least not if optimal performance is on road bike doing a 130 mile ride in competition with others.

aniki

No it isn't. Stop stating your baseless opinions as fact.
Which is why when cyclists achieve correct fit and positioning, they are able to rotate their pelvis instead of bending their lower spine. This is why millions of cyclists all over the world have been able to ride for hours on end in this position, pain and injury free for over 200 years!

caloso

wut

aniki

This is Alf Engers; one of the fastest cyclists ever. He rode this position for almost 20 years....

Moisture

So you really think that the guy in the below is riding with health lower back posture?

^ whatever causes lower back rounding like this causes so many extra problems for your whole body, and performance included .

mack_turtle

thanks, doc. where did you attend medical school, again?

caloso

7 Rainbow jerseys. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_M...r_achievements
I'd say his performance has not suffered.

mack_turtle

look at this idiot! I'll bet he never won any races or anything with his back like that. what he needs is a flagpole of a stem so he can sit up like a windsail!

caloso

I've always said Eddy on the tops is more aero than most riders in the drops.

badger1

Here's another fellow who has utterly ruined his health. Just think: if he had followed the fit recommendations popping up like noxious weeds on here lately, he might have done something in track racing/the Olympics. Sad.

mack_turtle

I shared with Moisture a photo of my bike with a "rounded back" posture. I am not very flexible (I cannot bend at the waist and touch my toes to save my life) but I can ride comfortably for hours with my handlebar at least an inch below my saddle height. the bottom line is people with no experience riding, much less helping other people fit on their bikes, have NOTHING of value to add to this conversation. it's best that they sit back and learn instead of chiming in with advice that comes from ignorance.

Moisture

Sad to see you guys accepting the human body in a way its not designed to function.

Whats the excuse here? success over other people of similarly flawed proportions? How is this acceptable? This is not an accurate basis .

Its either you strive to do better or you accept the corruption of human life. Roll the dice

mack_turtle

someone needs to stop Julia before she hurts herself!

mack_turtle

arguing with ignorant people is fun at first, then it's just exhausting.