desperate -- please save my july cycle tour!

jameverywhere

so, the pain in my knees isn't improving, to the point where my physio said stop cycling so much. I said no, and he said, fine, then get a proper, thorough bike fit, or I can't help you anymore.

I need to be pain-free ASAP and able to cycle 80km a day in July.

I got a second-hand hybrid from Rothar which is a great commuter but I have wonky legs so I need proper help. I went to get a bike fit but the guy took one look at my recycled bike and said, I can't really help you, adjusted my cleats and sent me on my way.

My choices are, buy a new bike and get a bike fit, or get fitted best I can on my old one.

I'm saving money for a surly long-haul trucker for when I move back to america in September. If I buy a new bike here, I need to either buy that one and have it shipped home when it's time, or buy a different decent touring hybrid for around 500 quid that I can sell before going home.

Please help me,

1) track down the best value bike fit in dublin (I live in the city centre) that will fit a recycled bike properly,

2) figure out what new bikes are within my price range and/or where surlys are sold and how much extra it will cost to have it shipped home in september.

I have the money for the long-haul trucker set aside already, but I'm already grimacing at how much extra it will cost to try to buy it here and then ship it rather than wait. if it's more than 500 quid, I'll just buy a different new bike for that much; if it's less than 500 quid, I'll spring for the trucker.

PLEASE HELP. I'm starting to be seriously depressed because I can't get out on the bike every other day like i used to. I sit inside and mope because my knees hurt and I can't exercise. I need this desperately and immediately.

peace.

mel.b

Have you already booked your flights home? Look at what the sporting goods allowance is - for example, i recently flew to australia with my bike with Qatar air and it didn't cost me anything extra. So 'shipping' a new bike might not cost all that extra.

ROK ON

Can you just bring the Surly with you to the US when you move back as luggage.

If you bring the bike as luggage it will cost nothing with aerlingus up to 23kg.
"Bicycles
Aer Lingus will carry bicycles and tandem bicycles as checked baggage: A maximum of 1 Bicycle per person. For flights between Ireland and North America bicycles are part of the free allowance, normal excess baggage rates apply if the passenger carries excess to the free allowance."

Taken from Aer Lingus website.

jameverywhere

flight home is booked for 5 september with air canada.

thing is, I already have two bags going with me on the plane, one large suitcase of clothes and coats and things and one backpacking backpack with the rest of my stuff. I'll have been living in Ireland for one year, and will be moving all that ****e back home in September. I'll get rid of as much of it as possible but there's quite a bit of cool kit and random little things that I've collected over time here that'll have to go with me.

I just called the lads at cyclebike and they sell truckers to order for 1300 quid, and the bike fit is included it seems. I'll call in tomorrow to talk to them about my knees, get sized up, and basically make a decision whether to spend the money now or later.

the same bike in america is about $1300, which is < 1000e.

Still appreciate advice on where the best bike fitters in Dublin are, and where sells truckers, and what ~500 quid bikes are good for touring.

ALSO does anybody know where I can get a nice full-body massage?! like a sports or deep tissue massage?

My knee problem is a super tight IT band which causes pain on the inside of the knee and hamstrings. physio is helping me address the muscle imbalance but doc says the cycling is obviously still aggravating it since it's not getting better. *smashes things* I should've gotten a real bike and bike fit two months ago.

mel.b

From what i can tell from the aircanada website your bike will cost $225 +$50 registration fee to send on the plane with you as you have already used your baggage allowance. I could be wrong though, so it would be worth double checking withh air canada

el Bastardo

Is renting not an option? What exactly are you doing in July? Several weeks organized touring? Solo, credit-carding it?...?

Tonyandthewhale

Have you shopped around more than one bike-fit dudes to see if anyone would be able to help you get properly fitted on the bike you have now?

feck sake lads

where do you live and what size bike are you after..
if your anywhere my size 5ft6ins i'll take you out you can ride my pride and joy i'll set you up on it.
i ride a thorn sherpa if you want to try this out let me know.

countrykid

http://www.donedeal.ie/for-sale/bicycles/3230392

worth a look...

del88

Sorry to here about your injury.....
Hollinsworth cycles in Tempelogue sell the surly lht for 1080 euro....ordered one last thursday....
Also have you thought about doing a smaller tour...maybe cycling every second day...less is msore and all that.

Also here's a surly lht for sell on adverts.ie if you dont mind not having a gurantee.
http://www.adverts.ie/bikes/surly-long-haul-trucker/1482823

nak

jameverywhere wrote: »

ALSO does anybody know where I can get a nice full-body massage?! like a sports or deep tissue massage?

