bike shit fit

[Jonathan]

My 70+ year old dad still rides with 7cm of drop. He's not fit like many here are but he bangs out 20 a day almost every day. It still works for him.

[Jonathan]

this is bartolis bike now. he went to a prestigious fitter in toulouse... very comfortable...

Needs a smiley.

[wasfast]

BTW, this begs the question, what do you consider far enough behind the BB?

Also be careful using absolute numbers from rider to rider as the frame size and rider height have a large influence on the actual number. That's the biggest flaw with the UCI's 5cm TT bike rule but I digress.

[TJ]

Bike fit is an ever evolving deal. What works today may not work 6months from now. When I started out years ago I ran very little saddle to bar drop. It has slowly gotten to where it is now as the drop and reach have changed. More riding and more stretching and I feel more comfortable in the long and low setup

[thollandpe]

there are always exceptions, however it is still better to have the lard sit further behind the bb than shunted forward. saddle setback is not a panacea for bike fit. yet, i find that it facilitates a good platform for folks who: have poor core strength, have a heavy upper body (this can also be a tall, fit athlete), have a gut, have shoulderneckbackarmhand pain, have structural disabilities like disc disease, or want to look like fignonroachlemond. there is no absolute for bike fit. for example, a strong athlete with good morphology can endure a more forward position which opens the hip angle and allows a lower front end like the nice aero position of bartoli. you just have to figure out who you are and carry a spanner in your back pocket.

I think fitness is a variable . . . squared. When riding hard the legs support much of the upper body weight, keeping it off the shoulders and hands. Moving the hips back and shoulders down finds that balance point.

When I'm on a ride where I have to ride 5 mph slower than piano, my all-day comfy position -- which is easily morphed into my 10k on-the-rivet position -- ain't so comfy anymore.

[nahtnoj]

Bike fit is an ever evolving deal. What works today may not work 6months from now. When I started out years ago I ran very little saddle to bar drop. It has slowly gotten to where it is now as the drop and reach have changed. More riding and more stretching and I feel more comfortable in the long and low setup

The Salon disapproves of you seat post. But I think your drop might make up for it?

[csbmo]

aspire2

[Lionel]

Eddie was known to mess around with his seat position constantly. I guess that day it was the low position.

[Trickky]

In an effort for comfort and efficiency with a new bike, I've been experimenting with saddle and stem position. After being professionally fit, I found some adjustments helpful and others not. My remaining issue is pain on the left side of my lower neck and into my trapezoid. His solution was a more upright position via increase in stem angle, which feels inefficient and goofy, especially while standing. I've made small adjustments to the saddle rearward, it has helped get the weight off my hands, eased the pain somewhat, and feels very comfortable so far. This question may be one with too many variables, but after many searches I'm wondering if I'm on the right track? Any advice help would be appreciated.

[caleb]

Mehhh, I've seen plenty of fat old men riding perfect normal bicycles comfortably. Bars and saddle level. Go sit at the edge of most euro towns around dusk and you'll see a line of those fat old men riding perfectly normal bikes.
*No bunnies were hurt making this statement.

I guess it's where "normal" starts and abnormal begins. Trek is making some bikes now where the reach is short, the bars are up around the saddle, and they still handle pretty much like a bike. If that's normal, then I agree that most guys can ride that sort of position.

In my head I want to believe Bartoli rides in a normal position. It keeps me from thinking the world has gone to hell.

[TJ]

The Salon disapproves of you seat post. But I think your drop might make up for it?

Oh im sure there is more non-salon worthy items on this bike

[Too Tall]

I think fitness is a variable . . . squared. When riding hard the legs support much of the upper body weight, keeping it off the shoulders and hands. Moving the hips back and shoulders down finds that balance point.

When I'm on a ride where I have to ride 5 mph slower than piano, my all-day comfy position -- which is easily morphed into my 10k on-the-rivet position -- ain't so comfy anymore.

Awesome observation. This is not rocket science. Set your bikes up so you can use the drops!

[thollandpe]

The title of this thread recalls some of the worst fit advice I ever got, from one of the US's "premier" coaches. When I asked about low back pain after (short, fast, hard) crits, he asked about my equipment. He thought my bike, a Klein Quantum, was too stiff and I should be on a Vitus Carbone. He also thought my tires, Vittoria CX sewups, rode too harshly and that I should be on Michelin Supercomp clinchers. Naturally, these were team sponsors and bro-deals were available for non-elite riders . . .

Awesome observation. This is not rocket science. Set your bikes up so you can use the drops!

