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Critique my fit
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Not able to adapt my self to the TT bike, I have been training for years and recently I got a Shiv TT, I had others TT bikes before, did the fit on a specialist but no way to find a comfortable position. So now I'm trying to find the position by my self.
I get to the point I'm showing on the video, but not sure if it's right or not, maybe too far forward... So I'm asking for some help here, last chance to decide If I can ride a TT bike or burn it.

Thank in advance.

https://drive.google.com/...zO/view?usp=drivesdk
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Re: Critique my fit [Guber1] [ In reply to ]
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Let's start out with answering the question "what isn't comfortable?". Describe what is uncomfortable, and when. Like, you have pain sitting on the saddle always. Or after more than 15 minutes your shoulders ache. Explain like that.

If discomfort is an issue, describing what it is and when it occurs will be the first step.
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Re: Critique my fit [burnthesheep] [ In reply to ]
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Sorry, you are right. Pain on the neck after a hour or so, I guess that arms too extended, I'm thinking on angle the bars. Too stretched? Also uncomfortable, maybe not pain here, on pubis area. I tried to move the nose down a bit, leave it leveled but not able to find the perfect spot, I'm using a Pro Aerofuel saddle. Not sure whether I'm sitting on the right place on the saddle, leaving the 'delicated' parts out.

Thank you
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Re: Critique my fit [Guber1] [ In reply to ]
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For the saddle part, some folks have the body structure and cycling or triathlon suit and saddle combination that "works" for being able to roll (rotate) their hips forward. Which it appears you do. And is often advised. But, the combo of those things sometimes means it doesn't work for everyone to do that. So, I'd say, try maybe reduce the hip roll a little bit to put more back on the sit bones.

Otherwise, you might try to buy some of the modern arm pad angle shims for the reach/neck thing. That's something you could try there. Other people rotate the whole thing, pad and bar, together. Same result, the force of your weight on the pads becomes more ergonomic with the angle due to the reach.
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Re: Critique my fit [Guber1] [ In reply to ]
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Watching your foot flexion and head movement, there's a difference between right and left -- like you're pulling up more with the right foot, and your head elevates slightly, along with a complete forward movement of your entire body.

Check on leg length discrepancies, differences in ankle flexibility right-to-left, hip flexors, all that. Might need to employ a fitter that has some real PT background. If you were in the Seattle area I'd recommend Corpore Sano, but elsewhere I don't have any ideas who to call.

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Re: Critique my fit [brider] [ In reply to ]
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I did some profesional fitting before and yes I do have one leg larger than the other but I was told that the difference is minimum, also I know that I press more with my left leg so maybe this cause the right to go up faster, anyway I didn't know that the difference was noticiable. I will check that for sure.
I'm very far away from Seattle, not even in the country...

Thanks for the advise
Last edited by: Guber1: Dec 2, 22 2:34
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Re: Critique my fit [Guber1] [ In reply to ]
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Maybe you should try a software like http://www.motionysis.com/ to calculate all your angles and compare that to the standard.
For my non expert eye, i would say that your hip angle is very thight and some shorter cranks could work better.

I'm sure some experts like Ian ou Brian will pop up on this thread to help you.

Good luck!
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Re: Critique my fit [Guber1] [ In reply to ]
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What is your crank arm length?
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Re: Critique my fit [ThyTri] [ In reply to ]
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ThyTri wrote:
Maybe you should try a software like http://www.motionysis.com/ to calculate all your angles and compare that to the standard.
For my non expert eye, i would say that your hip angle is very thight and some shorter cranks could work better.

I'm sure some experts like Ian ou Brian will pop up on this thread to help you.

Good luck!

What are the standard angles? Or do you mean a reference range of angles that work for most people? I’m curious what angles work for optimizing power and aero at the same time.
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Re: Critique my fit [Jwhitakr] [ In reply to ]
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Jwhitakr wrote:
ThyTri wrote:
Maybe you should try a software like http://www.motionysis.com/ to calculate all your angles and compare that to the standard.
For my non expert eye, i would say that your hip angle is very thight and some shorter cranks could work better.

I'm sure some experts like Ian ou Brian will pop up on this thread to help you.

Good luck!

