Right hood is a ST-R500. Left is a ST1055. Handle bar is an Ergo butted 7075 Forte. I’ve been watching videos and trying to learn, but it doesn’t seem to be right.
I need help setting the bars and hoods properly. I was feeling lots of pressure in my thumbs and even a bit of tingling. I have broad shoulders and may be thinking this bar is too small for me, but not sure. If I could get some help with the setups, I can then confirm if it’s the bar width from there.
The straight part of the drop is measuring 0 degrees flat, it just seems wrong, but I could be mistaken.
Excuse the mess – construction is happening on my balcony.
by SweetVsSavory
6 Comments
There’s a sub for bike fits specifically. I think it’s r/bikefit . They’ll be better at this
To me though, it looks like the bars are tilted way too far down. You said the straight part of the drop is 0 degrees, but that’s not the spot you should be measuring from. Try and get it so that the top of the bars are level, not the bottom. And after doing that, you may want to lower your brake hoods.
It’s common to have that sort of angle on a vintage bike with non-integrated brake levers and downtube shifters. That’s a bit of an odd angle for a modern cockpit with integrated/STI shifters. If it were my bike, I’d start by rotating the bars out of the current 4 o’clock or 5 o’clock position to where the top of the bars are flat and straight out, even with the top tube. After I did that, I’d see if I could move the shifter a bit down and forward on the bar or if the shape of the bar would prevent that. I would not try to make the bottom of the bar, the drops, parallel with the toptube; the current setup looks uncomfortable to me (although some people do run it this way).
People tend to ride more in the hoods these days than they did a few decades ago. Other than the extreme aero position, I wouldn’t think this setup would be terrible if riding in the hooks but I would be absolutely miserable on the hoods.
It’s good to just experiment with different angles.
Looks like you need help dive tanking.
As a long time bike fitter I have 2 recommendations for you:
First is get a matching set of shifters. Those have a pretty different feel and you’ll have a hard time with that.
Second is get a more modern bar. Modern handlebars tend to have a much more ergonomic shape and allow a flatter transition from the shifters to the bars giving a more comfortable feel.
Those Forte handlebars are the older “anatomic” style which positions the rider more aggressively. The majority of road bikes sold today are equipped with the more modern “compact” bend which allows for a more level platform behind the lever hoods to rest one’s hands on.
If you are only going to use this bike indoors then just get any compact-bend handlebars with the right clamp diameter at the width you want off eBay for cheap and swap it on.
As far as the different left and right STI levers go, to get matching levers if the bike is 2×8-speed (that’s what came up when I googled Shimano ST-R500), a good option is to look for a set of Claris ST-2400 2×8-speed levers off eBay, which have the same cable pulls as your existing levers and are drop-in replacements.
Do you prefer to ride the drops or the hoods? I ride a touring bike and prefer the hoods, additionally my bars are a lot less racy than yours; the drops are about the same height as the saddle.
I’d measure your shoulders, if you have Hercules-wide shoulders you’d probably need a wider bar.
From what you’ve said though, about the numb thumbs, I’d think you’ve got too much weight on the bars, so maybe bring them back or up (or both).
Deda Zero1 RHM are a nice cheap bar with a progressive curve profile that I think is quite nice. They also don’t project as far forward before curving as some of the older bars like yours do. Depends how you ride the bike really! If you race, just suck it up, lol.