I have funny geometry and stumbled my way into tilting the hoods up years ago, mucking around on my old Ciombola. It's allowed me to move the saddle aft, relieving the weight on my wrists and increasing my saddle comfort. It's a radical improvement at both ends! Your clear and concise explanation makes it all make more sense now though. And has given me pause for thought on my new fangled hydraulic brake hoods. Thank you!
@@roadcyclingacademy Funny thing is for me in old TTT Forma and Prima bars with early 2000 Campag Ergo hoods, I actually like them level, and I grab them not from the top so much as the side unless I'm standing on the pedals. There isn't much downward wrist flexion at all in this position.
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. 🙌🏽
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.
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.
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!
Great, the hoods on my bike were mounted fairly low and it made me do the straight arm thing. rotated the steer up and its a lot better, now i know what adjustments to look for
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!
I want to say I did exactly just that and found my riding position much more comfortable. Wasted a fairly new bar tape though as I’ve only used it for one ride before I realized I needed to angle up the hood (and angle down the bar slightly). Great video!
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’
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.
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!
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.😊
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?
Good question - it sometimes helps, particularly if the rider's bars are too wide, or they naturally cock their elbows out to the side and hence their forearms attack the front end on an inwards angle. Following the angle of the forearms inwards with the hood often feels more comfortable under these circumstances. - Neill
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!
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.
That is exactly the issue that I encountered. My bike was set up in a very upright riding position when I got it. What I did was reverse the stem angle and roll the bars down slightly. This provided a lower and comfortable upright/hoods position for me but allowed me to also reach the levers while in the drops. This video was very insightful and also confirmed some of the changes I already made to improve my fit.
Replying to my own comment- I adjusted my bar angle up just those few degrees and finally had good weather to go ride. Was surprised how much of a difference it made. Really made for an enjoyable day on the bike.
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.
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.
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.
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.
I am all for moving my hoods up the bar, however it makes it much harder to reach the brakes while down in the drops even with the brake reach pulled all the way in.
Yeah it's a tough choice alright. I've adjusted my levers in but I just get the levers in the drops. Having hydro disc has helped ad I can brake with much less finger force in the drops.
Hey Matt! Most hoods now have the ability to wind the lever in close to the handlebars so you can have the best of both worlds with having the levels in a comfy position in the hoods and being able to reach the breaks in the drops! -RCA Team
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
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.
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
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!
I was in that situation where I kept rising the the handlebar height due to shoulder pain, convinced (and so were 2 different bike fitters) that the pain came from the head lifting and neck. Higher should mean more confortable, right? Until I read this video and tried to lower the handlebar for 1cm... pain was gone. Thank you so much!
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!
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 👍🏼
One issue I hope Neill can talk about is hand numbness.. All my bikes my hands go numb, in different ways. I know it means I have too much weight on the bars but I'm not sure how to fix it.
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
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.
@@SherazChoudhary thanks, but I don't think it's possible to get it any lower - bespoke bike from a while back, so if anything, given I'm getting older it's probably now a bit lower than is comfortable!
Shimano offers a hydraulic brifter for small hands. I'm a 5'2" female with a strong preference for campy ergo brifters on my road bikes. But when my gravel bike came set up with hydraulic disc, I ran into really bad fatigue in my hands. Since replacing the brifters with the small hands version, I have 0 issues that I had with the original levers. I would hope Sram has some scalability but I don't know much about them.
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.
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.
Great information. But what do those of us who ride vintage road bikes do? My 1980 touring bike has the "little" Shimano 600 hood levers on a Randonneur handlebar. I'd love to pull the hoods up, but I can only brake hard from the drops. The levers would tilt away from where I can reach them to brake.
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.
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.
Any idea, what's the effect of hood position regards front hub on manouverability? I think farther (towards the front) the hood from front hubb, more difficulty in maneuvering the bike.
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.
sorry, english is not my first language, from what i gathered you are currently having difficulty for squeezing the brake lever for stopping, isn't that correct? if so you can try adjusting the brake lever reach to be closer (you can look it up on youtube for the tutorial, you simply just need an allen/hex key) but it comes at a downside, your brake pad/shoes will also be closer to the rim/disc so you need to give the cables some slack so that the pads don't rub, also because the brake lever is closer to you there is a little less time for the brake to "bite" the moment you squeeze the lever, be careful at the moment you need to stop because the brake will be a little bit snappier. Of course give it a time and you will developed your own way to "feather" the brakes.
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.
