I may be wrong about this, but I believe Larsen is migrating towards a steeper seat angle. And, I believe he just attended a F.I.S.T. workshop, so I'll bet his opinion on how you should be properly fitted has changed. I'd call him up and ask him about it.

---

Andy

'You'd be surprised how many people violate this simple principle every day of their lives and try to fit square pegs into round holes, ignoring the clear reality that Thinsg Are As They Are.'

I attended a seminar by John Cobb, and this question was asked by someone. He indicated that if your upper leg is longer then your lower leg, then a rearward (slam) position would probably work well for you.... otherwise, go steeper.

You are tall and skinny and I am betting you are flexible too. I hate people like that. You probably don't need a steep seat angle like us short, fat, inflexible types. You can probably drop down into a low aero position on a 73 degree seat angle and sit there for hours at 23 mph. I hate it when people do that. The only good news is that I never see them during a race more than once, and usually not even that.

The only way to figure out your best seat angle is to experiment. That is not easy since you will have trouble adjusting your existing bike to different positions. Find a way to play with a 78 degree angle bike for a while. I can't live without a steep seat angle, you may not need it at all.

I can go fast on flats on a 78 degree bike. Rolling terrain finds me moving back on every uphill. I can't climb worth a darn on the 78 degree bike. I feel much more powerful in a 73 degree position, but, my average speed drops and I don't run well for a while afterwards. Ves nailed my seat tube angle at 76 degrees based at least partly on my measurements (I don't claim to know all of the reasons he came up with that angle for me), and man-o-man did he nail it for me. I can ride this bike on flats or mountains and it does great for me.

Interestingly, a local pro (ex-european bike team member, with an exercise physiology background) that fits people for part of his living, says that 76 degrees is the most common place for him to begin setting up triathletes, and he doesn't find it helpful to deviate very often for the majority of people he tests.

I used to be a spinner...108 was where I was in the groove, but, that was road racing, not time-trialing. Now, 80-90 is just fine, I'm faster by far, at a lower HR, and my run is continuing to get faster. Don't know how this relates to 76 degrees, though. However, I'm not nearly as thin as you...add about 40 lbs and 2 inches. Maybe that's why I'm so much faster at slower rpms.

There are people, like Ves Mandaric, that can point a way for you to explore...lucky for me, and a testament to Mr. Mandaric, 76 degrees seems just right.

---

Quid quid latine dictum sit altum videtur
(That which is said in Latin sounds profound)

Thanks all -

Specific question for Yaquicarbo - hows the comfort of the bike with bad roads? How does it compare to all carbon? Hows the weight of your bike and how do you have it set-up (components?) I definitely want a bike I can race IM's on in a few years and I want comfort.

Thanks

The Yaqui Carbo is a great riding bike, even over the rough stuff. I think it's due to the thin scandium tubing used. I always compare bike rides to my old standard, a steel SLX tubing frame, my old Razesa, because it was SO comfortable. (It was also fairly flexible!) The Yaqui surpasses the ride quality of the old steel SLX frame, but the Yaqui is MUCH more stiff in the rearend. It's also very light, I don't know the actual weight, but it is VERY light. As far as rear-end stiffness, at my weight and power output, that's important...this was reason enough for me to get the Carbo...a stiffer rear-end due to the carbon mono-seatstay. Although the carbon stiffens the rear end, the carbon probably absorbs some of the road vibrations. The Kestrel is stiffer overall, and it's noticeably more heavy than the Yaqui. I would think the newer Kestrel SL would address this weight issue somewhat, to the tune of about $800.00 more?

Compared to my Kestrel Talon, I'd say the Carbo seems to soak up the bigger stuff a little better, and the Talon seems to deaden out all the smaller bumps better. The Talon's ride seems to be "wooden" or almost dead...it's definitely different. On alligator pavement, the Kestrel feels like it's on almost smooth pavement, on quick turns or going downhill on rougher surfaces, the Yaqui tracks straighter...I'm assuming it is at least partly because the Yaqui soaks up some of the bigger stuff better with it's more flexible frame.

The shifting is the same on both bikes, nearly instant, except you hear it much louder on the aluminum framed bike, again, because the carbon soaks up those high-frequency sounds better, i.e., I really can tell if my front derailler is off just a little on the Yaqui, on the Talon, sometimes that little rub just isn't heard, especially at speed when the wind noise is in your ears.

I have Syntace C2s, Ouzo Pro Aero fork, Dura-Ace crank spinning on Ultegra bb, Dura-Ace shifters, externally-routed cables.

I don't know how to describe it, but my Yaqui seems to be alive and surges ahead easier when my adrenaline is up, although the Kestrel should be just as efficient, if not moreso due to the stiffness of the carbon, something about the way my body interacts with the two bikes makes the Yaqui seem livelier, faster.

So, I set my Kestrel up as a daily workhorse to be flogged and slogged through the rain and dirt, and my Yaqui as a TT/race-day racing thoroughbred.

If you fit on the Kestrel, it will impassively and obligingly deliver you over whatever distance you want to ride it, and do so for a LONG time, it has a lifetime warranty I believe. The Yaqui WILL fit you, if Ves gets your correct measurements, and it will deliver you over the same distances, dancing and singing to you as it does so. Will it last as long as the Kestrel? I don't know. It just depends upon what appeals to you most.

---

Quid quid latine dictum sit altum videtur
(That which is said in Latin sounds profound)

Thanks a lot - I definitely get the impression you love your yaquicarbo....Its definitely high on my wish list - waiting until Xmas/winter to make a final decision but sounds like a great bike.

David