Hi Ian,

Thanks for your response!
I’m definitely 180 (give or take 1cm) tall,
And my saddle height from centre of bottom bracket to top of middle of saddle on my road bike is definitely 793mm. My inseam will be the least accurate of these but I just measured it again at 85cm... I’ve always considered my body to be oddly proportioned!

   

TommyBTri,

Okay, no worries, you have long legs, that 's fine, I can work with that .... I think your real triathlon position should exist around the Pad Y around 635 and your Pad X is roughly 480. I say "real" triathlon position because you're basically on a road bike now with DL aerobars and your non-draft position will be very different from where you are now.

Quintana Roo PRsix size 52 with a 90mm stem, the base bar held with mid clamp (this refers to 2 halves of a clam shell within the stem, put one atop the base bar and one below), 25mm of arm pad pedestal, and the arm pad bracket set rearward and the arm pad itself mounted in the rearward hole.

Don't freak out about the "size 52" the sizing makes way more sense than any of us can imagine (the frame stack is 52cm - so logical). With this prescription you can go lower 25mm or higher 55mm with just change in pedestal. Also, you can go 60mm shorter or 2mm longer with this 90mm stem by simply flipping the bracket and using different arm pad screw holes.

You can make 635/480 work on the 54 too but no much room to drop. It can work on the 50 as well but you're nearly painted into a corner on that bike too - the 52 is the choice.

Get back to me here with questions, Ian

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Ian Murray
http://www.TriathlonTrainingSeries.com
I like the pursuit of mastery
Twitter - @TriCoachIan

Ooh sorry forgot to say PR6 was what I was looking at, think crossed threads here?

Holy Mother of God !! May we please never speak of this error! see my edited post. And to add more obfuscation on this to enhance the cover up I'll just stay that "crossing threads" is terrible and that's why I keep a few common sized taps and dies on hand to clean them up ;)

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Ian Murray
http://www.TriathlonTrainingSeries.com
I like the pursuit of mastery
Twitter - @TriCoachIan

Thanks Ian!

Hi Ian

Thanks for the time and energy helping

My fit coordinates

Stack 61.5
Reach 42
Saddle height 75 (160mm cranks)
Saddle setback 7.5

If possible would like handlebar stack to around 56 and reach around 74

Thanks

Iverma,
I want to make certain that I'm guiding you towards the right bike and to that I end I need to clarify a few things.
1) Stack and Reach are terms that measure to the top of the head tube on bike frame. I think you mean Pad Y (could, if we had to, be called Pad Stack but let's reduce confusion so.. Pad Y) and Pad X (could, if we were forced to.. with a gun to our head call it Pad Reach but we're not yet living in that society so...Pad X). Please confirm.
2) Are these numbers taken off of an existing tri bike upon which you feel comfortable, feel powerful, feel aero or some other set up or some other feeling?
3) What type of saddle is setback 75mm and are you sitting on the back of it, middle of it or nose of it?
4) Do you want me to prescribe the PRsix (super bike) or PRfive/four (mortal bike) or both?

Let me know, I'll get back to you here right away.

Ian

---

Ian Murray
http://www.TriathlonTrainingSeries.com
I like the pursuit of mastery
Twitter - @TriCoachIan

Hi Ian

Yes I should have clarified, the coordinates are back of Pad X/Y and yes they are taken of a current set-up.
The saddle is a Fizik Mystica and I sit generally in the middle.

Looking at PRSix .

Thanks!

LV

I would think that you would want to be sitting on the front of a Mistica saddle.

LV,

Okay, great here we go...for a QR PRsix with a Pad Y of 615 and Pad X of 420...

I think the 48 is a best bet, more range to adjust up/down/fore/aft if need be in the future.

Size 48, 90mm stem with the stem bar clamp in the mid position (it's a clam shell... so for the "mid" put one half atop the base bar and the other half below). 45mm of arm pad pedestal, place the arm pad bracket in the rearward position and use the middle arm pad hole.

48 sounds like a tiny bike but that's not really an accurate assessment. QR uses the stack of the frame to define the size which is crazy smart. If you simply had to go with a size 50 here's the script: 110 stem with the stem bar clamp in the mid position, place the arm pad bracket in the rearward position and use the front arm pad hole. You can fit on a 52 as well but you'll be painted into a pretty extreme corner with little room to move.

Get back to me if you have more questions.

Ian

---

Ian Murray
http://www.TriathlonTrainingSeries.com
I like the pursuit of mastery
Twitter - @TriCoachIan

Ian

The 48 rec is a bit of a surprise as I was thinking. between a 50-52, so I will have to try it out .

Why do you rec a longer stem with the 50 and a shorter with the 48?

