Guru Bike Fit Help

TDeBoo

Hi All

I"m looking for feedback on my bike fit, see file attached ? With the little bit of reading I've done, I believe my seat should be moved forward to take the strain off my shoulders.  Thanks.

Cary Blanco

Hi Terry

Start with http://members.endurancenation.us/R...c=Bike+Fit. Then you may want to consider going with TTbike fit for a consultation.

TDeBoo

Thankyou for the suggestins.  Cheers.

mgraffeo

Terry, as a starting point, if you want to link a picture of your fit to this thread, there's several people here who are pretty well versed at fit changes, who would be happy to take a look and offer suggestions. There doesn't seem to be anything linked to your original post.

TDeBoo

Mike

Thankyou for your reply. I attemped to upload a photo to the site but obviously that didn't work. I then uploaded two photos to my profile and don't know if the URL for that can be used but it is;

http://members.endurancenation.us/M...params=964

I'll keep trying to figure it out. If you see the photo in my profile, I've moved the seat forward, (since then),  to open the angle between the legs and torso as well as get closer to 90 degrees between the shoulders and arms onto the bars. I been on a long ride in this config and it was better. I figure I'll experiment by making single small adjustments and then trying them out for a few rides.

mgraffeo

Terry, I'm still not getting to your photos. The best thing to do is to upload it to a site such as facebook, smug mug, or a blog, and then link it into the post using the button that looks like a mountain. I think there's directions in th wiki, but forget where.

TDeBoo

Mike

Can you please try the following two links ?

http://www.deboo.net/pics/TT-Bike-Terry.JPG 

http://www.deboo.net/pics/TT-Bike-Terry-Front.JPG

Thanks & Happy New Year.

PS. You may be inside trying to stay warm and I'm inside trying to stay cool !

kurshing

I am NOT a bike fit GURU, but, in the first picture, the side profile, it looks like you may be reaching a little bit to get out to the aero bars. It is hard to tell for sure since it doesn't appear that you are gripping the bars in the picture, but, that could be something to consider. If you bring your seat forward, you would have your skeletal structure (your shoulders) closer to being over your elbows while in aero, and it would allow you to pull out a couple of spacers, lowering your torso into an even more aero position, and it would shift your work forward in your legs a little bit.

Hopefully someone else will chime in, but, I think moving your seat forward a little might trigger a couple of positive things...just my thoughts!

mgraffeo

Terry, a few things stand out to me from those pics

-you are sitting on your 'sit bones', which tips your pelvis up. This leads to a rolled back, and makes your torso into a parachute for the wind. While it can be a little uncomfortable at first, it helps to learn how to tip your pelvis forward and sit on the softer part of the crotch, also called the 'taint'. This will flatten out your back, and take a lot of strain off various muscle groups.

-it looks like your seat is too low, though it's a bit tough to tell with the picture, since the crank is slightly off of the 6 o'clock position.

-if you rolled the pelvis forward, your aerobars may be in the right spot (hard to say) but as you're sitting right now, you are reaching too far.

I can see where you might think to move the saddle forward, but I think that you will benefit greatly from changing how you sit on the saddle first.

By all means, feel free to make tweaks and post additional pictures. Also, take a look in the wiki for pictures of Rich's bike fit, which shows a good example of the tipped forward pelvis (in the bike fit ebook too).

Hope this helps!

TDeBoo

Mike

I've made a couple of adjustments and added another photo to look at;

http://www.deboo.net/pics/TT-Bike-Terry-2.JPG

I've raised the seat to what I think would be as high as possible and it feels ok. I've moved the seat as far forward as it can go and rode 190 km on the weekend, 110 km on Saturday and another 80 km on Sunday. It wasn't particularly difficult staying in the areo position and much better then previously.

You mention rolling the pelvis forward and changing the way I sit on the saddle. I have tried tilting the saddle forward and found this very uncomfortable as I was continually slipping forward and having to adjust. I find I'm most comfortable when the saddle is level.

Yes, your comments are helping and giving me plenty to think about. The adjustments I've made so far have made the bike more comfortable to ride. I'm thinking I'll ride the bike, ( as per the link),  for a week and then drop the bars down. Thankyou for you help so far.

Joseph Lombardi

Hey Team; was hoping I could get some feedback on my current bikefit/setup. I am playing around with seat height...and then will address front-back position ( I also am considering dropping my bars)...but first things first...any feedback/comments...good,bad,&/or ugly ...will be greatly appreciated.  Attached are two vids...side & front views.  Thanks & Cheers..

 

http://youtu.be/OMdJkxLVAQQ

http://youtu.be/p8qx005AZQM

 

Jeff Unruh

Seat looks a tad low - very little drop and legs look like they could be more extended at the bottom of the stroke (6 o'clock position).  I am far from a Guru so let the wise ones comment.

A better thread to post in is here... http://members.endurancenation.us/Training/TrainingForums/tabid/101/aft/5710/Default.aspx

Bob Irwin

I would agree with Jeff and Mike that the seat looks quite low, and that you need to rotate forward more. Your arms need to be pretty close to 90 degrees to your body, or you'll never be able to hold the position. Don't forget that if you move the seat forward, the seat must go up to keep the same height to the bottom bracket. If you want to take a more analytic view, you could download trial copies of dartfish or motionpro so that you can measure the angles of your hip, knee, etc. I find that very useful. Whatever you do will be quite different from what you have and it will feel strange. Knowing that you're within ranges that work for most people will give you the confidence to try something that feels strange for a week or two to see how you adjust. Don't remember if we have the targets posted here anywhere, but you can also get a good primer on bike fit at slowtwitch with the target angles. Todd at ttbikefit can work wonders if you want some professional help.

If anyone gets a chance, I posted pictures and a video on the critique my bike fit thread. My fit just doesn't feel quite right - wondering about moving my seat forward a little or maybe getting a shorter stem.

Joseph Lombardi

Thanks folks...I also posted over in critique my bike fit thread.....I feel better having moved the seat up and am going to try a bit higher today....I also hope to either get vids to Todd at TTBikefit or visit him next week..........agree a professional tri-fit would be nice as my original fitter was a roadie....great guy..but think he stuck to old rules of fit.