5/7/14 11:19 AM

Considering a CC tour down to Bend. So long slow days in the saddle presumably.

I am thinking naturally having a less steep head/neck attitude will be a good idea. So fishing for bar height and seat set back changes that will be fruitful. Assume higher on the bars, more setback, or does the higher bars mean less automatically?

No experience other than faster rides really, and no where near the miles. Well one 180 miler per year in NJ, but we tried for 20 MPH averages, which we never got closer than 18.2 for 10 hours. ;)


Or do I just take the CX bike, or maybe even the Gary 29er with the 32C road tires ?

5/7/14 12:15 PM

Raising the bar height always results in less reach, unless a longer stem is used.

Less reach may make you feel cramped and less likely to use the tops as a "pushing" grip, useful on long hill climbs. Raising also means less upper body weight on the arms and less neck strain. It also means more body weight on the seat on steeper sections, which may result in a tired butt, given that you spend more time climbing then descending.

Typical road (Aheadset style) stems are around +/- 5-6 degrees, though they come in a huge assortment of angles. If you have your current stem set for negative rise, try swapping to see how it feels, it's a quick change. If you have a 110mm (as example) and like the height, you might move to a 120mm to re-gain the reach with less back angle and unless you have access to a CAD program to draw it out, its a bit of hit or miss. Stems are cheap though and a shop might let you try a few.

Measure your current reach - middle of seat to middle of bar, to get a sense of what works now and what to aim for.

5/7/14 12:59 PM

http://habcycles.com/fitting.html

5/7/14 1:17 PM

Yeah Evan, had that on my PC for years. Good for such changes for keeping the baseline...

5/7/14 1:19 PM

Another quick and easy option that you can do during the ride is to move the bars +/- a degree or two. Or if you happen to be riding retro, as in a "10-speed", invert the drop handlebars ;-)

5/7/14 1:24 PM

I popped the old Scott AT3 bar on the 29er a few weeks ago. Lots more hand positions... Maybe I should test ride some distance bouts with the 32C road tires...


Later, off for a ride...

5/7/14 1:56 PM

I don't do multiday rides, but I do lots of centuries and longer (up to 10-12 hours in the saddle in recent years). I just ride the same way all the time. If it's comfortable, why change? If it's not comfortable, change. But I don't have a radical position to begin with, bars about 2" below saddle. I think only you would know if you need to change anything.

5/7/14 4:27 PM

Agree with Dan. Leave good enough alone. Don't over think it.

Much better is start riding similar mileage to see if you're still comfortable at the current setup BEFORE making any changes based on what people THINK!

5/7/14 4:42 PM

Thanks, Evan

Great resource.

SB