I don't think James even has time for his own channel. A good bike fitter is always in demand. This video snippets is the best we could get out of his wealth of knowledge.
James good to see him back, when I had my bike fit with him and he changed the bars from a 44 to 42 it was an instantly noticeable difference to comfort. Hope you both have a good Christmas.
Running 38cm bars thanks to James. Way more comfortable than the 42s I was on before. It’s interesting how many snide comments I’ve gotten about them being too narrow. Works wonders during crits as well sneaking in spots. I run my levers inward slightly as it helps me have a flatter forearm for aero gains. Dan Bigham is probably the best example of what a perfectly aggressive aero fit looks like. I’m sure you guys are familiar with him!
Thanks for posting these videos, they're super, super helpful. It keeps me from standing around the local bike shop and asking annoying questions to the sales people all day long while they try to sell bikes
I have the new 105 in normal version and in short lever and both have reach adjustment. The adjustment screw is located on the outer part of the lever body.
Used to ride STI levers inwards as well to compensate for a wide handlebar. Downsized this year and trust me, the change was worth it. Purely from the feeling point of view on the bike. A lot better.
@@Cade_Media Francis you should rightly be very proud of your channel. Its a top watch for us keen cyclists. Keep up your stellar work......and don't forget to take a deserved break to charge the batteries 👌
Oh bike fit Tuesdays, how I've missed you! Waiting for my new bike to arrive so I'll be adjusting handlebars soon no doubt, Claris too so that's handy! Thanks guys.
Spot on. Mr Bike Fit Tuesdays knows his onions and following his recommendations my bike is so much more comfortable. This vid really helped me sort my bars set up. Also really appreciate the snappy to the point delivery of points - good editing.
I love the old school narrow handlebars set up thinking! I have always measured 490 mm across my shoulders so at long last drop handlebars are made in my size and I love 52cm handlebars. The the jokes you do on Bike Fit Tuesday 🙂 merry Christmas
I love the handle bar rotation trick I have used it on all my bike and never needed a new stem because of it. Just managed to shave of something like 45mm on my new bike
Just do not like the current batch of presenters so stopped watching.Although some cycling buddies of mine talk endlessly about the latest video's and think GCN is cool..I however am not cool so err stick the Cade, Lawrence and several other smaller VLOGS to pick up cycling wizardry.
Personally, I like the turned in hoods as they give you a better point of rest for your forearms (on the straight top section instead of the foward curve) if you want to have them parallel to the floor in an aero position. I agree however that it's a matter of personal preference and probably a lot of it comes down to aesthetics.
Love these vids - James was an absolute pro on my podcast recently - would love to have you on, Francis. Happy Holidays to you and Daisy, as well as to your families! Cheers
Hey guys I followed your suggestions in bike set up I could not believe important Cafance is easy 90 and improve avg speed by 10tkhr I been riding not good for long time 🇮🇸Takk
Pretty sure I’m going to watch this several times with my bike in front of me to take in all the information in this video. One suggestion I have is to show the anatomical land marks on a person not just a skeleton. It would make it easier to measure yourself, especially since flying to the UK for a fit is out of the question.
Campagnolo ergo hoods are shaped such that they achieve the effect of being “turned in” if you just grab it like you’re shaking someone’s hands. It’s almost as if their ergo’s... were... ergo! Shocking I know. Meanwhile the other’s feel like grabbing a 2x4 block of balsa wood.
Thanks for the tips! I am a beginner and of course I had to buy my bike online. And the reach is too long (I am on the smallest size but my torso is short in comparison to my legs). I don't want to look for a new bike and I don't have the money for it (plus the times we live in) so optimising what I've got will have to do. Just bought narrower handlebars so we will see how that goes
5:20 I did it to my bike because its more comfortable to be in an aero position on the hoods. You don’t have to turn your wrist as much. But aside from that I prefer the normal setup.
@@samm1es Just be cognizant of your elbows and train the position. It's a no cost way to save a few watts, and yes, it has been tested by Aerocoach and Dan Bingham to be marginally faster
Great to see James back on the channel again. So much great info in 8 minutes. I've been looking at getting some new narrower handlebars following a bike fit. James doesn't seem to think very highly of wider bars for gravel should width be the same for both road and gravel riding? What about flair?
