Handlebars and Steering – pedalnorth

SQ Lab Cycling – Maximising Performance & Comfort

Pedalnorth Website — Thu, 18 Jul 2024 20:30:11 +0000

Bikefitting

The positive
benefits

SQ Lab Cycling – Maximising Performance & Comfort

Innovation & Excellence in Cycling Science

Words by Robert & Images by Ben Thorpe

None of us are the same – literally none of us. If 2 twins ate the same things, walked in exactly the same footsteps, and grew in the same way, their foot pressure measurements would vary, due to how they actually walked. And yet, we all seem quite happy to walk into a bike shop and take a new bike straight of the stand, accepting that the contact points – the handlebars, the saddle and the cranks are all perfect for us. They’re not, and in truth they very rarely are; which is why the majority of cyclists are riding in discomfort or not able to perform to their maximum.

Visiting Euro Bike this July was enlightening for me, seeing SQ Lab taking centre stage, with their appliance of science, in helping cyclists to find their own perfect fit on the bike. I’ve worked closely with Hutch, from Lake Cycling Shoes for over two years now, and he’s educated me on cyclist’s feet. He’s also pointed out the benefits of a detailed and accurate bike fitting, and I’m sold on it. These were also points that already interested me, and I’ve frequently advised cycling friends that the pain between their shoulders may be down to handlebar width; or that the wrist pain may be a result of incorrect handlebar shape and positioning of the levers.

SQ Lab – Science Quantified for Cyclists

Talking with Nina from the SQ Lab team, we spent a long time being shown through their software and how it analyses the smallest details right across the cyclist’s body. From their normal stance, how they sit, to the width of their hands and how they place them onto handlebars, SQ Lab are interested in every aspect in their quest to deliver the optimal ride for every cyclist.

Their saddles are probably the most scientifically designed in the industry and forgo any unnecessary elements in structure or design. They function purely how you need them to, becoming a part of you and maximising your ride position based on how your body is actually shaped and the correct measurements of your sit bones, including the pressure that they put down being accurately mapped. All of this in turn, informs the bike fitting expert how your feet operate on the pedals and allows them to correctly analyse and adjust this further element. The body is a complex structure that works in unison, and SQ Lab showed the visitors at Euro Bike, the importance of understanding the relationships at each and every point of contact, and how our skeletal structure and individual biometrics operate with the bike.

Are you sitting comfortably

SQ Lab take detailed saddle measurements using width of the sit bones, ensuring that you are properly supported. Failing to have the correct saddle width can lead to numerous problems elsewhere, as well as pain when riding. SQ Lab provide all saddle models in 4 different widths, ensuring that, whatever your own measurements, you’ll be sitting comfortably all ride long. Their ‘step saddle’ concept also creates relief for cyclists in the important and sensitive seat areas of the body for both sexes.

Strong foundations for the perfect ride

Their scientific and quantified processes take extensive measurements of your feet too, looking at base joint positions so that they can accurately assess the correct cleat placement for every rider. Along with other measurements and analysis, they’ll also recommend cranks and crank lengths. In terms of your hands and bike grips and gloves, SQ Lab take detailed measurements here too, and mark out the correct fitting for handlebars, grips and gloves, even providing cycle gloves in various width fittings –something that no other brand matches. Their ergo bars are designed to match how you use your hands and how they grip onto handlebars, optimising comfort and performance.

When looking at the feet and legs, it’s not simply the arch and sole that gets analysed; SQ Lab also measure and analyse your leg structure and natural stance. It’s critical to know whether you have a perfectly straight leg stance, a slight bow at the knee, or knock knees. All of this affects how your pedal action operates. They’ll bring all of this information together and create the perfect cycling shoe insoles for you; ensuring that your comfort and performance is maximised at this critical and hard-working contact point.