My knee problem is a super tight IT band which causes pain on the inside of the knee and hamstrings. physio is helping me address the muscle imbalance but doc says the cycling is obviously still aggravating it since it's not getting better. *smashes things* I should've gotten a real bike and bike fit two months ago.

I had a similar problem last year before my holiday, went from riding each day to only 10 mins at a time due to overtraining with weak quads after knee surgery. Unfortunately only things that helped were staying off the bike if ITB was sore, ice and doing physio prescribed weights 5 times/week. No problems on holiday and managed to crawl my way around a Gran Fondo.

I go to Patrizia Mingardi for sports massage
http://www.d12sportsmassage.com/ Do you have a foam roller? I use mine (the grid) everyday and stretch the ITB.

Bike fit wasn't an issue for me, but I know lowering saddle can sometimes help. Good luck.

sy

www.bikefittingireland.com

Lumen

I am not a physio, but have experienced similar problems.

This is my advice, which is worth what you've paid for it :pac:

- Don't panic. July is months away. If you do the right things now you'll be fine.

- Don't stop cycling. It's the only way you'll tell whether things are improving. Cycle a little bit every day, just take it easy.

- Follow the physio exercise program. Mine involved at least 30 minutes a day of considerable suffering, stretching and strength training. The physio would have preferred morning, lunch and evening, but I only had time for half an hour in the morning.

- Take ownership of your own bike fit. It's your body, only you can feel what's right. I would suggest you drop your saddle until you have eliminated the IT-knee/hamstring pain. Your knees may hurt in other places, so take it easy on the bike! See part 4 here for recommended knee angles.

- Get a proper hard sports massage focused on your IT band, and then start using a foam roller and/or rolling pin every day.

Remember that the forces generated by cycling are very low, less than walking up stairs. If you can walk you can cycle.

The most critical thing is to develop a relationship of complete trust in your physio, and then do exactly what you're told. If you don't have that, change physio. I use Aidan Woods in Pearse St Physiotherapy for physio itself, and have also used Tadhg O'Mahony in the same practice for sports massage. Aidan is a miracle worker.

jameverywhere

thanks for all the suggestions!

I'm 5'3" -- so buying a secondhand bike doesn't seem viable...

yes, I have a foam roller and stretch the IT band every day. looking for a massage this weekend.

not sure how much renting a bike would cost for a month, and I want to be sure I'm fitted perfectly to the bike and training on it beforehand just to be 100% sure bike fit is not an issue...

I'm planning on going solo on the trip (unless I can find a lady interested in going with me between now and then), credit carding it, but I've been planning it for a long time and have already gotten some gear. July is my last full, free month in Ireland (August my folks are coming to visit), so the trip is gonna be in July. also my birthday is in July ;_;


I don't know many other bike fit dudes but I will see new guys tomorrow with my current bike and I'll see what they think. it just seemed from the first guy that you can't do a proper bike fit on a recycled bike. also the physio knows a place where he sends people for running, and they do bike stuff. also with my club I can get a 10e discount on a different bike fit place so i can see i think.

Also part of me just WANTS the new bike since I'm gonna do such a hardcore tour, might as well enjoy it to the fullest. I can already afford the bike itself, and the shipping would cut into my savings but wouldn't bankrupt me. only thing is making sure it doesn't get nicked.

feck sake lads

jameverywhere wrote: »

thanks for all the suggestions!

I'm 5'3" -- so buying a secondhand bike doesn't seem viable...

yes, I have a foam roller and stretch the IT band every day. looking for a massage this weekend.

not sure how much renting a bike would cost for a month, and I want to be sure I'm fitted perfectly to the bike and training on it beforehand just to be 100% sure bike fit is not an issue...

I'm planning on going solo on the trip (unless I can find a lady interested in going with me between now and then), credit carding it, but I've been planning it for a long time and have already gotten some gear. July is my last full, free month in Ireland (August my folks are coming to visit), so the trip is gonna be in July. also my birthday is in July ;_;


I don't know many other bike fit dudes but I will see new guys tomorrow with my current bike and I'll see what they think. it just seemed from the first guy that you can't do a proper bike fit on a recycled bike. also the physio knows a place where he sends people for running, and they do bike stuff. also with my club I can get a 10e discount on a different bike fit place so i can see i think.

