So, i was fit on my bike last year and the guy that fit me insisted that i keep 4 spacers (yes, embarrassing) to keep me somewhat elevated in the front. He stated that I’d have more power that way. My back is slightly angled down, but my head is way up above the rest of my body. When I ride, I purposefully drop my head so it’s right in front of my shoulders.
How am I to be taken seriously with four spacers?!! /pink
I worked hard on the trainer over the winter, raced IMTX in May, and have continued to ride using the same fit/setup. I’m comfortable in this position, but I can’t help to wonder if I could be faster if I was lower in front. I raced an int’l distance tri this past weekend and averaged right under 23mph on a windy course over 28 miles. BBS had me pegged slightly over 23mph, so I was pretty close to their prediction.
I think it’s time for me to start taking out spacers…Will removing spacers affect power? Will taking them out automatically translate to a faster (or slower) split? I realize comfort may take a hit, so I’ll take one spacer out ever week or two or three…nothing too drastic.
I’d like to drop at least two spacers before B2B half, in late October…maybe more.
Would love to hear any advice or experiences on the issue.
The obsession with spacers on this forum is pretty funny. I’ve passed a lot of people with slammed stems riding on the bull horns because, well go figure they’re not comfortable.
Anyway, my own personal experience is on my bike is there is a point where if I go low enough I start getting slower if I change nothing else. I assume this a combo of a bad hip angle mixed with closing the diaphragm. That said, comfort trumps a lot for me so I have some spacers and can stay down. In the end this works best.
If I were you, assuming these are the thich spacers, replace 1 with 2 thinner ones and start slowing going down until you feel like the juice is no longer worth the squeeze. Then go back up one.
It is what works for you and where you can produce the best power along with the best aero position that will equal the most speed. Sometimes it is a trade off and can be different for everyone. I would play around with it one spacer at a time.
The obsession with spacers on this forum is pretty funny. I’ve passed a lot of people with slammed stems riding on the bull horns because, well go figure they’re not comfortable.
Anyway, my own personal experience is on my bike is there is a point where if I go low enough I start getting slower if I change nothing else. I assume this a combo of a bad hip angle mixed with closing the diaphragm. That said, comfort trumps a lot for me so I have some spacers and can stay down. In the end this works best.
If I were you, assuming these are the thich spacers, replace 1 with 2 thinner ones and start slowing going down until you feel like the juice is no longer worth the squeeze. Then go back up one.
Couldn’t agree more.
Look at all of the discussions on here in the “Official Speed Concept” thread with guys trying to figure out their front end Di2 installation with their “low/near” stem on their Trek Speed Concept.
In the “Lets See Your Ride” thread 90% of the stems are shown slammed on tri bikes.
Most here believe that the look of an aero slammed stem trumps power with no exception. Yet those are the same guys that advocate the necessity for a power meter - one that measures both left and right legs nonetheless.
And you’ll rarely see a “How’s My Position” thread where someone doesn’t slam the OP for a stem that’s not slammed.
If you’re concerned about the number of spacers, have you considered removing them and adding risers to your extensions (pedestaling)? I ride a 2008 Orbea Ordu which has a really short head tube, so for awhile I had about 4-5 spacers under the stem. While I was comfortable, I could feel the steerer tube flexing under my weight. This year, I slammed the stem all the way down on top of the FSA cone spacer and put Zipp 50mm risers under my PD J4 bracket kit with extensions and am just as comfortable as I was with my previous set up, plus, the front end feels a lot less flexible than before (N=1).
Not my picture, but it’s pretty close to how mine is set up.
+1 on taking out spacers one at a time (maybe two to start) and see how it feels. Small changes can make big differences so give it some time.
+1 on risers. And risers are “cool” or neutral, where spacers are not. The Zipp ones are great (I use them). Most other companies are putting out nice riser kits (3T, ENVE, PRO, etc.).