Thank you, that recalls some of the best advice I got soon after. An old Aussie pro, who had watched me race, said "you've got to be comfortable in the hooks, man!" That it was the best, most efficient and safest, place to be. So I tried a stem with more reach and a little more rise. Angels sang.

If you ride hard and have only a platonic relationship with your drops, your fit ain't quite right.

[WFSTEKL]

I think fitness is a variable . . . squared. When riding hard the legs support much of the upper body weight, keeping it off the shoulders and hands. Moving the hips back and shoulders down finds that balance point.

When I'm on a ride where I have to ride 5 mph slower than piano, my all-day comfy position -- which is easily morphed into my 10k on-the-rivet position -- ain't so comfy anymore.

todd makes a really, really good point. our connection/balance on the bike does change as our intensity changes. this is why fitting on the turbo is suspect. you just can't duplicate the same kind of connection to the bike on the turbo that you can on the road, imho.

[Saab2000]

He also thought my tires, Vittoria CX sewups, rode too harshly and that I should be on Michelin Supercomp clinchers. Naturally, these were team sponsors and bro-deals were available for non-elite riders . . .

Anyone who says that is on crack. The old Vittoria CX sewups (and their modern incarnation as Veloflex Criteriums) are God's own personal sewups and everyone knows they have the magic carpet ride. Anyone who tells you they ride harshly has either no idea about anything or is trying to sell something. Sounds like this guy was the latter. I wonder how many people bought into it.

Say what you want about sewups and all the PITA factor but don't tell me CXs ride harshly. They sing sweetly and glide along the road.

[WFSTEKL]

In an effort for comfort and efficiency with a new bike, I've been experimenting with saddle and stem position. After being professionally fit, I found some adjustments helpful and others not. My remaining issue is pain on the left side of my lower neck and into my trapezoid. His solution was a more upright position via increase in stem angle, which feels inefficient and goofy, especially while standing. I've made small adjustments to the saddle rearward, it has helped get the weight off my hands, eased the pain somewhat, and feels very comfortable so far. This question may be one with too many variables, but after many searches I'm wondering if I'm on the right track? Any advice help would be appreciated.

the fact of the matter is, moving further behind the bb will shift weight off the front end. if you found relief, then you have made the correct adjustment. try this experiment. get a chair with a hard, smooth seat so that you can easliy slide around on it. sit squarely in the middle of the seat and have your heels directly beneath the forward edge of the seat and plant them on the floor in a stance that replicates the distance between your pedals. now lean forward so that your back angle replicates your riding position when in the drops. stretch out your arms so that they are in the same position when you are in the hooks. while keeping your feet planted in the same spot on the floor, shift your ass to the front edge of the seat while keeping the same back angle and hand reach. your hands should move the same distance forward that your ass moved. after you do this, slide all the way back into the chair while keeping your feet in the same spot on the floor but move your upper body back with your ass. go back and forth a few times in this position and you will feel how this weight shift changes the muscle recruitment in your upper body. as you move forward you will feel more strain in your shoulders, neck and lower back. as you move back you will feel more weight planted on the "saddle". again, again, again i want to stress that sitting back is not ideal for all cyclists, but don't discount the advantage if you have some of the issues that i outlined previously.

[WFSTEKL]

i should also add that if you do my little experiment, you will also discover that your hip angle changes as you slide forward and back on the chair seat. as you move forward, the hip angle opens. this forward position facilitates a lower front end for a more aero position. when you move back, and close the hip angle, you have to be careful not to pinch your pedaling stroke. if your knees are whacking your chest when in the drops, then you've either gone back too far, or you have to raise your bars a bit.

[Rico]

FWIW I find most people worry about position/fitting once they start hurting somewhere. Which is good . Listen to your body. BUT a change in position doesn't make discomfort go away instanlty so you always have to give it some time and miles.

[DougS]

I guess it's where "normal" starts and abnormal begins. Trek is making some bikes now where the reach is short, the bars are up around the saddle, and they still handle pretty much like a bike. If that's normal, then I agree that most guys can ride that sort of position.

In my head I want to believe Bartoli rides in a normal position. It keeps me from thinking the world has gone to hell.

bartoli's advantage was obviously his excellent choice of saddle

[Too Tall]

todd makes a really, really good point. our connection/balance on the bike does change as our intensity changes. this is why fitting on the turbo is suspect. you just can't duplicate the same kind of connection to the bike on the turbo that you can on the road, imho.

Bike fits on stationary trainers tend to result in shorter top tube and taller than necessary Head Tubes. This was one of the driving reason all bike fit clients go for a quick ride with me watching.