Ergonomic adjustment / suspension stem for Gazelle bike?

[nutdriver]

I'm afraid you need to cut the grip outer edge to install a Mirrycle. I did it without any regret, and it does not look badly at all afterwards.

Thanks so much your reply. Those innerbarends and 710 grips do look comfortable.

 

[AvalancheRun]

Thanks so much your reply. Those innerbarends and 710 grips do look comfortable.

Innerbarrends are really key. Funnily enough, my old mountain bike had stock innerbarends that I never used until Stefan mentioned them in this thread. Now I switch between them and haven't had any comfort problems on that bike.

Should also add that a bike fit can be really key. Being tall with arms on the short side (only recently discovered), I struggled a lot with hand pain that I believe was due to reach being too long. In your comfortable position on the handlebars your arms should have a bit of an angle. That way they can act like a suspension system. My arms were often locked out because the reach was too far. Thus impacts were more jarring.

If you also have a problem with reach the stem can be flipped over (increases the height of the handlebars), you could use a shorter stem, or the bike seat can be moved forward. Because many of these adjustments affect each other, I found it easiest to get a professional fit. 5% of the cost of many of these bikes, and well worth it.

To round out the OP, I might have been better off with a medium Gazelle, despite being well into the height range for a large. If I max out the seatpost on my wife's size small it's actually not a bad position. Slow motion side profile video can be really helpful if you have an eye for what looks good. Just some food for thought!

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Should also add that a bike fit can be really key. Being tall with arms on the short side (only recently discovered), I struggled a lot with hand pain that I believe was due to reach being too long. In your comfortable position on the handlebars your arms should have a bit of an angle. That way they can act like a suspension system. My arms were often locked out because the reach was too far. Thus impacts were more jarring.

If you also have a problem with reach the stem can be flipped over (increases the height of the handlebars), you could use a shorter stem, or the bike seat can be moved forward. Because many of these adjustments affect each other, I found it easiest to get a professional fit. 5% of the cost of many of these bikes, and well worth it.

My specific case is my torso and arms are relatively long compared to my legs. One of my e-bikes is now rebuilt on a frame size S (out of necessity). While that size is proper for my legs (with a long seat-post), I was sitting so upright I had to install a very long stem plus Innerbarends to restore the proper riding position. The other e-bike is size M. Again, it is perfect for my short legs but the reach was too short. Again, a longer stem and Innerbarends have fixed the riding position.

During a normal ride, my arms are relaxed. In case of riding against headwind, I place my forearms on the horizontal and lean deeply to reduce the air drag.

 

[AvalancheRun]

Been riding my wife’s size small a bit more. I would go so far as to say it’s a better fit my for arms than the large - at 6’ 1”. I bet a smaller frame would have solved a lot of my issues. For reference, my wingspan is about 2” shorter than my height.

If in your relaxed position your arms are out straight without any bend, you might have a reach issue from the frame being too large. Something I learned from my bike fit that may be applicable to others.

 

[BurroBabe]

It can get complicated.
Depending on where the soreness is, you might not need a suspension stem, especially since you have a front fork (haven't seen a lot of reports on the two working together or not)
I'm not selling SQL stuff here, just scroll down for examples of what changes can be made to alleviate different specific pains.

SQlab GmbH Online Shop | Grip 710 short L | Ergonomic bike equipment

SQlab bicycle grips ✓Relieving ✓Comfortable ✓Ergonomic - Grip 710 short by SQlab purchase at SQlab. ✓Delivery 0€ ✓Fast Delivery ✓Award Winner

www.sq-lab.com

One thing that made a difference for me was rotating the winged Ergon grips (grips similar to yours) so that the palm rest was pointing up slightly, which kept my hand more in line with the forearm.
I also changed out my handlebars to bars with a 16 degree back sweep, which also helped a lot/

PS: I do have the Redshift 30 degree stem and it's great, but I ride a rigid fork. YMMV

Hey Antboy,
Sounds like you know a lot about wrist angle neutrality and all that. I haven't purchased my ebike yet, not yet finding the right fit for my short legs, but I tried out the Trek XS Verve+. I have really advanced arthritis in my hands, no lateral movement possible, and during the test ride felt increased pain in my wrist. I know I would have to add a shock fork as well as get a more swept back handlebars. I was thinking the sweep on the Gazelles would work since, when I tried the Medeo T9 midstep, my hands were fine even though I had no standover clearance (short legs/long torso). so now I'm torn, do I order the Verve+ 4 and change the handlebars and fork? How much sweep is enough to get my wrists into a neutral position? I also think the Alivio thumb shifter reach complicated the issue. I was riding the Verve+ 2 with Alivio, I would order the +4 with Deore, the only shifters that don't hurt my hands!
Thanks for any advice you can give.

