"Common wisdom" (if there ever was or still is such a thing) in the "old days" was not to use a stem length so short that it would position the hands too far behind a vertical line from the hands on the brake hoods (or bar drops) to the center of the front axle or conversely, so long that it would position the hands too far forward of the axle using the same vertical line. Either may result in poor bike steering/handling. Not sure if that same logic still applies in the experience of others or not. At what angle have you positioned the brake levers on those Blue Lug bars? So the lever hoods are pointed straight forward? Or tilted back a few degrees so that your hands feel like they're resting in a secure place that you don't have to reach excessively to get to?
On Tuesday, September 9, 2025 at 1:56:56 PM UTC-5 Jamie D. wrote: > Wow, such excellent and insightful responses so far! I am definitely NOT > trying to put drop bars on a Clem though I'm sure someone has tried. It's > less about pain (which feels inevitable since I'm not in the best shape, > I'm working on that), it's more that I feel restless on the bars. I keep > trying different hand positions and they never feel quite right. I think > the biggest physical annoyance is feeling like have to constantly 'look up' > bringing my neck out of line with my back. > > For context, I am currently experimenting with a recently acquired 56cm > Quickbeam. I'm 5' 10.5" tall with a 85cm PBH and 74cm saddle height. I > tried the stock 42cm noodles with a 90cm stem bars level to the saddle and > these were too narrow and I felt like a was leaning too far forward. My > current setup is a 60mm 90-190 stem with these Blue Lug bars > <https://global.bluelug.com/nitto-all-road-bar-plus-black.html> in the > 480mm width. The hood position of the bar is currently around 4cm above the > sit bone level of the Brooks B17 saddle with the nose pointed up roughly 10 > degrees. My intention was to try and recreate my most comfortable drop bar > bike ever which was a Miyata Alumicross set up very close to this > <https://www.retrobike.co.uk/threads/miyata-alumicross-frame-4-sale-or-swap.68985/>. > > The last time I rode this bike (I no longer have it) was at least a decade > ago and I definitely have less strength and flexibility than I did then. I > tried comparing the two on Bike Insights > <https://bikeinsights.com/compare?geometries=63a27f6272f35e001c299589,5c782245d5f6a500174c1ec8,> > > and it seems like the short 60mm stem could work but obviously the 'Nitto > spread bar' that came on this bike is very different. > > In terms of reach, am I right in thinking that changing the stem length > can accommodate the longer or shorter reach of any given bar? Or are they > two different things that do not have the same effect on your position? > On Tuesday, September 9, 2025 at 10:03:07 AM UTC-4 [email protected] > wrote: > >> Morning all, >> >> I don't post a lot here, but this is a subject that piques my interest.. >> :) >> >> First, for anyone interested in learning a bit more about bike fit, I'd >> point you to "Bikefit James" on YouTube.. he has some fantastic videos that >> are aimed at regular people like us IMHO.. >> >> Ok, so there has been some great advice already, not a whole lot I can >> add, but I'll try! ;^) I came to Riv back in the mid-2000s when the >> "country bikes" where just starting to hit the streets and got a Bleriot >> with drops (Noodles), keep it for a while, but it always felt too large >> (went with Grant's sizing, whole other story) and sold it. Was without a >> Riv for bit until my Dad passed and I was given his Homer set up with >> Albatross bars from Riv. Tried to ride it as it was (to honor Dad), but >> just couldn't do it, so uncomfortable IMHO.. replaced the alt bars first >> with a set of Noodles I had and just didn't jive (felt long), finally >> picked up a Velo Orange 31.8 removable faceplate stem and have a set of >> Specialized "short reach alloy flare" bars on Homer now with fantastic >> results. Maybe it's sacrilege to have Specialized bars on a Riv, but >> whatever.. :D >> >> I guess my point is, for me, alt bars for sure didn't work for me and >> even the older style drop bars like Noodles and other older "modern" bars I >> tried never really felt good to me.. my hands/arms/etc seem to like a >> modern (within the last 5 yrs maybe) style