Bike fit- pros vs. the rest of us

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ALAN Carbon+
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Joined: Mon Dec 26, 2005 9:21 am
Location: Canberra, Australia

by ALAN Carbon+

pdlpsher1 please stop comparing any bike to a pros bike, they are not like the average cyclist and their bike fits reflect this. Continuing to do is just making you look like a fool.

Go and get a proper bike fit - a small investment in time and money will ensure you end up with a bike that is appropriate for the style of riding you do and works most efficiently with your physical attributes (limb length and flexibility).

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pdlpsher1
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Location: CO

by pdlpsher1

Haha. You guys are too funny. Twelve months from now I'll revive the thread :mrgreen:

Thanks to all who helped me dial in the fit. I'll keep the current fit for a while and decide later if I should seek professional help. There are lots of professional fitter in Boulder pretty close to where I live.

Now I need to work on my fit for the tandem. Any volunteers :mrgreen:

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

by Multebear

pdlpsher1 wrote:
Thanks for the comments. I rechecked the saddle and indeed it was not level. Fixed that. I also rotated the bar forward so the shifters are no longer sticking up as much as before. With this new cockpit position I did a 100k ride today with 1500m of climbing. Absolutely loved it. I also spent more time in the drops and had no issues with reach or comfort. Here's the latest setup.

Image



This looks very decent, and this is how it's supposed to look with what you've got to work with.

But it also makes it clear, that the frame is too big for you. With a stem that short and the saddle that far moved forward, the toptube of the frame is simply too long for you. You might want to move at least one maybe to framesizes down. If your body proportions are normal, you'd want the saddle centeret on the seatpost and a 100-130 mm stem.

But if I were you, I'd just ride it as it is now, and buy a smaller frame, whenever you want to get rid of this one for other reasons.

Now that you're done fitting, please get rid of that handlebartape. With that colorscheme bike you need either black, red or white. Blue is out of place.

Marin
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Joined: Wed Jan 22, 2014 11:48 am
Location: Vienna Austria

by Marin

Agree, fit looks ok now, frame is too big.

Big improvement on the hoods & bar positioning.

Hoods - need to be angled so that you don't have to bend your wrists when resting your hand. The right angle changes with reach and saddle-to-bar drop!

Bars - need to be angled so that your wrists don't have to bend when resting on the end of the drops. And so that they look good. Also depends on the 2 factors above, and on drop shape.

The angle from bar tops to hoods is just a result of the 2 settings above and can only be changed by changing bars, but with the length of current hoods isn't much of an issue, i.e. a "flat transition from bars to hoods" isn't necessary since your hands will be almost exclusively on the hoods.

Please save up for a smaller frame :)

Sam
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Joined: Fri Dec 29, 2006 5:07 pm
Location: Gothenburg, Sweden

by Sam

logy wrote:I'm 183 and ride a 58 super six Evo with. 120 stem and 10mm spacer with 10cm saddle to bar drop. Any smaller/ shorter seems cramped.


Awesome. I'm 185 and ride the same size, but with a slammed 110mm stem. I get it that some prefer the 56cm frame to be able to adjust the position based on how the body is built. But as I bought the complete bike, I went with the 58 as the stack and reach where similar as well as getting 175mm crankarms on the 58, but "only" 172.5mm on the 56.

Also, I prefer the slammed look and if needed, I could get a -17 degree stem.

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Lightweenie
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by Lightweenie

I think it looks good now, and wouldn't change anything, except perhaps a 1 or 2cm shorter stem in case you feel stretched out. I don't think that the saddle being so far forward implies a too big frame. It could simply be, that the saddle is moved like that because he has short femurs and therefore feels more comfortable like that.

I just wanted to say that although I like narrower handlebars myself, you have to factor in that going to 38ths might make your reach even longer if your shoulders are wider than roughly 39cm. So from what I read in the thread, I'd say don't try this with this frame.

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pdlpsher1
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by pdlpsher1

Lightweenie wrote:It could simply be, that the saddle is moved like that because he has short femurs and therefore feels more comfortable like that.

I just wanted to say that although I like narrower handlebars myself, you have to factor in that going to 38ths might make your reach even longer if your shoulders are wider than roughly 39cm. So from what I read in the thread, I'd say don't try this with this frame.


Yes. I have played with my saddle position and I've settled on the current position as it's the one where I could most efficiently pedal and maintain a good cadence. If I move the saddle back I'm unable to use my quad muscles efficiently. Moving my saddle forward also reduces the reach and hence I'm on a 100mm stem. I can still play with stem length a bit (I have the inexpensive Uno stem) but I don't think I'm overly stretched in the attached photo.

I do believe shorter riders don't necessarily follow the general fit parameters that are designed for average or larger riders.

I don't know my shoulder width but the current bar feels very comfortable as is. I wish there's an inexpensive Uno bar so that I could experiment without spending a ton of money.

Image

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Calnago
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by Calnago

I don't know why, but I really want to help this guy, if he is indeed for real. But then, I think... what's the point.
You'll get there, sooner or later... maybe much later.
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jeffy
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by jeffy

you've rotated the bars again

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pdlpsher1
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by pdlpsher1

jeffy wrote:you've rotated the bars again


It's an old picture. Sorry. I was just using the picture to illustrate my need for a forward saddle position.




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fogman
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by fogman

May I ask why the frame mounted pump yet no water bottle cages? I dehydrate much faster at the higher altitudes.


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upside
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Location: USA

by upside

You definitely NEED a smaller bike and when set up correctly, will ride much more efficiently. You will also produce more power and enjoy riding much more.

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kgt
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by kgt

+1
The frame is obviously too big for you.

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pdlpsher1
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Location: CO

by pdlpsher1

fogman wrote:May I ask why the frame mounted pump yet no water bottle cages? I dehydrate much faster at the higher altitudes.
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I do drink a lot however I use a hydration pack like a Camelback. It's been a long time since I've used bottles but now I'm thinking about switching back. Gotta get some WW cages first. My old cages are all boat anchors.

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