Ok. i have a bit of time free in my lunch break now as i’m going to turbo tonight instead (and it’s frickin awful outside so i’m not going to potter in the garden with Mrs GB).
I’m gonna try to slip a few spacers out and get that stem SLAMMED. See how that impacts ‘stuff’ for my turbo tonight and try to not c0ck it all up (i did it with my MTB years ago to fit the baby bike seat. whilst it all looks ok now i’ve put it back as it was, it rattles about in the steerer tube like somethign is loose/missing … hence my reticence! )
Of all the parts that get fairly regular adjustment, the stem is the one I like fiddling with the least. I do not find it easy to find the sweet spot between overtightening the stem cap, and leaving the headset with a touch of play. Plus have a bad memory from before I had fully understood that you tighten the stem cap before clamping the stem.
If it’s any consolation, when I did that I was half a mile down the road trying to work out what the clunking was and why the brakes were juddering before enlightenment dawned.
Yeah, that was my immediate reaction. I’m also far from an expert, but something just didnt look right.
You seem quite a long way back from the bottom bracket (compare to @leahnp 's where he’s almost sat right on top of it), and as a result that seems to be really closing off your hip angle. You also seem to be sitting a long way back on the saddle for a TT bike?
With the position of the arm rests, it looks like you’re supporting a lot of your weight through the muscles being that stretched out, which might be quite hard to hold? Even compared to your other image, you look more comfy in that. I think rather than more reach, you possibly wanted less stack, but this is where I really struggle to advise on what you actually need to do!
Good call. The saddle was right back. When I got the bike it had a short stem and I shoved the saddle back and haven’t ever changed it. This is with the saddle as far forward as markings allow. Also gave myself a bit more tarmac to get settled. I’m wondering if saddle could now go up a touch. Shorten the stem still?
If saddle has come forward, then the distance from bb to saddle will probably have reduced, so I would say the saddle could probably go up.
I’d probably agree with Adam…reduce the reach a bit, but I’d also maybe try and drop the stack a bit. If you makes the upper arms more vertical, you’ll raise the torso otherwise. Do you have some spacers to remove, or can you flip the stem?
Yeah, was thinking that about the saddle and went for a short ride after and it maybe felt a bit low.
That stem’s flipped already and needed a spacer to stop it catching but I might be able to get the shorter stem a touch lower.
Thanks for suggestions. Will do some fiddling and get back to you in… maybe another 3 months.
I’ve had real problems over the past 2-3 years with my right foot, going numb, losing power, lower back pain on the right side etc etc etc. My physio diagnosed it as being connected to the xxx nerve (can’t remember, can’t google) that runs down your back, under your glute down to your foot.
Essentially a very tight upper back.
Anyway, long story short, physio exercises helped a lot and got me through training but I still had some epic problems (IM Hamburg being one).
Reconstructing myself after lockdown and going back to basics meant that I actually put two and two together.
I’d had a proper bike fit on my TT bike many years ago (everything measured blah blah) but it didn’t look particularly aero. About 2 years ago I had gone to my LBS/TT geeks and had a fit update. By eyeball they pulled me back and more upright and brought my arms together and angled up. In theory for most people a more aero position that is less flexibly aggressive. It felt pretty good.
I realised that although the position is very ‘solid’ and more aero it squishes my back enough to cause these problems. But it doesn’t feel uncomfortable so the problems ‘crept up’ over time and weren’t obvious immediately. I dug out my old bike fit data, reset my bike as best I could and the difference is noticeable. Although I am more forward my back feels more relaxed - that ‘solid’ feeling may have seemed good but actually for me it wasn’t
TL:DR - be careful of eyeball fits. My eyeball fit from the local expert has caused me all sorts of negative knock on effects. Particularly if you have a weird body (I have a very long body for my height, which makes my position look odd)
It looks quite ‘poor’ in terms of aero but I did some great rides on it and it was never uncomfortable. My arms are also quite wide which you can’t see from the pic. Hence I wanted to try and get more aero.
I’ve never put the pics side by side before and you can see the hunch in my upper back in the second one which I think caused my problems. It isn’t from a more aggressive lower position it’s from being pulled shorter and more upright (you can see the different stems)
My baseline fit was done by Freespeed as well, I am always being told I should have bought a medium or small TT frame instead of the large but for me large allows me to stretch out and like you said avoids being scrunched up and straining the lower back (for me that’s my issue after herniating a disc at the base of the spine)
