Critical Bicycle Adjustments Page
Everything needs to be Just Right
There is no way to say this other than.
YOUR BIKE MUST BE ADJUSTED PROPERLY.
If your saddle is forward or tilted correctly:
If your seat post height is correct,
If your handle bars are too far away
If your brake Levers are too high.
Any of these conditions can rob you of your power and your comfort. Up to 40% of your power can be lost with a low seat position. Up to 20% of your power can be lost if your seat is close but not perfect.
Does your neck or wrist hurt while riding?
Do your knees hurt after a long ride?
They should not, it is an adjustment problem.
In-Line STEM / Change your Ride Height
Drastic Changes to Rider Alignment are now Possible
On this bike, I reused the front fork. This folk was on the last bike for almost 6000 miles. This steer tube was cut for the last bike. When I put it on this bike (different frame) I did not have any options for the steer tube height.
Enter the In-Line Stem adapter.
There are many types available. Most are under $20.00. It was a necessary purchase for this bike. The handlebars were just too low. I tried using a riser bar, and a short stem, did not even come close to what I needed. This bike was kicking butt before, but now with the riders weight shifted to the back of the bike, it will be a Brutal Trail Machine...!
Most In-Line Stem adapters have these same options.
Just attach to the top of your current steer tube. Increments in height adjustment is done using the 1/2" spacers (provided). Adjust from 1/2" to 3.5" rise.
Easy to adjust your best height.
I opted for the 2.5" height increase. As a rugged CX Trail Bike, I needed to unload the front end of the bike from my ride weight. By lifting the bars, I shift more of my weight to the rear wheel allowing me to have better obstacle hoping and acceleration.
The Rider Cockpit
SRAM Twist-Grip Shifter / Ergonomic Hand-Grips / Climbing Bars
SRAM Twist- Shifters: Have you ever got your fingers caught in between the lever shifters on a mountain bike during a crash? After breaking fingers a few times I have converted all my bikes over to Twist-Shifters. They also clean up the cockpit area a bit. No little levers poking out at ya, and see how clean the handlebars look.
Ergo-Grips: When you are doing regular rides of 4 - 6 hours, every little comfort helps. These let you take the pressure off of your wrists. On Down-Hill Bombs, you will also have my better control of the steering. These properly position your wrist for better steering and braking.
Bar Ends/ Climbing Bars: When you stand on your pedals to get up that hill, you need to change your hand position to the climbing bars so you can stand. Also important on those long rides where you can get a few different hand positions, and rest your wrists.
Bonus: Nothing like a Bar End between Your Hand on a handlebar and that Tree you just steered into.
Garmin Bar-Fly GPS Mount
This Mount is on the Tire Side of the handlebars. Not on the inside of the bars. In a crash, you will most likely break the Garmin Mount with your knee.
The Bar-Fly brand mounts (and others) are designed to Break-Away on impact to protect the Garmin's foot-mount from breaking....
BIKE-PACKING 101: How to pack your bike for that really big adventure
567 Mile Epic Adventure Planning
This is a link to a Comprehensive Bike-Packing list put together by these folks to help your Epic Ride. If you can pack for this ride of 567 miles, you can pack for any ride.