Recently, I got my first Retul fit, but having challenges finding ANY bikes that are in my fit range. The closest and only recommendation my fitter found is Canyon speedmax Large to get the arm pad stack but the arm pad reach is still long…
*fit was done using 160mm cranks to help keep hips more open
**upper arm (humerus) is shorter than average… thinking this plus my short torso & long legs is giving me a super tall stack??
Arm pad stack: 748mm Arm pad reach: 367mm Saddle height: 787mm Inseam: 33.5" (85cm) Height: 5’10.5" (179cm)
Those are pretty wild fit figures. Starting with the saddle height 787mm. I’m 6’4" and all legs no spine, so was thinking I may be able to relate. But my saddle height is only 780mm (bb to rail). That said, the 160 cranks are what’s leading to 12.5 mm of that.
XL Speed concept will get you close, especially if you then replace the stock armpads with the CeeGee which you’d want to anyway as more comfortable.
So that’s near topper, high rise base bar and all the spacers. If that still leaves you struggling with the drop then you may have to look at longer cranks.
I guess the issue here is that the fit isn’t really all that helpful if it defines a bike that doesn’t exist. The fitter really needs to go through that next step to work out how to get you comfy and efficient in real world.
One final thing although I’m sure you’re aware of this if you’ve been riding road/tt before, these fit co-ords also make you (us) really susceptible to side gusts/wobbles as the centre of gravity is so high. Hence not that you have a lot of options, but chosing a frame that is erring towards the better handling over pure aero may well lead you to be quicker. Especialy as in reality you are going to much less aero than all the test data from the manfacturers as you are sitting above the frame with a long seatpost as opposed to the more typical where the front end pushes the air around the rider.
These fit numbers seem too extreme to be true. Post a photo of your fit so people (knowledgeable about tt bike fitting) here can see what’s going on. Now there’s a big risk that you end up using a lot of $$ for a bike that’s not even close to fitting you properly.
Saddle height is usually measured from the center of bottom bracket to the top of saddle (appr. the point where you sit). Just for reference, I’m the same height as you but have inseam of appr. 83 cm, and my saddle height is 728 mm. Your saddle should be somewhere around 750 mm, give or take maybe 10 mm. Of course, everyone is different and these are just rough estimations, but in any case, 787 mm seems wildly off. (Not to mention your pad stack and reach numbers…)
Will this be your first tri bike? If so. I think the issue is that you aren’t used to being in the aero bar position either physically or from a mental point of it feeling right. I have a friend that always raced on a road bike with clip ons. When he went to get fitted a couple of years ago his fit came back similar to yours.
An that’s because in the first few months of riding in tri position your body adapts. In addition your feedback to the fitter on what feels comfortable is currently based on what you’ve always done on road bike
The challenge is you’ve done the right thing getting a fit before you buy anything, but you can’t do the city until you’ve done some adaption.
Not my first tri bike but it’s been years (2013-2018) since I’ve ridden and have recently used clip on bars on road bike past 3-4 years so that might make sense.
Trying to get over the frustration in uncertainty on a proper bike…almost at the point of getting an aero road bike lol!!
Olympic is my preferred distance but may go longer in the future (did 70.3 ~2014).
Not sure how best to approach going back to my fitter; possibly, asking to spend some time 15-20min putting power down in a variety of positions?
There are several others that have posted on this thread way way way way more knowledgable on fit than me. But… Assuming you haven’t any major fit oddities, such as past back surgery, etc, then as per the data that Cyclenutnz posted you can take some confidence in being fairly normal, and so bike manufacturers making bikes that should fit you. That said, my gangly legs and no (short) spine mean that a long and low style, a la cervelo, wouldn’t be a natural match. I spent years riding bikes too big for me as I assumed I was 6’4" so needed XL/61cm. Now on mix of Large and 58cm and they handle way better. I do have a tonne of seatpost and then a big drop to the bars (road and tri).
So in this situation then a bike that is practical to play with the front end will be important. Whilst most bikes you can do that, with modern hydraulic brakes that can also be a PITA on some.
The other way is to get an old tri bike, put it on the trainer and get used to riding that in the drops for a couple of months. You don’t need to worry about handling, you can play with position easily as you can hold bars/rest elbows/forearms on pads and stick extra towels, on cups to raise you to play with position. Then you can go back to the fitter once adapted and understand what feels good and what hurts. as you should be dialed in to within a couple of CM, and from there small adjsutments on a new bike aren’t too bad. Typically teh 5mm chim/movements don’t need recabling, it’s the 50mm towers etc that are $$$ and hassle (on some, not all bikes).