My daily newspaper told me it's Friday today, but I'll let you off as it's Christmas. Hope Santa brings you everything you need. (I might have to treat myself to a bike fit with James)
James is right when talking about handlebar width for roadbikes.. but he clearly hasn't any experience with Gravelbikes... Massive flared and wide handlebars with shallow drop do give way more control offroad on technical trails.. I ride 38cm bars on roadbike and had 55cm wide flared dropbar on my gravelbike..works for me
He has lots of experience with gravel bikes, he just disagrees that they are necessary & certainly not worth recommending as they give people wrist, neck, shoulder problems.
I did have some issues in the past running the levers turned in at a crazy angle, numb hands as the outside of the palm was taking the load instead of the thumb/ bottom of the palm on the carpals
1) Any modest change is likely to feel "better," at least for a bit, because different relieves the set-in familiarity, and the placebo effect is powerful; 2) An old racer/pro mechanic friend who never wore gloves, swore padding etc. wasn't needed if position was correct. He checked wrists for straight, relaxed alignment free from bends in any direction, and weight should be balanced so little pressure was placed on hands the majority of a ride.
Good to see Bike Fit Tuesday and James back-even if it is Friday…….. I actually can’t remember the last time Bike Fit Tuesday was available on a Tuesday…… Question for James-I have 42cm bars on my gravel bike-which using his measuring method is correct for me, they are standard road bike bars with no flare. Is it worth having a flare on the bars-what is James’s opinion?? Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to both of you.
Hey John, thanks for your comment, as far as I can tell the biggest benefit to flare is to enable easier stowage of a bar bag - I’m not convinced on any performance gains stated by any party
@@Bikefitjames thanks James, that is more or less what I thought, I wondered if I was missing something-so I will carry on with the bars I have-win, win!
I'd really like a video for people like me whose knees hit the bars when out of the saddle, but need to have a far back saddle to keep weight off the front end. Thanks!
Thanks for the info. I'm still running my 9 speed Campag (Record) setup from 2002 (long story with a happy ending) but these shifters do not allow any adjustment of the brake levers. That said, I'd be surprised if this adjustment cannot be made with more recent Campag shifters...
What are the effects of running too narrow of a handlebar? I always hadd 44cm bars and then suddenly everyone is putting 42cm bars on bikes in my size (54cm frame). I could never get on with them. I can get different measurements depending on exactly where I measure my shoulder width. As I don't have access to my bare skeleton, any advice on how to measure this distance on a living human might be helpful.. Alternatively, I'll have my relatives measure mine after I decompose and transmit the data via seance (sp?).
Great video. When measuring reach with the handlebar tilted up, would that not shorten the length? Tilting it up brings the hoods closer to the saddle, right? Thanks.
@@twntythofsx Yes a bit confusing but what he is comparing is having the handlebar flat and brake lever further back on the bar compared to the bar tilted up and the brake lever inline with the bar....
Thank you for this video. What would be your comment/advise for those cyclist who wish to change/use a narrower handle bar for aero gain? Say from a 420 to either a 400 or 380?
I've got a permanent tear in my tfcc in my wrist. Tilting the shifters slightly inward helps relieve pressure off of my ulnar joint. Not sure if it has any aero gains, but without it, riding in the hoods can at times be unbearable.
4:19 - I don't get it. James rotates the handlebars towards the saddle, which makes the distance shorter but he measures 1,5cm more. I just tried it with my bike and rotating up decreased the length between the saddle nose and controls. I can't tell if I'm the idiot or James misspoke. Could you please clarify? @Cade_Media
Yes a bit confusing but what he is comparing is having the handlebar flat and brake lever further back on the bar compared to the bar tilted up and the brake lever inline with the bar....
A little wider would be more comfortable, but if you're not uncomfortable with 42 and your bike fitter approves of it, you can go ahead. As a reference, my shoulders are 390 mm wide and I currently ride with 400 mm handlebars. My bike fitter tested 380 mm on me and saw that my shoulders squeeze inwards slightly, which isn't ideal in his point of view. (I personally feel more comfortable with 400 mm before the fit)
Hi, thanks for the insight! Have you already covered handlebars material in any of the BFT, if no, could you please explain the difference in future. Is worth buyng fancy pants caron handle bars?
