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Fit critique and help, please!
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Hello All,
PV's thread inspired me, so I am here for my Fit In Slow Twitch. That’s what F.I.S.T stands for, right?
I am 5’11” and ride a Giant Trinity size:M. The geometry is here (scroll down): http://www.slowtwitch.com/...ke_in_Kona_5404.html
I’m on stock saddle (Tritone) and removed the medium spacer under the pads. There are two left to increase the drop, but I’m not sure I can get lower, considering the race distance. The pads DO NOT offer tilt and there is no stem to mess with. Basically, all I can do is:
  • Saddle up/down
  • Saddle fore/aft
  • Bars in/out
  • Bar can swap
  • Stack (including pads/bars) up/down
I was eyeball fitted last spring at Athlete’s Lounge in Portland (sadly closed now) with emphasis on up to 1 hour races. I got comfortable with the position but my wrists never got used to the S-bends.
Now, I’ll be racing a 70.3 in June (Victoria) and know that I’ll need different extensions for that distance. Additionally, I’ll try out the mantis arms and once the weather is nice, attempt to validate with aero field testing. For now, I’m hoping for two things:
  • Tweaks to my overall position
  • Comfy wrists with Skibends, either direction

    • The profile extension are already drilled near one end (near the short leg) and can be drilled near the other, so I can mount them either way and the wires will route cleanly
    • they’re aluminum, in case the carbon ones don’t like being mounted upside down
Here is my original/current position:

(Instead of taking the whole front end apart to unplug the wires, I simply taped the stock bars to the wheel and mounted the new ones. Be aware that the Di2 shifters therefor will add another ~1.5” to the total length)
Here is with Skibends:

Skibends reversed:
(I would need to grab just below the shifter and wrap my fingers around the shifter OR my elbows cannot sit on the pads. This may not be too controllable on the open road.)

So if you’ve got input, please let me know if it pertains to a single extension setup or all three.
Last edited by: Slowman: Feb 18, 17 8:59
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Re: Fit critique and help, please! [dfroelich] [ In reply to ]
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first video is not operational. you can also embed these videos, you know. just click the embed link on youtube. if you get the link with the domain youtu.be then you just copy and paste that link here in the forum and the video will display.

beyond this i can imagine the proximal elements to your videos that may be the subject of comments and if these do materialize know they're all meant in fun ;-)

Dan Empfield
aka Slowman
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Re: Fit critique and help, please! [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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Sorry, Dan...embedding those youtube links didn't work out. Feel free to get the ball rolling regarding those proximal elements. I can handle it, haha.
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Re: Fit critique and help, please! [dfroelich] [ In reply to ]
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Relax your hands. No need to hold onto the aeros all the time.
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Re: Fit critique and help, please! [dfroelich] [ In reply to ]
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i would opt for regular ski bends. notice how your shoulder angle gets bigger with s bends. too big.

Dan Empfield
aka Slowman
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Re: Fit critique and help, please! [dfroelich] [ In reply to ]
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You need a bigger garage.

My latest book: "Out of the Melting Pot, Into the Fire" is on sale on Amazon and at other online and local booksellers
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Re: Fit critique and help, please! [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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Slowman wrote:
i would opt for regular ski bends. notice how your shoulder angle gets bigger with s bends. too big.

They did feel more natural than flipped up in the air. Any notes regarding the fit in general?

jens wrote:
You need a bigger garage.
No kidding. We've got 7 bikes in there and (normally) a car. Portland housing market is nowhere near Bay-area bad, but it's trying to be.
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Re: Fit critique and help, please! [dfroelich] [ In reply to ]
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move your saddle forward a cm or 2. leave everything else the same. then report back.

Dan Empfield
aka Slowman
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Re: Fit critique and help, please! [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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I think the original S bends work fine, but I would move the armpad back 1cm but lengthen the extension a half cm. also perhaps as Dan mentioned the saddle can come forward a cm.

the reason i say this is comparing your back line and helmet discipline from vid 1 to vid 2, you move your elbow back slightly on the armpad with the ski bend (your wrist/forearm is a bit jammed up). Your spine is flatter and your scapulae relax more, and your helmet has a better tuck to your back. The net result of having the humerus more vertical to the pad is better stability to the shoulder complex, allows your head to 'chin up' more easily. You may even be able to drop the pad had a half cm but maybe not.