What are the standard angles? Or do you mean a reference range of angles that work for most people? I’m curious what angles work for optimizing power and aero at the same time.

You can started with this https://docs.velogicfit.com/...es/triathlon-metrics

But this is a guideline, there's no one fits all!
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Re: Critique my fit [jimatbeyond] [ In reply to ]
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170mm
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Re: Critique my fit [Guber1] [ In reply to ]
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Your saddle is way too high and you don't have near enough reach to the aerobar. Lower saddle 2cm, and add several (4-5) cm of reach. That's at least a beginning for you.

Jim Manton / ERO Sports
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Re: Critique my fit [Jim@EROsports] [ In reply to ]
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Jim@EROsports wrote:
Your saddle is way too high and you don't have near enough reach to the aerobar. Lower saddle 2cm, and add several (4-5) cm of reach. That's at least a beginning for you.

+ 1
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Re: Critique my fit [Guber1] [ In reply to ]
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As always, I am going to suggest 155mm cranks.
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Re: Critique my fit [ThyTri] [ In reply to ]
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ThyTri wrote:
Jwhitakr wrote:
ThyTri wrote:
Maybe you should try a software like http://www.motionysis.com/ to calculate all your angles and compare that to the standard.
For my non expert eye, i would say that your hip angle is very thight and some shorter cranks could work better.

I'm sure some experts like Ian ou Brian will pop up on this thread to help you.

Good luck!

What are the standard angles? Or do you mean a reference range of angles that work for most people? I’m curious what angles work for optimizing power and aero at the same time.

You can started with this https://docs.velogicfit.com/...es/triathlon-metrics

But this is a guideline, there's no one fits all!

Very helpful - thanks a lot!

Success does not consist of never making mistakes, but in never making the same mistake twice.
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Re: Critique my fit [jimatbeyond] [ In reply to ]
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jimatbeyond wrote:
As always, I am going to suggest 155mm cranks.

Second this. Short cranks will effectively lower your seat height (less distance between the bottom of the pedal stroke and your hips). Whereas lowering your seat the old fashioned way would require you to lower your bars to keep the same body angle.

I could be wrong but doesn’t look like you can go much lower on your bars. So 155 cranks will give you an extra 1.5cm to play with there.

For some time when I started riding a tri bike, I stretched my legs too far to the bottom of the stroke (I.e. seat too high) and it always caused neck pain. That might be the root cause for you as well.

Definitely need some angle on those bars, I think most people find perfectly flat bars like that uncomfortable. Some angle might help you tuck your head down a bit, more in front of your body.

Can’t see how wide your elbows are but I’ve had good luck with widening my elbow pads to get my head lower and shoulders more comfortable. It’s been said that any elbow position out to in-line with the outside of your knee has minimal impact on aero, though I think this is controversial and also depends on the person.

I’ve never used video software to get body angles, so I could be missing out, but I’ve had good luck using a cheap goniometer on myself. Then I start with the baseline angles in the FIST guide here on Slowtwitch and adjust based on feel from there.
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Re: Critique my fit [Rob84] [ In reply to ]
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Thank you for all your comments, reading through it I'm wondering if the size of the frame is big for me. I will definitely lower the saddle but as someone mentioned the pads are at its minimum, so not able no lower the upper body more.
After lowering the saddle the body will be maybe not rotated enough to be aero, or al least more aero than on a road bike.
Last edited by: Guber1: Dec 3, 22 2:04
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Re: Critique my fit [Guber1] [ In reply to ]
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So something I experienced that I haven’t seen talked about here regarding short cranks, is the need to go bigger in frame size the shorter you go.

On 170 cranks I was fit to a 51cm Shiv when buying new (385 reach 514 stack). I’m 5’6” so this seems typical.

Then I moved to 155mm cranks then 145mm. The cranks forced me to raise my seat and bars, and they allowed me to get MUCH lower which forced me forward (and down, so the bar height changes probably balanced out).

The net change was a big move FORWARD and UP. The Shiv could no longer support this fit…. It required a 140mm stem and the handling got weird.

When shopping for a new bike, I was first looking at 54cm frames, but after taking measurements and checking them twice, I became convinced I needed a 56cm frame. At 5’6” this seemed ridiculous but stack and reach don’t lie.

