Just did a similar route, 1hr 45 min ride, on two of my bikes, boardman 29er with mid drive and an old scott genius MC40 hub drive with 26" wheels. When I came back, I noticed I was a lot more "achey" after the (much newer) boardman ride, with arms , shoulders and back aching a bit. When I came back after riding the scott, I felt great. Maybe partly due to full suss (although these rides were on roads) but also the wheelbase is significantly shorter. Is there some explanation ?
Comfort on long rides
- Thread starter Peter.Bridge
- Start date
The arrangement of the bars is likely to make for a lot of the difference.
Distance from saddle to the bars (by bars I mean the part of the bars you actually use).
Height of the bars relative to saddle.
Swept back angle of the bars. (I find most bars are too straight which is good for control and bad for comfort.)
If they are swept back. the drop angle.
Distance from saddle to the bars (by bars I mean the part of the bars you actually use).
Height of the bars relative to saddle.
Swept back angle of the bars. (I find most bars are too straight which is good for control and bad for comfort.)
If they are swept back. the drop angle.
Put some of these bars and one of those curved Aliexpress seats on any MTB and it immediately becomes a bike you can ride all day:
Attachments
I let a drop-handlebar roadie friend try my Giant Lafree with similar comfort handlebars, since he'd never tried e-assist. When he returned his immediate comment was, "What wonderful handlebars", not a word about assistance!
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I agree with the others. It's all about the handlebars. If the longer wheelbase bike is more uncomfortable then you are stretching out further probably to flat, straight handlebars, so more of your weight is falling on your wrists. Pullback bars will shorten that stretch.
Tyre pressures are also worth considering, higher pressures give a harsher ride.
ROCKBROS Bicycle Saddle Hollow Breathable Shockproof Cycling Seat PU Non-Slip Leather Cushion Lightweight MTB Road Bike Saddle - AliExpress
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Bar sweep angle is very much personal preference. I've got some very like these from Saneagle post #3 on the front of our tandem and I find them a little too swept back. Waspy's in post 6 look as if they'd be about right for me.
My original almost straight ones were very uncomfortable and well worth replacing. The Saneagle-like replacements are too swept back, but not bad enough I'm changing them again. The original bars on our Raleigh Motus are just right for me.
Try sitting on the saddle with your hands forward and find where they don't feel feel twisted.
To adapt to left/right twist get handlebars with a different sweep.
To adapt to up/down twist rotate the handlebars about the stem mount to raise/lower the back edge.
It would be interesting to see photos of OP's bars on his two bikes.
Agree with every one here , reach and handle bar positioning / bar styl make a heck of a difference to comfort.
My Kona Ute has nice swept back bars with the addition of a Redshift supension bar stem , also the 650b 42c tyres soak up vibrations like suspension does.
If I was 30 years younger this is the bike I would use for touring.
The lidl saddle I have has worn badly and is all taped up so I have a Rockbros to try out.
My Kona Ute has nice swept back bars with the addition of a Redshift supension bar stem , also the 650b 42c tyres soak up vibrations like suspension does.
If I was 30 years younger this is the bike I would use for touring.
The lidl saddle I have has worn badly and is all taped up so I have a Rockbros to try out.
Boardman 29er
Scott Genius (26" wheels)
So just tried sitting on both and comparing them side by side
The Scott handlebars (surprisingly to me) were slightly higher and slightly curved towards me
Because the wheelbase was shorter, the center of the handlebars on the Scott was closer to the saddle
The handlebars on the Scott were narrower
The bottom bracket on the Scott was slightly lower resulting in the saddle being slightly lower (when I'm sat on it and the rear suspension is slightly compressed). The pedals are closer to the ground at the bottom of the pedal stroke
All of this means I'm "reaching" more for the handlebars on the Boardman and I'm leaning forward more and more of my weight on my wrists, which probably explains it all
Thanks all for the comments
Scott Genius (26" wheels)
So just tried sitting on both and comparing them side by side
The Scott handlebars (surprisingly to me) were slightly higher and slightly curved towards me
Because the wheelbase was shorter, the center of the handlebars on the Scott was closer to the saddle
The handlebars on the Scott were narrower
The bottom bracket on the Scott was slightly lower resulting in the saddle being slightly lower (when I'm sat on it and the rear suspension is slightly compressed). The pedals are closer to the ground at the bottom of the pedal stroke
All of this means I'm "reaching" more for the handlebars on the Boardman and I'm leaning forward more and more of my weight on my wrists, which probably explains it all
Thanks all for the comments
Could the additional muscle activations responding to vibration because the Boardman doesn't have suspension be a factor? Rather like how these vibration plate exercise gizmos are supposed to work:
Keep at it as is? Maybe you'll get all jacked up like Arnie? (joking, joking, reduce pain however you can)
Keep at it as is? Maybe you'll get all jacked up like Arnie? (joking, joking, reduce pain however you can)
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The Bordman bars appear to be on a weird angle, loosen all of the brakes, shifters etc and rotate the bars into a better position.
I was just thinking that - they look like they are pointing downwards, I can rotate them so they are pointing more towards me (They've been like that for 10 years !)
Some people, myself included, find running a smaller wheel at the back makes the bike more comfortable. I did this initially with fitting an ordinary 26 mtb with a rear 24 creating whats sometimes called a'mullet'. Presently I run a Carrera Vengence (27.5) with a 26 rear motor wheel and handlebars raised higher. It lowers the rear and bottom bracket and gives a more relaxed feeling when cycling.
Good point, I forgot about the stem.
Some are long and flat pushing the handlebar even further out.
Mine (made by UNO) has a 35 degree upward tilt.
Loads of different sizes/angles on AliExpress.
I like your thinking. I suppose I will now be browsing Gumtree for 27.5" bikes (which I won't buy of course).
The longer the ride, the more specific the feedback your body will give.
It was very clear on my first long trip, 300 miles, 5 days, that two things had to change: general discomfort from shoulders (slightly arthritic, but normally no pain) said 'less weight on bars' which meant raise them, and severe pain in inner edges of wrists said 'change the angle or give up'.
20,000 miles later...
It was very clear on my first long trip, 300 miles, 5 days, that two things had to change: general discomfort from shoulders (slightly arthritic, but normally no pain) said 'less weight on bars' which meant raise them, and severe pain in inner edges of wrists said 'change the angle or give up'.
20,000 miles later...
I changed to these some years ago, made a big difference:
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