I don't think you're being contrary at all. You've empirically decided what
works best for you and what is most comfortable for you. My point was that the
image of the racing bike, rather than the fit, has had a much bigger influence
on what the public will buy. I guess I should have said that this generally
doesn't apply to Riv buyers, and you, in particular, have mentioned your
preference for lower bars before. Nothing wrong with that, because you don't
keep them low for looks. I WAS susceptible to that in my early days of
cycling, and if I knew then what I know now, I would have had a much better
experience (and a lot less pain).
----- Original Message -----
From: PATRICK MOORE
To: rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com
Sent: Thursday, January 29, 2009 12:00 PM
Subject: [RBW] Re: racing bikes?
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: dfal...@charter.net
To: rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com
Subject: [RBW] Re: Rivendell vs. Bridgestone sizing
Date: Tue, 27 Jan 2009 07:30:03 -0800
I'm preaching to the choir here, but the biggest resistance to raising the
stem on road bikes comes from the aesthetic of the "racing bike look". Almost
no one (please note that I said "almost no one") could rationally claim that
having bars significantly lower than the saddle is more comfortable; yet the
image of the racing bike is so ingrained in the bike culture that variants are
considered freakish and wrong, regardless of comfort or proper fit. I had a
beautiful Eisentraut in the 70's and early 80's, and it never felt right so I
sold it. Looking back, I had the stem so far down that my back and neck always
hurt. It sure looked good, and at the time I would have rather suffered than
look non-racy by raising the stem.
----- Original Message -----
From: gr...@rivbike.com
To: RBW Owners Bunch
Sent: Monday, January 26, 2009 10:06 PM
Subject: [RBW] Re: Rivendell vs. Bridgestone sizing
there may be some who prefer low
bars, but I tend to think they're anatomically different in invisible
ways, or in denial, or too stubborn. Something.
Just contrarian view here. I am near-enough-as-makes-no-difference to 54, not
at all flexible, and generally ride short distances (30 miles or less); last
year I rode 3000 miles -- certainly I'm no racer or long distance type. I ride
in somewhat hilly terrain (ABQ, NM) where we have a lot of wind. I like my bars
(a) short reach and shallow drop and narrow: 42 cm (I'm 5'10") and (b) about 2"
below saddle. The bars suit me fine for the following reasons: (a) I don't ride
more than 30 miles (tho' I've done a 50 miler with no problems); (b) the bike
seems to handle better -- I've tried bars even and found the bike felt
unpleasant -- no power, light front end; (c) believe it or not, a few miles in
the hooks is a comfortable alternative to hoods and ramps and flats; (d) Wind!
(e) I notice more power when I am lower. FWIW, I have long torso and short
limbs, Asian style.
I have tried wider bars and higher bars and don't like them, except on the
off road bike where I like the wide and high flats for drop-offs, but even on
these -- with bar even with or perhaps even slightly higher than saddle, I ride
a great deal in the drops, which is slightly lower than the hoods position on
my road bikes. And as I say, I don't like the feel as well as that on my road
bikes. (The reach from saddle to levers remains the same as on the road bikes
thanks to the immense effective tt length on the Monocog 29er.)
The bikes in question are 2 custom Rivs, which are the most comfortable bikes
I've ridden, and all my other bikes use the Rivs as benchmark for setup.
I don't give a hoot about looking like a racer: all my bikes except the
gofast, which gets ridden less than the others, have fenders and either bag or
rack. The two commuters and errand bikes have bell or horn and lights. Even the
gofast has a Nigel Smythe bag.
To complete my disgrace -- might as well reveal it all -- I like skinnier
tires, no more than 28 on pavement (I use 21 mm Turbos on the commuter because
I can't find supple 28s in the 559 size, 28s on the Motobecane, and I favor 60s
off road -- sandy here), don't like Brookses though I've tried almost all of
them, have switched back to clips and straps and find them nicer than clipless
despite saying "NO NO" for many years, and all my bikes are fixed or at least
ss. For that matter, I prefer rechargeable lights to dynohub. I do wear wool in
winter and cotton in summer -- not for style but because these are better for
my climate.
My point is not to be contrary, despite my tongue in cheek opening sentence,
but simply to point out that it is very, very hard to assert accurate abolutes
when speaking about bike fit and comfort.
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