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. 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