Quality counts – because only the best will do

Once SQ Lab have examined you in nearly as much detail as a gloved physician – but not quite – they’ll show you the right products from their industry-leading products of saddles, handlebars, stems, insoles, pedals and lots more, including their range of high-performance, high-quality cycle clothing. Only then can you ride away in comfort, safe in the knowledge that you’ve finally found the perfect fit for your own cycling needs.

It’s too easy to simply walk into a bike shop, or to look online and to purchase what seems like a great offer. Too frequently though, a large percentage of cyclists are riding incorrectly fitting bikes, with issues that are adverse to their fitness, maybe even their health, and most certainly affecting their cycling enjoyment. The contact bikes of the bike are individual to each of us, and we need to take due regard to ensuring that they’re correct for our own biometrics and physiology. SQ Lab are focused on doing this for us, and they’ve developed a quite remarkable system for doing so. Plain and simply, they measure every aspect of you and how you use the bike. Even the cycling kit that the brand produce is kept to necessary designs, with the right amount of compression in the right areas, and the right fabrics in the right place.

In short, SQ Lab typify German excellence in science and technology at its very best, and they’re a brand that all serious cyclists ought to look at when choosing a bike, or upgrading – or simply to ensure that you’re maximising comfort and performance.

Attending shows such as Euro Bike can be daunting, tiring and taxing, as we wander seamlessly between the multitude of stands. However, SQ Labs provided not only a bright, open, well-laid out and professionally looking place to rest a while. They also provided us with new insights and knowledge regarding the contact point comfort science within cycling. Over the next few months, we’ll be speaking in more detail to Nina and the team at their base in Bavaria and seeing how Ben and Nadezhda can benefit fit from the unique SQ Lab appliance of cycling science.

In the interim, why not take a look at the SQ Lab website yourself and find your nearest SQ Lab partner. Isn’t it time that you treated yourself to the perfect ride – with German engineering excellence, in the application of cycling science.

Visit SQ Lab

The Appliance of Cycling Science

Walmer – Wide Drop Bars

Pedalnorth Website — Mon, 03 May 2021 14:01:26 +0000

Wide Drop Bar Curious – Walmer Bars Review

by Scott Cornish

WIDE BAR CURIOUS
Scott takes a look at wider drop bars on a gravel bike setup

Finding the correct size drop bar for a road bike has always been straightforward. Measure the distance between the acromial arches (the bony protrusions on the anterior shoulder) and that is your centre to centre bar width. Following the evolution of gravel and adventure bike geometry, the choice of bar shape and width is expanding with width and degree of flare being the most significant differences. With that, there is no clear way of figuring out which size is the most suitable. Just like saddles, fit is so personal depending on numerous factors! Curve Cycling, based out of Melbourne, couldn’t find a drop bar which suited their adventurous needs and complemented their bikes, so they designed their own, creating something radical by current standards, the Walmer drop bar.

The Walmer bar is wide, 460mm being the narrowest. A choice of 4 widths are offered; the 460mm, 500mm, 550mm and 600mm measured at the hoods. Wide for sure, but add in their 29 degree flare and it’s at the drops that things get really wide; 610mm, 650mm, 700mm and 750mm respectively. Old enough to remember the days when 720mm felt radically wide on an xc mtb? These are no doubt evoking the same scepticism. When numerous gravel bikes are approaching mtb geometry and 29er adventure drop bar bikes are based around mtb numbers, a wider drop bar seems to make sense.

Curve suggest using the 460mm for adventure road biking, either the 460mm and 500mm for gravel adventures and the 2 widest being aimed at 29er drop bar bikes. It’s not only the width that is completely different, but the entirety of the bar’s geometry so that they don’t significantly throw out the reach and handling of the bike. Bar reach is comparatively short at 60mm and the tops incorporate a wrist friendly back sweep of 7 degrees, reducing the actual reach of the hoods further. This means that the additional effective reach from being wider is kept partially in check. A neck friendly 110mm drop rounds off the bar.

