Wildwood 

Saw this article and thought, 'for a simple few steps in fitting', good advice for things to check.

I'm a bike fitter – these are the seven most common mistakes I see people making | Cycling Weekly

1.saddle pushing forward to reduce reach
2. saddle tilting - usually down
3. wide handlebars
4. cleat position - usually too far forward
5. float issues
6. shoe size issues
7. frame to rider match.

1-6 cover 'touch position' issues which seems right. And the sole one remaining is for folks on a poor frame choice for their 'best fit' position for power and comfort.

PromptCritical 

So, if you need to reduce reach and you already have the shortest stem, what is the solution without buying a new bike or custom frame?

Trakhak

See mistake no. 7 (i.e., the bike doesn't fit). That said, one workaround is to buy a taller stem with the same ("shortest") horizontal length. Such a stem moves the bars up and back.

Polaris OBark

Thankfully my mountain bike bars are only 820mm wide.

Polaris OBark

Some drop bars have shorter reach, and some also have backsweep. But if the frame is too large, it really limits your options.

Kontact 

A used bike or a different hobby.

Iride01 

#3 Wide handlebars. The article described exactly what'd been happening on both my '91 Paramount I built out with 42cm wide bars and my new back in 2020 Specialized Tarmac with 42cm wide bars. My wrists would eventually tire and I'd have a bend in them that would make my hands get numb. Replacing them with 38cm wider bars made everything good again. Previous to the Paramount that I built out about 2016-2017, most all my other old bikes with drop bars were 38cm wide.


As for this...
New bike is the best option if shorter stem and shorter bar reach can't solve the issue.


Similar thing I didn't read the article thoroughly enough to see if they said anything on it...
I still don't quite accept the idea one should balance on the saddle to determine where the saddle goes or how much setback the seat post should have as many do now. Core strength affects that too much and for many sedate people that only bike for activity, they won't have a strong core to hold them up and they'll mistake that to mean they should push the saddle back too far for efficient power transfer which also will wind up working the quads too much.

79pmooney

1.saddle pushing forward to reduce reach
2. saddle tilting - usually down - Guilty. I ride with a more forward and handlebars down position them most because I am long, skinny and not especially strong. I've know the wind was my enemy a long time and that a back as close to horizontal as feasible helps a lot. A horizontal seat is very uncomfortable, leads to issues after and discourages speed. Yes, I ride with real weight on my hands and have to address it. NBD.

3. wide handlebars - Guilty on my climbing fix gears. At 70, I find the leverage gain climbing offsets the disadvantages on the flat plus wider = less aero so easier to pedal high speed descents and that is a time I really don't mind the added control steering the bike at all!

4. cleat position - usually too far forward
5. float issues - no issues here. All my shoes and pedals are no-float except my farmers market bike. That bike had SPDs toed in as far as possible at high release tension to come as close to locking my feet in their no-float position as I can. Poor compromise my knees keep reminding me but for short rides, OK.

6. shoe size issues I rode shoes a size small for decades to keep my toes down feet from sliding around and causing blisters and other issues. The European pointed toes meant I had permanent distorted toenails. Now LAKE makes big toe box shoes that my feet don't slide in! My feet are in heaven.

7. frame to rider match. An issue for years for me. Finding bikes that allowed long enough reach. Started having custom stems made for me 30 years ago. Recently, stockpiling stock stems as long as 155. Down to 2 customs, 155 and 175. Stock 120 (custom based on that), 135, 140 and a bike to get between 130 and 140. I used to simply slam stems to get as much reach as I could. Every one had a dent in the throat.

oldbobcat

A handlebar with the proper width and less reach.

Kontact 

Along the same lines, you can lower the handlebar lower your back and get more length that way.