LV

LV,
Some super bikes were made with just one stem, some with just two stems - QR made three, which is nice. It gives options. If you're okay with 5mm variance plus or minus in reach - I okay with that, many can put up with that because elbows slight off the pad or slightly towards the center of the pad and that range can be as much as 6-7mm. Anyway, if you can deal with 5mm then there's several ways to get a 50 to fit you - to the point of redundancy. Here are 3 of I think 7 ways you can build it.
1) The one I prescribed above: 110 stem with the stem bar clamp in the mid position, place the arm pad bracket in the rearward position and use the front arm pad hole
2) 90mm stem with the clamp in the low position, bracket rearward, arm pad in hole "mid-front" and 35mm of pedestal (this give you Pad Y of 615 Pad X 42.5
3) 75mm stem, mid clamp, bracket rearward, arm rest hole middle, 25mm pedestal
I like the 110 stem as it that combined with the pad position would optimize the stability of the set up - but the 90mm would be great too, I'm sure.

Ian

---

Ian Murray
http://www.TriathlonTrainingSeries.com
I like the pursuit of mastery
Twitter - @TriCoachIan

Hi ian,

After consulting with my fitter and also QR, I got myself a 52 PRSix.

I am currently using a Pro Svet on my CD01 and I was wondering if you have any suggestions on the base bar to use?
Do I keep my existing Pro Svet or change to something else? If I change it, what would be a good alternative that works with a 52 PRSix?

Jeyps11_c,
There are a few things to consider here. I'm just gonna lay 'em out and you can marinate on the ones that matter to you...
1) Them bar clamp on that stem is 31.8 so there are no limits on your options as that's a standard size.
2) The ProSvet is a "winged" bar, not round so you can't really rotate the hand position for perfection without effecting how the wide, flat bit gets into the wind. If your hand position needed changing for greater comfort you'd consider a round bar.
3) The ProSvet kinda shoulders off and by that I mean the hand grip area sits lower (below) the center of the bar clamp (23mm). So if you're using a lot of arm pad pedestal (like 30+) then braking position sits even lower than that due to that fall-away of the bar. Euro pro roadies don't care about the elevation difference between their arm pads and their "pursuit" position but triathletes seem to do better when their arm pads and their braking position are not so far apart.
4) The ProSvet adds some reach to the position but not a tone: center of clamp to tip of pursuit is 153mm and it can't be cut down due to curve in grip. Something to consider if you wanted that position longer or shorter and you were looking for a new base bar to help in that.
5) Color - I've only seen the ProSvet in white and for those trying to get all stealthy, that might be an issue.
6) Money - base bars can run from $100 to $300+ If you like your current bar I'd rather you get several massages.
7) Carbon vs Aluminum - I'm not a huge fan of clamping carbon and your base bar will be clamped in three places. Carbon base bars are typically lighter than their alum brethren if that matters to you.

Hope this helps, Ian

---

Ian Murray
http://www.TriathlonTrainingSeries.com
I like the pursuit of mastery
Twitter - @TriCoachIan

Hi Ian,

Thank you for doing this.

I've been on a road bike my whole life and have finally decided on acting upon my Ironman ambition. I've only done a bike fit once, and it was AFTER I bought the bike, unfortunately. It is a small-sized Giant Propel Advanced 2 (2016). I was wondering if it would be necessary to see a fitter again before deciding on a size this time, or if you will be able to help me out here. I have an accompanying fit report for the Propel and was wondering if you would be able to derive a reasonable conclusion from it.

My height is 175cm. No idea what my inseam measurement is. Apologies.

Thanks very much!


Best regards,
Caleb

Thank you so much for your amazing work, Ian! I was hoping for a Quintana Roo recommendation, though!

Unfortunately, I do not live in the U.S, but in Singapore. Would you like to take a look at some of the photos taken at different riding positions, with angles labelled? Will that be helpful?

What is your take on a Retul 3D bike fit, as compared to one using the bikefitting.com system? Trying to find out which fitter I should go to. The one using the Retul is exorbitantly expensive!

Caleb,

Sorry for the mix up. Here we go...
I think you're Pad Y is around 615 and your Pad X is roughly 420.

If you wanted the QR PRsix, the superbike, the size would be the 48, with the 90mm stem set up with the "mid" clamp (the stem has 2 clam shell pieces and you would position one half on top of the base bar and the other on the bottom of the base bar). Then use 45mm of pedestal and install the arm bracket rearward and mount the arm rest hole in the middle. This is great is great because you still have so much room to move: up 40mm, down 55mm, out 55mm or in 30mm.

If you wanted the QR PRfive (or four) the best size would the 50cm bike with 90mm stem in the -17 degree position, 20mm of spacer under the stem and 5mm of pedestal. Then arm rest mounted dead center. Still lots of room to move longer/lower/short/longer.

