Saddle to handlebar drop

[ray j willings]

Decided not to dope but look at this

 

[richwagmn]

Re: Re:

I know KB , but I don't want my bike to look like a hipster bike. Plus I will have a go on the small ring once we get some consistent weather in London.
I

just to be safe, run a triple up front.......will also help with your freaky chain line action - win / win

Don't forget though Pantani blasted up Alp d huez on his 53. [so did I ] Bertie rides in his big ring a lot as well.
If a bike wasn't mean to go 53 /24/27 it wouldn't but it does and I love it and what about Wi fli . Bertie used that so he could stay in his big ring. I may try a wi fli on one of my bikes at some point.
Went for a nice ride today climbed all round Highgate " the hills" for 2 hours [ that's all I need to do] anyone who knows London can tell you that they are pretty steep and floated around 53/24 from the bottom to the top. I love it . I am a big ring maniac when it comes to climbing
Still I must be doing something right . When I climbed the col d eze I went past everyone was just a few Minutes off of T Martins TT time and I could have gone quicker if I knew the climb better and judged the tempo better. "man" I'm going to start doping Yeah I'm boasting

Throwing the BS flag. Yea, on flatter climbs, you may see Bernie on his big ring. I've also seem him riding compacts on some of the crazy climbs in the Vuelta and Giro.

I can't think of any GT contenders today who climb in the same low cadence that say Hinault used (which was only because they didn't have the gearing range we have today). All of them seem to be higher cadence riders today.

As for the OP, your drop is unique to you. A lot of it has to do with hip flexor/ham string flexibility. It takes a strong core with good flexibility to ride that slammed position. Ride what make sense. You can always remove spacers or flip your stem if you find you're able to ride a lower position.

 

[42x16ss]

Alberto used a 34x30 on the Angliru when he won in 2008. I just hope that Ray J doesn't race, because as soon as there's a rise in the road anyone with a brain would simply make the pace surge as much as possible and let stupid gear selection take care of the rest.

 

[ray j willings]

Re:

Alberto used a 34x30 on the Angliru when he won in 2008. I just hope that Ray J doesn't race, because as soon as there's a rise in the road anyone with a brain would simply make the pace surge as much as possible and let stupid gear selection take care of the rest.

Sub 35 mins col d madone after doing 2 previous climbs that day. 53x 24 /27 are the gears I used.
I can definitely get a faster time.
I have no reason to lie , I'm more comfy on my big ring. I find it easier to spin.
I don't understand the hater attitude towards me. Perhaps I should lie and say I climb on my small ring and it took me 55 mins to get up the madone. I am just telling it like it is.
It would be nice to have some positive comments instead of all the hater remarks.
I really don't get it. There was a guy on bike radar [ not a pro] who's strava time up alp d huez was sub 40 mins.
Yet no one asked him anything positive. I don't get the hater attitude, The guy did a sub 40. that's got to be admired IMO not trashed or ignored.

I agree you see a lot more compact rings in pro racing but valverde just won on his big ring check it out
http://www.steephill.tv/players/youtube3/?title=Last+13+Km+of+Stage+5&dashboard=vuelta-a-andalucia-ruta-ciclista-del-sol&id=ocIRROabVTU&yr=2016

 

[winkybiker]

Re: Re:

Alberto used a 34x30 on the Angliru when he won in 2008. I just hope that Ray J doesn't race, because as soon as there's a rise in the road anyone with a brain would simply make the pace surge as much as possible and let stupid gear selection take care of the rest.

I agree you see a lot more compact rings in pro racing but valverde just won on his big ring check it out
http://www.steephill.tv/players/youtube3/?title=Last+13+Km+of+Stage+5&dashboard=vuelta-a-andalucia-ruta-ciclista-del-sol&id=ocIRROabVTU&yr=2016

But that's a 6%-7% gradient. And he's Valverde. You've said previously that you ride the big ring up to 14%+ haven't you?

 

[ray j willings]

Re: Re:

Alberto used a 34x30 on the Angliru when he won in 2008. I just hope that Ray J doesn't race, because as soon as there's a rise in the road anyone with a brain would simply make the pace surge as much as possible and let stupid gear selection take care of the rest.

I agree you see a lot more compact rings in pro racing but valverde just won on his big ring check it out
http://www.steephill.tv/players/youtube3/?title=Last+13+Km+of+Stage+5&dashboard=vuelta-a-andalucia-ruta-ciclista-del-sol&id=ocIRROabVTU&yr=2016

But that's a 6%-7% gradient. And he's Valverde. You've said previously that you ride the big ring up to 14%+ haven't you?

Winky you have already made it clear in previous posts that you think I am a liar.
Jog on mate .

 

[winkybiker]

Re: Re:

Alberto used a 34x30 on the Angliru when he won in 2008. I just hope that Ray J doesn't race, because as soon as there's a rise in the road anyone with a brain would simply make the pace surge as much as possible and let stupid gear selection take care of the rest.

I agree you see a lot more compact rings in pro racing but valverde just won on his big ring check it out
http://www.steephill.tv/players/youtube3/?title=Last+13+Km+of+Stage+5&dashboard=vuelta-a-andalucia-ruta-ciclista-del-sol&id=ocIRROabVTU&yr=2016

But that's a 6%-7% gradient. And he's Valverde. You've said previously that you ride the big ring up to 14%+ haven't you?

