Critique my position- with video

Triathlon Forum
1

Been meaning to do this for a while. I finally got around to playing with some video on the Mac.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qczcqXuWA74

I included a few different positions in the video:

  1. “normal” position- this is the position that I spend the majority of time in. I’m sitting fairly far out on the tip of the saddle.
  2. choked up- for moderate rises where I can maintain speed but want to boost power to get over a roller. I’ve slid back in the saddle and choked up on the S bends about where the bend is.
  3. forward and low- as far on the tip of the saddle as I can get. Hands/arms are slightly more forward than normal, back is flatter and straighter.

The saddle is as far foward on the rails as it can go and the seatpost head is flipped forward, so I’m estimating virtual seat angle at about 80 degrees. I’m 6’0" with a 34.4" inseam and relatively short torso, so knee clearance is an issue but I can ride all of these positions with no knee contact with either elbows or armrests. Out of the saddle is a different story but doable carefully. Other stuff- 90mm stem -6 deg stem, no spacers, Profile s-bends, Visiontech alloy basebars. The front end is about as low as I can get it with this hardware. I even tried a Ritchey adjustable stem and can drop the front end up to another inch or so but it was not very comfortable and that stem weighs a ton so I went back to this setup.

Any/all thoughts welcome on the position (or anything else). Also, for bonus points, given my back shape and head position (I intentionally chose clips where I was looking forward the way I would normally ride) what aero helmet would you suggest? I’m torn between the Spiuk and the Giro Advantage 2.

In case you’re wondering, that’s the Tour of California on the TV, though it appears to have been infested with ultimate fighting and bull riding commercials today.

Thanks.

2

Looks like good IM position that you can comfortably hold (not forced at all). One recommendation is for the “normal” position: drop your head down a bit (move it down, not tilt it down) to lessen your FSA and fill the chest cavity a bit. With a slightly lower head position, the Giro will flow nicely into your back. Can’t comment on elbow width or knee placement w/o frontal shots.

3

Maybe it was your trainer, but it looked like your hips were rocking a lot…

4

I think you look a bit squished. I would lower your seat a bit and move your saddle back. Steeper isn’t always better.
I’m no expert so I’d like to hear what the smart guys have to say.

5

Horrible position… you will have to look to the side to see the TV. :slight_smile:

6

Were you listening to music ?

If not, why are you rocking those hips and your whole upper body and head ?

7

Were you listening to music ?

If not, why are you rocking those hips and your whole upper body and head ?

Good question. I strained my hip flexor on a run the previous day. My pedal stroke felt a little out lf sync while I was riding, but I didn’t think too much of it until I saw the video and saw that my right leg has a pretty good hitch in it. It looks about as normal as it felt.

8

Bump for the evening crowd. Any other comments/suggestions?

9

I thought you looked good to start-but didn’t like your second positin at all.

but again, it is your comfort, so whatever works.