Hood Position & Handlebar Angle (Here's what to do) 

I love how he says “hood” “Hoouud” 😂 I genuinely love it

Experience vs just reading the internet. Thanks for this. Will be tilting my hoods upward.

This stuff with Neill needs a bigger thumb for the ‘like’ button. I’m currently sticking some $ in the piggy bank each week so I can go get a fit with Neill! Thanks Cam & Neill. 🙌🏽

so well explained! best explanation of hoods setup so far. Congrats!

Love Neil’s informative videos

Neill is just so good. I’ve been able to make several changes that have had a large impact on overall comfort and performance on my bike. Showing up to groups rides is actually quite comical now, seeing how many bikes are set up improperly.

Brilliant video again guys!!! Cheers.

Your videos are amazing. Looking forward to trying some of these

This is amazing! Just raised my hood yesterday, much more comfortable for the shoulders and it also helped with the reach being too long.

I love these videos you do with Neil mate! Please keep these coming, I’ve learned immensely several different nuances

Excellent video and really useful information. I've been setting up a new gravel bike, and used your advice for setting the handlebar angle. Fingers crossed for tomorrow. It's looking like Hindley will be first Aussie to win a Giro D'Italia!! Today's stage on the Marmolada was legendary.

Thanks for the detailed explanation.

Huge amount amount of info once again. Thanks!

I love all ur videos, but this one made such a profound improvement in my position, thank you so much, now it is much easier to get into a more aero position with less hand neuropathy. The till down, so simple, yet so effective. Keep em comin’

THANK YOU! Comfort - mission completed. Finally.

Amazing tip- so excited to try this. Thanks as always Cam and Neill

Wow what a quality video and fantastic lesson

Great info. Thanks.

Love your stuff Cam. Neil is so comprenhensive.

Ah man, this is gold. Thank you 🙌🏼

I love these videos. I learn so much from Neil's expertise and it helps dial in my own fit.

THANK YOU! I broke my handlebars before a big double-century last year; thought I had the new setup dialed in, but the hoods were too far forward and I suffered _exactly_ the neck and trapezius issues you described. Got so bad by mile 160 that I could barely hold my head up. These adjustments were 100% what I needed to get back to form.

I learn so much from your videos thanks

The info from this is amazing, this channel rules. Top level, can't wait to get home and get adjusting.

How good is Neil. Just THE intellectual stud when it comes to bike fit.

Very precise and effective informations, thanks.

These bike fit videos are fantastic!

Simple explanation of an important element of bike fit and comfort. Well done.

First ride on a new bike tonight and noticed this exact setup with the hoods where it felt like my hands were falling off a cliff. The reach felt too long too. Can’t wait to make these changes.

Great videos guys. I just bought a new bike and you're right. The upper bar is flat and the hoods are almost flat as well. I will do some tweaks. Thanks again.

Than you for this! Please keep content like this coming!

I purposefully didn’t go for the integrated bar-stem on the BMC Teammachine. Decided to stick with the separate bar / stem combo. Much better adjustability. I do have that 3T bar on my winter and turbo, I like it.

Tweaking my handlebar and lever recently and your video definitely help! Thanks

Thanks for sharing the great info. I look forward to every video that drops and especially appreciate the message of how some "fitters" get wrapped around the axle of systems, tech, and going by what the computer tells them while not looking and listening to the person being fitted.

Essential knowledge. Thanks for sharing.

Amazing as allways. We really learn a lot with your vídeos. I mean, you guys are the best! Thank you!

I just wanted to say thanks for all the videos. I am new to cycling and getting ready to buy my first road bike. I got myself a pre-purchase bike fit locally, but appreciate all the knowledge you are sharing.

100% guys!🤩 I like to see other #bikefit expert sharing this point of vue on Hood and Handle bars position!

Exactly what I need since I'm fiddling around with hood position right now. Thanks.

Well this was actually really helpful. Thanks!

You guys are the best. I think i’m almost there in relation to my position on the Bike because of your vídeos. I had neck pain, wrist pain and i have solve all the problems thanks to you. I fell that i have to pay you!! Thank you for the amazing job and iformation!

I really love the information you’re sharing. It’s truly invaluable. I have a newer bike (no bike fit) and have been concerned about my connection with the bars for a little bit. I made some adjustments based on this video and it really has made a huge difference. A tiny bit of fine adjustments and they will be perfect.

Between this and Bike-fit Tuesdays, I have learned a lot from really knowledgable and engaging people. Thanks Neill and Cam for these.

Best advice going!

I have been wondering why everyone is riding with prone hand position for a decade. Thank you for this video. I always have to changeg hood hand position after a bike fit. Finally I feel like I'm not missing something major.😊

Changing to an upward tilt of the hoods has made my bike so much more comfortable. Cheers.😀

Finally, some advices for hood angle, I googled this topic a lot, but NO ONE TALK ABOUT IT, like no one cares...

