Ok, thanks. I'm thinking we need a sticky thread to post pics, discuss race day setup: bottles, tools, cockpit, etc. I know I'm trying to sort all of this stuff out myself. I find myself moving my hand around the bars a LOT, as I increase/decrease effort, ride different terrain, etc, so I'm thinking myself through various combinations that keep the area at the end of the bars clear, with room for my hands to move around.
I'm also rethinking the Speedfil. Doesn't seem very aero to me. I'd like to get away with one bottle on the aerobars and an empty cage on the downtube "in case" in need to drink an extra bottle. Would only be on there until the next aid station, mostly like. And if I can't get the torpedo bottle + Joule + hands to work I may go back to the PD aerobottle
Again...all better topics for a dedicated thread :-)
Hoping for a little help? I changed up a couple of things on my tri bike and was wanting the WSM's expert opinions on my current position. If I measured correctly I am now at about 10cm of drop. Before I was around 5 cm drop.
Here are a couple of screen grabs of the video I took after switching my stem to the 90 degree position, and switching seats
This was my position before the switch.
and here is the video if you really want to be bored
I'll go next. I had Todd help me with my fit on my last bike. When I bought the new Kestrel, I transferred the contact points. Then sent Todd a viedo, and he said it looked good. Before I started my outdoor riding this season, I bought the Cobb saddle, and checked the contact points again. I just did my first RR, and was able to stay in the aerobars for 5:30 hours, only coming out once in a while at lights, and 20-30 seconds every 15 minutes to drink (the RR actually didn't go very well - just composing that post now). My neck was stiff the next day - but I suppose that's to be expected. But it just doesn't feel right - not sure what doesn't feel right, but it doesn't feel right. Maybe move forward a little?
How come I'm getting no love on my fit questions I posted last week? I would really like to dial in my fit before starting my IMFL training in a couple of weeks. Anyone want to tear my position apart? anyone, anyone :-)
Your seat looks just a little low to me but not too bad so if you like it this way it is probably ok.
In the before picture I think your elbows are a little to far away from you (i.e. to far forward), and in the after you may be just a little too close. Somewhere right in the middle might be best.
Your forearms look like they are angled slightly down. Some people perfer this, but I personally find horizontal or slightly up much more comfortable for long rides.
Overall, I think you will be just fine with the new position, but 5cm is a pretty big change. Get out and do a 3+ hour ride locked into the aerobars and you will know if the new position will work or not. As Rich has mentioned pay attention to were you are shifting your butt too on the the saddle and where you are moving your hands and elbows, then you can fine tune the fit to get the saddle and bars exactly where your body wants them.
Most people think I'm crazy, but my "fit test" is to put myself on my computrainer, set the erg mode to hold 75-80% and then ride for at least 3 hours without taking my elbows out of the pads. If I can do that the fit is dead on and I have no problem holding it for over 5 hours outside.
I'll go next again. Todd helped me with my fit on my last bike. I transferred the contact points to my new Kestrel when I got it last year. It seemed to be fine last year, but this year it just doesn't feel right. I did get a new saddle, but that's all I've changed. I'm wondering if I'm a little to stretched out. Maybe I could be a little further forward. Maybe my pads could be a little further apart. If you all could take a look, I'd appreciate it. I've got some pictures below with angle measurements, and a link to a video. Thanks for the help.
Relevant angles: Knee - 146, Hip - 100, Arm to torso - 86, effective seat angle - 80-81
We all can't be as fast and flexible as Matt but one thing that stands out to me is your head height in the front on shot. Look at Matt's "turtling" position with his ears between his shoulders. I think working towards that would be helpful but certainly adds some neck strain.
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..
@Bob - smarter folks than I can chime in on that. As I said, just an observation and something I remember my fitter telling me early on -- work on turtling your head...
Your seat might be too low but it's strange. When you're showing us a static shot, the seat height seems fine but when you start riding the seat height looks way too low. You're not extending and following through with your pedal stroke somehow but I can't place why.