I ended up with a 56cm p3 (425 reach 540 stack) and it fits perfectly. I’m right in the middle of the bikes potential fit and have room to go up/down with both seat and bars.

Point of the story is: If you feel the frame is too big with 170s, try 145-155 cranks and the fit might be perfect.

BBK cranks on eBay go down to 145 and last I checked they were Uber $150. They’re GXP so if you can get them to fit then it’s not crazy expensive to experiment, at least compared with a new frame.
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Re: Critique my fit [Guber1] [ In reply to ]
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You don't need to go lower, extending your reach effectively accomplishes the same thing. I'd tilt the bars up a few degrees when you do as well
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Re: Critique my fit [Rob84] [ In reply to ]
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Rob84 wrote:
jimatbeyond wrote:
As always, I am going to suggest 155mm cranks.


Second this. Short cranks will effectively lower your seat height (less distance between the bottom of the pedal stroke and your hips). Whereas lowering your seat the old fashioned way would require you to lower your bars to keep the same body angle.

Unless your original seat height was wrong, the distance from your hips to the bottom of the pedal stroke shouldn't change. What does change with shorter cranks is the distance from your hips to the *top* of the pedal stroke, which opens up the hip and knee angles...

"I'm thinking of a number between 1 and 10, and I don't know why!"
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Re: Critique my fit [Guber1] [ In reply to ]
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Seems quite straightforward. Lower the saddle and increase reach. Possibly tilting the bars/pads will make shoulder area more relaxed and comfortable but that's more a matter of personal preference.
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Re: Critique my fit [Warbird] [ In reply to ]
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Warbird wrote:
Rob84 wrote:
jimatbeyond wrote:
As always, I am going to suggest 155mm cranks.


Second this. Short cranks will effectively lower your seat height (less distance between the bottom of the pedal stroke and your hips). Whereas lowering your seat the old fashioned way would require you to lower your bars to keep the same body angle.

Unless your original seat height was wrong, the distance from your hips to the bottom of the pedal stroke shouldn't change. What does change with shorter cranks is the distance from your hips to the *top* of the pedal stroke, which opens up the hip and knee angles...

Shorter cranks shorten the distance at the top and bottom of the pedal stroke. That’s why you have to raise your saddle when you go to a shorter crank to keep the same knee angle at the bottom of the pedal stroke. And it also opens up the hip angle.

To the op: fix your seat height and reach before you start messing with shorter cranks

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Last edited by: stevej: Dec 3, 22 10:13
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Re: Critique my fit [Jim@EROsports] [ In reply to ]
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Jim@EROsports wrote:
Your saddle is way too high and you don't have near enough reach to the aerobar. Lower saddle 2cm, and add several (4-5) cm of reach. That's at least a beginning for you.

I can't believe it took 12 posts before somebody said this. If I had my seat that high, I'd lose at least 10 watts of power. Adding reach totally makes sense too, particularly after the seat is lower.

My latest book: "Out of the Melting Pot, Into the Fire" is on sale on Amazon and at other online and local booksellers
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Re: Critique my fit [jens] [ In reply to ]
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Thank you for the advice, definitely I'm going to lower the saddle and see what happens.
I'm going to get some adapters to increase the pad angle cause I can't rotate the handle bar too, I need larger bars to increase the reach.
After all the testing maybe changing the cranks as you suggested.

Thank again.
More comments after the testing.
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Re: Critique my fit [jens] [ In reply to ]
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jens wrote:
Jim@EROsports wrote:
Your saddle is way too high and you don't have near enough reach to the aerobar. Lower saddle 2cm, and add several (4-5) cm of reach. That's at least a beginning for you.

I can't believe it took 12 posts before somebody said this. If I had my seat that high, I'd lose at least 10 watts of power. Adding reach totally makes sense too, particularly after the seat is lower.

I don’t chime in on these too often unless I feel the op is not being provided good advise. Because people travel from all over the world to see me I sometimes worry that giving away free fit recommendations is not fair to them, but sometimes I just can’t help myself.

In this case, I was thinking the same thing…his issues are obvious, just deal with those first.

To the op, don’t angle your bars until you’ve dealt with reach. Angling your bars creates the need for even more reach.

Jim Manton / ERO Sports
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