Bike sizing: adjust stem or saddle position?

Ghost Rider

My new Planet-X arrived (review later; for now - LOVELYLOVELYLOVELY). The handlebars are a bit of a stretch for me and I'm wondering if I should get a shorter stem (the current one is 110mm) or adjust the saddle position i.e. move it forward. Obviously the latter is easier, but I imagine this would shift my weight forward on the bike. Can anyone think of any pros or cons of either approach that I might need to be aware of?

Cheers in advance...

crashoveroid

If your finding it a strech mesure your old set up and see where it differs if you can do that see if you can borrow or try 100mm stem and see how you get on

Pinarello

Ghost Rider wrote: »

My new Planet-X arrived (review later; for now - LOVELYLOVELYLOVELY). The handlebars are a bit of a stretch for me and I'm wondering if I should get a shorter stem (the current one is 110mm) or adjust the saddle position i.e. move it forward. Obviously the latter is easier, but I imagine this would shift my weight forward on the bike. Can anyone think of any pros or cons of either approach that I might need to be aware of?

Cheers in advance...

Congratulations on the new ride.Looking forward to seeing your review of it.Is tis your first road racer?When buying a new bike always get the bike to fit you, never you to fit the bike.Here is a few tips a friend gave to me.I've set someone else up using them and cured his knee pain.
For the setup best start measuring the riders
inseam , no
shoes
back against the wall and 3 cm thick book instead of
the saddle
(be gentle with him ). Push the book against the wall it
will work
as ruler and as saddle in one. Measure, for example
84 cm , a
good calculation with normal clipless pedals is ,
multiplie
with
1.095, which makes approx. 92 cm . Line up the
crank and
the seat
tube , and measure from pedal axle middle to top of the
saddle ,
all measured thought the middle of the seattube to
the deepest
point of the saddle . Center to center of the arm
shoulder
bones(at the front ) is center to center measurement
fo the
handlebars .Reach is difficult , let him start with
a relaxed
position in which his back is flat when riding the drops
without
stretching the arms .

Also when you have the saddle height sorted,make a plumb line and sit on the saddle with the cranks at the horizontal position.Hang the plumb line from the bony bump just below your kneecap, the string should pass straight through the pedal spindle.
.Hope this is a help to you.Let us know how you get on...;)

Lumen

http://www.planetultra.com/training/rbr/position.html

"Remember, if your reach to the handlebar is wrong, use stem length to correct it, not fore/aft saddle position."

Ghost Rider

Cheers. No, it's not my first racer. I have a Ridley Triton S, which I bought second hand about a year and a half ago. I just decided now was the time to upgrade, for a whole bunch of reasons.

I'm sure I have the height of the saddle right (based on my experience with my two other road bikes - neither of them with drop bars, granted) but I'm also sure I'm currently stretching too far to reach the bars of the Planet-X.

The frame of the P-X is slightly larger than the Ridley. On the other hand, the stem on the Ridley is 20mm shorter than the P-X one. So what I'll probably try first is to put the 90mm stem of the Ridley onto the P-X and see how that feels.

I suppose my original question was: is moving a saddle forward on its rail (i.e. along the horizontal plane) a reasonable way to shorten my reach to the bars? Or should the saddle be kept where it is and that distance be shortened by replacing the stem?

Pinarello wrote: »

Congratulations on the new ride.Looking forward to seeing your review of it.Is tis your first road racer?When buying a new bike always get the bike to fit you, never you to fit the bike.Here is a few tips a friend gave to me.I've set someone else up using them and cured his knee pain.
For the setup best start measuring the riders
inseam , no
shoes
back against the wall and 3 cm thick book instead of
the saddle
(be gentle with him ). Push the book against the wall it
will work
as ruler and as saddle in one. Measure, for example
84 cm , a
good calculation with normal clipless pedals is ,
multiplie
with
1.095, which makes approx. 92 cm . Line up the
crank and
the seat
tube , and measure from pedal axle middle to top of the
saddle ,
all measured thought the middle of the seattube to
the deepest
point of the saddle . Center to center of the arm
shoulder
bones(at the front ) is center to center measurement
fo the
handlebars .Reach is difficult , let him start with
a relaxed
position in which his back is flat when riding the drops
without
stretching the arms .

Hope this is a help to you.Let us know how you get on...;)

Ghost Rider

Right: that's exactly the question I had. Nice one - cheers for that, Lumen.

P.S. Great little page, that!

Lumen wrote: »

http://www.planetultra.com/training/rbr/position.html

"Remember, if your reach to the handlebar is wrong, use stem length to correct it, not fore/aft saddle position."