Bike fit- pros vs. the rest of us

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Multebear
Posts: 1395
Joined: Sat May 02, 2015 10:11 pm

by Multebear

The perfect position for Shimano shift levers is, when the front end of the lever are in a vertical line.

Yours are not in a vertical line.

The bottom of the handlebar should be in a horizontal line. The angle between the two lines should thus be 90 degrees. This would be achieved by rotating the handlebar forward.

Don't mind my poor drawing. You get the point.

Image



More like this:

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Or this:

Image
Last edited by Multebear on Wed Jul 06, 2016 10:32 pm, edited 4 times in total.

by Weenie


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lowside67
Posts: 62
Joined: Sat Apr 23, 2016 5:34 pm

by lowside67

Multebear wrote:The perfect position for Shimano shift levers is, when the front end of the lever are in a horizontal line.

Yours are not in a horizontal line:

Nice ninja edit on the typo... :mrgreen:

Mark

romalor
Posts: 241
Joined: Sun Jul 26, 2015 3:56 pm

by romalor

Isn't that funny to see a guy with that kind of setup , on a bike with di2 , a sram red quarq ? :D

For the next frame, you could have a look at the endurance gran fondo bike , which have shorter top tube and taller head tube
They may suit you better
It's looks like you"re trying to get the levers closer from you with that position

Ozrider
Posts: 1018
Joined: Sat Nov 20, 2010 6:06 am
Location: Perth, Western Australia

by Ozrider

The difference between "us" and pros is:
1 - most of them are much younger. 35-40 is retirement age for a pro
2 - most pros have been riding and racing from a young age
3 - pros are much more flexible than the average cyclist
4 - pros have incredible core strength
5 - pros ride their bikes for a living.
6 - pros train, train and train some more. That is their job. While we are working they are riding 4-8 hours a day
7 - pros are chosen from the best junior riders. Most are state or national champions. Physiologically they are better than average.
8 - they have daily massages, physio, nutrition, core exercise sessions, sports psychologists, nutritionists, bike mechanics etc looking after their needs

I'm a 49 year old amateur masters racer. I work shift work and have family commitments.
I manage about 12 - 16 hours a week (300-450km) on the bike but sometimes it's only 200km a week.
Due to training by an ex pro for the last year I have made big improvements in FTP, Max Power and VO2 Max, but my figures are pathetic compared to a similar size and weight pro like Fabian Cancellara
I'm an aging amateur, I enjoy riding, I have other commitments.
My bike fit and ability reflect this. I accept it.
I don't try emulate a pro because I'm not one.
I'm happy with that.



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Ozrider - Western Australia
Parlee Z5 XL (6055g/13.32lbs) Trek Madone 5.9 (7052-7500g)Jonesman Columbus Spirit (8680g)
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pdlpsher1
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Joined: Thu Jul 19, 2012 6:09 pm
Location: CO

by pdlpsher1

Since I started this thread I have come to the realization that there are a lot of knobs I could tweak (to a degree, of course) to achieve an identical front-end cockpit fit. Stem length, stack height, bar rotation, and lever position. When I look at many bikes (pros and non-pros) it's difficult to find two bikes that are setup identically on the front-end. So far I've not played with stem length and stack height (steer tube has already been cut....unless I get a new fork). So I've put my focus on bar rotation and lever position to give me the ideal reach that I prefer. If I could achieve my goal without spending more money then all the better.

A few comments on bar rotation. My bar (3T Ergonova) has an oval top. I rotated the bars such that the oval top is even horizontally and not skewed towards the front or back. If I rotate the bar further forward my hands wouldn't be comfortable on the bar tops. As for the lever position suggestion (being vertical), I adjusted my lever reach so that I could reach the levers in the drops. I don't have a picture after the adjustment but I can assure you my levers are now perfectly vertical without any tilt forward or backward.

Maybe I'll take one last photo of it after all of the changes. I did like my new cockpit fit on my 80km ride yesterday.

thedonnydino
Posts: 83
Joined: Tue Jun 07, 2016 11:10 pm

by thedonnydino

Here's another pro fit for you to contemplate. As I said it is entirely subjective, and drawing any comparison is futile.

https://coresites-cdn.factorymedia.com/ ... G_1438.jpg

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pdlpsher1
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Location: CO

by pdlpsher1

Here are some pictures of the existing cockpit fit. Upon further inspection the handle bar is very slightly tilted rearward. This puts the oval top of the bar slightly rearward, which is pretty comfortable to hold onto in the climbing position. I could rotate the bar forward a bit without changing the position of the levers. I don't know what this will buy me however it's something I could experiment with without spending any money. Thanks for all the suggestions.

As for the drops vs. riding on the hood it's a non-issue for me. I can get into a more aero position riding on the hoods by bending my elbows and flattening my back. If I ride in the drops my forearms are exposed to the wind. I don't think there's any benefit on riding in the drops other than on a descent.

Image
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pdlpsher1
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by pdlpsher1

romalor wrote:Isn't that funny to see a guy with that kind of setup , on a bike with di2 , a sram red quarq ? :D


Wait until you see my bike with the not-yet-received Campy Boras :mrgreen:

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ALAN Carbon+
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Location: Canberra, Australia

by ALAN Carbon+

Out of curiosity, is there a reason you don't have any bottle cages on your bike?

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pdlpsher1
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by pdlpsher1

ALAN Carbon+ wrote:Out of curiosity, is there a reason you don't have any bottle cages on your bike?

Sent from my 0PJA10 using Tapatalk


I use one of these :mrgreen: On a three hour ride I cannot survive on only two bottles. Rather than filling three or four bottles and trying to put bottle mounts behind my saddle, I fill one 70oz or 100oz water bag and I'm done!

Image

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kkibbler
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by kkibbler

Hate to break it to you, but pros don't use hydration backpacks.

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pdlpsher1
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Location: CO

by pdlpsher1

kkibbler wrote:Hate to break it to you, but pros don't use hydration backpacks.


Yes. And they don't have a tool bag, spare tubes, CO2 cartridges, and a pump like the rest of us.

The last thing I care about is how cool I look on the bike. The visor I wear blocks the harsh sun and the hydration pack is an ingenious invention.

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kkibbler
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by kkibbler

Agreed. Now apply that thinking to your bike appearance and bike fit and we can close this thread.

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pdlpsher1
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Location: CO

by pdlpsher1

kkibbler wrote:Agreed. Now apply that thinking to your bike appearance and bike fit and we can close this thread.


I'm not sure what you're trying to say. What does my taste in appearance have anything to do with a proper bike fit?

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kkibbler
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Joined: Tue Sep 09, 2014 9:30 am

by kkibbler

What I mean is: Use what works for you, whether that means Camelbaks or upturned hoods. Stop comparing your bike and bike fit to pro bikes and pro bike fits.

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