S-Works Tarmac Stack & Reach

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CBJ
Posts: 1058
Joined: Tue Feb 02, 2010 4:22 pm
Location: Brooklyn

by CBJ

Not so worried about catching air my number one fitting this year was to get rid of problem causing injury. I would say my position is anywhere near what you are suggesting though

Saddle Height (Center of BB to Center top of Saddle) vertical: 790mm (since fitting lowered to 780cm)
Saddle tip to BB center (horizontal): 10cm behind BB
Saddle tip to Handlebar Center (horizontal): 545mm
Saddle to top of handlebar drop: 2cm
X/Y Handlebar Position: 45/72.4cm

As mentioned I am also 187cm, 42 years and not as flexible as I once was I am sure. I still have tons of adjustment option with this frame that would put me much lower if I need to and again I am only running a 90mm stem.

by Weenie


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Barters
Posts: 44
Joined: Sat Nov 24, 2012 8:43 pm

by Barters

Hey, I just attached a bike fit I had done about 18 months ago.

For reference the bike I ride is a Scott CR1 SL 2012:
http://www.scott-sports.com/us/en/produ ... sl-20-m54/

I am riding the bike with a 2mm spacer & a 110mm stem. I am going to try a friend's 120mm & see how I feel on that.

My lumbar issue is resolving itself. With physio I have discovered that (most likely due to never stretching) that my left glut isn't firing & basically my hamstrings are tight as heck. Pretty much everything on my left side is in need to attention.
Attachments
Velo fit.jpg

highdraw

by highdraw

CBJ,
What matters at the end of the day is each of us are happy with our fit. You know the metrics of your fit which is a major advantage to many.
The thing each of us know is...whether our fit on the bike is right. We know this instinctively. Many of us ride and just know if our fit is off or feels like coming home. I will tell you your saddle tip to handlebar center is excessively short for even your leggy body proportions and lack of gorilla arms which many times accompany long legs but don't in your case.
But what matters is you are happy with your fit having studied it.
Cheers

User avatar
CBJ
Posts: 1058
Joined: Tue Feb 02, 2010 4:22 pm
Location: Brooklyn

by CBJ

Agree and the fitting numbers I just a good base line for me. The seat height did not work out due to an old ankle injury from when I was a kid and I think with the lower position I can try to run either a 100mm stem or lower the bar height.

One thing also to note is I was able to ride with much more drop on my Tarmac but on long rides it would start killing my arms and shoulders so even with enough flexibility its not possible to run a really low position at least not on longer rides.

han1337
Posts: 91
Joined: Tue Oct 07, 2014 5:55 pm

by han1337

Hello Dear Weenies,

I have a Question regarding the fit of the Tarmac 2015 too.
I will order a 2015 Tarmac frame in the next few days ... question is .. which size

I have used a 49 Allez before. (which i got for free)
Then switched to a Venge Size 52, stem not completely slammed here (1,5 cm of spacer left)

I now use the Venge with a 90 mm Stem.
Saddle height is 695 mm from BB Center.


Would you go for 49, 52, or 54 with my values?

Help would be very apprechiated.

han1337
Posts: 91
Joined: Tue Oct 07, 2014 5:55 pm

by han1337

I have had my values measured.

Image

Barters
Posts: 44
Joined: Sat Nov 24, 2012 8:43 pm

by Barters

I tried the 120mm stem & much better. Have one ordered.

I was using 110mm stem & some spacers when I started riding 2 yrs ago. Now I prefer 0 spacers & the 120mm (I would dare say even 130mm) stem. A lot has changed to my body 15,000 km & 20kg weight loss later.

highdraw

by highdraw

Glad it worked out for you Barters. I work with a lot of club riders on their fit...some chasing their fit in the wrong direction and the biggest mistake I see is for taller riders like yourself riding too cramped. What happens is a short cockpit ruins posture and hip rotation because you have to slump to make a short cockpit fit a longer body.
Posture is something I work on just about every ride. Its easy to fall into bad habits. Poor hip rotation and posture robs watts when trying to get aero at high speed because without it, its hard to get into a flatter back position. Have to rotate the pelvis and when you do, you need a longer cockpit. Also if you look at better riders, they tend to move forward on the saddle in the drops to open the hip angle. This also promotes the need for a longer cockpit. Synergy. When I get sloppy with my pelvis position and posture every aspect of my riding suffers which includes more aches and pains.
Ride safe.

Barters
Posts: 44
Joined: Sat Nov 24, 2012 8:43 pm

by Barters

Thanks for the advice highdraw. It was my error with the stem. The bike came originally with a 120mm stem & the bike fit I had advised my ideal stem would be 123mm. I swapped to 110mm stem as my body wasn't yet used to riding a road bike position & the shorter reach felt better.

I think actually the 58cm Tarmac will work with still a decent length stem (110mm or 120mm). In fact I was convinced that I needed to look only at frames with relatively short reach. Seems that is not the case--it might have been 2 years ago when I was a novice but not now.

When you say hip rotation I have been having this issue on my left side. I had a glute test & my left side doesn't fire.

highdraw

by highdraw

If you have asymmetry on one side versus the other, you could try rotating your saddle a bit (yaw) looking down from above. Cobb talks about this in his videos.
My suggestion is continue to experiment. The only way to determine best fit is try all combinations of setback, horizontal reach and drop.
But one immutable fact is body size and proportions rule the day in terms of how much reach you need whether you ride upright or like a pro.
So if you raise your handlebar to ride with less drop this reduces reach. So if riding with less drop, you will need more horizontal reach which means either a longer top tube or longer stem to have the same net reach of riding with a lower handlebar.
Sounds like you are heading in the right direction.
Ride safe.

Barters
Posts: 44
Joined: Sat Nov 24, 2012 8:43 pm

by Barters

I think it is good advice to people not to buy your dream bike as your first bike. You should ride first for a while to see what position you find yourself evolving into.

highdraw

by highdraw

Agree with that as well. The last guy I worked with bought 5 framsets in 3 years trying to dial his fit before we got him straightened away.
But generally a good fit can be achieved 1 frame size away from the optimal size. Maybe not be optimal in terms of appearance or the smallest frame for a given position etc.

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