# how acurate is thr front hub ostructed by handlebar rule



## fah35 (Sep 17, 2004)

I am trying to figure out which stem size to use. I have long legs and short torso Im 6ft 1in
inseam 36in
trunk 25in
forearm 15in
arm 29in
thigh 26.5in
lower leg 24in 
sternal notch 59.5in
After searching for a long time I chose the Ridley Triton 62(c-t) 58 (c-c) top tube 57.5 STA 73.5 and HT 19.9. When I use competitive cyclist and wrench sience calculators they say use either 11 or 12cm stem with 57 or 58 top tube. At my LBS he put me on the trainer and asked me when on the hoods if I could see the front hub. He said either 80 or 90 which seems kinda short. Is the rule handlebar should cover the front hub pretty acurate or is it just a guideline? Also are there any other way to determine what stem size one should use?


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## olr1 (Apr 2, 2005)

You will have to sit on the bike and see what feels most comfortable. The numbers are not infallible; you may find you like to be more stretched out, so go longer, or that you want to be less stretched; go shorter.

Essentially it is up to you to decide. Buy/beg/borrow a couple of cheap stems in different sizes and go ride.


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## Nessism (Feb 6, 2004)

fah35 said:


> I am trying to figure out which stem size to use.
> 
> Is the rule handlebar should cover the front hub pretty acurate or is it just a guideline? Also are there any other way to determine what stem size one should use?


There is no hard and fast rule, only starting points. 

The handlebars blocking the hub is not the best check because it does not take head angle and fork rake into account.

One good one to try is to ride the bike and see if your knees hit your elbows when riding in the drops. The key to this test is to ride in a medium-agressive crouch, not an all out "get as low as possible" position. 

Of course, you should not try to determine your best reach dimension until you have suitably positioned yourself up and back relative to the bottom bracket. Use KOP (knee over pedal) as your starting point and fine tune your position from there until you are able to pedal nice round circles.

Hope this helps.

Ed


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## Kerry Irons (Feb 25, 2002)

*Take care*

First off, the "hub obscured by the handlebars" is just a starting point - your personal comfort may take you somewhere else. Also note that you get a very different view if you have your head in the normal riding position and look down with your eyes than if you tilt your head down. If I do this check while riding in the drops and not moving my head, the hub is obscured. If I tilt my head down, there's about a two inch offset.


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## The Flash (May 6, 2002)

Kerry Irons said:


> First off, the "hub obscured by the handlebars" is just a starting point - your personal comfort may take you somewhere else. Also note that you get a very different view if you have your head in the normal riding position and look down with your eyes than if you tilt your head down. If I do this check while riding in the drops and not moving my head, the hub is obscured. If I tilt my head down, there's about a two inch offset.


 What Kerry said...

For a beginner, I look at the arm angle at the shoulder relative to the body when your on the hoods. If > 90 degrees, with elbows slightly bent, you will be kind of stretched. At the same time, look at the angle of your femur to your torso. If it is very tight, your not going to be able to breathe and will have some back discomfort. 

For the record, by bars are behind my front hub. I have a long torso and short arms. The short arms negate a long stem as it kills my shoulders.

Keep it comfortable!

Flash


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## DiRt DeViL (Jun 26, 2005)

How much bend on the elbows I should have?

I only get a little bend on my setup.


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## The Flash (May 6, 2002)

A little bend is all you need. This allows your muscles to absorb the shock of the road and for you to not get knocked off your bike. Make sure the you feel comfortable, and don't try to look like a racer if it doesn't feel good. I see a ton of people with their bars really low, and they end up not being able to breathe...

Flash


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## culdeus (May 5, 2005)

Nessism said:


> There is no hard and fast rule, only starting points.
> 
> The handlebars blocking the hub is not the best check because it does not take head angle and fork rake into account.
> 
> ...


More on this if you would please. Thanks.


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## acid_rider (Nov 23, 2004)

*which way?*



Kerry Irons said:


> First off, the "hub obscured by the handlebars" is just a starting point - your personal comfort may take you somewhere else. Also note that you get a very different view if you have your head in the normal riding position and look down with your eyes than if you tilt your head down. If I do this check while riding in the drops and not moving my head, the hub is obscured. If I tilt my head down, there's about a two inch offset.


re: If I tilt my head down, there's about a two inch offset

which way is two inches? The front wheel hub is behind or is in front of handle bars by two inches? I assume if you tilt head down while in drops your bars are in front of wheel hub?

thanks


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## Nessism (Feb 6, 2004)

culdeus said:


> More on this if you would please. Thanks.



Sorry for the late response.

The position of the saddle should be determined by your leg dimensions. Check the following link to understand better what I'm talking about.

http://www.coloradocyclist.com/bikefit/

First adjust the saddle per the recommendations. Next, adjust your reach as discussed. Do not adjust saddle position to change reach to the bars. Forget about hub blocking the bars ect. Use as long a stem as is comfortable. 

As you ride in this new position, and your fitness improves, you will find that you will automatically be drawn to a lower position. Adjust or change your stem as need be. 

The part about pedaling round circles is something you should be striving for. Be aware of your pedal stroke and try to use your muscles to spin the crank through as much of its revolution as possible. On the back stroke, it's not reasonable to actually pull up on the pedal but you should strive to unweight the pedal as much as possible. After a few months of working on this you may find that your ability to pedal circles is enhanced by moving the saddle slightly either forward or back. Feel free to do this but you should not get more than 1 cm away from the knee over (KOP) pedal position.

Hope this helps.

Ed


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## Kerry Irons (Feb 25, 2002)

*This way*



acid_rider said:


> I assume if you tilt head down while in drops your bars are in front of wheel hub?


Yes, of course. When you tilt your head down, your eyes "move back" relative to where they were. You could, if so inclined, actually sit on your bike and see what happens


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## acid_rider (Nov 23, 2004)

*got it. thanks.*



Kerry Irons said:


> Yes, of course. When you tilt your head down, your eyes "move back" relative to where they were. You could, if so inclined, actually sit on your bike and see what happens


thanks. I was riding in the drops today (I have 100mm stem now) and I looked down but without moving my head (I.E. eyes only) and the handle bar pretty much obscured the front wheel hub, so I guess this stem must be close th the right size for my current saddle position....


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