Here is what I do to use one bike, set up to be comfortable with bars at a certain height, as a model to get comfortable on another bike, where I want the bars at a considerably different height.
First, read Peter Jon White and get your optimum saddle fore-an-aft setup, along of course with the optimum height and tilt. Or, at least, get these three positions in a good-enough-to-start-from setup. **Now** you are in a position to decide what you want to do with your handlebar. Next, consider the variables affecting saddle nose-to-bar reach. Type of saddle? The B 17 is considerably shorter in the nose than a Flite, say, so that the reach measurement is going to be different by the amount of the different lengths. Second, the tt length: a 59 cm c-c tt will give a longer reach, ceteris paribus, than a 57 ditto. But wait! Is the Bleriot's tt slanted? Then a 3* upslope 59 cm tt won't be exactly 2 cm longer in effective length than a level 57 cm tt. And there is more! If the B has a slacker seat tube than the S, that also will affect effective reach -- and if the st angle is slacker than the ht angle, this difference will be even larger. Thus, my erstwhile 56, 2010 model Sam Hill had a sta of 71*, a sloping tt of 59 cm and a ht angle of 73*. So, I guess, the effective tt length was something like 60 c-c. The two Riv customs have slightly sloping 57 tts and 73* parallel angles; thus the effective tt is about 56.5. I wanted to "feel" the same on the SH as on the customs but I wanted the bar higher. How much higher? Not sure, but at least saddle nose height. I got the (Flite, same model) saddle in the same location as on the other Rivs, then took the same distance (~20.5") from saddle nose to center of bar clamp, which gave me an arc of distance-cum-height where the reach would be the same. I located the SH's bar on this arc and stem'd accordingly. (Actually, I lie: I didn't want to bother with changing the 10 cm SH stem (the customs have Nitto 8s) so I simply positioned the bar higher on the SH than I would have with a shorter stem: about 2" above saddle nose. And then! Since the bar was a longer reach (much longer drop mitigated by slight reverse bend on the flats) 46 cm Noodle instead of 90 mm reach 185, AND since I was using longer-hood Tektros instead of pre STI Dura Aces, the bar had to come back a bit -- thus had to be moved a wee bit higher. Current Fargo: same 57 upsloping tt only with a much greater slope. Bar level with saddle, thus 3 cm higher than on the customs. Tektro levers. More or less by serendipitous muddling I came up with (1) a certain number of spacers under the stem, (2) a certain angle and (3) a certain length. Since my next door neighbor offered me a nice Ritchey stem that was short and flat, I found that it worked even better than the much more upjutting and longer stem (positioned with all spacers over it). Saddle nose to bar clamp just a bit longer, to take into account largely the longer reach Tektros; the reach of the 42 (this time) Noodles isn't all that much different from that of the 38 cm Maes Parallels. Oh, it's complicated, and it takes fiddling to get things just right, but the above method does allow you to use one setup as a rough model for another quite different setup. And, note too, that your body will compensate for those last few mm that you can't get exactly identical. On the Fargo, riding in the hooks is easier than on the customs: I can ride 7 miles nonstop in the Maes's hooks without difficulty, 10 if I insist, while on the Fargo, thanks to the higher (but not exactly proportionately higher! The drops are deeper!) I can go indefinitely. Clear, huh? Next, if the tt on the B is longer than that on the S, that also will affect reach, so that different stems may be necessary; EXCEPT that shallower seat tube angles will mean that a given top tube length brings the top head tube race, and thus the stem quill, closer to the saddle. Thus (for another example) my erstwhile Sam Hill had a 59 c-c tt compared to the Rivs' for-me-perfect 57; but then, the 71 st on the SH meant that the effective tt length compared to the other Rivs' was considerably shorter; I guess about 58. And bars 2" higher took care of the rest. I use a plumb line and identical saddles to start with 3" behind center of bb axle, this after getting the height and tilt more or less the same as my model. After than it is a matter of riding, adjusting f-and-a, and then adjusting height and tilt as needed. Only ***then*** do I set up my bar reach. Thus: My Rivs have the Flites' noses about 3" behind the center of the bb axles; then the bar is set for (nowadays) about 3 cm below saddle nose; and then and only then do I determine what stem I need to get -- tho' I know from experience it is going to be between 8 and 9 cm for these bikes. On Thu, Aug 23, 2012 at 10:23 AM, lungimsam <john11.2...@gmail.com> wrote: > I was told that my Specialized BG Fit I got at my LBS for my race bike 3 > years ago would be transferrable to all bikes. I was told the fit is for > maximum power, efficiency, and safety. Why not have safety, efficiency, and > max power when I ride the Bleriot, too? So I thought I would set up the > Bleriot the same, except with the Bleriot drop bars > so-high-that-they-could-kiss-the-sky on my Technomic stem. > > I figured the reach, saddle fore/aft, and saddle height I would keep the > same as the pro fit. > > But it doesn't work with the Bleriot. > With the saddle height the same, and the reach the same, the saddle fore/aft > is like 2cm further behind the BB center (which is one of the measurements > on my BG Fit). > > So I have 3 choices: > 1. Set SH and Fore/aft according to BG fit and get a 2cm longer stem > extension to equalize the reach. But I am 5'7"-ish and an 11cm extension > would be wierd for me, as I am used to 9 and 8 cm extensions on stems. I > think of anything over 10cm extensions for 6-footers. > 2. Chuck the BG fit and revert to KOPS, since everyone before pro-fits > started seemed to be fine with that. > 3. Throw out my pre-conceived notions of bike fit and ride, boldy ride with > whatever is comfy. > > What d'yall think? > > BTW - I am guessing I am already throwing out aspects of the BG fit by > raising the bars so high on the bike. But, for my un-racer bike fit, step > one is raising the bars to max height. And that is non-negotiable for me as > I love how great it is with the bars high. > > > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "RBW Owners Bunch" group. > To view this discussion on the web visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msg/rbw-owners-bunch/-/ZrCN9plMDWQJ. > To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en. -- "Believe nothing until it has been officially denied." -- Claude Cockburn ------------------------- Patrick Moore, Albuquerque, NM, USA For professional resumes, contact Patrick Moore, ACRW http://resumespecialties.com/index.html ------------------------- -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. 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