Lectric XP3.0 Stem Reversal - Does It Work For Reach Issues?

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YODA

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I have previously posted about my first ride and crash situation.

Background
II am a short round dude (265lbs 5' 6" height) with 28* inseam and 21" reach measured from arm pit to center of my hand where I would grip the handle bar. This puts me at max reach leaning forward when riding. As my elbows are at full extension I believe my pedaling hip motion is being transmitted through the handle bars. This causes the bike to wander/twitch a lot. Riding on loose gravel is very difficult (subdivision roads). I have made all of the possible seat adjustment that Lectric indicates I can do to the comfort package. Being 70, crashing is not an option. I don't bounce anymore :eek:

I will also admit to not riding for more than a few years. Before that I was an experienced rider. So some of this might be re-learning how to ride.. With my bad back, riding upright would be better than leaning forward - I am thinking this based on readings and doctor inputs.

Some have recommended flipping the stem 180 to move the handle bars to the rear , but Lectric customer service is advising not too. I asked about BMX style handle bars that sweep back more. Again as the have not tested it they cant approve. They really have no official solution to my issue, but suggest asking the Lectric community.

I found the U-Tube how to flip video looks simple enough. Does this flip create any other steering issues? I am aware of the folding issue doing this? Any other solutions to my problem?

Any and all thoughts and suggestion are welcome. I got the bike to get exercise and getting around campgrounds and parks when traveling. Folding is needed for travel.

Thanks
 
Aliexpress has a number of stems available. There is one that bends slightly rearward, if you want a simple fix that will still fold. The Turtleneck from Davidbrandnew mentioned above, I think, has a great look and would also offer you more stability. BMX bars allow for more adjustments and much less twitchy steering. Some people have even gone to more traditional, swept back handlebars. You have alot of options, just take as many measurements as you can before you take things apart. You know you want the reach to come towards you, but also figure what hieght you keep things at, so you can have your changes match it. If it were me, I would follow the video above and see how it feels, then if it is still not right, put it back and redecide.
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The DavidBrandNewdotcom solution looks like the best one. Usually, when a unique extending/folding setup is not in the mix, just choosing a handlebar with more pullback is the smarter, safer way to solve reach issues. That and a shorter stem. Turning the stem backwards ... thats got 'half-assed' written all over it. If you do a little googling, you will find that
  • shorter stems (that still point forward) make handling more responsive than if a longer stem was used.
  • stems reversed pointing towards the rider effectively give you even more responsive steering, and tend to be described as too twitchy. Depending on the bike geometry it can be so twitchy its dangerous. Especially at higher speeds.
  • ... and there's more. Here look it up and read what people say who have done it, and who talked to other people who know bikes better than they do:
 
I've bought quite a lot of things off Aliexpress. Their site is secure. You just have to be aware of exactly what you are putting in your cart because some of their small thumbnails can be confusing. If you are worried about this mechanically, then perhaps the best thing to do is splurge and get David Brand New's complete kit, The Turtle Neck Bmx Bundle. From everything I've read, you don't have a quill stem on the XP3, so you don't need the quill adapter. He has a bunch of videos on his site you can go over. I will post the pic I found of how his handle bars fold down. They fold to the proper side, so it should still fit in a tote.
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My experience with shortening reach for a more upright riding posture is that it makes the steering more twitchy, as m@Robertson pointed out.

The one I did, on my Aventon Level.2 is a lot less extreme than what you're considering, but it is especially noticeable when I have the trunk bag fully loaded in the rear. It moves weight to the back, which in turn unloads the front wheel, which makes it twitchy. If I release the handlebar with one hand, for example to turn around and look behind me, it gets wobbily, and if I took both hands, it immediately goes into a death wobble.

I also wonder if the reversed bar would still fold down correctly when the bike is folded for storage or travel?

It's worth noting that a forward-leaning riding posture puts more of the rider's weight above his legs, which is like getting free power. That's why road cyclists do this.

I think you might want to move the seat forward on its rails first though, before you start messing with the bar or stem. That, with a bar with a bit of pull-back designed in might be just the ticket. (though it still may mess with the fold-ability of it...)

It's worth noting that Lectric went from a flat bar to a BMX-type bar when they went from Gen 1 to Gen 2 of their XP Lite, so that might be a safe way to shorten up the reach.
 
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