Also part of me just WANTS the new bike since I'm gonna do such a hardcore tour, might as well enjoy it to the fullest. I can already afford the bike itself, and the shipping would cut into my savings but wouldn't bankrupt me. only thing is making sure it doesn't get nicked.

i think you missunderstood me, what i was trying to say was before you go buying a surly tourer you could try my thorn out i'm not selling it .anyway it would be to big for you i reckon your looking for around a 48cm frame the set up is straight forward enough some people will baffle you with this has to be perfect that has to be spot on believe me i'm cycling all my life and once you get a few basics right you'll be flying.
oh yeah before you go buying a surly remember this its a full on touring bike which in surleys case means it's a heave beast. there are better lighter bikes out there for instance take a look at spa cycles TI tourer excellent bike and not to expensive especally for TI, and spa also sell older models of dawes super galaxy also good paul hewitt class and of course Thorn.hope this is of some help.

Idunnowho

Hey there, sorry to hear about your knee issue... as cyclists I think that we are all sympatheitc to knee problems....

Proper bike fitting can be expensive. I found that a good starting point for fitting was this calculator:

http://www.competitivecyclist.com/za/CCY?PAGE=FIT_CALCULATOR_INTRO

It will even output different ranges depending on the type of cycling that you want to do (touring, racing etc). It worked for me to order a custom build online without test riding.



There's a great physio in Greystones, Hagen Stroh, that has fixed this type of problem before. His details are at http://www.myoreflex.ie/

'Myoreflex' is a patented methodology that is increasing in popularity of late. Hagen has mostly worked with pro footballers in the BundesLeague, UK, Portugal and Spain. His work is more a combination of physio and acupressure points focusing on the muscles as a chain (myoreflex).

There is a good explanatory article on Hagen here: http://www.mountain-runner.com/2011_11_07_archive.html


Otherwise if city centre suits you better I second the vote for Aidan Woods in Pearse St: http://www.pearsestreetphysio.com/index.asp

jameverywhere

del88 wrote: »

Sorry to here about your injury.....
Hollinsworth cycles in Tempelogue sell the surly lht for 1080 euro....ordered one last thursday....
Also have you thought about doing a smaller tour...maybe cycling every second day...less is msore and all that.

Also here's a surly lht for sell on adverts.ie if you dont mind not having a gurantee.
http://www.adverts.ie/bikes/surly-long-haul-trucker/1482823

I emailed hollinsworth and they said the LHT was 1200 quid

I may indeed do a smaller or lighter tour. probably jump on trains to skip portions of it. we'll see. but I want to actually do SOME kind of tour because I've just been so excited about it for so long...

unfortunately, secondhand bikes don't seem to be viable for me as I said before because I'm pretty short and small.

del88

jameverywhere wrote: »

I emailed hollinsworth and they said the LHT was 1200 quid

I may indeed do a smaller or lighter tour. probably jump on trains to skip portions of it. we'll see. but I want to actually do SOME kind of tour because I've just been so excited about it for so long...

unfortunately, secondhand bikes don't seem to be viable for me as I said before because I'm pretty short and small.

They give a 10% discount if it's not bought on the back to work scheme.......Thats what i paid last thursday

Planet X

del88 wrote: »

They give a 10% discount if it's not bought on the back to work scheme.......Thats what i paid last thursday

Is that the 2012 "Disc" LHT?

del88

Planet X wrote: »

Is that the 2012 "Disc" LHT?

No....2012 standard.....

jameverywhere

actually I'm gonna talk to my work tomorrow and see if I can use the scheme to get it. went ahead and put in an order because, y'know, you only live once. I have the money set aside for the bike already. for all i know I could get hit by a car on my tour and die. at least I can die on a comfortable bike

getting a 46/47 cm frame -- current frame too big for me, probably causes a lot of the problems


still on the lookout for a good sports massage in the city centre ( want to compare some options )


and anyone know if it's possible to rent a handcycle somewhere (y'know for like paralysed people) so I can cycle on weekends when my knees are ****ed?

cdaly_

del88 wrote: »

They give a 10% discount if it's not bought on the back to work scheme.......Thats what i paid last thursday

jameverywhere wrote: »

actually I'm gonna talk to my work tomorrow and see if I can use the scheme to get it. went ahead and put in an order because, y'know, you only live once.

If you can do it through work and they're willing to pay the bike shop directly you should be able to negotiate that 10% anyhow. It's only if your work use one of the 'Bike to Work Broker' scams that the shop loses the 10% skim'commission' to the 'broker'.

del88

jameverywhere wrote: »

actually I'm gonna talk to my work tomorrow and see if I can use the scheme to get it. went ahead and put in an order because, y'know, you only live once. I have the money set aside for the bike already. for all i know I could get hit by a car on my tour and die. at least I can die on a comfortable bike

getting a 46/47 cm frame -- current frame too big for me, probably causes a lot of the problems


still on the lookout for a good sports massage in the city centre ( want to compare some options )



and anyone know if it's possible to rent a handcycle somewhere (y'know for like paralysed people) so I can cycle on weekends when my knees are ****ed?