The Walmers replaced a 480mm width bar, 564mm at the drops. The usual rule of thumb is reducing stem length by 10 mm for every 20mm in bar width. The in situ stem length was 80mm. Due to the bar’s short reach and added back sweep, I ended with a stem only 10mm shorter and I didn’t alter the bar height. Trying a 60mm just didn’t feel right. It is only a rule of thumb after all. The down bend is such that when the hoods are set level so that there is no difference in height from the tops to the hoods, there is a hand friendly, subtle, negative drop at the bar ends. They also extend back far enough to effectively add a 4th hand position for when you don’t have to cover the brake levers. Ideal I found for long straights or climbs.

A good two months of riding on a pair of the 550mm versions across trail riding and off road bikepacking has given a solid feel for the Walmers, as well as, most importantly, adapting to the change in position. The bars have been mounted to a Shand drop bar Bahookie, a 29er adventure bike for the roughest terrain based around modern mtb geometry and WTB 29×2.4 Ranger tyres. Just so you don’t have to search for extra long bar tape, Curve thoughtfully supplies include Forks have been swapped between Shand’s carbon rigid fork and a suspension fork depending on the terrain. Choosing the drop bar version of the Bahookie was mainly due to having fractured both bones in the left wrist. With the radius having been displaced backwards damaging ligaments, long distance riding on flat bars became painful after a couple of days. With their shape and width, the Walmer bar seemed like a perfect fit for the Bahookie, not just for the bike’s geometry and purpose, but also ergonomically for the wrist.

Admittedly, the first couple of rides were a little awkward, the bars feeling completely alien, which was expected of course. It wasn’t simply about adapting to weighting the bike differently, but also the physical adaptation of the musculature around the shoulders, which would take time. Even though the 110mm drop was the same as the out going bars, the increased flare meant that I was effectively marginally lower when moving from the hoods to the drops due to the width difference of 75mm each end compared to the previous 42mm. The new drop position did initially create some tension in the musculature between the shoulder blades, but this was also no surprise as the upper body was now in a new position yet placing the same demands on it as previously. This was my personal experience however and may differ for everyone else. As I explain to bike fit clients where there is a significant alteration in their position and/or posture, new muscular tensions are likely to be experienced which may be quite strong on the initial rides. Heeding my own advice, rides became incrementally longer over varying terrain as I adapted to the position. It’s a bit like doing press ups, going from your usual hand stance to a much wider one. It can feel odd and weak initially, but the strength adaptations happen quickly. The tension felt gradually disappeared over a matter of 2-3 weeks, the drop position becoming both normal and strong, becoming fully confident on technical, off road descents.

Descending was a little slower initially, cautiously adapting to the new handling having over weighted the bars on a couple of occasions. It was definitely a combination of dialling in the right stem length and height and adapted strength in the shoulders before starting to tackle the more technical terrain I had previously been riding. Not only were the bars beneficial on descents, but also on the climbs. On the more demanding sections, having that extra width meant improved traction and control, even riding on the tops more often on rough fire road climbs.

The extra width is certainly more practical for bikepacking too when using a handlebar set up. With a 13L dry bag or larger, there’s no catching the ends of the bag on the brake levers or hands and there’s space left to ride on the tops. Personally, the Walmers have resolved the issues I was having with the wrist on flat bars for bikepacking. The more exaggerated flare places my hands and shoulders in a more natural position eliminating any discomfort.

Visually, the Walmers are a bit marmite to many, attracting double takes from passing road and gravel bike riders, as well as mtbers out on the trails. The mtb riders around the trails of Finale Ligure didn’t know what to make of someone riding the (more tame xc) trails on a drop bar bike! Having become fully adapted to the Walmer, handling and physically wise, descending technical terrain in the drops feels completely normal, both loaded and unloaded, urging the temptation to try new trails.