 

[mfgrep]

It can get complicated.
Depending on where the soreness is, you might not need a suspension stem, especially since you have a front fork (haven't seen a lot of reports on the two working together or not)
I'm not selling SQL stuff here, just scroll down for examples of what changes can be made to alleviate different specific pains.

SQlab GmbH Online Shop | Grip 710 short L | Ergonomic bike equipment

SQlab bicycle grips ✓Relieving ✓Comfortable ✓Ergonomic - Grip 710 short by SQlab purchase at SQlab. ✓Delivery 0€ ✓Fast Delivery ✓Award Winner

www.sq-lab.com

One thing that made a difference for me was rotating the winged Ergon grips (grips similar to yours) so that the palm rest was pointing up slightly, which kept my hand more in line with the forearm.
I also changed out my handlebars to bars with a 16 degree back sweep, which also helped a lot/

PS: I do have the Redshift 30 degree stem and it's great, but I ride a rigid fork. YMMV

This!!

 

[antboy]

Hey Antboy,
Sounds like you know a lot about wrist angle neutrality and all that. I haven't purchased my ebike yet, not yet finding the right fit for my short legs, but I tried out the Trek XS Verve+. I have really advanced arthritis in my hands, no lateral movement possible, and during the test ride felt increased pain in my wrist. I know I would have to add a shock fork as well as get a more swept back handlebars. I was thinking the sweep on the Gazelles would work since, when I tried the Medeo T9 midstep, my hands were fine even though I had no standover clearance (short legs/long torso). so now I'm torn, do I order the Verve+ 4 and change the handlebars and fork? How much sweep is enough to get my wrists into a neutral position? I also think the Alivio thumb shifter reach complicated the issue. I was riding the Verve+ 2 with Alivio, I would order the +4 with Deore, the only shifters that don't hurt my hands!
Thanks for any advice you can give.

If you really want/need a bike with front suspension, as opposed to a suspension stem, I'd lean towards getting a bike with suspension, as adding a fork after the fact will change other ride characteristics.

To figure out my new bars, I used a ruler to see where my hands were landing, angle and width-wise, after adding the suspension stem. Not exactly the most precise, but it worked for me (16 degree sweep, 45mm rise, and I cut 20mm off each end because I too have the long torso, short arms issue).

In your case, due to the arthritis, I'd recommend seeing if there's any bike fitment services near you, as opposed to my 'cocktail napkin' solution.

Whether you DIY it or get professional help, the good thing about handlebars is that they're easy to change out, and relatively inexpensive, compared to other components, and easy to cut with a basic pipe cutter.

 

[AvalancheRun]

I am considering installing a suspension stem on an old hard steel frame mountain bike which I use to get around in the winter. I'd prefer not to convert this bike to shock forks (not a fan of shock forks).

Riding the bike over the hardened, rough ruts of hardpack and ice transmits too much vibration to the hands. Grips are currently ergon ergonomics but this doesn't do enough. Riding position isn't all that prone, and is fairly upright.

Anyone here in a similar situation where a suspension stem worked for them? Are there particular suspension stems to be avoided?

The Redshift stem is very well reviewed. I found that it needs to have the right elastomers fitted, and there is a small break-in period.
If you're commuting primarily in winter the elastomers might harden a bit. Might want to research that a bit more. It's definitely the most popular suspension stem on the market.

A suspension seatpost might also help by allowing you to tredrest more of your weight on the seat.

 

[nutdriver]

I'm afraid you need to cut the grip outer edge to install a Mirrycle. I did it without any regret, and it does not look badly at all afterwards.

With inspiration from Stefan Mikes, I ended up purchasing the SQLab 702 grips. I am finding them to be a great upgrade. I plan to try those for a while and then consider adding the innerbarends. I did modify the left grip to accommodate the Mirrycle mirror as Stefan suggested. I kept the cut for the drill bit centered using two 3/8" drive deep sockets with an outside diameter close to the inner diameter of the grip. The sockets allowed me to pass a long 3/8" drill and kept that centered in the grip. I then enlarged the hole first to 1/2" then enlarged that slightly again to accommodate the Mirrycle fitting. I also created some relief with a Dremel tool on the grip end to make it all look a bit more finished looking. Very happy with the outcome.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

With inspiration from Stefan Mikes, I ended up purchasing the SQLab 702 grips. I am finding them to be a great upgrade. I plan to try those for a while and then consider adding the innerbarends. I did modify the left grip to accommodate the Mirrycle mirror as Stefan suggested.

It looks like this on my e-bike equipped with SQLab grips: