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Another bike fit thread? YES!!
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Hello all you smart people. I'm having a bike fit issue that is really vexing me. I had a good fit that I was happy with, but then I swapped ISM saddles (from standard to narrow). This has caused me to need to make a bunch of little tweaks before/after/during rides, with the general trend being that the saddle is now lower and more forward than at the start. I was getting some knee/hip pain (always only on my right side). That seems to be gone, and all I'm left with now is tightness in my calf (again, only right side). It feels as if it's locked up and not letting my foot/ankle move in the proper way. Running off the bike feels a little funky as well.

Today was my first outdoor ride, and being outdoors seemed to make the issue worse. Also, today I was feeling some soreness in my quads, a feeling that I would usually associate with having the saddle too low.

If any of you smart bike fitters would be willing to glance at this video and offer comments, I would be very much obliged.



edit: for some reason the lighting gets a little better about 20 seconds in. Not sure how that happened.


Thanks,
-Colin










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Any run that doesn't include pooping in someone's front yard is a win.
Last edited by: CCF: Apr 20, 18 21:27
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Re: Another bike fit thread: YES!! [CCF] [ In reply to ]
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Lower the seat and MORE REACH.
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Re: Another bike fit thread: YES!! [Fishbum] [ In reply to ]
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Fishbum wrote:
Lower the seat and MORE REACH.

Thanks. Are you seeing a need to lower it drastically, or just a bit? I'm really terrible at this fit stuff.

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Any run that doesn't include pooping in someone's front yard is a win.
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Re: Another bike fit thread: YES!! [CCF] [ In reply to ]
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you need a lot more reach...your at uci legal reach there lol. Elbows need to go forward, you will find that will dip your head down to.
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Re: Another bike fit thread: YES!! [coates_hbk] [ In reply to ]
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coates_hbk wrote:
you need a lot more reach...your at uci legal reach there lol. Elbows need to go forward, you will find that will dip your head down to.

Thank you. I assume that since you mention my elbows going forward that you think that is a better idea than pushing the saddle back? Like I said, the saddle has crept forward since I got the new saddle as I tried to eliminate little bits of knee pain. Unfortunately my pads are as far forward as they'll go right now. I suppose I could take out a bolt and just have the pads balancing on one rather than two, but that seems like a bad idea.

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Any run that doesn't include pooping in someone's front yard is a win.
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Re: Another bike fit thread: YES!! [CCF] [ In reply to ]
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well i think the saddle height is actually ok. Im no fitter though so take my advice with a pinch of salt. Its a pain you cant move the pads forward. If the saddle going back, which it doesnt look like it needs to anyway, causes you pain, then leave it where it is. How much further does using that one bolt get your elbows/arms forward?
You just seem a bit squished to me - and its rounding your back a little. A bit more length to the front end would flatten you out a bit.
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Re: Another bike fit thread? YES!! [CCF] [ In reply to ]
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I'm only saying about your seat based on eye balling your knee in the video. As far as dropping it try 5 mm and see how it goes.

Also im not a fitter so maybe Eric or one of the other guys will chime in on this.
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Re: Another bike fit thread: YES!! [CCF] [ In reply to ]
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Do NOT go to one bolt. It will break
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Re: Another bike fit thread? YES!! [CCF] [ In reply to ]
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i disagree with my compadres here. i think everything's fine. i wouldn't change anything. if you're comfortable. it seems to me you're pretty low in front. so, as long as that's comfortable and powerful, fine. just, they don't give away podium spots for lowness.

as to the calf, i'd like to know how your cleats are mounted, fore/aft. they need to be pretty well aft. just move them all the way back on the adjustment slots. is that where they are?

Dan Empfield
aka Slowman
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Re: Another bike fit thread? YES!! [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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I can't make argument with what Dan is saying. I can only reference what makes a fit comfortable for myself. I think the biggest takeaway in this should be that everyones fit is usually pretty personal. What works for me as far as comfort probably won't work for you.
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Re: Another bike fit thread? YES!! [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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It sounds like it's not comfortable for him, at the moment. So if the body looks like it's floating in the right position, maybe he needs to change the hardware around it? Different extensions and/or pad cups to lock him in? Saddle?

ZONE3 - We Last Longer
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Re: Another bike fit thread? YES!! [tessar] [ In reply to ]
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tessar wrote:
It sounds like it's not comfortable for him, at the moment. So if the body looks like it's floating in the right position, maybe he needs to change the hardware around it? Different extensions and/or pad cups to lock him in? Saddle?

there are, roughly, 3 kinds of discomfort:

1. positional discomfort: so, if the saddle's too low or high, he's too far forward or back, too stretched, to cramped. i don't see any of that, EXCEPT that he's pretty low.

2. point tenderness: my taint is killing me. the pads are not comfortable. he'd have to say this is the problem for me to know it's the problem.

3. muscular discomfort, which is what he's whining about. his quad. his calf. quad? that i'd typically say might be not forward enough. but i think he look pretty forward. so, don't know. calf? the only thing that makes sense to me is cleats too forward on the shoe.

Dan Empfield
aka Slowman
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Re: Another bike fit thread? YES!! [CCF] [ In reply to ]
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IS this a trick question?? Go back to the saddle that worked in the first place...
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Re: Another bike fit thread? YES!! [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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Front does look pretty low
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Re: Another bike fit thread? YES!! [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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Thanks Dan and all for taking the time to view my low production-quality video (I'll get the Cohen brothers to direct the next one).

I took Dan's advice and pushed my cleats back before riding yesterday (they were all the way forward). Rode 2:15 at a little over goal half IM pace. Generally felt good and I felt like I was getting power out of my right leg for the first time in a while. My calf was still a bit tight but I got off for an easy four mile brick and it loosened up and I had a good run (part of the tight feeling may have been caused by having numb feet). I'll need a few more rides, but I am cautiously optimistic.

Regarding front end height, I have the tallest spacers from HED under the pads. I'll consider a new bar or more spacers during my next fit.

Thanks again.

-Colin

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Any run that doesn't include pooping in someone's front yard is a win.
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Re: Another bike fit thread? YES!! [monty] [ In reply to ]
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monty wrote:
IS this a trick question?? Go back to the saddle that worked in the first place...

Good point, but see Dan's point #2 above. Fit was fine, but taint was not.

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Any run that doesn't include pooping in someone's front yard is a win.
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Re: Another bike fit thread? YES!! [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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You say roughly, so there could be overlap between them? Say, points 2 and 3.

In my experience from the customer side, I went for a fit and we converged on a pretty good position - good as in adheres-to-orthodoxy, we read your articles - but after a few long rides I felt my quads weren't coping. We swapped pads (longer, grippier so they support the arm better) and saddle (unrelated), and somehow the strain went away. Possibly "locking" myself in with better saddle and pad/bar support meant my quads had to do less work to keep my body in place?

ZONE3 - We Last Longer
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