The rolling of the bars down allows you to have an easier access to the drops as the bottom of the drop isn't running away from you! This does obviously depend on where your bars are positioned in the first place! -RCA Team
Funnily enough..I do bike fits and the single most thing I do,with almost everyone is to untape the top of the bars,rotate the bars down and pull the hoods up. Often folk think they need a shorter stem,whereas in fact the position of hoods is the critical aspect...
I love how he says “hood”
“Hoouud” 😂 I genuinely love it
Thats how its said 🧐
@ nah it’s pronounced “Hood” not “Who’d” 🤓
Between this and Bike-fit Tuesdays, I have learned a lot from really knowledgable and engaging people. Thanks Neill and Cam for these.
Thanks for the tip.
We're glad we could help!
-RCA Team
Experience vs just reading the internet. Thanks for this. Will be tilting my hoods upward.
We're glad we could help you out!
-RCA Team
I have funny geometry and stumbled my way into tilting the hoods up years ago, mucking around on my old Ciombola. It's allowed me to move the saddle aft, relieving the weight on my wrists and increasing my saddle comfort. It's a radical improvement at both ends!
Your clear and concise explanation makes it all make more sense now though. And has given me pause for thought on my new fangled hydraulic brake hoods. Thank you!
@@roadcyclingacademy Funny thing is for me in old TTT Forma and Prima bars with early 2000 Campag Ergo hoods, I actually like them level, and I grab them not from the top so much as the side unless I'm standing on the pedals. There isn't much downward wrist flexion at all in this position.
Same
Great advice. I just checked and mine were very flat. I was getting wrist pain. Raised to 17 degrees and will see how it goes!
I love these videos you do with Neil mate! Please keep these coming, I’ve learned immensely several different nuances
Rim brakes are part of planned obsolescence scam by shitmano & co.
th-cam.com/video/hdNrJkeGgAI/w-d-xo.htmlsi=hmf1nwl7NLgOsl3B
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. 🙌🏽
I can think of no end of other place you could spend money that would be a lot, lot worse. Better is harder.
Finally, some advices for hood angle, I googled this topic a lot, but NO ONE TALK ABOUT IT, like no one cares...
This is one of the most important contact points of the bike and one that has the biggest input to your feel!
-RCA Team
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.
Changing to an upward tilt of the hoods has made my bike so much more comfortable. Cheers.😀
We're glad you are more comfortable on your bike now!
-RCA Team
Simple explanation of an important element of bike fit and comfort. Well done.
We're glad that you got great value from watching this video!
-RCA Team
so well explained! best explanation of hoods setup so far. Congrats!
How good is Neil. Just THE intellectual stud when it comes to bike 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.
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!
Hey Antonio!
Thanks for the lovely comment and we're glad we could help you!
-RCA Team
Great, the hoods on my bike were mounted fairly low and it made me do the straight arm thing. rotated the steer up and its a lot better, now i know what adjustments to look for
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!
We're glad this video helped your cycling and comfort!
-RCA Team
I want to say I did exactly just that and found my riding position much more comfortable. Wasted a fairly new bar tape though as I’ve only used it for one ride before I realized I needed to angle up the hood (and angle down the bar slightly). Great video!
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’
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.
Welcome to the cycling journey! We wish you the best and hope we can continue to add value in your experiences!
-RCA Team
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.
good to know lolol
Nice to validate that Neil approves of my setup. I love these videos.
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!
We're glad you are more comfortable on your bike now!
-RCA Team
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.😊
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?
Good question - it sometimes helps, particularly if the rider's bars are too wide, or they naturally cock their elbows out to the side and hence their forearms attack the front end on an inwards angle. Following the angle of the forearms inwards with the hood often feels more comfortable under these circumstances. - Neill
I think it's ugly as hell, and I would never do that.
But, then again, I'm some rando on the internet who came up riding in the 80's.
@@endcensorship874 That's a strange comment. Lol! Does t affect the look at all. But if it did, who cares. It's about form and fit.
@@joerenner8334 I realize it is about form, fit, and maximizing aero efficiency. I'm saying I'm too old school (too old? maybe...) to do it.
@@endcensorship874 You can't be much older than me! Always learning at 57.
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!
Changing things on your bike can be a little daunting for sure. Maybe this could be something we could do more of in the future.
-RCA Team
I love these videos. I learn so much from Neil's expertise and it helps dial in my own fit.
Thanks for the comment Neri!
We're glad we can help!
-RCA Team
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.
