Does anyone find they have different fits inside and outside?
I’ve moved down to a 90mm stem on my Bianchi (yes I know I prob needed a smaller bike) as my arms feel too stretched on the turbo but as soon as I head outside it feels like the saddle could be a wee bit higher and the 100mm I had before is the better option.
Yes, exactly the same for me. I’ll keeping my 100mm stem though, as I spent more time outdoors than indoors.
Well, I’m back to 100mm. Guess it’ll last about 6 months before I think I’ve got it wrong again! Only thing left to try is a -17 90mm which would be a bit lower with the 5mm space below instead of above and a bit longer than -6 90mm with no spacer.
I really need to stick to a stem!
In short, there are real differences between riding inside and outside, that can lead to a bike having a very different feel and comfort level between both locations. So fit may well need some tweaks, or other things can be done to mitigate those differences. The items below are a couple of points I have found over the years, but people have had success with other changes in saddle and bar position as well.
When you have a bike that is perfectly comfortable outside, and then leads to problems when ridden inside, I feel it is important to look at what is different. When you do, there are two key differences.
Lack of wind resistance on the body riding inside. That is a difference that I find because you end up with slightly more weight on the hands and arms, because you don’t have the wind pushing your upper body back.
A bike mounted into a typical trainer ends up being very fixed and rigid in position. This can lead to excessive loading on the sit bones on the saddle because there is no shift in the demand on the muscles and tissue around them.
The non-equipment solution is to introduce standing breaks into your riding. Anything from every 5 to 10 minutes is common. These breaks can be for anything from 10 seconds or pedal strokes, up to minutes at a time if desired (for saddle relief directly or other training reasons).
The equipment solution I recommend is adding motion to the trainer setup. The Kinetic Rock and Roll trainer was my inspiration. But I made a simple double plate stand with a hinge that allowed me to mount a rigid trainer and turn it into a rocking trainer. These are called “Rocker Plates”.
Absolutely…for me, it is much more prevalent in my TT position, but my inside road position is not as comfortable as my outside road position 9keeping all points the same).
I think it was 2014, in anticipation of my first IM, that I decided i was going to spend the winter on my trainer in my TT position. Ended up having to make several tweaks to get comfortable…IIRC, I moved the saddle forward and also lowered it (my HB set-up was pretty locked and not easy to adjust).
Fast forward to Spring Break and I brought my bike with me to log a bunch of outdoor miles…get it built up and start to roll out of the parking lot. Didn’t even make it 100m before I knew that my indoor position was completely unrideable outside, despite many long hours over the winter in the position. Immediately pulled over and moved everything back to it’s original positions and it fit just fine.
@mcneese.chad, as usual re: issues of bike fit, hits the nail on the head.
What are people’s experiences with using the same saddle across different fits, for example a relaxed gravel fit vs aggressive road fit? I was prescribed a saddle at a gravel bike fit (Pro Turnix) and like it on the gravel bike, would it be wise to buy one for my racy road bike too where I’m lower and longer? Or impossible to say without trying?
I use a Specialized Power saddle on both my road and gravel bikes (Specialize Sitero on my TT bike).
If a saddle works for you in one discipline, try it in others…but it is not a guarantee it will work in other applications.
Agreed, worth a try and may work, but it may not with a different pelvis tilt and weight distribution that likely accompanies the different position.
After so long!
Finally got the bike fit…
I think it turned out pretty good…
The lower the post and moved the saddle a bit…
Then they moved the aero bars backwards and cut the excess…
She also told me to add a 1cm spacer to rise the headset…
So far so good… Will be riding in the trainer tomorrow for 2hrs
Will see…
That looks very good to me. Congrats! 
IME it makes a massive difference on a TT bike, nice one 
Is there a general rule of thumb whether wedges should be in the should or under the cleat? At my first fit 2 years ago, I got 2x 1° wedges under my SPD cleats to correct the angle of my right foot (varus I think they called it?). On a recent fit and different shoes, the fitter put a 1.5° wedge in each shoe (also SPD shoes).
I have a new set of 3 hole road shoes and want to add the appropriate wedges…should I go in the shoe or under the cleat?
Thanks!!
I would think under the cleat the same as the SPDs. When I last looked Specialized did some.
There are 2 basic types of wedges:
“Cleat” wedges that get placed between the cleat and shoe (outside).
“Forefoot” wedges that get placed between the shoe insole and shoe bottom (inside).
Either has a proper place and purpose, and you need to keep them in their respected places (not swappable). So, whatever you have goes from the old shoes onto/into the new shoes in the same place (that assumes all else is equal).
Thanks Chad!! This makes sense in principle but both fitters handled the wedges differently so I don’t know which is right! I hoped it was an easy answer haha.
I was comfortable both ways…the wedges are essential for me to avoid knee pain. The most recent fit used wedges in the shoe so I’ll carry that over.
The forefoot ones in the shoe are nice and easy to add/remove. I’d start with those since you have them. If you have no problems, HOORAY!!!
It is confusing, because like much around training, you will find people who swear that one way is better than another. I am of the opinion that it all has a place. The challenge is finding the right place for each option 
That’s why they pay us fitters the “big bux”. 
From another perspecitve:
I appreciate the video but it pains me to click on anything where the host makes that face 
I have been trying to remedy numb hand issues. They begin after about an hour (trainer or outside) and then persist through my entire hands (right more than left) as long as I am riding. Below is a few screen shots from a video that I’m hoping someone can take a look at and help me out with possible solutions. I’ll happily take any general fit advice as well! Thanks TR forum Awesomeness!!!
A few quick thoughts….
I know you said that you have the problem inside and outside, but if the pics represent your “normal” trainer set-up, you definitely need to raise your front wheel. If your trainer is on a piece of plywood like that, even with the front wheel on a riser block, you haven’t sufficiently compensated for the plywood. That is putting more pressure on your hands.
you look pretty cramped overall. Hard to tell from the pics, but it looks like you could stand to both move your saddle back as well as move to a longer stem.
Honestly, your bike may be too small, which would explain your numb hands. You are putting too much weight on them to support your upper body. But I would start first with a longer stem and maybe moving the saddle back and then you can reevaluate. What length stem do you have currently?