Get back to me with questions, Ian

---

Ian Murray
http://www.TriathlonTrainingSeries.com
I like the pursuit of mastery
Twitter - @TriCoachIan

Caleb,

One more thing... you cannot judge a bike fit by the brand. Dan Empfield, the owner of this site and a true leader in bike fit has a great quote that I have altered over time: "no one comes to the office on Monday saying 'I went to the best Fender guitar concert last night' they say 'I heard Mark Knopfler play last night and he's amazing". This is to say - the artist is the element that matters not the brand or the tooling. Call 'em all ask lots of questions about how many tri fits they do a month and then speak to people who've been fit there and listen to their experience.

Ian

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Ian Murray
http://www.TriathlonTrainingSeries.com
I like the pursuit of mastery
Twitter - @TriCoachIan

Please offer QR PR4 disc size for


Pad Stack: 750
Pad Reach: 500

Thanks

nmurray,
I think it polite of me to answer questions as asked so let me start there: the right QR PRfour for Pad Y of 750 and Pad X of 500 is a 58.5 with a 90mm stem positioned as +17 with 20mm of spacer under the stem and the pads all the way forward. The result is 751x499. Bam! That's pretty close! There's some room to move in this prescription with this stem you can go up to 760 or down as low as 732. You can also come back as much as 428 but you can't go much longer (unless you switch to a 110 stem - and it's a mortal bike so that switch is quick and easy).

Now, I hope you'll let me expand on this..... A Pad Y of 750 is a big number and, perhaps, justified....but, I also worry that this number came from a misleading place... like a road bike with cilp-ons or a fitting that was done on some saddle that didn't allow our pelvis to rotate forward or something else. If you care to expand on this - I'm here for you and we can talk it through. I'm eager and happy to help.

Ian

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Ian Murray
http://www.TriathlonTrainingSeries.com
I like the pursuit of mastery
Twitter - @TriCoachIan

So I'm 6'4" and more legs than torso. I just got a dynamic fitting. Seemed to go well - came to a position that felt good and the fitter was happy with. Provided those pad stack and pad reach numbers. Also gave me stack 594 and reach 414 as "standard frame geometry."

As I looked over the results, my pad stack and pad reach seemed an outlier to me based on looking at the various fit graphs of slowtwich users and pro's I've seen on the site (I do recognize that this is a subset of a subset of tri riders). Plus the fitter said I wouldn't be able to fit most of the bikes I was interested in - including not fitting on a QR.

More advise would be appreciated.

nmurray,

well.... a leggy 6'4".... that explains a lot. You're gonna have a taller Pad Y than most and when seeking out the bikes that meet you at that metric. The QR will do it though in both the PRfour and PRfive as prescribed above. The 58.5 is the right bike and with that 90mm stem you will hit your numbers beautifully. My response had hesitation only because I didn't know how you came to those numbers but with a fitting done and one you feel good about - go forward with confidence.

Ian

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Ian Murray
http://www.TriathlonTrainingSeries.com
I like the pursuit of mastery
Twitter - @TriCoachIan

In light of the email I got today from Slowman regarding the QR sale and my first IM scheduled for next year, I’m in the market for a tri bike.

I think the PR5-105 looks perfect. My problem is a fit - I’ve been trying for the last 4 months to get fitted, but between covid and scheduling issues, I haven’t been able to get in at my local FIST fitter.

I’m about 5’10.5, 175. 31” inseam. Ride a 56 Allez Sprint very comfortably. Looks like I’m in between a 52 and 54 per the QR website.

Any advice on which size? Or am I better off really waiting until I can finally get a fit and hope to find a good price (and bike?) in a couple months?

AB2814,
No doubt! Now is an excellent time to buy.
I think you're Pad Y is in the neighborhood of 622 and your Pad X is around 480. For the PRfive the bike is a 52 with a 110 stem set in the -17deg position, slammed and 5mm under the aerobars. If you mount the arm cups one hole closer to you from center you'll have a Pad X of 476 and if you go to two holes closer than center you're at 484. With this bike and this stem you've got some room to move. If the Y of 622 is too low you can go up incrementally as much as 40mm. And you can go out 20mm or back 50mm to find the perfect cockpit distance.

You can make Pad X of 480 work on the 54 but the lowest that bike'll go is 636 and I just think you can ride comfortably if you're down in the 620 range - especially if you run a 165 crank which you should try and get them to install before they ship.

Get back to me here with questions if/when you have 'em.

Ian

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Ian Murray
http://www.TriathlonTrainingSeries.com
I like the pursuit of mastery
Twitter - @TriCoachIan