General Discussion Triathlon Talk » Bike alterations Rss Feed  
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2009-07-21 10:16 PM

Expert
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Ann Arbor
Subject: Bike alterations
I own THIS road bike. I just finished my first sprint triathlon on Sunday. I am brainstorming my options for making my road bike more tri friendly without spending tons of money. I am thinking about possibly rotating the seat tube and adding some clip ons. I am wondering if I could/should flip my stem so that my drop bars would be lower. If I decided to buy some cheap clip ons off ebay, they wouldn't sit so high with a flipped stem. Can my stem be flipped?

Pictures are below.
http://img43.imageshack.us/img43/9651/1000654l.jpg
http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/1801/1000655b.jpg
http://img189.imageshack.us/img189/1841/1000656l.jpg
http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/989/1000657z.jpg
http://img190.imageshack.us/img190/9223/1000658l.jpg


2009-07-21 10:24 PM
in reply to: #2300554

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Extreme Veteran
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Subject: RE: Bike alterations
Most stems these days are reversable. I notice you also have some spacers under your stem. You could simply remove some of them and adjust it that way. (if you are not going to cut it make sure to keep the spacers on top at least while trying it out till you find the right settings) which could get you a lot more variability with handle height. It also depends on the clip ons you get so you wont really know what you need to do till you have bought them. You could also see about getting a more forward/aggressive seatpost to help get a better angle.

If you really want to get faster though....The engine matters more than the chasis so...ride more!
2009-07-21 10:33 PM
in reply to: #2300554

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Subject: RE: Bike alterations
here is what i would do.

move the seat all the way forward (dont get the new seatpost yet, try this out first, you may actually like it here).

drop the stem down, if thats not enough, flip it over (yes it can be flipped).

as you push the seat forward, it will also need to go up a bit (moving it forward puts it closer to the bottom bracket)

try this, see what you think, adjust as needed. if you take the time to messure stuff before you move it, and pay attention to how it feels, its actually quite easy to set up yourself, and you will learn a lot more about your bike and what you like and done like fit wise this way.
2009-07-22 9:34 AM
in reply to: #2300587

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Expert
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Lakeville, MN
Subject: RE: Bike alterations
newbz - 2009-07-21 9:33 PM

here is what i would do.

move the seat all the way forward (dont get the new seatpost yet, try this out first, you may actually like it here).

drop the stem down, if thats not enough, flip it over (yes it can be flipped).

as you push the seat forward, it will also need to go up a bit (moving it forward puts it closer to the bottom bracket)

try this, see what you think, adjust as needed. if you take the time to measure stuff before you move it, and pay attention to how it feels, its actually quite easy to set up yourself, and you will learn a lot more about your bike and what you like and done like fit wise this way.


Highlighted the important part.

Also, my advice is to do things gradual and don't move everything all at once. Start w/ one adjustment. Try it out on a few rides. Does it feel better or worse? Adjust again. Ride again. Etc. Huge jumps in geometry can potentially shock the system and lead to incorrect conclusions about "does this feel like a good fit."
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