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/e0475a65-4cc2-4662-ba22-2c43f0c843abn%40googlegroups.com.