Great vid

Another great video from you both. Thank you! Would be helpful to practically show how to alter the hood angle for those of us who aren’t so confident! The thought of messing up the bar tape and having to try and re-wrap it gives me the willies!

The topics you choose always come at just the right time.

,,,extremly GOOD ADVICE!!!!

Great stuff! My fitter (Endurance PDX) had me rotate my hoods back too. In short, my cleats went back and my saddle went forward and got angled flatter. I’m older, and he wanted me to have a less aggressive position. I already had max spacers, so he shortened the stem and rotated the hoods back to simulate less drop. Works great!

Great one, this is why lately I have adjusted the angle of handlebar to be more comfortable on the hoods which I prefer to be instead of the drops

Great video. I read the new SRAM AXS Rival hydraulic brakes feel smaller in the hand, as compared to the Red and Force brake hoods and levers.

Great video !

excellent video. thanks

Nice one Neill. Long live the 2012 bike.

thanks for the pointers! i have nearly all of the ergonomic problems with my self built bike. i will try to get my wrists in a more neutral position in the hoods!

Love your videos. They helped me a lot with my bike fit. I don't own any fancy carbon bike, but Triban RC 520 from Decatlon, and love it. It has disk brakes that are mechanical/ hydraulic hybrid and Shimano 105 groupset.

I'm about to adjust the hoods exactly the way Neil outlines for the exact reason he described. This video gives me confidence it's the right move.

This guy really knows his stuff

I love those kind of short but informative videos on this channel - always a worthwhile watch

Great vid, makes a lot of sense. I'm off to change my hood angle.

dang, just as I retaped the bars with...FLAT hood positioning :-) tanx!!

informative vid. some time ago, i did what neil was suggesting here cus i was trying to find the best reach for my fit. angling the hoods up was comfortable, but it looked goofy. what i ended up doing was to get a drop bar with a shorter reach so i can still have that flat hood look. it's not completely flat, still a minimal upward angle, but it helps so much.

I set my cockpit like this all the time, and many people protested about how odd it looks 🤣 but it works, especially with horizontal forearm aero position 👍🏼

Wow. I wish I would have seen this last year!

Yep..had my handlebars up to high. Followed this video and it certainly made a more comforting difference.

Thank you so much for these! Saints of Cycling here.

When my girlfriend got a new bike we wondered for quite some time while she always felt that it was way too long, until i measured the reach not to the handlebar but to the levers - the 105 7000 hydro ones are around 15mm longer than the rim brake ones, coupled with a rather oldschool handlebar it made the bike more like a 53 instead of a 49. i bought her a much more compact handlebar end a shorter stem which took care of that problem. Actually a big reason for me to go Di2 on my hydro disc bikes was to get the smaller levers, the mechanical ones are also just way to big for small hands to operate the brakes nicely.

This may prove helpful- I've been struggling to set up a new bike, and had been trying to get the hoods level- my other bike has old campy hoods, which are much smaller, and which I now realize I hold so differently that comparing them is a bit pointless. My issue has been that I really won't rotate my shoulders, and I think I may have been ridding with my wrists at a less than ideal angle, which might be contributing to some hand numbness, though I'm also struggling with saddle position from one bike to the next.

As a young mechanic I was taught, and would get yelled at if I didn't do this, to set the hoods level, in line with the bar. Awesome video!

Great video and content - with the trap pain I get on a long ride, I think I'll be resetting the position of my hydraulic hoods ASAP and see how it goes.

On my fixed gear road bike, Winter bike (two brakes) I was using old SR bars that were on borrowed time, check your bars for corrosion! and Tektro RL340 with the bars rotated downwards to get comfy in the aero part of the drops but I struggled reaching the lever with the winter gloves I wear. I upgraded to ITM Marathon bars and couldn't do this but I used Tektro RL341 women's levers with the hoods rotated up. This fits my wrists perfect. The shorter reach lever was now the same distance in the drops as my old SR bars but I had to adjust my drop riding position to the one proper road riders use, I'd been taking it easy.

I have really small hands. I'm a 5'4" woman. Right now, I have to put a lot of weight on my hands, and shift my hands somewhat off the hood to grip the brakes. Even then, I can't get the stopping power I want. I have to slow down way before I should. I wear gloves with extra padding in the palms, but most of the pressure is on the joint of my index fingers where they connect to my palms. I have to rub the ache from my hands every time I stop. The right hood is angled in slightly. I have to simultaneously squeeze and pull my hands outward so that I don't accidentally shift gears while trying to brake. I have a 2016 FUJI Sportif. This road bike is my car, so I have to make it work until I can afford another car. I like this bike. My only issue with it is braking.

I've always found angling the hoods up to be the most comfortable, for reasons explained in this video. The downside, for me, is when I reach for the brakes while in the drops, only my index finger is grabbing just at the very bottom of the brake lever. Forget about getting two fingers on the lever (index and middle) for more controlled braking. That would require bending my wrists in an unnatural way. That's even after adjusting the screws to bring the levers closer to the drops.

