Adjusting Your Reach
Last week, instead of writing this post on dealing with a bike that is off, I wanted to convey my thought processes as I ride such a bike. The bike I ride while I’m back in the US is the first new road bike I ever got, a 2002 Trek 1000. It was my 16th birthday present. Since that time I’ve ridden the bejebus out of it, numerous charity rides, some races and countless hours of group rides. I never really a major issue with it, always replacing things before they broke, or doing upgrades like the carbon fiber fork, or new stem and handlebars.
When I last left the bike in January I had just swapped the crankset from the original triple, to a compact double, with 165mm arms instead of 170. This made a huge difference, short of one thing. It’s not riding right. I’ve spent more time than I should have tweaking the saddle and bar position in hopes of replicating my bikes in Malaysia. At first I thought it was the headset, since that needed replacing, but no. On my last women’s ride, I had a really tough time staying with a group that should have felt easy. Just riding on the flats I felt like the bike was pulling me backwards.
I can’t tell if it’s seat position or what, but to say the least, it’s put me off riding until I get back to Asia. I was hoping to get in lots of miles before my three-day ride when I return, but it’s not to be.
– Ashley
