Need a little help. I have been cycling for over 10 years. I have had several fits in that time to address some issues with saddle sores mainly. Those seem to be behind me. What came up in my last fitting was a foot pressure mapping. I never had one of these done. This is the map I had. first was before, second is after.
For reference this was done with speedplays that had 65mm axles. I was told to size down to 59mm, which I did. I use S Works shoes with 2 3mm spacers on the right foot (small functional leg length issue) with one varus shim on the cleat and one varus shim in the shoe. I also use G2 insoles with metatarsal pad and heel wedge. The changes came from mostly dropping the saddle. The after still looks a bit off to me. I tried, and felt more even force with DA pedals, but they seemed to give me IT band issues even with the +4mm spindles. I tried adding a washer and I can still feel my ITB stretching for lack of a better description. I dont think I can lower the saddle any further. I was thinking this could have been from prior issues with the saddle height and leg length problem that caused me to use my left leg primarily to prevent pain. Does this mapping look way off to anyone else lol ? If so any suggestions? @mcneese.chad thoughts?
Iāve never worked with the foot pressure mapping. Ideally, I am guessing you want the right to look more like the left. Hard to say with just this and a few of your comments. It almost seems that there could be more spacers on the right, but you already have 2.
For the ITB, and sticking with the Shimano +4 pedals, you might try adding a pedal washer between the pedal and crank. But there may be a limit of 1 since you already have the wider spindle.
Yeah, I may try and add two shims stacking the meaty parts opposite each other for another 1mm. I watched some hip stretching videos, going to do a lot of those to see if I cant fix the problem rather than band aid it. I may try and play with the shimano pedals, it may be that I need to rotate the right cleat slightly pointed to the right for my duck feet, see if that helps with the itb. Thanks for the reply.
Iāve managed to solve quite a few problems with my bike fit this year (narrower bars, wider saddle, stack, reach). However, after finally arriving at a good fitting bike that I rode for the last month or two (and that I want to replicate to my other bike) a knee pain appeared from out of the blue. Like I said I havenāt changed anything on the bike I have just started riding higher endurance more often. One particular day was perhaps to blame where I did some SS efforts at a low (50-60) cadence. But it wasnāt the first time I did low cadence work.
My knee pain is anterior knee pain or more specifically medial patella pain. After trying to rest a little which didnāt help Iāve found out the following:
it is the worst the first 10 minutes on the bike
it doesnāt matter what power I am at
it goes mostly away later into the ride (from 6 to 1 on the 10 point pain scale).
I can feel it only on the bike. I can run with it and donāt feel any pain
Follow up on my foot issue. I tried another shim, no help. I REMOVED the shims completely from the right foot. Left the two 3mm spacers. Problem solved. My guess is with the specialized shoes having a built in varus angle, with the added wedges was just too much. My feet feel very solid on the pedals now. I did lower the saddle 2mm and back close to three. Rode a few hundred miles, climbing, and also sustained power both were giving me troubles with pain prior. Looks like most of the issues are resolved. Lesson learned, sometimes its good to reset and not over fix an issue.
Yeah, this shows as an example of āif it aināt broke, donāt fix itā. Just because we as fitters see what might be considered an āissueā may not mean it is worth trying to ācorrectā it with a setup change. Crooked bodies can work fine and can often be ignored (even āshouldā be ignored at times) unless they serve a purpose to correct an actual problem.
As I have continued in the fitting world, I am adopting a āless is moreā philosophy. Perfect can be the enemy of the good if we lose sight of the goal where we get a rider really comfortable, and eliminate or minimize problems to an acceptable level.
This should be the disclaimer at the start of every bike fitting session. Perfectly stated.
We think that there is some optimal way to ride a bike (see how so many of us chase a 50/50 power balance), reality is that we are all intrinsically different. What works for one rider may well cause injuries for another. The goal should be to optimize a fit that addresses the individuality of the client.
Looking to buy my first TT/triathlon bike and have my eye on a beautiful second hand Apex Infinity.
The size of the bike is M/L or 55/56 centimeter, suitable for people between 1.75 and 1.90 meter. Myself I am 1.76.
Do you think it would be wise to buy a bike that I would just fit on? Taking into account a bikefit needs to be done and I want to sit as aero as possible?
Iām doing half-distance triathlon next year and maybe a full IM in the years to come.
Edit: advice doesnāt have to be scientific, your experience/bro-advice is much appreciated!
Iām 1.7m and Iām on a size S Trek Speed Concept with low/far stem and 15mm monospacer, 165mm cranks. Technically thatās a 50cm frame (TT length). At 1.76m Iām not sure youād need anything more than a M or M/S (size 53-54) depending on the proportions of your bodyā¦ As you say yourself, the bike is for people from 1.75-1.9m so basically you are at the lower limit of what might fit on that bike. So likely youāre not going to have a lot of room for adjustments if you get a bike fit afterwards or start tinkering with your fit a bit.
