Custom Oak Cycles 650B French Randonneur Project.

Let's not forget that you are a massive pervert though James- so your motivation for this stretching malarky is more developed than in normal people.

True story bro.

How flat is your back while cycling? How far forward is your torso?

Increased lower back flexibility can help you rotate your torso lower, bringing your hands further forward. You then need the core stability to hold yourself there without collapsing.

Good core strength and flexibility help with these things. I too have relatively short torso with respect to my leg length, but these days can get my head to my knees and my hands under my feet when doing a forward bend.

Does this necessarily matter? For a road cyclist/triathlete yes,

but for an audaxer interested in a comfortable ride at a comfortable, non-competetive pace?

Jesus we all need to work on our flexibility, god forbid one day I may delve into the arena of yoga you so advocate, but what if a shorter TT is more comfortable and aerodynamics not such an issue?

regardless of the position kids remember; less than 30deg angle for your back is wrong

can get my head to my knees and my hands under my feet when doing a forward bend.

PM'd.

I neglected to mention the increased weight that your hands bear when in a more aero position, not something you need on a 200km, letalone a 1400km ride.

regardless of the position kids remember; less than 30deg angle for your back is wrong

eh? what's the craic here then?

but for an audaxer interested in a comfortable ride at a comfortable, non-competetive pace?

I believed it to be quite useful, being more flexible isn't just about being able to perform self fellatio despite James' motivation.

The main highlight is to reduced injuries risk, back pain and less muscle sore, I'm sure there's a lots more but those are the one that appeal to me greatly.

I would says it beneficial for everyone rather than just the athletic.

easier probably to just get some ribs removed. I think Prince famously did(didn't) do this but for altogether different reasons.

I believed it to be quite useful, being more flexible isn't just about being able to perform self fellatio despite James' motivation.

The main highlight is to reduced injuries risk, back pain and less muscle sore, I'm sure there's a lots more but those are the one that appeal to me greatly.

I would says it beneficial for everyone rather than just the athletic.

I definitely agree about the benefits of being more flexible, not doubt there, and I have a lot of stretching to do myself!

What I was asking was that whether it mattered for a audaxer to have a flat back/forwards torso etc when cycling.

I too have relatively short torso with respect to my leg length.

Brother James, you have hidden this well, I must apologise, as for some reason I was clouded by assuming the motivation behind this is for self fellating.

Please, forgive me for this momentally lapse of judgement, I'll be sure not to make such judgement happen again in the near future.

You must spread some zero rated Reputation around before giving it to edscoble again.

but for an audaxer interested in a comfortable ride at a comfortable, non-competetive pace?

http://kingbikefit.com/efficient-cycling-posture-part-1/
"I agree with Joe Friel and the physiotherapists; a posture that maintains a flat back and utilises the gluteals is most effective for power transfer and injury prevention. It is widely accepted that this correct squat technique is the most powerful and safest technique to lift weights, so why not apply this to cycling? In regard to absorbing shock, unless the rider has a problem with the vertebrae itself, bent arms should be sufficient to absorb impact. Using Fabian Cancellara as an example, we can see that he is able to maintain this efficient posture during the 2010 Tour of Flanders. His back is flat and pelvis rotated. He appears to be aerodynamic, comfortable, and powerful. We can also see that he has very well developed gluteal muscles, the most powerful muscles in the body and also partly responsible for knee control. The reason that he is able to maintain this is due to his exceptional flexibility and core strength.

...

It is very easy to explain all the benefits of maintaining a neutral spine, but as you can see with the above examples, there are plenty of extremely successful riders who are not able to adopt this posture. In reality it is very, very hard to train your body to be like Cancellara but you can take steps to improve over time. I believe there are gains to be made in aerodynamics, comfort, and power. These steps can be summarised into 3 main points:

• Improve your core strength and activate your gluteal muscles. Exercises such as squats and physioball routines can quickly transform the way you sit on a bike.
  
• Improve flexibility, focusing on hamstrings and hip flexors. The hamstrings are the main barrier to achieving a neutral spine.
  
