First road bike dilemmas

[Jdsk]

A side-on photo of you riding it would help...

... but with the discussion above I'd certainly consider bringing those hoods back towards you, either by rotating the bar or by moving the hoods on the bar.

Jonathan

[arciere]

Hope this helps.

PS yes I do eat. A lot.

[Jdsk]

I'd try rotating the bar and hoods back towards you.

Jonathan

[Jamesh]

Agreed first try rotating the handle bars 5°

Secondly the saddle looks a little low imo?

Cheers James

[arciere]

Yes, it was a bit low, I had just left the repair shop and didn't adjust it properly.

I will try to rotate it tomorrow when I get the new stem.

Too bad that these Shimano Claris don't seem to have the screw to adjust the reach of the levers, I guess it would have helped.

[mattsccm]

Agreed the saddle is too low but I am going to say that, even with that set correctly, there isn't much wrong. My thinking us that you are not happy because you are not used to the position on a fairly racey bike. The answer is get a few miles in. 500 later and you will have a better idea. Chain looks long because it is ghe luttle ring and possibly in smallish rear sprockets.
Did you tell the dhop to shorten it or ask them to use their judgement.

[flat tyre]

You might save yourself a lot of money in the long run by paying for a professional bike fit and get advice about what adjustments to make to your bike.

[slowster]

I seem to be putting too much pressure between my thumb and the index finger (that's where I touch the hoods).

This guide written by forum member 531Colin, http://wheel-easy.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/bike-set-up-2017a.pdf, probably explains why you are feeling that, and if so what the solution is. I don't mean to be coy, but I won't tell you what the guide suggests is the likely cause of your problem, because it's probably best you read the document in its entirety.

[arciere]

Cheers everyone.

Just to give an update to those interested, I replaced the stem with a 90mm one (it was 120), it does feel better, although I am still struggling to get a proper braking position with my fingers.

I also decided to replace cassette and chain myself, since the repair shop didn't bother to even look at them (when I removed the old chain, it was significantly longer than the new one, after I adjusted it to match the number of links).

You might save yourself a lot of money in the long run by paying for a professional bike fit and get advice about what adjustments to make to your bike.

Oh yeah, that's for sure, I know that I have already spent a lot on this bike and could have probably purchased a brand new one with the same money or slightly more. Let's say that I've learned my lesson but on the plus side now I know how to replace a cassette!