The Curve Walmer bar was certainly a leap of faith, but given Curve Cycling’s founders’ extensive experience in adventure cycling, I was highly confident that the bars would compliment the Shand Bahookie well. Their width did take some getting used to, physically (as well as visually), but once adapted, I was riding even more technical terrain both loaded and unloaded. Their shape won’t suit everyone of course, as with any contact point product and their width will be a contentious issue for some, but just like the introduction of 720mm flat mtb bar (and wider) the proof is in the riding. Clearly a lot of thought has gone into their design and personally the Walmer has hit a sweet spot in terms of comfort, control and ride experience for cycling adventures.

Cormet de Roselend France

Pedalnorth Website — Tue, 21 Jul 2020 14:08:55 +0000

Riding the Cormet de Roselend

The Cormet de Roselend is a superb classic Alps road cycling route, with local knowledge provided by our friends at TagRide in France, it’s definitely a route to enjoy.

At 1967 m, this high alpine pass in the Savoie provides awesome views, as you cross to beautiful Alberville and stay the night, before heading off elsewhere on your cycling tour of the Alps.

Route Information

Stats 71.49 km 1429 metres

Sitting at an altitude of 1968m the Cormet de Roselend connects Beaufort(744m) in the Beaufortain valley in the west and Bourg-Saint-Maurice(840m) in the Tarentaise Valley to the east.

The climb has a rich TDF history. It was first featured in the 1979 Tour de France and ten times since. In 2019 the climb was cut from the tour as a mudslide rendered the climb impassable.

It returns in 2020 for stage 18 and just happens to follow our preferred route over the Cormet!

Character

A beautiful but challenging Alpine col with stunning views of Roselend Dam and the Combe de la Neuve valley that requires stamina on the climb and demands respect on the descent. The Cormet can be approached from either the east or west aspect, and at the summit either turn around or continue over to descend the other side. The climb is equally tough, averaging 6.0% in both directions with sections reaching 10% from Beaufort and 9% from Bourg-Saint-Maurice.

Both east and west aspects of the pass have their own particular charm and challenges.

We prefer to cross it from east(Bourg) to west(Beaufort). The views offered as the valley opens up with every marker passed on the ascent from Bourg make the climb all the more rewarding and the combination of the superior surface and more flowing nature of the road make for a more enjoyable and safer descent to Beaufort (one only has to think back to Johan Bruyneel’s terrifying disappearing act over the edge of the Cormet on Stage 7 of the 1996 TDF whilst descending to Bourg to know what we mean).

Refreshments & Where to Stay

This route offers many options for breaks and refreshments. Aime, Bourg, Beaufort and Albertville in particular offer up a variety of restaurants; but it would be remiss of you not to stop to enjoy a famous Beaufort tart in this delightful riverside town.

There are two restaurants situated at the lake offering wonderful views, but we prefer to carry on down to the lovely town of Beaufort and enjoy refreshments in one of the river side cafes. Watch out for the green water fountains in Beaufort that resemble little fire hydrants, to refill your bottles here! Once you’ve left Bourg there is no opportunity to refill water bottles until you have reached the lake. You will find a water tap behind the bins at the end of the lake on the way down to Beaufort.

Route

1.We recommend starting this route in the picturesque riverside town of Aime at an altitude of just over 650m, at the carpark on Rue des Iles. It is here you will join the cycle path that follows the Isere for around 13km, gently climbing up to bourg St Maurice at 840m. The river keeps you cool on hot summer days and the gentle path allows you to warm those legs up before the start of the mountain road.

(But of course it is possible to start further down the valley. However the road is busy before this and not particularly pleasant to cycle)

2. At Bourg we come off the cycle path and things heat up as we get straight on to the Cormet and the climbing begins.

3. We follow the D902 up through some small villages and into the forest that offers up some welcome shade.

3. 7km on from Bourg and you reach probably the toughest section of climbing, knuckle down for 10 classic alpine switch backs laid out over 2.5km of alpine tarmac.

4.Switchbacks completed, the road opens up into the valley ahead and you are rewarded with a flattish 2km. Enjoy the wonderful views of the Valley des Glaciers and Les Chapieux.