That is exactly the issue that I encountered. My bike was set up in a very upright riding position when I got it. What I did was reverse the stem angle and roll the bars down slightly. This provided a lower and comfortable upright/hoods position for me but allowed me to also reach the levers while in the drops. This video was very insightful and also confirmed some of the changes I already made to improve my fit.
The topics you choose always come at just the right time.
Replying to my own comment- I adjusted my bar angle up just those few degrees and finally had good weather to go ride. Was surprised how much of a difference it made. Really made for an enjoyable day on the bike.
We're glad you have a lot more comfort on the bike now!
-RCA Team
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.
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
Hey Eric thanks for the comment!
We're glad you got great value out of our content and pleased you are going well!
-RCA Team
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.
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.
I've just done 150 miles over 2 days. My legs were fine. Wrists and hands however, ouch! Thanks for this.
These bike fit videos are fantastic!
Hey Edward,
Thank you for such a kind comment! we're glad you enjoy them!
-RCA Team
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.
I love those kind of short but informative videos on this channel - always a worthwhile watch
We're glad you get great value out of them!
Be sure to check out our instagram page as we posts even shorter video style content there!
-RCA Team
Great information. I just purchased a road bike and had this hood placement question.
100% guys!🤩 I like to see other #bikefit expert sharing this point of vue on Hood and Handle bars position!
We're glad you got value of this video!
-RCA Team
THANK YOU! Comfort - mission completed. Finally.
Exactly what I need since I'm fiddling around with hood position right now. Thanks.
Fiddle no more! Happy to help
-RCA Team
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.
Thanks for the lovely comment Lee!
We're glad we can help.
-RCA Team
Love Neil’s informative videos
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.
Adjusting the shifter 'reach' is something most people don't take advantage of but could be crucial to setting up your levers properly!
-RCA Team
Love your stuff Cam. Neil is so comprenhensive.
We're glad you are loving the content!
-RCA Team
The info from this is amazing, this channel rules. Top level, can't wait to get home and get adjusting.
Cheers Lee
Can you do a video on how to sprint? Hold the bike, core movement, etc
Could be one for Craig Wiggins, a sprinter at Pro Racing Sunshine Coast and our social media manager. I'll hit him up.
Yeah I don't think I'd be much help on this one. I sprint about as well as a wet gym sock. - Neill
What angle do you recommend setting the handlebar for the drops?
I am all for moving my hoods up the bar, however it makes it much harder to reach the brakes while down in the drops even with the brake reach pulled all the way in.
Yeah it's a tough choice alright. I've adjusted my levers in but I just get the levers in the drops. Having hydro disc has helped ad I can brake with much less finger force in the drops.
Hey Matt!
Most hoods now have the ability to wind the lever in close to the handlebars so you can have the best of both worlds with having the levels in a comfy position in the hoods and being able to reach the breaks in the drops!
-RCA Team
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
Thank you so much for these! Saints of Cycling here.
We're glad you got some great value out of the content!
-RCA Team
I wondered if this process will have an adverse effect on reaching the drops/brake position?
Tweaking my handlebar and lever recently and your video definitely help! Thanks
We're glad you are on the right path to comfort!
-RCA Team
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.
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.
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
Amazing as allways. We really learn a lot with your vídeos. I mean, you guys are the best! Thank you!
We're glad you are enjoying the videos!
-RCA Team
Brilliant video again guys!!! Cheers.
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!
We hope you find your ideal comfort soon!
-RCA Team
What about the reach to the brake levers in the drops after rotating the hoods?
I was in that situation where I kept rising the the handlebar height due to shoulder pain, convinced (and so were 2 different bike fitters) that the pain came from the head lifting and neck. Higher should mean more confortable, right?
Until I read this video and tried to lower the handlebar for 1cm... pain was gone.
Thank you so much!
dang, just as I retaped the bars with...FLAT hood positioning :-) tanx!!
We hope you can fix that up soon!
-RCA Team
Yep..had my handlebars up to high. Followed this video and it certainly made a more comforting difference.
We're glad you got some great value out of this video!
-RCA Team
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!
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?
Cheers mate. That is a very specific topic, but I'll suggest it to Neill and see what we can do. Cam
And how it might be translated to a track bike that doesn’t have to accommodate hoods etc
This guy really knows his stuff
Than you for this! Please keep content like this coming!
Thanks for the comment Steve!
We're glad you like the content!
-RCA Team
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.
Slave to vanity!!! We all are to some extent…
Comfort is the key!
-RCA Team
Nice one Neill. Long live the 2012 bike.
Thanks for the comment Mark!
