Integrated road bike cockpit: The safe way to the perfect bike - with the perfect look

Short & sweet: The integrated road bike cockpit

Integrated cockpits offer aerodynamic advantages (around 3-5 watts at 45 km/h). With the handlebar-stem unit, cables and lines run inside, "under plaster" so to speak. The adjustability is miserable, adjustments are expensive and only possible to a limited extent. That's why the bike should fit right from the start. The safe way is a fitting before buying the bike or transferring a proven position. Stack plus & Reach plus, the hand position data used by TOUR, are helpful for this.

New season, new goals, new bike: Roman Ganzer, 47-year-old TOUR reader from Bavaria, experienced what we have all experienced: he succumbed to the allure of a new bike. A racer with contemporary technology and silhouette was to replace his ageing sports equipment. Disc brakes instead of rim brakes, electric gears, better mountain gears, power meter.

When the Canyon Ultimate CF SLX was offered at a reduced price, Ganzer jumped at the chance and ordered the bike in size L. After setting up the bike, however, the climbing fan had some doubts as to whether it would really fit, as Ganzer was unable to reproduce his previous riding position exactly. The handlebars on the new bike were two centimetres lower - even after exhausting the 15 millimetre leeway for height adjustment.

New bike, new seating position - still dare to test ride?

Take a test ride even though the cant of the saddle had increased from nine to eleven centimetres? Then he could no longer return the bike as new. Ganzer wasn't sure, but the appeal of the new bike prevailed and he took the risk. The first impression was great. And it stayed that way - until the distances got longer. At some point, Ganzer realised that the bike no longer felt good: "It started to pull in my shoulder girdle, and I also felt my wrists," he recalls. Problems that he didn't have with the old bike.

Adjust the body or adapt the bike? As a doctor, the latter seemed logical to Ganzer, so he enquired at Canyon whether a different stem or handlebar could be fitted to replicate the old position, with which he was able to cycle for six or more hours without pain. The answer was a sobering no, based on a cross-sectional sketch: The integrated height adjustment, which offers 15 millimetres of adjustment clearance, unfortunately prevents other stems or cockpits from being fitted.

When problems arise, you are stuck in a dead end

Canyon's actually good idea of allowing customers to easily adjust the height of the handlebars without having to shorten the steerer tube has turned into a trap. Unlike many other bikes, it is not possible to gain height with this design, for example by using special handlebars or an upward-facing stem. The customer has to rely on special Canyon parts.

Ganzer solved the problem by purchasing an older frame that would fit conventional stems. He rebuilt the parts from the new bike, replicating the old seating position and creating his own customised piece of sports equipment. He summarises his experience as follows: "The Canyon Ultimate CF SLX is a great racing bike if it fits right away. However, the integrated aero cockpit turns out to be a nightmare for all those who want to make further changes beyond the height adjustability of 15 millimetres and the width adjustability."

Integrated cockpits lack customisability - bike fitting is the solution

The outlined problem of the lack of customisability is not exclusive to Canyon. It affects more or less all modern bikes with fully integrated cockpits, i.e. the unit of Handlebars and stem, which can only be converted with considerable effort, if suitable parts are available at all. Integrated cockpits cost between 300 and 1,200 euros, plus workshop costs for the conversion, which can run into the hundreds. Semi-integrated solutions are more flexible and cheaper to customise, as cables can be concealed, but the handlebars and stem can be separated.

However, fitting problems are not only a threat to mail order buyers. Even those who buy in shops have to be careful whether the cockpit really fits. "It'll fit" is a phrase that is quite common in bicycle sales. Regardless of the sales channel, there is actually only one sensible solution: it must be clarified in advance whether the desired seating position can be realised with the bike. A bike fitting should therefore always precede the purchase, especially if the handlebars cannot be adjusted retrospectively.

Fitting means finding a suitable sitting position that allows you to cycle without pain. This is best done on a neutral adjustable bike. The position found is then transferred to a real bike. Fitting is offered by specialised bike fitters, but also by some bike manufacturers. In case of doubt, an independent fitting is better because these service providers are truly neutral.

Fitter sell the seating position - you can check whether your dream bike suits you

Fitters don't sell bikes, they sell a suitable riding position. Great fitters feed databases with the geometry data of many bikes so that it is easy to check whether the bike you want fits you at all (see interview with bike fitter Ilona Herbert in the article here). A professional fitting costs from 150 euros. Compared to the prices of modern bikes, that's a mere pittance.