5. With 7-8km left to the top of the pass there is still some tough climbing to go, but you are rewarded with spectacular views with every corner turned until reaching the top at 1968m. Stop to catch your breath, take in the wonderful scenery and take a picture in front of the famous col marker.

6. From here on in it’s (nearly) all downhill as they say on the D925, and 4km of flowing road leads us to a sweeping left hand bend that opens up stunning views to the dam below.

7. The road sweeps around the top end of the lake for 3km before swinging off right to the descent to Beaufort. The surface improves from here and flows nicely, allowing you to let off the brakes between switchbacks. However, the views into the Beaufortain Valley are definitely worth applying the brakes for to take a minute to enjoy the vistas.

8. From Beaufort we continue down the D925 dropping roughly 400m over 20km to the town of Albertville.

If you were feeling very Spritely, then the col de Saisse starts from Beaufort but we ll leave that for another day/route

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3T Super Ergo Team Comfort Handlebars

Pedalnorth Website — Fri, 05 Jun 2020 12:49:42 +0000

3T Super Ergo Team Comfort Handlebars

3T Superergo Handlebar Review

3T make excellent cycles – and finishing kit too. For the past year we’ve been testing their Superergo Team bars on our reviews and routes test bike here at Pedalnorth and they’ve been spot on in all aspects.

In truth, we ought to have expected this from a brand that spends so much time and effort on development. They pride themselves on function and design, making sure that their bars not only perform well, but that the cyclist is catered for too. Fitting the bars and cabling was a straightforward affair, and once wrapped, the internal cable routing adds to the comfort and aesthetic finish, taking away that often harsh feeling.

Images by Robert Thorpe

The handlebars are formed from unidirectional carbon fibre, making them super light, coming in at a mere 199 grammes (42), but what sets these bars apart is their shape and the comfort that they provide in all riding positions. The ergonomics along the tops and in the corners are particularly well thought out, and having used these extensively on long all day rides, there’s a definite absence of hand fatigue and strain. Looking at the drops themselves, 3T have achieved a good balance, designing a drop that is not to shallow for the aggressive riders and yet which retains good control where required.

Using the Superergo team handlebars in the Dales and elsewhere, they feel positive, firm and stiff, and the control provided by them has been vital, especially on the steep and winding descents, where loose gravel along the road edges requires a positive and immediate response. I’ve never felt that I was either over reaching or unable to keep the speed and handling in balance. 3T have done this by creating an area across the shoulder of their Superergo Team which is flatter and designed to compliment your grip, maximising comfort and creating a secure grip.

Image by Jerry Tatton

After a year of long hard riding here and elsewhere, what’s been the really positive aspects of the 3T Superergo Team handlebars? Well, obviously the weight, then the ergonomics themselves, which do actually maximise comfort and handling, reducing hand cramps and fatigue. They also look fantastic and whatever else, this final point is always a bonus.

Build Your Road Bike 3

Pedalnorth Website — Sat, 07 Sep 2019 12:48:47 +0000

Bike Build 3 – Adding The Groupset

Part 3 of our bike build series deals with adding the groupset elements such as: crankset, front derailleur, rear derailleur and chain. It’s a critical element that needs to be done properly or you’ll end up with long term issues.

Our bike build is now at the stage where the groupset can be fitted and the whole thing begins to look like a bike that we can soon ride. Fitting the bottom bracket is critical and requires certain tools that bike shops such as Fulford have and also know how to use properly. An incorrectly fitted bottom bracket will cause untold issues and so it’s well worth having this aspect of your build done professionally.

Tools are not the only thing that the bike shop will know about. They’ll hopefully also use the right adhesive primer and retaining compound, stopping movement but also ensuring that you can remove things when the time comes for replacement. We used a standard Shimano PF30 bottom bracket, a widely used system with a 68mm shell width and 30mm axle. It really is critical to eliminate any slipping from here in order to avoid that common noise of poorly fitted units.