Thanks to both for these videos...really interesting. #savetherimbrake

I've just done 150 miles over 2 days. My legs were fine. Wrists and hands however, ouch! Thanks for this.

This is really interesting. I have always moved my hoods down towards flat, in part to get lower, but mostly because it reduces the reach to the brakes when I'm on the drops. It wasn't that long ago that you couldn't get reach adjustable levers, I was always having to reach up and forward to grab the brakes from the drops. Putting them further down the bar reduced the distance from bar (in the bend) to the lever. Now that I have reach adjustable levers I may well try adjusting them up as recommended, in part because what you said about shoulders lifting towards the ears resonates with me, I often find myself consciously forcing my shoulders down.

Very interesting.

Awesome content !!! I noticed this a while back, and always have to pull hoods closer on "new bikes". I had issue though with a carbon Vision handlebar, as I ran out of grippy section for the clamp. Should I just use carbon paste and set the hood clamp higher, or do you recken a new bar is needed as it won't be reinforced in the higher location ? A drawback you did not mention of placing the hoods higher, is that it can make reaching the brake levers from the drops a bit difficult for those of us with small hands.

With flared bars for gravel being all the rage please make a video discussing their impact on bike fit/ergo. My fear is with the hoods and shifters angled that they are doing harm or not optimizing performance or both. I personally am almost always riding in the hoods.

This was a great video. I went and changed my setup, as the bars/hoods were level and I constantly found I was hunching my right shoulder. Changed the setup to roll the bars down and move the hoods up with a slight up-angle. First ride and immediately noticed I wasn't hunching, but was also able to get lower when holding the hoods and getting the forearms lower. The heel of my hands would sit comfortably in the hollow created by the forward rolled bar and the up-tilt on the hoods. Thanks Neill!

Wow, this is precisely the problem I have! My hoods definitely need to be brought back up toward me. But did I also hear you say that the bar should then be slightly angled down if we do this? Thanks!

Mind blown 🤯 You know when you know something is wrong but you can’t put your finger on it… Cheers for the content guys 👍👏🏼 That’s my job for today.

As you mentioned about people with smallnor medium hands, we tend to position the shifter for reach in the drops. My hands are medium and my bar reach is short so I found the shifter is somewhere in between.

If you are a bit OCD (like me) and your drop bars have some form of horizontal indication on the front, place a spirit level next to stem on top of bar (90 degs to bar) and measure to halfway down the bars diameter. Move sprit level underneath bar and measure to halfway up bars diameter. The two points should coincide with the horizontal indication on the front of the bar.

Hey mate, great vid! Do you recommend having the hoods straight ahead or turned in a bit? Cheers!

i'm from sao paulo - brazil and subscrib after this video. I watching many outher and love you job bro.

I keep my hood fairly high and roll my bars back a bit. I have some neck issues and this eases the discomfort. Very rarely ride in the drops.

I am trying to find a balance between hoods up and still being able to easily reach the brakes in the drops. I enjoy having better access and comfort in the drops for my kind of 🗻 up and mountain down riding

This sounds like a great advice, but not all levers have adjustable lever reach. So far I had to roll entire bar up and back to get a decent position and be able to use brakes in the drops. But this makes riding in the drops noticeably worse

great video, thank you, going to check my hoods ....i know one bike is slightly less comfortable than the other and this might be the reason..

Is this the best video on the internet? Probably not. But it's very close and helpful as $*%& right now.

Great Video! What are your thoughts on pointing the hoods inwards, which also rotates the wrist? In your experience, does this also help the posture to be more relaxed?

Great video as always! May I request a possible topic for next video to be the proper angle of the handlebars for people that stay in the drops?

Agree. My hoods have gravitated toward an upward angle.

Just built a new bike myself with Coefficient RR bars, overall adjustments feel good (thank you for all videos!) except for hand position. I have the stem fully “up” for now so I can adjust before cutting fork too short, and the main issue I’m feeling is maybe a bit too much reach and definitely forward rolled wrists. I am moderately flexible/aero in my position and like to have bent elbows but this wrist position is forcing me to keep my elbows straighter and sit more upright. In my case I think I will definitely move levers back/up. I think I can drop the stem a good amount too - for a given hip/back angle (fairly aggressive posture) it should allow my wrist to fall more comfortably on flatter hoods and also decrease tension in triceps I think (wrists fall more “under” the shoulders, elbows straighten a bit)?

Still stuck in the old age n then proceeds to look directly at his disc bike 😂 Great video, explains why my elbows are locked 90% of the time and I have to consciously bend them. Going from 44cm bars to 38cm and was after information about hood angle, cheers

6:40 - any idea why "rolling the bars down a bit"? (i understand about rolling the hoods upwards a bit) this is a good one ;-) thank you!