So the ideal is 90 degree arms? What if you have a tiny upper body and long legs, say you lean over so your chest is touching your legs and your upper legs are 1-2" past your shoulders? I’m at maybe 110 degrees, and even then my knees are hitting my triceps when on the aerobars. On a road bike in the drops obviously I can get around this by narrowing my knees and widening my elbows, but on my tri bike I wouldn’t want to bring my bar back at all as I already have trouble bashing my knees on the pads if I’m climbing. I imagine women have this issue too with the long legs/short torso issue.
Ultimately the question is of somewhat academic interest since I’m going to go back to a road bike w/ shorty clip ons as I want to cut down on # of bikes, but I’m curious.
EDIT: I should add I ride fairly steep on an alu P3, seatpost in forward position, saddle in the middle, and enough drop that my back is flat (7"?)
first: at a given height, women have the same proportions as men.
second: I wouldn’t compromise your aero position to correct minor problems when climbing out of the saddle
third: if you have long upper leg bones then yes they may limit how fast back you can bring your elbow. You do not have to be at exactly 90 degrees, as long as it is comfortable, no problem.
“Women have proportionally longer legs than men and therefore need different geometries” – that’s the statement most commonly used to justify women’s specific geometries. The only problem is, that’s not true. Analyzing anthropometric studies and crunching the numbers, the conclusion was a rather simple one: men and women aren’t actually dramatically different. Yes, on average women are statistically shorter than men. But no, small women are not proportionally different from small men. And likewise, tall women do not have much different body proportions than tall men. This is what the numbers clearly say. You’re wondering why there are still gender-specific bikes on the market? Sometimes stereotypes are easier to grasp than science. However, it’s a basic belief at Cervélo to challenge stereotypes. That’s exactly what we‘ve done again. Even the big proponents of women’s specific geometry are quietly agreeing - many are now offering “advanced women’s geometries”, which miracle of miracles, is identical to their “men’s geometry”.
Taller women do yes - I am 5’7 with 34" inside leg. My taller friends also have similar problems.
People will tell you that it’s entirely wrong, but you can chose to get a bit more stretched out up front (longer stem) and then tilt your aerobars up to get your elbow angle to 90 °. Your shoulder angle will be more open as result. Think semi-superman position with your forearms angled up.
Yes, it’s a bit more tiring to hold from a shoulders/back perspective, but not egregious as long as you do well to get most of your weight into the elbow pads. It’s a good way to get the clearance you need, and a compact position to boot.
That said, I’m 2" taller than you with the same inseam, so maybe not as ape-like. No knee-into-elbow problems here, and I’m very low (legs-to-ribcage low)
So I am in a similar, if possibly worse situation.
At your same height, my legs are even longer, at 36.5", although your Femur can’t be 22" - that’s just not realistic.
In order to solve your problem, you have 2 choices: 1)nose ride an ordinary saddle, or 2)ride an Adamo saddle. Technically they are pretty much the same thing.
What this does is allow your entire body to rotate around a single point, rather than having a fixed point (horizontal to the ground plane) as your saddle location causing your 110 degree arm angle. This will allow you to get your elbows out in front of your knees, and remove the closed hip angle which is actually a much worse side effect in most cases.
I sit very, very steep. Perhaps nearly 90 degree effective STA. This has my upper body as far forward as possible and my knees clear my arms while I’m in my position.
Are you riding with a rounded or flat back? I think if you tilt your pelvis forward and ride with a flat back, it “lengthens” your torso. At least that seems to be how it works for me.
No knee-into-elbow problems here, and I’m very low (legs-to-ribcage low)