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Critique My Fit - Cervelo P3SL
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I've been riding this bike for 4 years now and never have been really comfortable on it. Just got a trainer so I could finally record this video and upload it for the experts here to help me out. I'm pretty tall (6'4") and this is a 60cm frame. I ride this bike for anything from sprint to 70.3 triathlons.

Some of the issues I have with this fit are:
1. The outside and front of my shoulders get sore and tired
2. I feel like my knees are too close to the armpads
3. I can't stay on the front of my ISM PR 3.0 saddle for long rides. I need to slide back and put my sitbones on the back of the saddle intermittently for some comfort.

Could you folks take a look at the video below and make some bike fit suggestions?



Thank you,

-Keith
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Re: Critique My Fit - Cervelo P3SL [khanlon] [ In reply to ]
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More reach.
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Re: Critique My Fit - Cervelo P3SL [khanlon] [ In reply to ]
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Saddle looks low.

Strava
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Re: Critique My Fit - Cervelo P3SL [jimatbeyond] [ In reply to ]
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jimatbeyond wrote:
More reach.
I'd be moving that saddle back (and up) at the same time.
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Re: Critique My Fit - Cervelo P3SL [khanlon] [ In reply to ]
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khanlon wrote:

1. The outside and front of my shoulders get sore and tired

more reach

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2. I feel like my knees are too close to the armpads

more reach

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3. I can't stay on the front of my ISM PR 3.0 saddle for long rides. I need to slide back and put my sitbones on the back of the saddle intermittently for some comfort.

more reach

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Re: Critique My Fit - Cervelo P3SL [ericMPro] [ In reply to ]
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Eric - I see a trend...I think I need more reach 😀.

Should I get this by moving the aerobars and arm pads forward or by moving the seat backwards?

Thanks for the help,

-Keith

ericMPro wrote:
khanlon wrote:

1. The outside and front of my shoulders get sore and tired

more reach

Quote:
2. I feel like my knees are too close to the armpads

more reach

Quote:
3. I can't stay on the front of my ISM PR 3.0 saddle for long rides. I need to slide back and put my sitbones on the back of the saddle intermittently for some comfort.

more reach
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Re: Critique My Fit - Cervelo P3SL [khanlon] [ In reply to ]
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Reach is the X-axis distance from the bottom brackets - ergo, more reach = bars forwards.

However, moving the saddle back might also be a good idea, as yours is very far forwards compared to what is typical of ISM riders.

ZONE3 - We Last Longer
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Re: Critique My Fit - Cervelo P3SL [tessar] [ In reply to ]
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Thanks everyone for the advice! I moved the seat up 2cm and back 2cm. I also moved the armrests forward one hole. Below is how I look on the new position. Things are definitely better. But, the position still isn’t comfortable and the front of my shoulders still get tired quickly.

Does anyone have any further advice?


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Re: Critique My Fit - Cervelo P3SL [khanlon] [ In reply to ]
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Your knees are so close to your elbows

Is it possible the bike is too small?
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Re: Critique My Fit - Cervelo P3SL [khanlon] [ In reply to ]
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I just realized I flipped the trainer around for that last video. Here is another video from the same perspective as the first video so you have an apples to apples comparison.


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Re: Critique My Fit - Cervelo P3SL [khanlon] [ In reply to ]
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Moved the seat back another centimeter and the arm pads forward another hole. Also changed extensions to zipp vuka evo 70. This keeps getting more and more comfortable!

Any further suggestions from the slowtwitch collective wisdom?


Last edited by: khanlon: Feb 11, 20 13:29
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Re: Critique My Fit - Cervelo P3SL [khanlon] [ In reply to ]
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It's within my (very amateur) eye of "good enough that I can't recommend further", but one thought I have is that you've got a lot of drop from saddle to pads, and your shoulders look a little stretched reaching down to the bars. i.e. you might benefit from stacking up the bar height a bit more and being able to relax your spine down between your shoulder blades more.
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Re: Critique My Fit - Cervelo P3SL [MattyK] [ In reply to ]
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Thanks Matty K. I see what you are talking about. I’ll try adding some height to the pedestal of the arm pads and see how it looks/feels.

