see picture below!
I hijacked my own thread, at Tom’s expense.
Hmmm. Good question.
Some insights about some professional cyclists and triathletes I know and have worked with: The first time I met Lance Armstrong he said to me, “I don’t know much about bikes themselves, I let the other guys take of the bikes, I pretty much just ride.” That was at Interbike in the mid-90’s. A friend of mine who is a former professional and nine-time Tour de France finisher doesn’t know much about bike fit by his own admission. He doesn’t even know his own saddle height. “That is what I have you for…” He says. Speaking of that, his new road bike is in here right now for, you guessed it- bike fitting. No kidding. Right this very second. The most difficult fits I have ever done have been with Olympic and elite level athletes since they tend to know so little about fit but are so resistant to change for fear of a problem developing. You can imagine that when an athlete has a fit problem 2 weeks before the World Championships or Olympics you have to address that very, very, *very *delicately. If you even *say *the wrong thing while fitting them it could create a chink of doubt in their athletic armour or confidence.
Now, having given you the disclaimer about advice from pros (sometimes they are a great source of information and advice, other times, less so):
If you have aerobars on a road geometry frame you may find yourself in a position where you have to decide if you prefer to have your aerobar position optimized (and your drop bar/base bar position compromised to a degree) or if you prefer to have your base bar/drops/hoods position optimized (in which case you will have some compromise in the aerobar posture).
If you want your road base bars (i.e., your drops) in the optimal orientation and position then there is something to be said for the age-honored “Stem obscurs your view of the front hub” rule. That actually does work reasonably well failing a more precise technique for establishing reach.
If you want your aerobars optimized on a bike with road bars (probably a good call on the Thomson seat post) then you will have a good bit shorter reach measurement than you normally would for a road posture. Beware: Your knees may hit your elbow pads climbing out of the saddle. Ther are a few creative fixes for that, including re-drilling your pads, cutting the pads, using different pads- generally being adaptive and innovative with the tools and equipment at your disposal.
The fella who looked at your position may be absolutely right, or he may not be. One enormous advantage he has on some so-called “fit expert” (me) over the internet is that he can actually *see *how you look on the bike. That is important. It may be worth asking him why he feels that way about your stem length and then gai some insight into his fit perspective. He may have some tangible reasoning behind the recommendation for a longer stem. If the arguments and reasoning sound pluasible, it may be worth a try. If he doesn’t make a convincing case for it, perhaps less so.
I hope that helps a little. Good luck with that and thank you for asking.
Tom.
Tom, thanks for the advice. As I realize you can’t see me on a bike, I was just curious as to your general opinion on stem length. As far as bikes go:
I have a Quattro Assi road frame. The STEM is Thomson, seatpost, too. He is kind of an opionated guy. I also have a Litespeed Saber so I am not looking to make this bike dual purpose. I’m not against lengthening the stem, just thought 140 was a little extreme. I am going to try the 130 he gave me, to see how it feels. I also was curious as to your thoughts on stem rise.
I apologize in advance for soliciting free fit advice, but since I also lust after Kate W, I thought you might answer me.
And don’t you think Hilary Duff is a little young for you?
Trying the 130 is a reasonable compromise or experiment. Keep an eye on how it changes your steering.
Nope:
.
see pic above!
sorry, man
the Winslet thing I can agree with (I can get behind?!!!)
but HD?
striking resemblance to one mr. jason bateman…
 http://www.prisonpotpourri.com/ROYALSandCELEBS2/kate.winslet.jpg
a happy customer, after a visit to www.bikesportmichigan.com
.
Jailbait?
Absolutely. Guilty as charged. In real life too. The best relationship I had was with someone 16 years my junior. And yes, we are still close friends.
yeah, well, you could wait two years, couldn’t you?
lol
Speaking of that, his new road bike is in here right now for, you guessed it- bike fitting. No kidding. Right this very second.
*** just curious and nosy: what’s he riding? Always interesting to see what pros/retired pros ride when they are paying the tab?
I think Hilary Duff is 20. Think of it as a Tom Cruise thing…
Felt F1C right now.
She just got her drivers license last year. I’d heard seventeen.
Of course, she could be lying about her age.
Why did he pick that bike?
I’m guessing that that’s Frankie A. that you’re talking about?
T.
Born September 28th, 1987, so I think that makes her 18.
If it makes any difference, the girl I’m dating now is 41. I’m 43.
She’s legal, homey. You’ve got a shot. Am I the only one that saw that movie of hers from last year? It was called “Raise Your Voice”, I think. I was flying back to DTW from HNL, and it was what they were showing up in 1st class. I thought it was actually kind of a good movie, and it had a decent soundtrack.
At least she’s not into the Britney Spears semi-bubble gum pop/rap crap.
T.
Just by chance, have you heard the Drew & Mike Cliff Notes version of Titanic? “She’s friggin huuge!”