Saddle looks a little low.

Lots you could change

1) Hip rotation - roll your hips forward around your seat bones; use the saddle/bike like it's designed
2) with #1 in action, significantly increase armpad reach
3) head position is terrible in this video

#1 and #2 would be dramatic, but good changes.

+1 what James said.

---

----------------------------------------------------------------
Life is tough. But it's tougher when you're stupid. -John Wayne

From http://trophy-box.com/...fit/perspective.html

Have fun (you can step through the frames of your video using the experimental section at the bottom of the page).

Thanks James,

In terms of the reach. How would I increase armpad reach here? I have a 100mm stem on there right now, would increasing that cause issues with handling? I can probably move the pads forward but can't really move the extensions much since they are cut.

It makes me worried that my frame just doesn't have enough reach.

You can either increase stem length or change the arm pad position on the aerobar itself (depending on aerobar type). Also, alloy extensions are like 20-30 bucks so I wouldn't hinge my fit on a product that cheap.

The Shiv is notorious for being an extremely tall/narrow bike (i.e. tons of stack and very little reach) and, as a result, is not a great fit for some people. That being said, I wouldn't worry too much until you get to a 120mm stem. Sure, you'll have more weight over the front end but from a handling perspective practice makes perfect.

Low saddle and hip not rotated.

can you guys explain what rolling hips forward means? i've heard the term before, just can't envision it...

maybe a pic?

btw, i'm scared to do a google search for that term b/c i'd probably get banned from work, or end up in a closet with a red stapler.

ETA: nevermind...i found some vids on youtube.

        


The only difference between the top pic and the bottom pic in bike setup is my saddle is a little higher and I moved my saddle back a couple of cm but still in a forward set-up. I struggled with the "rotate hips forward" for a very long time (7 years long) The thing that really connected the dots for me was to try and lay my body over the top tube and to put my elbows into the aero pads instead of my forearms.

For a few athletes including myself it is a very tough concept to grasp but thanks to Mat Steinmetz we were able to go from one of the worst bike positions in the history of triathlon to a pretty decent position in the matter of 5 mins without any changes in flexibility or significant changes in bike setup. To be honest I still don't really understand what we did different but something clicked when Mat said "lay over the top tube."

Which is what I always tried to convey with people (including you), the issue/difficulty is in finding a way to make that body awareness "click" for each individual. I'm glad that worked for you; your position is much improved!

No doubt. I remember walking out thinking mat didn't say anything different than what James said. Must have been the altitude

Fit looks great. Posture could improve, as was stated earlier. I don't recommend moving the armpads, I recommend you slide your elbows forward a bit. I just took a quick look, but I wouldn't change anything in regards to the bike.

---

Trent Nix
Owned and operated Tri Shop
F.I.S.T. Advanced Certified Fitter | Retul Master Certified Fitter (back when those were things)

Posture change as dramatic as he could experience would almost certainly necessitate moving the pads. He only has maybe 2ish cm to play with to just "move" his elbows into the pads. The amount of rotational roll he could get out of his hips/lower back/shoulders is pretty huge.

That being said, a postural change with no other movements is a good place to start experimenting.

Valid points, for sure, but I'd want to see the need before I make the move. I *think* he has enough room, but maybe not.

---

Trent Nix
Owned and operated Tri Shop
F.I.S.T. Advanced Certified Fitter | Retul Master Certified Fitter (back when those were things)

Thank you guys for the feedback. I will start with the posture changes and moving my elbows forward and then go post an updated video to see what you think.

Thanks again!

Ok, so I took an updated video where I tried to roll my hips forward. This caused me to move up on the saddle a bit but I also tried to put my elbows on the pads vs. my forearms. I hopefully had a better head position this time as well. What do you think?

Looks like a lot less tension is being applied to your lower back/SI area, which is good. Creating muscle memory for that position and "rolling" of the hips will take time. My guess is that if you ride this for a month or more and realllyyy focus on that roll, you will eventually want more reach. But, time will tell. Good posture change!

Looks better for sure. I think a bit more reach would be nice if you are able to hold that position, and I'd be willing to pull the saddle back 1-2 cm (and dropping 3-6 mm) or so to get it. You are pretty steep there and your hips are wide open, so the saddle coming back won't be destructive at all and would be cheaper and easier than changing for a longer stem.

I wish the extensions were longer. I still think you can bring your elbows further forward on the pads.

---

Trent Nix
Owned and operated Tri Shop
F.I.S.T. Advanced Certified Fitter | Retul Master Certified Fitter (back when those were things)

James,

doesn't look like the hips rotated at all from previous one. just looks like overall back is more kinked and less rolled. the initial angle of back looks the same to the kink point as previous position.

if the hips actually rolled, I think the front end would have to come down a lot

Hi Jeff,

I tried a few more variations tonight.

The first one is with the stem slammed (down 25 mm) and the saddle moved back a few mm and the saddle tilted down a little.



The second one is the same as the first except that I put the pads forward by 1 notch and I believe I moved them in 1 as well.

For me it entailed a pretty dramatic change in muscle engagement. The trick was to focus on relaxing the lower back and then adjust the pedal stroke to accommodate.

Drop your chin when you're riding. On the trainer you'll be looking right over your hands. This will take a huge load off your neck and upper back.

Find a saddle that you can rotate forward on. A large portion of that is to just be able to rotate your hips forward, but if the saddle is keeping you from doing that you need to find one that lets you do that.

Get some shorter cranks. I don't see anything about your height, or bike size, but 172.5 is really only appropriate for riders over 6'2" on a XL frame.

Am I still not rotating forward in that last video? I was trying to rotate forward as much as I could.

I'm 6'0 and on a large Shiv (10 speed). At this point I'm wondering if I should sell the current bike and move to either a P3 or IA10 and go for 11 speed DI2.

You look like you are rotated forward. Don't know what they are talking about.

---

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
New Training/Racing Log - http://www.earthdaykid.com/blog --- Old Training/Racing Log - http://colinlaughery.blogspot.com