The hand position is central to a suitable riding position because it is particularly difficult to adjust. It can be reduced to two coordinates: horizontal and vertical distance to the bottom bracket. At TOUR, we call these dimensions stack plus (for height) and reach plus (for length) - see sketch in the Chapter "The solution: Stack plus & Reach plus" below. They refer to the brake lever position, the most frequently used grip position on a road bike.

As a rule, manufacturers only specify the stack and reach dimensions of their Frame on. You have to do the maths to determine the hand position. The stem length and angle are included in the calculation, as is the length of the handlebar curve (often referred to as the reach of the handlebars). The Table below shows typical dimensions for the conversion. In principle, at least the manufacturers know all this data. It is all about the presentation to the customer.

It would be ideal if manufacturers started specifying stack plus and reach plus. At the moment, Rose and Canyon do this - but the latter base their measurements on the centre of the top bar. The reach of the handlebar must be added to the TOUR measurement, i.e. the actual hand position (which Canyon also specifies). It would also be desirable for the adjustment range per model to be clearly communicated.

Data synchronisation also means that cyclists know their coordinates. This is currently rarely the case, but could easily be changed. Bike dealers could help to measure existing bikes accordingly, and bike fitters could communicate and emphasise these coordinates better. Using an app, it would be easy to play through how the stem and handlebars would have to be designed in order to realise a desired riding position.

Customise wheels - for manufacturers hindering the sales process

So high-end technology and a customised bike are by no means mutually exclusive, the process just needs to be designed accordingly. Customers, i.e. all of us, should demand this, then more manufacturers will play along, who currently still see customisation of the bike as an obstacle to their sales process.

This also means that enough different cockpits are available. Only then is customisation even conceivable - at least with special parts. Top athletes are an exception. They already enjoy the service of having their cockpits printed from titanium powder or laminated with carbon if necessary.

This technology is still too expensive for the mass market, but 3D printing can already help today. The special components that could come out of the home 3D printer at any time include separable spacers and connecting parts such as the cover caps that create a seamless connection between the frame and stem. In future, we would like to see the print data for these components as a dowry when buying a bike. With bike prices drifting into five figures, this should be possible. This would at least facilitate the long-term supply of peripheral parts.

Conclusion: A suitable integrated cockpit is possible

The technology to bring bikes and people together is available. It is just not used everywhere. If you buy a bike with an integrated cockpit, you should be sure of your riding position. In other words, you should have some experience or have undergone a fitting. If your dream bike deviates from your usual position by more than a centimetre: Hands off! - Robert Kühnen,

The solution: Stack & Reach Plus

We refer to the height and length of the grip position in the brake lever position as stack plus and reach plus. Every road cyclist should be able to recite these coordinates in their sleep. Only those who know their data can adjust their cockpit to fit exactly or recognise in advance whether a particular bike with integrated handlebars will fit.

The hand position on the brake lever characterises the riding position. The picture below shows how TOUR defines this point. Manufacturers usually only specify the stack (S) and reach (R) dimensions for the frame. Add y for the height of the stem and handlebars and x for the length of the stem and handlebar bend.

• S+ = S + y
• R+ = R + x

Examples of the x and y coordinates can be found in the following table. It shows the values for different tilt angles of a 110 mm stem, which must be added to the frame stack and reach in order to determine the hand position on the brake lever. The calculation includes the following parameters: 30 mm spacer under the stem; handlebar reach: 80 mm (value range 70-90 mm).

Stems with an angle of -7 degrees are typical for sporty bikes. For other stem lengths, the lengths and heights are adjusted accordingly. Note: Only with a -17 degree stem, which points horizontally forwards, does the change in length not result in a change in height. With a 0-degree stem, the height increases by 2.9 mm for every 10 mm of length.

Determine stack plus & reach plus

Taking the correct measurements on your own bike is very easy. Drop a plumb line through the centre of the bottom bracket and measure the horizontal distance to the front edge of the handlebar arch. Alternatively, cut a plumb line from there and mark it on the ground. The distance between the markings is the reach plus measurement. Stack plus: Measure the distance from the top edge of the upper link to the ground and subtract the bottom bracket height to the ground from this, this gives the stack plus measurement, the reach height relative to the bottom bracket.