• Raise your handlebars, if only temporarily. If your handlebars are too low, it is impossible to maintain a neutral spine and activate your glutes without adopting an extreme saddle position. This is usually a sticky topic, especially among racers. In which case you should consider trying raising your handlebars temporarily to activate those muscles which may not be utilised.
  
  

Significant changes take time, but you should start to feel differences after a relatively short time. Muscles will awaken that you never realised existed.
"
http://coachlevi.com/cycling/proper-road-bike-position-flat-or-rounded-back/

"
But to get to your actual question, you do usually aim to keep your back as flat as possible. On a road bike with your hands in the hooks/drops, your back should be close to flat. However, your flexibility will play a role in how flat you can get your back but still be able to transfer power to the pedals and ride in comfort.
I guess it’s possible some people could ride better with a rounded back, but I can’t see why someone (other than a trained physician) would recommend that. A rounded back is usually poor posture for doing anything. So unless there is some medical issue where it’s a problem to stretch out into a long and low position, I would avoid rounding your back."

I think I may have missed your original point entirely :S

When you say flat back, I imagined a timetrialists position with the spine parrallel to the ground.

If you mean just a straight back, regardless if it's at 45 degrees from the ground or whatever, then I totally agree! Arched backs for the many reasons there listed are a bad idea

I got carried away with paint, just to further clarify how i read it when you said flat back

I done derped

pretty much nail on the head though.

As I understand it, there is the fit triangle of BB, saddle and hands, and if your fit is correct this should involve a flat back/neutral spine (as much as possible). This position can then be rotated about the BB. So for a TT bike the saddle comes forwards, the bars drop down and the spine may become near parallel with the ground. Whereas for a longer distance bike (audax etc) the position may be rotated in the other direction, as you are putting less power into the pedals your more of your body weight will end up in your arms/hands if you are in a very forwards aggressive aero position, additionally at lower speeds aero considerations become less of a factor.

I have a feeling some of these T-Rex fellows would be in a better/more normal position if they worked on core strength and flexibility. Though this is about as popular on lfgss as suggesting that road fixed bikes ought to have at least a front brake.

Only just notice how short the top tube is after seeing a side shot (finally);

I think it gets away with it completely. Looks well balanced.(why you edit away Herse 57 square?)
Love the aubergine randonneur bars.
Those spacers need to go though (and steerer cut down).

If the chain-ring bolts on that WI chain-set were socket head and smaller I could totally get behind that too.

The spacer will go completely as it's too high already, different dynamo light to work better with the rear and triple DA 7803 front derailleur as the double could not be lowered further (maxed out of 48t).

It will be ready next week as the paint need to be hardened properly.

Rene Herse 57cm square(ish) for comparison;

As I understand it, there is the fit triangle of BB, saddle and hands, and if your fit is correct this should involve a flat back/neutral spine (as much as possible). This position can then be rotated about the BB. So for a TT bike the saddle comes forwards, the bars drop down and the spine may become near parallel with the ground. Whereas for a longer distance bike (audax etc) the position may be rotated in the other direction, as you are putting less power into the pedals your more of your body weight will end up in your arms/hands if you are in a very forwards aggressive aero position, additionally at lower speeds aero considerations become less of a factor.

I have a feeling some of these T-Rex fellows would be in a better/more normal position if they worked on core strength and flexibility. Though this is about as popular on lfgss as suggesting that road fixed bikes ought to have at least a front brake.

or.....
If your hands have too much weight on them. Pedal harder.

The bike looks amazin Ed. I love everything about it.

The spacer will go completely as it's too high already, different dynamo light to work better with the rear

Whats happening with the Edelux?

:-)
I'm building an SP dyno-hub wheel.

triple DA 7803 front derailleur as the double could not be lowered further (maxed out of 48t).

If it's a custom bike, why does the braze-on not go down far enough to run a 48t ring? Or do you mean the size difference between the big and little ring is too much for a double cage.

Also great looking bike, I was skeptical of the closeup shots of the black paint compared to the beautiful raw finish, but it looks lovely as a whole.

Because it was a communication error.

Gutting :( That said, SRAM front mechs have upper and lower holes for the mounting bolt, maybe a Force double would allow you to get low enough and not look out of place.