Good man......think of it as a "memory maker".....

Holyboy

del88 wrote: »

Good man......think of it as a "memory maker".....

I think you mean good woman:D

Any way back OT, the LHT is a fantastic bike and I really hope it will help solve the OPs knee problems to some extent BUT I don't think she should pin all her hopes on "a bike fit" IMHO they are a farce, I know lots of people will say a proper bike fit solved their problems but I put that down to blind luck!

There are a couple of set rules for a proper fit but after that it's down to the person them selves, how can any one else tell you how to ride your own bike?!

@jameverywhere if I were you I would save my money on a one off bike fit and try to find someone who will spend a bit of time over a few weeks tweaking things as problems arise to get YOU comfortable on YOUR new bike, sitting on a turbo trainer while someone holds a plumb bob at your leg seems bizarre to me!!

But hey, I could be wrong.

Lumen

I think the fact that you're considering a handcycle shows that you've entered the injury-induced-insanity phase.

There's loads of good advice in this thread. Don't obsess over the new bike purchase too much, this isn't an equipment problem.

What exercises has your physio prescribed? How often are you doing them?

smacl

@Jameverywhere, just noticed the WW200 crew are organising a talk on Wednesday 7:30pm in Tallaght on cycling and injury prevention that may be of interest. Or not.

I haven't had a bike fit myself but have spent quite a bit of time on the turbo optimizing my position and set-up for comfort, and rate the turbo as a great piece of kit in this regard. No plumb line, but plenty of seemingly tiny tweaks to the saddle height and angle, bars, etc... Outside of that, I reckon the biggest factor for me in avoiding knee and back pain is spinning lower gears at higher cadences, and until I started measuring my cadence I didn't realise how wrong I was getting this.

nak

Just wondering if 46/47cm frame might be too small? I'm 5ft3 and a bit and ride a 49/50 (I know it depends on the bike).

For sports massage if you can get to Kimmage, I highly recommend Patrizia (link in previous post), she's the only person I've been to who properly works on my ITB and the glutes (some massage therapists seem a bit shy about that area). It hurts, but really helps and she is a cyclist. Went to Aidan Woods too for my physio, worked my ass off and progressed to power lifting. I only had a couple of months before my holiday and was able to get rid of the ITB issues.

Planet X

del88 wrote: »

Planet X wrote: »

Is that the 2012 "Disc" LHT?

No....2012 standard.....

2012 Disc LHT €1600.

jameverywhere

let's see, the physio has me doing squats, lunges, strengthening of the inner knee tendon thing, two different glutes exercises, and some stretches including the foam roller on ITB. I'm supposed to be doing two sets each every day, but often only do about half of them each day for various reasons, and if my legs are really sore I don't do any of 'em.

I use the man at Baggot Street (Dublin Physio) because it's right down the street from my work, so I can do appointments at half eight or half five before/after work straightaway. He's a really nice guy so. I have to admit I don't have tons of faith in doctors because of problems I've had with 'em in the past, etc etc. idk.

my hamstrings hurt sometimes, isn't that a bike fit problem?

anyway I'm not paying for a one-off bike fit. I'm finally biting the bullet and buying my dream bike that I already set aside money for. they'll fit me to the bike when I buy it and apparently it's two free years of servicing, so I'm sure I can come in and out to get help tweaking things if it doesn't feel right after a while. shhh don't start telling me it isn't at least partially the bike because this is my excuse to buy the one I always wanted

seriously, though. I think bike fit is the biggest issue to sort out first before looking at other things because first thing, my current bike is too big for me. if it had a gents' crossbar I wouldn't be able to straddle it, but I never noticed this because it is a ladies' frame. second, I have strange anatomy in my knees, pointed out by the physio. that is, my kneecap doesn't connect to my muscles at the usual angle. so I can easily see how show inserts or a specific angle of cleat or something could help adjust my knees properly. physio pretty much said I was genetically predisposed to have crap knees, like. sigh.

third, I'm pretty sure all this started when I first bought my shoes and was clueless how the cleats should fit, so I didn't change them from what the store had, and cycled 40km plus Howth Head pigeon-toed... finally bringing to light the muscle imbalance I'd formed by walking duck-footed my whole life.