This is where using the right primer and retaining compound is key. Compound and primer in place, Rich from Fulford simply pressed the unit into the frame using the bearing cup press tool and his years of experience to know when it was securely in place. Thankfully, once the bottom bracket is secure, fitting the crank is usually simplicity itself and you can move on knowing that one of the trickiest issues is dealt with. With some cranks you may need an adapter, but we kept things simple on our build, with Shimano throughout. If however you’re cautious and worried about press fit issues, there are some excellent convereters on the market that simply screw together through the housing, made by Hope, Praxis and Wheels Manufacturing among others.

Fitting the Crankset

1. Before fitting the crankset, grease the spindle surface on the drive side crank arm and put it through the bb housing so that it protrudes out of the other side.

2. Next, apply grease or anti-seize to the threads of the left arm pinch bolts.

3. Position the drive side crank arm in the 6 o clock position and the left side crank arm in the 12 o clock position. Press the arm onto the spindle just using hand pressure and tighten , making sure that the stop plate is engaged over pinch bolt threads after the crank is installed.

4. You then need to apply some anti-seize to the threads of the crank cap before threading it into the spindle.

5. Tighten the pinch bolts on the cranks, alternating each half turn to tighten equally, making sure of the correct torque. Use the Feedback Sports Torque kit to help you out here and follow the Shimano torque settings. Check the crank arms for play and you’re all done.

Fitting the front & rear mech units

Time to move onto the front and rear mech units and once again, we’ve kept things to Shimano Ultegra components. Tools needed for this are:

1. Set of Allen keys

2. Phillips screwdriver

3. Chain Tool

4. Cable cutters and pliers

The Feedback Sports mechanic kit has these within it and they’re truly well-made tools that will last you a lifetime and worth the money. Never buy cheap tools; they’ll damage your components and cause you issues. Feedback Sports tools not only look great, but they truly are exceptionally well made and will love your bike like you do.

Our Shimano front mech uses a braze on mount, which features a small nub with an internal thread to which you put the mounting bolt. In lots of cases the mount will be fitted to the frame already and the derailleur will simply bolt on to it. However, we needed to fit a mount and in these instances you will need to make sure that you get the correct mount for your frame, as the band clamps do come in various sizes such as 34.9mm, 31.8mm and 28.6mm. With our mount fitted to the frame correctly it was a case of bolting on the derailleur.

Placing the front mech against the braze-on, fasten the bolt and hand tighten it so that you can move and adjust the derailleur as it is fitted. Set the correct height by looking at the mech from the side. You should get the outer case of the unit between 1 and 3 mm of the outer chainring, keeping it parallel with the outer chainring before tightening it all up. Don’tover tighten things though. Use the Feedback Sports Torque Kit and ensure that you read the instructns on the mech packaging for the right settings. To attach the cable, pull the cable through behind the bolt and clamp and pull it around the bolt until it is tight. Then tighten the crimp bolt, but not too much as you will need to make some adjustments as you set up the gearing. With the rear wheel fitted into the bike it’s time to fit rear mech and chain.

Before installing the new derailleur, make sure the derailleur hanger is fitted and not overtightened. Make sure that the hanger is visibly straight, has no stress marks or nicks and that the threads are all okay. If the derailleur hanger is damaged, the new derailleur will not shift properly, so get it right at this point.

Double check that the new derailleur has a thread locker on the threads. This will keep the threads from backing out and the derailleur coming loose from all the vibrations when riding. Using a small allen key, mount the derailleur. Make sure you don’t over tighten. Connect the cables now to both the front and rear mech, ready to fit the chain and set the gears up.

With the cables connected and initially tightened, don’t yet snip and cap them, but leave a reasonble length whilst adjusting things. Set the front mech first of all, by setting it over the smallest (inner) chainring. With the rear mech, set it to the smallest sprocket also, but don’t worry about fine tuning, as this can be done once the chain is in place.