Winky you have already made it clear in previous posts that you think I am a liar.
Jog on mate .

I'm not saying you don't do these climbs in crazy-high gears, just that you'd be faster if you didn't.

 

[Boeing]

Hi, I know we see pros run quite deep/extreme drops (ala Adam Hansen style) on their set-ups and I'm just trying to get an idea of what the saddle to handlebar drop range is for us mere mortals. If you can/want, please post your "size". Thanks. To start with, mine is :
Rider height : 168cm;
"Race" Frame : Time VXR size XXS, head-tube-length 12cm;
Saddle to handlebar drop : 83mm;
Note : saddle to handlebar drop was measured by placing a spirit level on top of the saddle and dropping a plum-line at the end of it to line up with the handlebar and measuring the distance from the spirit level to the top of the handlebar.

slam the stem and adapt

 

[fatandfast]

I am pretty stubby and ride a 54 w a 6degree 13 stem slammed. I find myself most times on the hoods and tops.I can ride in all positions including drops w my elbows bent and w a little tension in my core so I have little to no pressure on my hands,shoulders and arms.
No matter what you choose to do, don't cut the fork until you have many miles of comfortable, fast,injury free miles \ kilometers on the bike. I also use very shallow handlebars that make only a small drop difference in my torso. I like a flat back and tend to like having my upper body do more than most people I ride with.
As a side note I have done two road races this year w some climbing and decent decents. I am doing a race in Mexico last week in April that includes the Ruma Rosa. I have not needed a 53x 11......every.
Just thinking of trying to get on top of that gear makes the gristle in my knees hurt. If you ride with anybody that can turn that over while in the saddle, stay friends w them because they are going places,Tour dFrance type places.
Another note on your ultimate position.. Lots of good bike shops have stems and bars from take offs or an alloy stem that you can use to tweak your position..

 

[jmdirt]

How about bar to seat drop? I used to run about 2 cm of seat to bar drop, but too many neck and shoulder injuries made that less than comfortable so I went with zero drop. on all of my bikes. On the road bike I could still get in the drops to get low, but on the hoods my neck was much happier. I just bought a new xc dirt rig in October and set it up with the bars 5 mm higher than seat, and in adjusting, have dropped the seat 3 mm so now its 8 mm lower than the bars. I really like it and don't think that it has cost me any watts. Keep in mind that I'm nearing the half century mark!

EDIT: I'm 5' 9", and much less flexible than I used to be.

 

[JackRabbitSlims]

Re:

How about bar to seat drop? I used to run about 2 cm of seat to bar drop, but too many neck and shoulder injuries made that less than comfortable so I went with zero drop. on all of my bikes. On the road bike I could still get in the drops to get low, but on the hoods my neck was much happier. I just bought a new xc dirt rig in October and set it up with the bars 5 mm higher than seat, and in adjusting, have dropped the seat 3 mm so now its 8 mm lower than the bars. I really like it and don't think that it has cost me any watts. Keep in mind that I'm nearing the half century mark!

EDIT: I'm 5' 9", and much less flexible than I used to be.

Comfort is the key!

I'm just wondering with that sort of set-up (Bars higher then the seat) how you climb steeps without the front wheel lifting too much??

Flexibility can be improved quite easily in a relatively short space of time....Yoga (Ashtanga or Hatha, NOT Bikram) has a ton of benefits....not the least of which is improving your flexibility!

 

[kwikki]

"Slamming the stem" is irrelevant as it all depends on your head tube.

One of my bikes is slammed, one has 10mm of spacers. The fit is identical.

Don't feel obliged to follow the fashion dictated by the pros. How low you comfortably go depends on the rest of your bike fit (saddle height &fore/aft, and stem length) and your flexibility and core strength.

See the post above. He's right.

 

[jmdirt]

Re: Re:

How about bar to seat drop? I used to run about 2 cm of seat to bar drop, but too many neck and shoulder injuries made that less than comfortable so I went with zero drop. on all of my bikes. On the road bike I could still get in the drops to get low, but on the hoods my neck was much happier. I just bought a new xc dirt rig in October and set it up with the bars 5 mm higher than seat, and in adjusting, have dropped the seat 3 mm so now its 8 mm lower than the bars. I really like it and don't think that it has cost me any watts. Keep in mind that I'm nearing the half century mark!

EDIT: I'm 5' 9", and much less flexible than I used to be.

Comfort is the key!

I'm just wondering with that sort of set-up (Bars higher then the seat) how you climb steeps without the front wheel lifting too much??

Flexibility can be improved quite easily in a relatively short space of time....Yoga (Ashtanga or Hatha, NOT Bikram) has a ton of benefits....not the least of which is improving your flexibility!

I didn't really have an option because of neck discomfort, but my biggest concern when going from -2 cm to zero cm was a light front wheel, but it wasn't an issue. Going from zero to +8 mm I also went with a 10 mm shorter stem and 15 mm wider bars so its not a direct comparison, but all is good out front. I can change my weight distribution with elbow/torso angles though so maybe on the steep climbs my body is in or near the same position.

I definitely need to do more flexibility work!