Is anyone super inflexible / helped someone who has get a more aggressive bike fit? If so, I could use some thoughts.
I am super inflexible man. Tight hamstrings, been that way since I was a kid. I want to work towards being a decent biker (and eventually getting a proper TT bike so I can be legit). Part of that requires me holding a more aggressive position.
Got my first real bike this year to do tris, went with a fairly aggressive road frame (CAAD 10). I got a professional fit that was super awesome comfort wise, but I look like a total grandma. The full stack of spacers (45mm I believe), the big cone, and a giant stem with a 0 setback seatpost. My fitter told me that as I got used to my fit, I would be able to slowly work into a more aggressive fit by dropping spacers.
So far that has seemed to kinda sorta work. Dropped 15mm of spacers slowly over the last month. Does this seem a reasonable path to take? Should I keep going until I drop all the spacers, or should I work on getting a lower stem at some point?
I know being up so high is slowing me down. I am a good 3-4 inches higher than anyone else on the course. Giant head sail
I also think I need to get in a fairly aggressive fit before a tri bike would be passable for me, does that seem reasonable? I have never tried out a TT bike, but I suspect I would not bend that way (yet).
I don’t really believe that having an aggressive fit on a road bike or not translates very well to whether you have an aggressive fit on a tri bike. Also, whether your stem is slammed etc is more about the size / type / geometry of the bike that you buy… could you not have purchased a bike with more stack and just slammed the stem?
Sure but my goal in life isn’t to say my stem is slammed. I want to get closer to a horizontal back so I’m more aero. Need to keep going lower for that. Am I just dumb? Probably. But buying more aero wheels sounds silly if my back is at a 30 degree angle like marry Poppins.
One trick is to rotate your pelvis forward… kind of like pointing your belt buckle toward the bottom bracket if you were wearing a belt. A split nose saddle makes this a lot easier.
Best advice is to return to your fitter, work with them to find how aero your functional fitness allows for a road bike…
Then with the same fitter translate as best as is possible to a more contemporary tri /TT fit… Ie shorter cranks rotated position split nose saddle…
In either case the loss of your functional control dynamically while pedalling will make clear your limits in both these cases…
If this / these positions do not meet with your approval then your only remaining choice is to improve your functional capability… And I suggest at the same time forget what the pro’s can do… Your best is your best, so take and work with it… Ie good aero set up and equipment…
Hope that helps…
All the very best.
Proper bike fit is based not just on your dimensions but on strength and flexibility.
If the OP almost never rides in the the drops, the fit is wrong. I got a bike fit some years ago by guys who did fitting for one of the top pro teams in the world and also a variety of enthusiast/amateur riders. They said it was a big mistake to try to emulate the position of top pros unless you have the same flexibility. They had norms of body position they considered ideal for different levels of rider, though is a pro was particularly stiff he might have a less extreme position and if an amateur was flexibly he might use a more extreme position.
In fitting people from our club, a key question they posed was “Do you ride in the drops much?” and if the answer was “No” they said “Raise the bars and work on flexibility.”
Not to mention that pros have a fitter following them around 24/7 who can manipulate their fit on a near-daily basis.(Going for a 200 miler? Pros can change bikes, change fit, change tires, change wheels).
Not to mention that pros have a fitter following them around 24/7 who can manipulate their fit on a near-daily basis.(Going for a 200 miler? Pros can change bikes, change fit, change tires, change wheels).
They don’t though, not most of them. Many of them have fits just as bad as any of us too.
To the OP - hamstring flexibility doesn’t necessarily negatively affect ones ability to get aero. As a first step, just get aero. See what, if anything, doesn’t work about it.
They don’t though, not most of them.That’s my understanding too.
Look at Joe Dombrowski. He suffered with knee pain and dropped out of a few races. He got refit in CO and they found a leg length discrepancy and resolved the issue. If they had fitters just following him around, I think it would have been caught earlier.
Not to mention that pros have a fitter following them around 24/7 who can manipulate their fit on a near-daily basis.(Going for a 200 miler? Pros can change bikes, change fit, change tires, change wheels).
They don’t though, not most of them. Many of them have fits just as bad as any of us too.
To the OP - hamstring flexibility doesn’t necessarily negatively affect ones ability to get aero. As a first step, just get aero. See what, if anything, doesn’t work about it.
The limitation may be entirely in your mind.
I think so too. Can OP sit on a chair and lean forward? Then a very aggressive position is most likely possible. It might not be *comfortable *but that is another thing.
Not to mention that pros have a fitter following them around 24/7 who can manipulate their fit on a near-daily basis.(Going for a 200 miler? Pros can change bikes, change fit, change tires, change wheels).
Not true at all. We see our Pro Tour guys once a year at training camps or individually during the off-season. Much of the training camp stuff has become for show/media/pictures, and are brand-focused, so we’ve avoided those recently. Rarely is any work done in-season, though we saw some riders right after the Tour of Ca because they were in town. You’d be very surprised how little attention is paid to bike fit by some teams - most fits are very generic…some are downright embarrassing. Also, the riders who care about fit tend to see their own fit person and simply provide their fit coordinates to the team mechanic.
Flexibility has little to do with bike fit, at least as the op has stated. In extreme cases it can have some effect, but you don’t even have to be able to bend over and touch your toes for a proper position on the bike, road or tri. TT positions are a little different because we push the athletes to their limits, which can take a few weeks of adaptation.
I think so too. Can OP sit on a chair and lean forward? Then a very aggressive position is most likely possible. It might not be *comfortable *but that is another thing.
Yes. But if I sit down flat and try to touch my toes, I come up about 4 inches short (and that is with having giant long arms).
So it seems that maybe I have the power to have a more aggressive fit. Is dropping a spacer a week for the next 6 weeks a bad way to get more aero? Or should I just get a totally new fit?
My fit now is comfortable enough to do 3 hour rides (the max I have been doing). I am using the bike to race Olympic tris this year, so I will happily trade my 3 hour comfy fit for a 90 minute comfort fit if I can get another .5 mph
(and that is with having giant long arms).