MattyK wrote:
It's within my (very amateur) eye of "good enough that I can't recommend further", but one thought I have is that you've got a lot of drop from saddle to pads, and your shoulders look a little stretched reaching down to the bars. i.e. you might benefit from stacking up the bar height a bit more and being able to relax your spine down between your shoulder blades more.
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Re: Critique My Fit - Cervelo P3SL [khanlon] [ In reply to ]
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best stack & reach TT bike... EVUH

what's the crank length?

36 kona qualifiers 2006-'23 - 3 Kona Podiums - 4 OA IM AG wins - 5 IM AG wins - 18 70.3 AG wins
I ka nana no a 'ike -- by observing, one learns | Kulia i ka nu'u -- strive for excellence
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Re: Critique My Fit - Cervelo P3SL [MarkyV] [ In reply to ]
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Cranks in the videos are 175mm. I’m gonna switch to 172.5mm as part of a power meter upgrade soon.

MarkyV wrote:
best stack & reach TT bike... EVUH

what's the crank length?
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Re: Critique My Fit - Cervelo P3SL [khanlon] [ In reply to ]
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have you tinkered with shorter?

I'm 6'2 and deeply in love with 165 (lowest i could go at the time on an SRM, otherwise would have gone lower) and the breathing and chest clearance that provides. Out of ~15 folks i've moved from 170-175 crank lengths to 150-165 only one went back to the previous longer crank. Just trying to provide some loose data points for moving to even shorter cranks. Only suggesting this cuz at the top of your pedal stroke your hip angle looks rather tight.

Enjoy that bike and ride it fast! :)

36 kona qualifiers 2006-'23 - 3 Kona Podiums - 4 OA IM AG wins - 5 IM AG wins - 18 70.3 AG wins
I ka nana no a 'ike -- by observing, one learns | Kulia i ka nu'u -- strive for excellence
Garmin Glycogen Use App | Garmin Fat Use App
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Re: Critique My Fit - Cervelo P3SL [khanlon] [ In reply to ]
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You should switch to 165mm cranks.
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Re: Critique My Fit - Cervelo P3SL [MarkyV] [ In reply to ]
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MarkyV wrote:
have you tinkered with shorter?

I'm 6'2 and deeply in love with 165 (lowest i could go at the time on an SRM, otherwise would have gone lower) and the breathing and chest clearance that provides. Out of ~15 folks i've moved from 170-175 crank lengths to 150-165 only one went back to the previous longer crank. Just trying to provide some loose data points for moving to even shorter cranks. Only suggesting this cuz at the top of your pedal stroke your hip angle looks rather tight.

Enjoy that bike and ride it fast! :)

Thanks MarkyV and Jim - you convinced me to just buy 170mm cranks instead of the 172.5mm I was thinking of :). My hip angle feels a bit tight, which matches what you two are seeing.

The problem I am up against is that the seat is up as high as it can go (I'm at the min insertion point). I don't want to go too short on the cranks because that will get rid of some of my leg extension; I can't raise the seat more as the cranks get shorter. Hopefully 170mm is a good balance between hip angle at the top of the pedal stroke and leg extension at the bottom. I'll repost after I get the new cranks on so you can take a look.

-Keith
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Re: Critique My Fit - Cervelo P3SL [khanlon] [ In reply to ]
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damn... and i cant imagine those are readily findable these days. Hmmmm, maybe reach out to Dave Luscan. He's a big fan of the P3sl and might have a solution on that front.

36 kona qualifiers 2006-'23 - 3 Kona Podiums - 4 OA IM AG wins - 5 IM AG wins - 18 70.3 AG wins
I ka nana no a 'ike -- by observing, one learns | Kulia i ka nu'u -- strive for excellence
Garmin Glycogen Use App | Garmin Fat Use App
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Re: Critique My Fit - Cervelo P3SL [khanlon] [ In reply to ]
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Some might say dropping your heal a bit from 12-6 o’clock would give you more leg/knee extension without raising you seat.
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Re: Critique My Fit - Cervelo P3SL [khanlon] [ In reply to ]
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I would still buy 165mm and not worry about raising the saddle.
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