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Does my bike fit me?
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First time poster, long time reader...

So I've been doing triathlons for a couple years now, but only began taking it seriously this summer. I completed my first 70.3 at Timberman a week and a half ago, but ran into some difficulty on the bike. I'm not a fast descender, especially on my TT, but while inevitably bombing down the long descent on the back half of the ride, I got a ton of speed wobble and nearly went down. I've gotten varying opinions on the matter since the race, so I wanted to crowdsource it and see what everyone else thinks. First of all, I'm 6'1, 31/32 inseam and ride a 2012 Felt DA3, size 56. Here's a link to the bike's specs: http://2012.feltracing.com/...-TRI-Series/DA3.aspx.

So here's the 2 opinions that I'm working with...

1) Bike fits me fine. Wobble was just in the loose headset and/or wheels. Also consider your leg position, make sure they're pinned in on descents. (headset was in fact a little loose, but shouldn't have been entirely to blame for the severity of the wobble).

OR

2) Bike just does not fit. Bike is very long...like I'm riding a chopper, plus the seat post is not high enough. There's a weight imbalance between front and back that's causing control issues at speed. Looks like you might have a dead spot in your stroke too...

So, here's a side profile from the race. I know it's tough to go off of one pic, but let me know if you guys can help shed some light!

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Re: Does my bike fit me? [sgreenie7] [ In reply to ]
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Your bike is fine. Weight imbalance? That's really silly.

A slightly loose headset is all it take, and you do the rest. IMO speed wobble is nearly always caused by a nervous rider who is too stiff and over-corrects small oscillations. Fix the headset... relax and hang loose.
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Re: Does my bike fit me? [sgreenie7] [ In reply to ]
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Both a short and high front end are not good for steering control (rides like a pogo stick).
In theory, you are on the right size frame, but have a inferior front end set-up (too short and too high).

If you want to stay that high up front, you clearly need a new (smaller) bike :-)
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Re: Does my bike fit me? [sgreenie7] [ In reply to ]
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Adjust the headset, check the hubs for excessive play, and make sure the wheels are round/true/balanced. If you still have issues, only then look elsewhere.

ECMGN Therapy Silicon Valley:
Depression, Neurocognitive problems, Dementias (Testing and Evaluation), Trauma and PTSD, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
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Re: Does my bike fit me? [Titanflexr] [ In reply to ]
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Like others said, loosen your stem and thighten the headcap a little. Don't mind the 2nm max, but don't go crazy as well.
I'm 5.8 with 32.5 inseem riding a B10 in 54 but my seat seems higher and more foreword than yours. These 2 things put also more pressure on the front wheel.

-shoki
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