Iād always suggest getting a fit first so you know your pad stack and reach values and can work from there. Bikes already cost a lot, youāre better off spending 250 Euros/Dollars and make sure it fits up front instead of figuring out later that the bike is the wrong size and trying to squeeze in a somewhat reasonable position. A lot of people buy bikes that are too long (size too big) and end up putting 40mm stems on them to make them fitā¦ Height is usually less of an issue since the bike is taller and people tend to go for ācomfortā and sit too upright (imo).
Thanks, useful. When you say āāgetting a fit firstāā, do you mean I undergo a fit without having a bike? So someone taking my generic measures and then look for a bike later? Is there no risk that I know my measures, but then buy a bike thatās in practice not adjustable even though the size would be correct?
Edit: The seller tells me that heās 1.80 and the saddle can still be lowered with 12 centimeter and thereās still room to move it back- or forward. The spacers of the handlebars also have a lot of space leftā¦
Well, they arenāt really generic measurementsā¦they are specific to you and therefore critical. Coming out of your fit (especially a tri fit), it is critical that you have the Stack & Reach for a frame along with the Stack & Reach for your armrests.
With those two measurements, you can determine a) if the frame fits you and b) if it has enough adjustability to get your arms in the right position.
Looking to buy a bike first and then seeing if you can make it fit is often a recipe for buying two bikes.
Generic applied to measures without bike. hence also the addition of my.
Iām not an expert at āāStack & Reachāā jargon, but what I take from your comment is that I should go to a bikefitter, find out my personal, specific measures and then use that data to find a bike. Please correct me if Iām wrong!
Correct, most of them would use a RetĆ¼l or GURU or similar fit bike. Theyāll let you try out a few saddles and see which ones are to your liking before theyāll start messing around with saddle position, crank length, cockpit height and length, and so on until youāre within a range that feels both comfortable/powerful/ā¦ for you as well as fit within a range of desired angles for knees, hips, arms and so on.
The nice thing is that most of them can directly throw your measurements through a database and provide you with 5 best fit options in your fit report if you werenāt looking specifically for one make and model. So they can tell you right away that brand x has model y that would fit you with stem length z and how many spacers you should mount underneath the pads and so on to get that position.
Most of us probably have started tinkering with that position after a while anyway but imo a fit is something that evolves throughout the years anyway. But no major adjustments.
A few weeks ago I broke my right brake lever and my middle right toe. Good times. Turns out those ST-RS685 combo shift/brake levers are impossible to find, and the ST-R7020 and ST-R8020 are not cheap replacements. Sigh.
So that led me down the path of wanting to buy a new bike. However Iām pretty happy with my bike fit, and nobody has stock, and therefore nobody wants to do a deal. And Shimano 12 speed is coming next year. My conclusion: the new plan for 2021 is to ride upgrades and ride up grades
Iāve got a 2015 Domane 6.2 Disc, its the Trek H2 endurance geometry which has been great in general (long rides on crappy roads), however it doesnāt promote the most aero position on the bike. Because of the brake lever fiasco, Iāve decided to replace the 44cm Bontrager handlebars with aero bars which will bring the levers in about 3 inches (from 42" to 39") and seems about perfect for my shoulders. The drops on these bars flare out to 44 inches, which has worked well for me riding in the drops on the stock bars.
So the new brake/shifter levers and bars arrive Friday/Monday, and next week will be put onto the existing 100mm / +7 degree stem. Figure I should take a little time to adjust to the bars before making any other changes.
Then at some point Iād like to experiment with reducing height and get even more aero position. So flip the stem to -7 degrees, ride it a few times, and then its time to schedule a visit to my fitter. Exchanged some private messages with @mcneese.chad and with some mental geometry and current setup it seems like going with 5mm offset seat post (current: 20mm) and possibly 90mm stem might get me closer to a proper fit.
Curious if anyone has any insights or feedback on that basic plan? Thanks in advance.
Well I think you addressed a couple of major points already. Getting more aero is not just āgettingā lower in the frontā¦and doing that can actually make you less aero. But changing the offset post, and using a shorter stem are good starting points.
A good image to keep in your mind when changing stem positions is to think about a clock, rotating around your hand and hips around the BB so they stay in relatively the same position to each other. So as you go lower, you need to bring the bars back closer to you, which you have done by going to the 90mm stemā¦Changing the SP offset then accomplishes moving your hips forward.
The only other thing I would suggest to start is a snub nose road saddle such as the Specialized Power saddle. That will also help you rotate forward and get your whole body lower.