Beth & Jeff - did you see something odd on the front view or the right side. I don't really see anything. If I can find something it would be great, like I said, it just doesn't feel quite right.
Beth & Jeff - did you see something odd on the front view or the right side. I don't really see anything. If I can find something it would be great, like I said, it just doesn't feel quite right.
Both - On the side video your hip looks like it is moving more than it shoud/it is a little uncomfortable. On the front it looks like you right knee is coming in towards your frame quite a bit. This could be part of your natural pedal stroke -- any pain or discomfort in hip or knee or ankle?
Hey gang, any tips for my fit are much appreciated. Hope you can see thru the crappy video quality...it was shot in HD but had to compress the heck out of it to get it on YouTube.
At the moment I have no pain or discomfort while riding. Only issue is that a faster cadence really wears on my legs...but that's possibly due to my inexperience in the saddle.
Mac - I am providing my 2 cent, but I am not a fit expert like many here. To me, it looks like you are reaching a little at the bottom of the pedal stroke, which might explain the issue with the higher cadence. It appears you could move your seat forward just a tad, and maybe your seat down a nudge, and this would place your shoulders over your elbow pads a litttle more directly, and should allow your heels to stay dropped a little more - which I think should allow a more comfortable ride at higher cadences.
I've never had an official bike fit but have been cycling for 15+ years and feel like I have a good sense for what works and making appropriate tweaks. I haven't been able to make as much progress as I'd like so my mind is wondering if fit is one of the reasons. I was in between a L and XL size for the Transition and opted for a L. The seatpost is extended as far as it goes, and I'm wondering if maybe that's not enough. The first video shows my current setup and the second shows the seatpost extended a bit beyond the 'suggested' range but should be fine if I keep it there. Any thoughts?
In case it's helpful....FTP is ~260 now, and has been 245-260 consistently since joining EN 9 months ago.
OK - I would like some feedback on my bike fit. Here's a side photo from IMRG last week. I had a Retul fit on this bike and thought the fit was pretty aggressive but when I saw this picture I look more upright than I had expected ... or felt. I went 5:47 on the bike at Regensburg but it included 2 repeats of an 11 mile climb. I severely underestimated the difficulty of the course!
I'm thinking of dropping down at least one more spacer on the front end. What do you all see? BTW, I had to compress the photo for the forum, but you can see the rain falling in the detailed version.
I've been playing with bike fit, and here is my current position. My most recent ftp test confirms that its more aero, but I don't feel as comfortable as I did with a bit more older fit that I had for my HIM in May I know its a tradeoff, just hoping somebody with more expertise can have a look and give me some feedback
Here is my older position for comparispn
I have thought about raising the cockpit up a spacer or two? Thoughts??
Pic #1: Your elbow pad placement looks good; however, your elbows really appear behind your ears. Your neck and upper back is going to get really tight after swimming and riding for a while. This won't affect your FTP but you'll fatigue and start moving around enough to slow down while IM racing. In pic #2 you're looking down so it is not as exaggerated.
Did you do back-to-back FTP? I wonder if the improvement in your FTP isn't a result of your position change and is of your increased fitness.
Raising a spacer will open your hips and possibly yield the same power with less effort.
I question your saddle height? You knee angle looks open or greater than it should be. Maybe drop it < 1 cm. Difficult to see.
I made the seat adjustments that you suggested, and that seems to have brought my head and kneck back over my elbows more. I'll ride this position tomorrow, and see how it feels, but I can definately see how those tweaks might keep my upper body from getting tight and sore.
Here is a couple of comparison pics for you to have a look at.
I agree that your elbows appear in a better position under your ears but this might be at the sacrifice of pushing your upper body back. In your previous picture, your upper body looked balance a little more on your elbows and saddle. How does it feel now?
I think lowering your saddle helped. Your leg angle and foot in the screen shot looks good.
Looks like a pretty aggressive set-up with a big drop between your saddle and base bar. You might be able to straighten you back out a little and ease some of the tension in your neck if you just put a spacer back on. This will also open your hips to help with power and allow you to digest your nutrition a little better. Be cautious with too many changes before a race. Keep track of your starting point.