With the chain in hand, thread the new chain through the front derailleur cage. Next pull it across and loop it over the rear cassette and round the upper jockey wheel on the derailleur. Thread it through the cage, being careful to keep inside the divider between the plates, and then around the lower wheel. The new chain will need to be cut to size and it’scrucial to get this right. With the chain around the smallest sprocket and around the small chainring, pull the ends together so they meet below the chainstay. You will need to find the longest length that still generates tension on the rear derailleur, so that it won’t drag. Remember, you’ll need to join an internal link to an external one. The trick is to grab both free ends of the chain and pull them towards each other. With the chain in your left hand, pull a small amount of tension on the derailleur arm. To gauge the correct chain sizing, find the first available link while the derailleur is slightly tensioned in its lowest gear.

Remember which link needs to be removed and take a hold of the Feedback Sports chain breaker, fit the link into the breaker and push the pin all the way out of the chain removing the excess chain length. Thankfully Shimano now produce a quick link and it’s super simple to install; remembering that Shimano recommend that the open end of the broken chain faces backwards, simply place the quick link into the chain gap, align it all up and snap it together – this is usually done by applying some pressure through the cranks. Chain in place, it’s onto the dark arts of setting the gears. You may wish to seek the help of a Bike Shop Jedi Master for this

Setting derailleur limits

The limit screws control the range of movement of a derailleur. If they’re not set properly, the chain may well drop from the cassette or chainrings into the spokes, which can be dangerous. Locate the H & L screws on the rear mech and screw the Lower ‘L’ screw fully clockwise. Push on the derailleur to manually shift up to the highest gear possible — it probably won’t take you t the biggest sprocket,but don’t worry.

Now, while still manually pressing on the mech unit, slowly and gently turn the cranks and screw out the Low (L) stop screw until the cassette shifts to the biggest cog and isn’t jumping or clicking.

Next, locate and screw out the High (H) adjuster and allow the chain to move to the smallest sprocket of the cassette by pedalling gently. Wind in the High adjuster until the chain returns to the smallest ring/highest gear and runs smoothly without jumping or clicking. Your rear high and low limits should now be set.

Next adjust the jockey-wheel clearance by locating the screw on the top-rear of the rear mech unit. With the bike in the highest gear, the upper jockey wheel should run just clear of the cassette. If you turn the screw gently clockwise, this will increase the gap and turning it anti-clockwise will close it. Adjust until there is approximately 2mm of clearance.

With the front gears on the smallest ring and the back gears to the largest cog. Fully wind in the front derailleurs low limit (L) adjust screw, completing this procedure with a slack gear cable, so you can be sure that cable tension isn’t overriding your low limit setting. Hence we didn’t cut it too short and cap it yet. To do this, release the cable retention bolt on the derailleur. Slowly turn the pedals and wind out the screw until the chain returns to the small ring and runs smoothly, without rubbing on the mech unit cage.

Pull the slack from the cable and re-tighten the retention bolt, not so tightly that you fray the cable. Wind in the high limit (H) stop screw. Shift the rear gears to the smallest cog. Pull on the gear cable manually, not with the shifter. You can use a tyre lever to pull on the cable, so that it doesn’t dig into your hand.

While you keep the pressure on the cable, wind out the screw a half turn at a time until the chain jumps to the biggest ring. After this, quarter turns will allow you to adjust the derailleur so it doesn’t rub the chain. Fine tuning the gears is an art form and we reccomend at this stage to pop along to the local bike shop and ask them to set things finally and check it over for you. It’ll cost a few shillings but it’s definitely worth it, unless of course you’re a gear guru yourself.

Next time we’ll be wrapping the bars with tape and setting up the hydraulic brakes. Then, with a little bit of fine tuning and size adjustments, it’ll be time to ride

Handlebars and Steering – pedalnorth

SQ Lab Cycling – Maximising Performance & Comfort

SQ Lab Cycling – Maximising Performance & Comfort

Innovation & Excellence in Cycling Science

Words by Robert & Images by Ben Thorpe

SQ Lab – Science Quantified for Cyclists

Are you sitting comfortably

Strong foundations for the perfect ride

Quality counts – because only the best will do

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