of bar with a shallow bar and >> shorter reach and little flare (not a lot, just a little). Using the Velo >> Orange stem (Nitto makes one as well I think) allows me to use modern bars >> and swap so easily compared to a traditional quill.. Also, I currently run >> my bars roughly at saddle level, maybe .5 cm below and ride a lot in the >> drops when cruising along.. I do like the article reposted above and, I >> agree, it's shame Riv has seemed to have gone away from anything that's not >> super long chainstays and alt bars for the most part.. Finally, you might >> be surprised at how narrow of a saddle you might want.. I'm not a skinny >> guy (200ish#, stocky) and I find I like a more narrow saddle like a >> 130-140mm vs a wider one that many might want to put me on.. I've learned >> from watching the bike fit guy I mentioned initially (and others) that your >> sit bones don't always correspond to your "body size" and many would have >> you think.. :) >> >> Happy riding!! >> Chris >> >> On Monday, September 8, 2025 at 6:31:13 PM UTC-7 Bill Lindsay wrote: >> >>> Also maybe some basic info about the bike. Specifically, this Original >>> Poster was asking for advice about using a Clem Smith Jr in a small urban >>> living space. That was last Winter. If the bike in question is a Clem >>> Smith Jr, and the Original Poster is trying to get drop bars comfortable on >>> a Clem Smith Jr, then that's a really tough objective. The top tube length >>> is probably WAY too long. >>> >>> Bill Lindsay >>> El Cerrito, CA >>> >>> On Monday, September 8, 2025 at 6:01:18 PM UTC-7 Ted Durant wrote: >>> >>>> On Monday, September 8, 2025 at 5:49:50 PM UTC-5 [email protected] >>>> wrote: >>>> >>>> In what way (or ways) are your current bars uncomfortable, if you don't >>>> mind me asking? >>>> >>>> >>>> I think it's important to start with the answer to that question before >>>> weighing in on potential solutions. >>>> >>>> As I've mentioned elsewhere, I recently moved to narrower bars, and >>>> I've also raised them on most my bikes so the tops are almost level with >>>> the saddle, vs the roughly 20-30mm drop I've had in the past. I am >>>> flexible >>>> in that direction in my hips and lower back, but I'm "on the wrong side of >>>> 60" and have had a couple of compression fractures in my thoracic spine, >>>> so >>>> I'm moving more toward comfortable than fast. Still, a deeper drop works >>>> well for me, especially with the tops of the bars up higher, so I can >>>> still >>>> get my torso farther down when desired. I find it very comfortable to ride >>>> on the drops for very long periods (hours) as long as the drops are >>>> angled, >>>> not parallel to the ground but at an angle that makes my wrists neutrally >>>> positioned. Very much "where my hands want to be" when on the drops. Other >>>> advice about the hands resting gently on the tops matches my experience, >>>> as >>>> Eddy Merckx I think is reported to have said, "like you're playing piano". >>>> >>>> The advice about the tops of the brake hoods coming straight off the >>>> top of the bars is a good starting point, but my experience has been that >>>> varies considerably depending on the specific bar and brake lever, as well >>>> as your preferred hand positions. Some brake levers come with wedges that >>>> allow for changing the angle. >>>> >>>> Last bit of advice that I think is important. Torso position and >>>> hand/wrist/elbow/shoulder comfort are very dependent on how much effort >>>> you >>>> are putting into the pedals. A low torso position on the drops is only >>>> comfortable for me for longer periods if I'm riding pretty hard. There's >>>> probably no point trying to define that "pretty hard" further than my >>>> preferred "zone 2" definition which is that I'm thinking about my >>>> breathing, keeping it to nose breathing, and I can carry on a conversation >>>> but a short sentence at a time. The reason for this is my legs and core >>>> are >>>> bearing a large portion of my weight, and I'm on the verge of actually >>>> pulling up on the bars rather than resting any weight on them. Or, as >>>> others describe it, I can take my hands off the bars and not plonk my nose >>>> on the stem. >>>> >>>> Ted Durant >>>> Milwaukee, WI USA >>>> >>> -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/3ddd6edf-e67f-4ff8-b604-a5e9b6d3db86n%40googlegroups.com.