@ Paul - it DOES look a little upright. Depending on your flexibility, you might be able to lower your bars and slightly raise your seat...a little at a time. Some bikes also are limiting for certain body types, and that may be the case for you. Not sure.
@ Scott - to me, your old position looks more natural. Are you flexible? The newer position looks a little like you are reaching...maybe there is a happy medium between the two?
Disclaimer - I am not an expert at all...just taking a peak and giving some thoughts!
Comments
I'm also rethinking the Speedfil. Doesn't seem very aero to me. I'd like to get away with one bottle on the aerobars and an empty cage on the downtube "in case" in need to drink an extra bottle. Would only be on there until the next aid station, mostly like. And if I can't get the torpedo bottle + Joule + hands to work I may go back to the PD aerobottle
Again...all better topics for a dedicated thread :-)
Hoping for a little help? I changed up a couple of things on my tri bike and was wanting the WSM's expert opinions on my current position. If I measured correctly
I am now at about 10cm of drop. Before I was around 5 cm drop.
Hey Haus,
How come I'm getting no love on my fit questions I posted last week? I would really like to dial in my fit before starting my IMFL training in a couple of weeks. Anyone want to tear my position apart? anyone, anyone :-)
Thanks,
Your seat looks just a little low to me but not too bad so if you like it this way it is probably ok.
In the before picture I think your elbows are a little to far away from you (i.e. to far forward), and in the after you may be just a little too close. Somewhere right in the middle might be best.
Your forearms look like they are angled slightly down. Some people perfer this, but I personally find horizontal or slightly up much more comfortable for long rides.
Overall, I think you will be just fine with the new position, but 5cm is a pretty big change. Get out and do a 3+ hour ride locked into the aerobars and you will know if the new position will work or not. As Rich has mentioned pay attention to were you are shifting your butt too on the the saddle and where you are moving your hands and elbows, then you can fine tune the fit to get the saddle and bars exactly where your body wants them.
Most people think I'm crazy, but my "fit test" is to put myself on my computrainer, set the erg mode to hold 75-80% and then ride for at least 3 hours without taking my elbows out of the pads. If I can do that the fit is dead on and I have no problem holding it for over 5 hours outside.
Is there an EN discount with TTBikeFit?
I'll go next again. Todd helped me with my fit on my last bike. I transferred the contact points to my new Kestrel when I got it last year. It seemed to be fine last year, but this year it just doesn't feel right. I did get a new saddle, but that's all I've changed. I'm wondering if I'm a little to stretched out. Maybe I could be a little further forward. Maybe my pads could be a little further apart. If you all could take a look, I'd appreciate it. I've got some pictures below with angle measurements, and a link to a video. Thanks for the help.
Relevant angles: Knee - 146, Hip - 100, Arm to torso - 86, effective seat angle - 80-81
Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhDkCtgjhlE
We all can't be as fast and flexible as Matt but one thing that stands out to me is your head height in the front on shot. Look at Matt's "turtling" position with his ears between his shoulders. I think working towards that would be helpful but certainly adds some neck strain.
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..
Also; any thoughts on wheelset for IMLouisville; I have access to Zipp 404's or 808's or combo 606.
Thanks.
Wondering if I'm a little too stretched out - maybe move my seat forward a little or get a slightly shorter stem?
Joe - Hm. Not sure, but something's going on -- maybe try dropping your heels with pedaling and then see how you feel and what the video looks like?
Joe,
Your seat might be too low but it's strange. When you're showing us a static shot, the seat height seems fine but when you start riding the seat height looks way too low. You're not extending and following through with your pedal stroke somehow but I can't place why.
Both - On the side video your hip looks like it is moving more than it shoud/it is a little uncomfortable. On the front it looks like you right knee is coming in towards your frame quite a bit. This could be part of your natural pedal stroke -- any pain or discomfort in hip or knee or ankle?
