Please check my position esp tiller length
- Thread starter Drstimpy
- Start date
Frito Bandito
Zen MBB Master
Looks alright to me. Due to a recent Wireless Blip failure I switched to different bars (chopped road bike bars) that are more narrow, and the first thing I noticed was that having my hands closer together and higher made my V20 feel more twitchy initially. In your video your arms look kinda wide, which feels amazing when just cruizing IMO, but if you want to be more aero then a bit more narrow should help.
Had been considering changing the top boom length, mainly to see what effect it has. So reduced it by 1.4 inches. Any shorter and my thighs will be hitting the bars. The bend angle of my elbow is now 120 degrees. I'm short (5'6") with fairly long limbs and a very short upper torso. Am using the adjustable seat, set to the shortest length. Will see how that affects handling tomorrow.
Frito Bandito
Zen MBB Master
I love the huge amount of adjustability we have, especially with the numerous types of bars now available. Some guys prefer a bent elbow, saying it gets their forearm in the wind shadow of their thigh. I tried a few halfhearted attempts at replicating that with different bars, and while I can't confidently say that I was successful at getting them out of the wind, the best I could come up with was simply holding the bars with my hands very close to the stem to get as much of my forearms out of the wind as possible. Lack of wheel time in that position made it twitchy for me, and if I did gain any aero advantage in that position I probably lost any true speed gain because I increased my rolling resistance and total distance travelled just by weaving all over the dang place lol. In light of posts on another thread in regards to total power output by incorporating pulling on the bars, I feel that holding close to the stem almost completely took my upper body contribution to power out of the mix. All what I am writing is being extremely picky of course, and what works for 1 situation probably isn't as suitable for other situations but its great to suss out what works best. For me, the Deda Tribar with Super Record bar end brake levers and SRAM AXS shifters you can see in my profile pic is surely the lightest and most aero for me, but comfort wise... there is just no way to hold on to the bars that makes me think "Gee, this is comfortable." Kinda like accepting the fact that the old 500cc 2-strokes are out to kill you, it's just something I learned to live with.
Jeffers
Performer Low Racer
Did have a Kawasaki Mach 3 or a Suzuki Titan?
Frito Bandito
Zen MBB Master
Yep. Those guys couldn't help but have straight arms when they were giving it the beans
RojoRacing
Donut Powered Wise-guy
Not a great video to judge too much of your position but at the very least, I can say your bars are about as far out as you'd probably want to go. I would judge for yourself what limitations in balance or maneuverability you think you're experiencing and decide if moving the bars back to bend your arms a bit more would help. I feel like I started with straighter arms like you're showing, and as I learned to ride the V20, I brought them back after I gained confidence and started looking for better cornering control. If you do bring you bars back, don't forget to rotate them as well so you wirsts remain straight.
Jeffers
Performer Low Racer
Another motorcyclist.
Seems like a lot of us end up on recumbents.
"The Destroyer Of All Egos Upright"
There's this fast guy on my bike path.
On back of his shorts, it says,
"Dream Crusher"
Greg S
Well-Known Member
Curious as to which way you moved it i.e., did you shorten the tiller (between the clamp and handlebars) or the distance between the clamp and the crank? I found that small differences in tiller length made a big difference in how the bike felt but maybe that’s me.
Greg S
Well-Known Member
Surprising (to me) that removing 1.4" of tiller didn't change the handling for you but it's a "system" so the rest of the setup may have reduced the effect. At any rate, hope you hit on a setup that you like.
Aligning the slider/handlebars so your upper arms are aligned with your torso and rotating the bars for neutral wrists will improve the handling and turning ability a lot. Straight arms and "aero" are not really relevant unless you are racing and going well over 16mph all the time. Better to improve the max efficiency of the upper body, which only happens at "mid arm bend" as a neutral setup. When your arms are always extended you no longer have any easily accessible "push-pull" and are basically always "chasing" the front end around. Its also (my opinion) much more tiring over the long run.
The superman arms concept was fine on old high racer RWD but not effective on a Cruzbike.
The superman arms concept was fine on old high racer RWD but not effective on a Cruzbike.
Duncanleon
New Member
As commented your arms are very straight. The fitting for the tiller is covered by Robert quite well in his fit video for V20. The tiller should extend back so that the handlebars align over the top of the seat as it angles up to the back support. What this allows you to do is have your upper arms almost parallel to your chest and back with your forearms angled up resting comfortably on the handlebar drops. This will also position the handlebars back far enough so that your knees rise underneath with approximately an inch and a half to two inches below the bars. Having your arms straight as you show in the video will limit your handling of the bike steering as well as direct extra energy to your arms simply holding on rather than being able to focus on the power to the legs for pedaling during the later parts of a long ride.
Drstimpy
New Member
I’ve moved the tiller assembly back one inch and after riding it, I may move it back a little more. Right now I am OK at low speed but when I get in the 25 mile an hour range, I start to feel unstable and unsteady. I also need to put in a few more hours to smooth everything out.