Anne Barnes
ABBikefit, Ltd
FIST/SICI/FIST DOWN DEEP
X/Y Coordinator
abbikefit@gmail.com
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Re: Fit critique and help, please! [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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Slowman wrote:
move your saddle forward a cm or 2. leave everything else the same. then report back.

I slid the saddle forward about 1.5 cm. That is as far forward as it will go:


Ski bends installed. Old saddle position:


Saddle moved forward 1.5 cm:
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Last edited by: dfroelich: Feb 25, 17 18:31
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Re: Fit critique and help, please! [dfroelich] [ In reply to ]
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so? which do you like better?

Dan Empfield
aka Slowman
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Re: Fit critique and help, please! [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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Slowman wrote:
so? which do you like better?
I rode 3*20 this morning, more in aero than I have been all winter, perhaps 50/50.

I didn't notice anything in regards to the saddle position. The ski bends were so comfy that everything else felt good. Perhaps I'll ride like this awhile, then switch back and see if I notice anything (once the new bends feel normal).

Does it look close enough by eyeball to just ride it for awhile, or do you have any other tweaks to try?
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Re: Fit critique and help, please! [dfroelich] [ In reply to ]
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ride it for awhile.

Dan Empfield
aka Slowman
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Re: Fit critique and help, please! [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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Slowman wrote:
ride it for awhile.

Cool, will do.
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Re: Fit critique and help, please! [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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Slowman wrote:
ride it for awhile.


Thanks for the tips so far.
I still have not felt any effect of the forward saddle position. I think it was just too little to notice.

I rode a 20k TT last weekend - flat, cold, windy, rough roads. Even though I had a decent warmup, during the first 5 minutes, both legs felt really tight (upper outside...vastus lateralis, perhaps?). This resolves quick enough and the rest of the ride felt fine. I'm likely to chalk that up to outdoor ride since October, MTB excluded.


I went 32:52 at 265AP/268NP. Scoping Strava for the race https://www.strava.com/...91224?filter=overall , it appears I am lined up pretty well for power/finish time, but there are a couple guys doing the same power finishing 90 seconds sooner. Here is one:

When I overlay our two pictures, we are pretty evenly sized and I am about as tall over the ground than him:

Obviously I am biased, but I would expect my setup is faster, yet he went considerably quicker from same power.


Any ideas how to make up some time? The disc may have been a liability that day. There were several puckery moments when it got gusty.
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Re: Fit critique and help, please! [dfroelich] [ In reply to ]
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1. just looking at the two bikes, he looks smaller. his bike looks 2 or 3 sizes smaller.

2. you still look like you ride sort of rearward, with the bars a bit tall. notice how much more compact he looks? he's riding further forward.

Dan Empfield
aka Slowman
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Re: Fit critique and help, please! [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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Well, I guess I am out of luck with this saddle since I cannot slide it forward any more. Perhaps something else could help rotate me around?

Would removing a bar spacer without sliding forward the saddle be counterproductive? I do not know if lower would be sustainable for the HIM, my A race, but maybe short stuff like this, it would be fine.
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Re: Fit critique and help, please! [dfroelich] [ In reply to ]
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to my eye, it's not the bike or the seat post that's the issue. you just sit back on the saddle. i think a saddle that you could nose ride would be a help. to me, your body language says, "i can't nose ride this saddle; i can't rotate my pelvis on this saddle because it'll destroy my soft tissue."

Dan Empfield
aka Slowman
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Re: Fit critique and help, please! [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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Yeah, perhaps.
But moving the saddle forward just exasperated that. Now when I sit, my butt naturally lands even further back. Is the optimal outcome that I ride on the nose of a saddle in this forward position OR that I ride on the nose of any saddle so that I can rotate around?
I tried riding more on the nose last night and while it was not terribly uncomfortable, anytime I shifted, I slid back. Perhaps if it was pushed back 1-2 cm, I'd naturally land on the nose.
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