His bike is still going strong!
-RCA Team
I learn so much from your videos thanks
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 👍🏼
At least you'll be able to help them get off their bikes as the limp with neck pain into the coffee shop!
-RCA Team
One issue I hope Neill can talk about is hand numbness.. All my bikes my hands go numb, in different ways. I know it means I have too much weight on the bars but I'm not sure how to fix it.
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
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.
You might also want to try lowering the handlebar. Too high of a front end can also bring you shoulders up. There is a Neill video on that as well.
@@SherazChoudhary thanks, but I don't think it's possible to get it any lower - bespoke bike from a while back, so if anything, given I'm getting older it's probably now a bit lower than is comfortable!
Using the reach adjustment on the hoods allows you to have the best of both worlds!
-RCA Team
Your videos are amazing. Looking forward to trying some of these
Shimano offers a hydraulic brifter for small hands. I'm a 5'2" female with a strong preference for campy ergo brifters on my road bikes. But when my gravel bike came set up with hydraulic disc, I ran into really bad fatigue in my hands. Since replacing the brifters with the small hands version, I have 0 issues that I had with the original levers. I would hope Sram has some scalability but I don't know much about them.
I have them. They're called short-reach hoods. Trek puts them on size
We're glad you were able to fix that issue!
-RCA Team
Amazing tip- so excited to try this. Thanks as always Cam and Neill
Comfort awaits!
-RCA Team
Ah man, this is gold. Thank you 🙌🏼
Agree. My hoods have gravitated toward an upward angle.
It's the way of comfort!
-RCA Team
Huge amount amount of info once again. 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.
We're glad to have you as a great supporter!
-RCA Team
Any suggestions for someone that has some carpal tunnel problems. 20mins of riding and hands are almost unusable.
agree but when i am on the tops on oval bars/ the flat resting area gets push/inclined forward and not as comfy as before
There will be a happy medium to fix all the problems!
-RCA Team
Wow what a quality video and fantastic lesson
What is that. 2 black attachment? For what purpose
This is amazing! Just raised my hood yesterday, much more comfortable for the shoulders and it also helped with the reach being too long.
What if I have a vintage bike with those retro levers AND modern compact bars + quill stem? What's the correct rule of thumb?
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.
Thanks for your comment!
We're sure this will definitely help with your comfort!
-RCA Team
But why tilting the bar down and not also upwards? Doesn't tilting bar downwards but hood upwards put more pressure on the heel of the hand?
Great information. But what do those of us who ride vintage road bikes do? My 1980 touring bike has the "little" Shimano 600 hood levers on a Randonneur handlebar. I'd love to pull the hoods up, but I can only brake hard from the drops. The levers would tilt away from where I can reach them to brake.
Good question George, sorry I don't have the answer. Cam
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.
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.
Using the reach function on hoods gives you the ability to have the best of both worlds!
-RCA Team
Is the angle of the hood relative to the ground or bar?
Very precise and effective informations, thanks.
Any idea, what's the effect of hood position regards front hub on manouverability?
I think farther (towards the front) the hood from front hubb, more difficulty in maneuvering the bike.
Thanks for the detailed explanation.
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.
sorry, english is not my first language, from what i gathered you are currently having difficulty for squeezing the brake lever for stopping, isn't that correct? if so you can try adjusting the brake lever reach to be closer (you can look it up on youtube for the tutorial, you simply just need an allen/hex key) but it comes at a downside, your brake pad/shoes will also be closer to the rim/disc so you need to give the cables some slack so that the pads don't rub, also because the brake lever is closer to you there is a little less time for the brake to "bite" the moment you squeeze the lever, be careful at the moment you need to stop because the brake will be a little bit snappier. Of course give it a time and you will developed your own way to "feather" the brakes.
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.
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!
The rolling of the bars down allows you to have an easier access to the drops as the bottom of the drop isn't running away from you! This does obviously depend on where your bars are positioned in the first place!
-RCA Team
Funnily enough..I do bike fits and the single most thing I do,with almost everyone is to untape the top of the bars,rotate the bars down and pull the hoods up. Often folk think they need a shorter stem,whereas in fact the position of hoods is the critical aspect...
We couldn't agree more that this is one of the most critical aspects!
-RCA Team
Well this was actually really helpful. Thanks!
We're glad this helped Jan!
-RCA Team
Is this the best video on the internet? Probably not.
But it's very close and helpful as $*%& right now.
I like having the hoods rolled back too but it doesnt provide great access to the brake levers when riding in the drops.