Hey gang, any tips for my fit are much appreciated. Hope you can see thru the crappy video quality...it was shot in HD but had to compress the heck out of it to get it on YouTube.
At the moment I have no pain or discomfort while riding. Only issue is that a faster cadence really wears on my legs...but that's possibly due to my inexperience in the saddle.
Thanks for your input!
Thanks, I'll make those changes for this weekend's RR#2 (IMKY). I don't mind lowering the seat at all...I prefer to be lower to the ground. Thx!
I've never had an official bike fit but have been cycling for 15+ years and feel like I have a good sense for what works and making appropriate tweaks. I haven't been able to make as much progress as I'd like so my mind is wondering if fit is one of the reasons. I was in between a L and XL size for the Transition and opted for a L. The seatpost is extended as far as it goes, and I'm wondering if maybe that's not enough. The first video shows my current setup and the second shows the seatpost extended a bit beyond the 'suggested' range but should be fine if I keep it there. Any thoughts?
http://youtu.be/fG6LuS-35ak
http://youtu.be/QAebMz1yYwE
In case it's helpful....FTP is ~260 now, and has been 245-260 consistently since joining EN 9 months ago.
Seatpost at "max"
Seatpost just beyond "max"
OK - I would like some feedback on my bike fit. Here's a side photo from IMRG last week. I had a Retul fit on this bike and thought the fit was pretty aggressive but when I saw this picture I look more upright than I had expected ... or felt. I went 5:47 on the bike at Regensburg but it included 2 repeats of an 11 mile climb. I severely underestimated the difficulty of the course!
I'm thinking of dropping down at least one more spacer on the front end. What do you all see? BTW, I had to compress the photo for the forum, but you can see the rain falling in the detailed version.
I've been playing with bike fit, and here is my current position. My most recent ftp test confirms that its more aero, but I don't feel as comfortable as I did with a bit more older fit that I had for my HIM in May
I know its a tradeoff, just hoping somebody with more expertise can have a look and give me some feedback
Here is my older position for comparispn
I have thought about raising the cockpit up a spacer or two? Thoughts??
Did you do back-to-back FTP? I wonder if the improvement in your FTP isn't a result of your position change and is of your increased fitness.
Raising a spacer will open your hips and possibly yield the same power with less effort.
I question your saddle height? You knee angle looks open or greater than it should be. Maybe drop it < 1 cm. Difficult to see.
James,
I made the seat adjustments that you suggested, and that seems to have brought my head and kneck back over my elbows more. I'll ride this position tomorrow, and see how it feels, but I can definately see how those tweaks might keep my upper body from getting tight and sore.
Here is a couple of comparison pics for you to have a look at.
Old Position 9-19-11
New Position 9-19-11
Thanks again for the suggestions!
I think lowering your saddle helped. Your leg angle and foot in the screen shot looks good.
Looks like a pretty aggressive set-up with a big drop between your saddle and base bar. You might be able to straighten you back out a little and ease some of the tension in your neck if you just put a spacer back on. This will also open your hips to help with power and allow you to digest your nutrition a little better. Be cautious with too many changes before a race. Keep track of your starting point.
@ Paul - it DOES look a little upright. Depending on your flexibility, you might be able to lower your bars and slightly raise your seat...a little at a time. Some bikes also are limiting for certain body types, and that may be the case for you. Not sure.
@ Scott - to me, your old position looks more natural. Are you flexible? The newer position looks a little like you are reaching...maybe there is a happy medium between the two?
Disclaimer - I am not an expert at all...just taking a peak and giving some thoughts!
Here is my bike fit for IMLOU. I was able to stay aero the whole way and felt fine. PBed my previous IMLOU bike ride by 12 minutes.
Stats: Speed concept 7.5
Saddle tip is directly over bottom bracket.
Aerobar drop is approx. 15cm
When I videoed myself, it seems at the bottom of the stroke my heel is slightly below the pedal. I don't know if this is OK or not.
I do see at least 1 or 2 issues, I won't mention first. I want to see what people think first.