Fit question stretched out on the hoods

[regencywriter]

Thanks, everyone! My exercise history is that I'm not a cyclist, but I'm relatively fit. I lift weights with a personal trainer two times a week, and do an hour of Zumba five or six times a week. I weigh 123.1 lbs with 20.1% body fat. (How's that for specific? I just finished a local fitness challenge or I would never know that last number.) I learned to ride a bike as a kid and enjoyed it through my teenage years, but then went a good twenty years without riding.

I believe my bike is a 54 cm Trek Madone WSD carbon frame road bike. Not sure if there's a specific model number, but it says H3 on the frame. My husband took up cycling about five years ago and bought me the bike in question two years ago. I rode it as much as I could tolerate that first summer, but never got on it once last year because of the torture factor. This year, I'm hoping there's a way to make the bike work for me, since my husband bought it and I don't want to hurt his feelings--not to mention that I'm hesitant to spend additional money on a new bike when this one turned out to be such a disaster.

I appreciate the advice. I'll make sure to ask for any old parts that the big city bike shop might swap out.

[maxcherry]

Surly your husband would feel better knowing you had a bike which is the right size and knowing
you are not in any discomfort.

Good luck with the shop

[531colin]

good news. WSD is the acronym for the women specific fit. I can't find H3 on Trek's website, but H2 is their less aggressive fit, ie the bars a bit higher, and the "54" size actually measures only 50.6cm.......http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes/road/performance_race/madone/madone_7_9_wsd_compact/#
Don't get too fixated on the bike "size"....if you click on "fit and sizing", you will see the actual length of the bike ("reach" or "top tube length") changes very little even if you go to the smallest bike. The usual trade off is a smaller bike will have the bars at a shorter reach, but also lower.
you need to have a good conversation with the bike fitter...you need to be sitting on the back of the saddle, which needs to be wide enough to support your bum bones. If the reach is too long (short arms, etc) you may be dragged too far forward on the saddle. The fitter can give you a stem to bring the bars closer, and/or higher.

[andrewjoseph]

my wife and i have been riding for about 15 years now, she has gone through many saddles (about 10 i think), currently happy with the ones on her bikes but this could change...

Once you position is mostly sorted and if you're still not comfortable, try more saddles, it is well worth it. some places may have a saddle library for you to try, some saddle makers give you several days to try and can return for refund if not happy. Get your sit bones measured and get a saddle of the appropriate size.

Also important is trying different padded cycling shorts. my wife has tried many types including assos, they have since gone out ( ) since trying my castelli with progetto 2 pad. I had to buy her three pairs straight away.

so, it may cost a bit to experiment, but it's worth it.

[regencywriter]

Here's the outcome of my bike fitting appointment in the city. It mostly involved swapping out performance parts for smaller or more beginner-friendly options.

The first thing the shop owner replaced was my pedals. I had to struggle to clip in and out of my old pedals, and it wasn't unusual for me to take a spill before I could get my foot loose. He replaced my Cidi shoes and pedals with Bontrager touring shoes that have recessed cleats. Thet're not only easier to walk on, but my foot is less likely to slip off the pedal when I'm trying to clip in. The old pedals had a right-side-up and and an upside-down, but the new pedals work from either side, so no more fumbling to orient the pedals correctly when I'm trying to clip in. Best of all, the new pedals are much easier to twist out of, so I can safely disengage when I need to.

Next, he swapped out my skinny Bontrager saddle for a much more comfortable Serfas Rx women's saddle that actually matches up to my sit bones. That made a world of difference.

The third change, and probably the most important, was to the handlebars. My old ones were too big for me, and I had to stretch to reach the brakes. That required me to strain forward so I was sitting on the horn of the saddle instead of the wider section. I was also leaning my weight on my hands and tensing my back in an effort to 1) reach the brakes and 2) keep as much of my weight as possible off the saddle. The new handlebars are much more compact, with a significantly shorter reach. Just that one change made riding a LOT more comfortable.

I've only taken a short spin so far, but nothing hurt, and the shop owner said I could bring back anything that didn't work for me. So--yay! Thanks for all the helpful advice.

[andrewjoseph]

nice one! enjoy your riding but don't be surprised if the saddle is not right after longer rides. it can take lots of experimenting. if it's still not comfortable after a month or so of regular rides, try an change it.

[Brucey]

this kind of thing comes as part of the service if you buy your bike in a good bike shop; obviously you are unlike to get this kind of assistance if you buy your bike from a pile-it-high-and-sell-it cheap outfit....

I hope that you get on better with the bike now!

cheers

[531colin]

@regencywriter.....I think you have found a bike fitter who is interested in people riding bikes for pleasure, not simply as a form of competition.... .
Cycling has been a joy for me for more than half a century, and soon I'm off again for a few days....I hope cycling brings you joy.
It sounds like your fitter would be prepared to see you in the future, maybe for a minor adjustment, maybe just for a catch-up.

