Small hands can not reach ultegra di2 brake lever

Agreed, this makes no sense to me.

This also seems off to me. Adjusting the saddle to handle front end fit is not generally advised in normal fitting. It is often a sign of an incorrect frame size.

I can go into more detail if itā€™s helpful.

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I think what is meant here is that if you move the brake pads closer to the rim (hence ā€œshorten the free stroke distanceā€ of the brake levers), you need to keep the wheels in good alignment to avoid brake rubbing (ā€œthe spokes of the wheels have to be adjusted by bike shop more oftenā€). Hence the OP decided not to adjust the brakes tighter/closer to the rims.

This said, I agree with @mcneese.chad, there are signs of frame sizing issues here, as well as some strange fitting concepts - you do not move the saddle to get closer to the bars, unless the saddle was in the wrong place to start with.

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Ah, I couldnā€™t make sense of that either, thanks for the explanation. To be honest I think a small, light rider doesnā€™t need to worry too much about wheel alignment issues.

If you donā€™t mind. Iā€™d be intrested in this topic. Iā€™m 187cm with an inseam of 91cm (so long legs, short torso). Iā€™m riding a 58cm Tarmac with an 80mm stem and still keep on sliding forward in hard efforts on my power saddle. My guy at the lbs who did the fitting told me to lower the saddle 2mm max or tilt the saddle slightly upwards, which I did. But there is only so much tilt youā€™ll accept without getting numb in the areaā€¦

Has this topic already been discussed in a podcast? Joe Friel mentions in his training bible that a good fit can give you up to 10W higher FTP (iirc). So this topic should interest everyone who wants to become a faster cyclist.

If we are planning to dive into bike fit instead of the brake reach issue here), we should move over to my actual bike fit thread.

But in short, based on your height, inseam, bike frame size and stem size, there is something interesting about your fit.

As most fitters about an 80mm stem on a 58cm bike and you will likely see raised eyebrows. Itā€™s an uncommon combination at the very least. May well be right for you, but it is unique.

If possible, letā€™s move to the other thread and add some pics of you on the bike leaning on a wall or in a trainer. Side, front and rear pics for starters. And a side pic of the bike only for reference.

And include any issues you have or want reviewed other than the saddle slip issue already mentioned.