Thanks everyone. Updated the link, forgot the publish, here is the video:



I don't have IT band issues and if I go lower, wouldn't that mess with my ankle/foot angle with the pedal?

Thanks!

Seat still looks too high. I also think the bike is a size too big for you. You should probably be on a M Trek SC and not a L.

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Favorite Gear: Dimond | Cadex | Desoto Sport | Hoka One One

Because when a cyclist has tight IT bands then if the saddle is slightly high you may experience soreness on the outer knee. It is vital for a proper bike fit for the fitter to fully understand the riders body.

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Robert Driskell
Certified Master Body Geometry fit Technician
Certified Master Retul Fit Technician
Zipp Service Course Specialist
Bikes Plus Pensacola Florida

Thanks GMan. I might be on the top end of the Medium, so opted for Large b/c I got a great deal on the bike. Also, the bike has a lot of options, so thought I could get dialed in (eventually). I still have the stack replacement to go lower in the front end so I could test out bringing everything down a little more.

If you switch to 165 from 172.5 it'll give the room you need to flatten your back save your IT band.

I'm only 1 - 1 1/2 taller you at 5'11 with a 33 inseam and thats about the right size frame just need a couple more adjustments until you make yourself comfy.

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Speed kills unless you have speed skills!!!

After seeing your video, the seat is definitely too high. My heuristic is that the angle between your ankle and lower leg when the crank arm is at 3 o'clock should be held through the bottom of the pedal stroke. You probably need to lower the seat 1cm minimum and switch to the low/near stem.

Note, however, I'm not an expert by any means.

Now why do you say Retul fitters always put saddle too high? Retul is a Tool not a methodology. Saddle height is based off what we see during the physical assessment that day. So if say client has chronic patella tendonitis then we might go higher. So there must have been a reason for this height. I love your trainer though😊

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Robert Driskell
Certified Master Body Geometry fit Technician
Certified Master Retul Fit Technician
Zipp Service Course Specialist
Bikes Plus Pensacola Florida

i like your position. if your seat is too high it's not too high by much.

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Dan Empfield
aka Slowman

What kind of cleat placement do you ride?

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very forward

Thanks everyone! Very helpful. I'm going to give this position a shot for a month and see how I feel. I haven't ridden much outside, so I want to see if I can hold the position comfortably off the trainer. "A" race is in August, so have some time to get things right. I've done 2-2.5 hours on the trainer without any issues, but it's tough to hold the aero position for much longer than a few minutes at a time (usually go 4 min aero, 1 min off).

I keep thinking of changing my cranks to 165 vs 170 or try a different bike fitter, but don't want to rush into doing or spending too much!

What makes you want to get out of aero?

When I sat the way you were sitting in the last vid, I felt cramped for space between saddle and cockpit. After a short time in aero, my lower back would be screaming for relief and I'd have to get up. Increasing the cockpit distance helped me tremendously and I can now easily hold the aero position for a whole race.

P.S With a lower stem and the spacers, you've got plenty of adjustment. I don't think the Large was a mistake, with a Medium SC you'd have a tower of spacers to hit your current position.

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ZONE3 - We Last Longer

Thanks Tessar! I just get out of aero on the trainer for some variety. Actually felt pretty good at a low power output this morning staying aero.
I would think my lower back would be sore if I was more stretched out? Keeping my head up on the road may need some getting used to so my neck won't be sore.

I thought the same thing with the medium frame as well. Unless I'm losing power or comfort because of a longer wheelbase, I think the large is fine and I still have wiggle room for fit adjustments.

You can post pictures of the fastest TT guys in the world and most of this forum will say their seat is too high and their cranks are too long. It's called hivemind.

Wow - given the new article on saddle height, I'm tempted to bring everything down on my bike! Switch to the lower stack on the front end and bring down the saddle more. I've been doing a LOT of research on crank arm length, close to trying 165 instead of the 170, but not totally convinced and it's not that cheap to make the change. I like my 172.5 on my road bike.

I did a 2 hour (7x10min at Steady State) on the Trainer this weekend and felt pretty good. Power seems to be getting better and I stay pretty comfortable in aero position. My fitter did push my saddle up a little and down during my last fit....isn't putting the saddle forward essentially like bringing down the saddle height?

My height is like 177-178cm (5'9''-5'10''), inseam around 33 (maybe 33.5), bike shoe is size 44-45 (10.5 US). I think I have OK flexibility (eg: bend over easily touch toes with legs straight).

I experienced that effect too. A bit too high and I can feel the pain after half an hour.

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Swim, bike, run, love and repeat. // Working on http://www.opentri.fr

your saddle is too high

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Eric Reid AeroFit | Instagram Portfolio
Aerodynamic Retul Bike Fitting

“You are experiencing the criminal coverup of a foreign backed fascist hostile takeover of a mafia shakedown of an authoritarian religious slow motion coup. Persuade people to vote for Democracy.”

MOAR reach

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Eric Reid AeroFit | Instagram Portfolio
Aerodynamic Retul Bike Fitting

“You are experiencing the criminal coverup of a foreign backed fascist hostile takeover of a mafia shakedown of an authoritarian religious slow motion coup. Persuade people to vote for Democracy.”

My eye says your cleats should be further back, anybody that drops the heel that much under power usually does better with the cleat a bit further back.
Which will mean your seat is too high again once you shift the cleats :)

I asked because you can make IT band issues with incorrect height. So many possible things can go wrong.

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Robert Driskell
Certified Master Body Geometry fit Technician
Certified Master Retul Fit Technician
Zipp Service Course Specialist
Bikes Plus Pensacola Florida

Did some adjustments. My right cleat was actually a little further up than my left so I brought it back. Also switched my front stack slightly lower along with the saddle down just a tad. Did a good interval session this morning and feeling pretty strong. Better power pushing down. Will try this out since I don't want to make too many massive changes.

Thanks again, been super helpful!

Video:

Funny you should mention Retül. I checked yesterday, and my current saddle height is 16mm lower than my last Retül fit (765 vs. 781mm). That's with shorter cranks now too. I was getting piriformis syndrome a couple of years ago on my long rides...lower the saddle, hey presto. It's definitely 'fit by numbers'.

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29 years and counting