[Mark1978]

For the first time I've managed to get some footage of me actually riding my bike so I can see how my fit actually looks.

From this video here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUqnxLG ... e=youtu.be (not great quality, not my camera sorry!)

Some thoughts apart from me looking fat . Is that I'm more 'forward' than I thought I was, very hard to tell just yourself, my cadence does seem high!

I still do have a few lower back issues, which mostly don't come in the ride itself these days, but can it can be aching that evening and the following day.

PS If you're waiting for something interesting like a near miss with a car then you'll be disappointed, it's not that sort of video!

[tyreon]

I am not an expert and defer to those august names I see commentating on here. But(from my limited knowledge)you look a tad overstretched(tho the height of the bars seem fine). Can't understand why your butt is jumping around tho'. I would have thought you should be secured to the saddle,not bumping up and down...unless the road was very bumpy.

[Mark1978]

I am not an expert and defer to those august names I see commentating on here. But(from my limited knowledge)you look a tad overstretched(tho the height of the bars seem fine).

Perhaps, although do I have a tendancy to push myself up, think of doing a pressup, so end up with locked out arms no matter where my bars are, I have to concentrate to relax a bit! I have just a 70mm stem on there, so the bars are basically about as far back as they can go.

Can't understand why your butt is jumping around tho'. I would have thought you should be secured to the saddle,not bumping up and down...unless the road was very bumpy.

I hadn't noticed my bouncy bum . It was a bit of a bumpy road, but not too bad.

[531colin]

Mark, your butt bounces in time with the pedal strokes because your pedalling is not smooth. (Thats pretty much 2 ways of saying the same thing, right?)
You pedal all the time with your toes down. Yes, yes, I know, its the fashion to pedal toe down all the time....just take the risk of paying a bit of attention to an old fart who has seen all these fashions come and go.
In order to pedal smoothly through the bottom of the stroke, your body needs to keep a bit of bend in the knee when the pedal is at the bottom of the stroke. So you point your toes all the time in order to keep a bit of bend, but your pedal stroke still isn't smooth and thats why you bounce. I set my saddle so that when my knee is locked out, my heel is down.....when you are freewheeling with your knee just about straight, you are still toe down, so for me your saddle is far too high.
Yes, I know, read all the websites about racing set-up, they all tell you to set your saddle high for maximum power, for example so your foot is level with the knee locked out. Its probably OK for a fit and supple rider with good biomechanics and carrying no injuries, who warms up carefully for a short event on good smooth tarmac......but whats the point of a recreational cyclist setting their saddle height for maximum power if their riding is limited by injury?

Can't get much idea about reach or saddle setback from a video shot from behind...

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,
Blimey your cadence is at Froomeys level
Match your pace with guy in front.
High cadence means you lose your if any Natural Ankling technique and will have you pogosticking on the saddle, but not normaly at 105 cadence, that's because you are a bit inflexible in the feet and core.

Looks more like a bunch of crit guys crashed your party too

Theres a lot going on there Mark1978..................
Crouch is less of a concern.

Back ache would be sorted by Phisio I.M.O. But like me its a daily thing that would require you to have determination to keep it up.

With your weight issue you will never sort the flexible core until you can trim up.
Core using a gym ball and foot and ankle weights, works the back too.
Feet are easy just do some exercises for achillies tendonitous.
This stretches your calfs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2gubqenGDo
Do both legs but wait two minutes between swapping emphasis to other leg-foot.
Guy in vid is doing it too fast, do at half that speed, also do every day at least twice a day and both feet.
So that's fifteen reps left foot fifteen reps right foot, two minute gap between feet, twice a day at least.

Then theres the saddle height, which can only be addressed when you have a flexible core and lower legs.
You sit a lot so the hams need stretching too, need to include mine daily too.

A dynamic video on a static bike would tell us a lot lot more, get you turbo..................

[Mark1978]

As for the toe down thing it's kind of a habit I got into firstly because when my saddle was too high (much higher than this vid) and secondly if I pedal completely flat the back of my heel hits the chainstay!

Pedalling technique is interesting as that struck me when I first saw the video much less round and round and more piston like; which I didn't think I was doing at all but seems I am! Is that merely practice, or something else? I do have a let of rollers which is supposedly good for that type of thing.

[andrewjoseph]

As for the toe down thing it's kind of a habit I got into firstly because when my saddle was too high (much higher than this vid) and secondly if I pedal completely flat the back of my heel hits the chainstay!...

i had this issue and didn't realise it was so bad, but when pointed out to me that the scuff marks on cranks, chain stay and ruining all my bike shoes, was all down to this problem. a bike fit advised 2cm pedal extenders/spacers. this improved my comfort no end. the original specialized ones have been recalled but i bought some from http://www.i-ride.co.uk/Pedal-Spacers-1.aspx

my wife has them on her bikes to help with knee problems.

once you get the fit right, technique can improve, can't improve technique until the fit is right.