Why would you need a new stem to lower the front end?

Hi Jimatbeyond,

The stem spacer-rings are all above the stem, therefore it is at it's lowest setting and as such I cannot remove them to lower the front end. The only option would be to turn the stem upside down and add in the 1.5 inches of spacers, but given the angle of the stem I think this would result in too much of a decrease in front-end height. I'm uncertain what the net decrease in height of doing this would be.

I guess I could flip the stem, add in the 1.5 inches of stem spacers and *also* purchase the Profile Design aero bar spacers which would allow me to heighten the elbow cups and bars. In doing so, I suspect I would be able to adjust the height within a reasonable range compared to what I have set up currently, but slightly lower.

Lucas

Maybe put the stem in its proper orientation and adjust with the spacers.

For a 35 degree stem, (usually found on mountain bikes) I would call that its normal orientation...

(for reference thugh I do have that angle of stem in the downward orientation, but that's in order to get enough drop on a road bike frame)

OP: get a 6 degree or 17 degree stem.

The spacers are already taken out.

Do you currently have spacers above the stem?

Yes they are above the stem!

Drop your heel - you are toe pointing for no good reason. It makes your saddle look low when I don’t think that’s actually the case.

Raise your saddle 1 cm and move it forward 3 cm.

Flip your stem and out 2 cm of spacers underneath.

And then record another video and let’s see what it looks like.

---

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

Flip the stem and put the appropriate amount of spacers under the stem.

Looking at how he is moving around on the saddle he might be toe pointing to look for some stability. I think this athlete has very poor hip stability, muscle imbalance or other under lying issues.

I think the toe-pointing comes from another issue up in the chain.

Jeroen

---

Owner at TRIPRO, The Netherlands

Hi trentnix,

Thank you for your insight. Based on TRIPRO's comment, I think I have some other issues to deal with first before getting into a more aggressive position! Good call on the toe-pointing, I've read that toe-pointing is bad and wastes energy, however I have yet to actually try and avoid doing this. I will give this a shot on my next ride and let you know how it goes or perhaps post another video. Regarding moving the saddle up and forward, I'm worried that if I do that I will be even farther forward and I'm concerned that I'm too far forward already. Most triathletes I see online have their elbows just above or only slightly ahead of the front end of the frame, whereas my elbows are already hovering a few inches ahead of it.

What is your opinion on me being too far forward?

Thank you!

Hi TRIPRO,

Thank you for your comment. In the videos, I rode as if I was wasn't recording in order to get an honest video, so I probably could have moved around less. However, I went to a physio/bikefitter last year and he said I had extremely tight hips and very poor hip mobility. I've had a 9-5 desk job for years which has likely been a contributing factor. I've also developed inner shin splints from running earlier this year, and from what I've read, weak core/hips can contribute to this as well. In response, I've been doing lots of core, squats, weighted lunges, box step-ups, hamstring curls and calf work in order to develop a stronger core and legs (over the last two months). I've also incorporated yoga over the last month to help with my poor flexibility. It's also worth noting that in my opinion, I do not have inactive glutes as I see this is often discussed in these forums.

When you say poor hip stability, are you referring to weak hips/glutes or poor hip flexibility as well? What would you advise for next steps? Are there self tests I can do to see if this is the case? Is what I'm doing currently to combat the issues noted above helping with hip stability? If there are muscle imbalance issues, which muscles are most likely imbalanced?

My apologies for all the questions!

I'm absolutely new to running and biking, so I appreciate any insight on the above!

Thanks,

Currjam

No. Good position comes first.You're not.Being forward has nothing to do with the front of the frame, and everything to do with where you sit relative to the bottom bracket. Elbow placement with respect to the frame is an equipment problem.You're 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 for your responses. I'll take you word and I'll try to make these changes this week or next weekend and will post another video. My elbow cups are adjustable, so I can change those too if needed. For reference if needed, below is a picture showing the distance of my seat in relation to the bottom bracket.

Thanks

Sorry, it wouldn’t let me include a photo...

Here is a link to a photo showing where my seat is in relation to my bottom bracket.

https://imgur.com/gallery/JUP8dJs

In case it helps.

Pull your saddle all the way forward.

---

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

Do you anticipate that my elbow cups and aero bars will have to be pushed three cm's forward as well?

No - flipping the stem is going to give you around 1 cm additional reach and I think you're too stretched out as-is.

All of that said, making changes like I'm recommending sometimes don't look like I think they will after they're made. That's why it's important to take another video after and we can make additional adjustments from there.

---

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

Thanks Trentnix,

I will make these changes this week and will post a follow-up video!

Also, from the video, what leads you to believe that my seat should be 3 cm’s forward? I’m just trying to understand the “why”.

Excited to make the changes!

Want to open your hip angle and get you more over the cockpit.

---

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

Hi Tentrix,

I've moved the saddle up 1 cm and forward a little under 3cm, flipped the step and put the spacers underneath. I can still push the seat forward a couple centimeters. I went on the trainer for 5 minutes to capture the below videos. Overall, I felt pretty good but with a little bit of a dead spot / tightness toward the top of my pedal stroke, likely due to inflexibility and the increased drop. I can also buy aero bar spaces to lift the front end up a bit. Please let me know if you notice anything glaringly wrong! As noted, I can consider pushing the seat further forward. I plan to do a 30 min ride with the current position in a couple days and can report back.

After Adjustments:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aowT-GArRCk

Side-by-side before and after (left before, right after)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKetw_d0fUQ

After Adjustments slow-mo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3SfUjvJQN0

Thanks! I appreciate the help.

Looks better. Move the saddle forward another 5 mm.

---

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

I moved my saddle farther forward. I messed up with the measurements, but tonight I can measure where the saddle is in relation to the initial measurement to see if it is forward a full 3cm, which I believe it currently is.

New Fit
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQNMoJMgNgY

New fit compared to latest fit (left old, right new)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udJqWgzQdMc


I only went on the trainer long enough to record the new video. My hip angle felt more open with less of a deadspot at the top than the latest "old" fit, but I'll have to go for a 30 min ride to see how it feels and to get a look at my power metrics.


What do you think?