Ho y’all!
The bike came in the mail today and it was already preassembled, I just had to turn the bars and fasten the stem bolts.
As it’s the first bike with drop bars I own, I have some concerns regarding the hoods position.
Does the position look off? Should the hoods be positioned higher so that the drops are more level?
I did a quick ride down the street and can’t say if it feels good or bad as I never tried drops before.
Thanks for the help!
by ddarth7
15 Comments
Yes looks a bit off. Usually you’d tilt the bars a bit forward and shift the levers a little upwards. So basically the shifters are in the right position in space but the handlebars aren’t. It’s not a big deal if it’s comfortable for you though.
You’re correct, the top of the bars should be parallel with the ground, here it’s pointed up. The angle of the hoods themselves doesn’t seem awful but they’d be too low if the bars were oriented correctly.
Moving the shifters up will require re-wrapping the bar tape, which usually requires new tape. You can have a go at this yourself, or it should be a quick and inexpensive job at a shop. Might be worth getting them to give the bike a once over while you’re there too!
The bars need to be rotated down to at least level..Then adjust the hoods. Just take it a bike shop and don’t be so cheap.
Yup, typically the bar tops and hoods should be more or less level and in line with each other. More like as seen here. [https://www.specialized.com/us/en/crux-comp/p/199962?color=322104-199962](https://www.specialized.com/us/en/crux-comp/p/199962?color=322104-199962)
It’s kind of a pain, but you’ll probably have to unwrap and then rewrap the top half of the bars to do that.
The bike should be perfectly rideable in the hoods or tops right now, but the drops might feel awkward with how forward and angled they are, and shifting your hands back towards the angled ramps will definitely feel awkward, plus it does look a bit weird, so your assessment is absolutely correct and the bars should be rotated down to level and the hoods rotated back up to level at some point in the near future.
Man with that I’d almost say take it to a LBS, and pay them to do a once over(If they do cervelo sales/warranty there they might do it free idk), or pick up a Zinn guide on maintenance and double check it yourself if you are technical enough. If that’s wrong there’s no telling what else could be messed up there.
Kinda surprised that a cervelo came set up like that…I’d have thought for that price point it’d be better set up.
Gravel bars often have an outward flare on the drops. It makes them a little less flat. I often see exactly this setup but it’s maybe not quite as flat/parallel in the drops as you’d typically see. Ride it and see if you like it. If not remove the wrap, move the hoods until you like where they are.
This bike was not assembled correctly. Contact the manufacturer and see if they will pay to have a shop fix this.
Thanks for sharing the funny picture. Might be worth letting the original merchant know that the someone is assembling their bikes incorrectly. Would make me nervous about what else was done wrong.
I’m overly cautious about this sort of thing, but I’d be considering asking the shop to completely rebuild it. And asking the original merchant to cover the expense.
My guess is they assumed you would adjust the handlebars and seat height before riding, and so they weren’t concerned about proper position. Once you get your seat height, loosen the stem bolts to the handlebars just enough to allow it to rotate and find a position that’s comfortable to you, then tighten them down. A bike fit is also never a bad idea when getting set up on a new type of bike.
That looks horrible and is messing up both the hoods and drops position.
As a general starting point, the brake levers should be positioned so hoods are in line with the flat section at the top of the bars. Then rotate the bars so the blood area is level or angled up a bit. This should leave the flat area behind the drops angled down just slightly so your hand rests evenly on it.
As others have mentioned, it’s a bit wonky and should be adjusted. I would recommend having a bike tech go over the entire bike to make sure everything is tight. I had a YT bike arrive in a box mostly assembled before, and I lost a critical bolt out on the trail on the very first ride, miles from home. Better safe than sorry. Happy riding!
I’ll say it might be intentional.
Your bike seems super small, and stem is also super short. If drops are positioned properly, it might get in the way of your legs when sprinting and standing up?
If not, then yes, got to fix it.
Toe overlap?