Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie
Hi all,
Vanilla are planning an update to the site on April 24th (next Wednesday). It is a major PHP8 update which is expected to boost performance across the site. The site will be down from 7pm and it is expected to take about an hour to complete. We appreciate your patience during the update.
Thanks all.

Desperately need help to get comfortable on the bike

Options
245

Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 716 ✭✭✭gaffmaster


    Yep. As I mentioned previously, and I agree with the previous two posts. Stabalize the feet and lower the saddle.

    Considering the OP has tried lots of different saddles, it's unlikely that the saddle is the main issue.


  • Registered Users Posts: 7,207 ✭✭✭CantGetNoSleep


    I'm no bike fitter but in my experience given the level of discomfort involved, changing bib shorts for will make no difference at all and changing saddle unlikely to do so either.

    I find good bib shorts make a difference if I want to be as comfortable on a 5 hour ride as I am on a 2.5 hour one


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,442 ✭✭✭TheBlaaMan


    It's not clear if the issue is due to abrasion/rubbing, or to pressure? If the latter then I wouldn't exclude a medical cause as you seem to have eliminated - or have a sense of - a lot of the more 'obvious' potential causes . Medical advice is strictly off limits here but perhaps have a chat with your GP about perineal nodular induration (PNI) "also known as biker's nodule, cyclist's nodule, ischiatic hygroma, third testicle, or an accessory testicle is a benign pseudotumour that presents most commonly in avid male cyclists with repetitive perineal microtrauma" . I think this tends to occur on one, rather than both sides.

    I have a ...ahem, friend.....who is developing such an issue and 4 hour spins are becoming a pain in the arse.


  • Registered Users Posts: 728 ✭✭✭D13exile


    I appreciate all the advice and the offers of saddles to try out. I’m at a crossroads as to what to do now. I’ve placed my faith in my bike fitter since I started cycling 6 years ago as he was recommended on here when I asked for advice back then for the noob cyclist I was. However perhaps my long-standing faith in him has been misplaced? During that 6 years, while my average speed has gone from 23kph to 35kph (on a good day/32kph on a bad day), I’ve never ever gotten comfortable on the bike. Always had a numb ass at best up to a severely sore and painful one. I’ve also suffered from numb hands no matter what riding position I choose or how much I move my hands around. Up to recently, I thought this was just “part and parcel” of doing what is an unnatural exercise for the human anatomy. But from speaking to other cyclists and looking at posts on this forum, I shouldn’t be suffering this much! I accept I should be tired after a spin but not aching.

    I spoke to my bike fitter yesterday and told him the adjustments to my bike had left me worse off. I’m returning to him next Monday to change the saddle again. If that doesn’t work, I’ll have to try elsewhere for a bike fit as I’m not a masochist and I can’t keep forcing myself to go out on the bike knowing it’s going to hurt.

    I also ordered new, and the most expensive bibs I’ve ever bought, one Assos and one Castelli to see if they make a difference.

    So one final question for you all, where do you go for your bike fits? I live in Kildare and so somewhere in the Greater Dublin region would suit, once local lockdown is lifted.

    Oh and I really appreciate all the advice to date. One of many reasons I love cycling as perfect strangers are always willing to help out. Thanks guys.


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,629 ✭✭✭Wildly Boaring


    Numb hands would again scream bike fit issue to me.

    Again no expert
    My experience

    Numb hands means reaching too far and/or saddle too high.

    Saddle too high, you sit too far forward on saddle to compensate. (can get your leg further over pedal and make pedal closer). Throws weight forward = numb hands supporting too much weight and sore bum.

    Long stem means throwing weight forward to reach and numb hands. Could then mean chasing your hands forward and poor seating position??

    If you're too forward on the saddle your "sit bones" aren't where they should be and all weight down through the middle (gooch)


  • Advertisement
  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 15,707 Mod ✭✭✭✭smacl


    D13exile wrote: »
    So one final question for you all, where do you go for your bike fits? I live in Kildare and so somewhere in the Greater Dublin region would suit, once local lockdown is lifted.

    Never had a bike fit as I find I can manage a comfortable setup to suit my needs based on various articles and videos I've read and seen. Once you note / photograph your current setup, nothing to stop you trying out a few changes yourself, such as a lower saddle, without involving a new bike fitter. There was a great article posted by doozerie on this forum a few years back which asserted that there is no such thing as a perfect bike fit. Rather there were optimal bike fits for comfort or performance for various distances, terrain and times in the saddle. At a guess, your setup is optimized for performance at the expense of comfort and needs to be tuned more for comfort.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,301 ✭✭✭John Hutton


    OP can you borrow a smaller bike with a more upright position and see if that makes a difference?


  • Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 24,445 Mod ✭✭✭✭CramCycle


    nak wrote: »
    I would have thought that lowering your bars would cause more pressure on your pelvis. The Specialized Mimic Power saddle might be worth a try, short nose and the cutout has been filled with a squidgy material to alleviate pressure. It's branded as a women's saddle but is also popular with men. Important to get the correct width and can take a bit of tweaking to the bike fit to get it right.

    +1 all of the issues described by the OP here sound like dropping the bar was a terrrible idea. If I was to make one change based solely on guesswork would be to raise the bars and possibly bring them back closer to you. Possibly drop the saddle or move it forward a bit. The OP wants comfort over speed and the bike fitter seems to be aiming to fit him for speed over comfort, which is fine over an hour or two but not 3 or 4 hours in the saddle, sounds like the fitter was trying to turn it into a TT bike fit.
    @ the OP, did you specify you wanted comfort not speed?


  • Registered Users Posts: 728 ✭✭✭D13exile


    CramCycle wrote: »
    +1 all of the issues described by the OP here sound like dropping the bar was a terrrible idea. If I was to make one change based solely on guesswork would be to raise the bars and possibly bring them back closer to you. Possibly drop the saddle or move it forward a bit. The OP wants comfort over speed and the bike fitter seems to be aiming to fit him for speed over comfort, which is fine over an hour or two but not 3 or 4 hours in the saddle, sounds like the fitter was trying to turn it into a TT bike fit.
    @ the OP, did you specify you wanted comfort not speed?

    I’m at a cross roads here and getting pretty frustrated tbh. This guy I’ve been going to since 2014 came highly recommended (through Boards) at the time. I’ve put my total faith in him. To be fair to him, after my first bike fit, he did solve the issues I’d been having with pains in my legs from an incorrect saddle height and reach. The latest refit saw him lower the bars by one spacer ring and tilting the saddle down at the front. I’ve always had numb hands issues but this has made them worse. Tilting the saddle has also caused me to slide forward. 90% of my cycling is done on the hoods with the remainder on the top of the bars. I never use the drops as I find my neck hurts. While I can maintain a good average speed, I’m no racer and a comfort fit is my preference over a racing fit. He knows this as I told him and so I don’t know why he’d set it up for racing? My bike has an endurance geometry and so should be tuned to the comfort style.

    Again, when I was a complete noob and asked for help with aches and pains, I was told a proper bike fit was the way to go. I had set the bike up initially myself using YouTube videos but I was suffering leg aches. The fitter moved the seat a few mms and solved these. I’d be worried that if I started tinkering around with it, I’d cause myself more issues.

    I need to get the right saddle first and foremost. Then it has to be set up right which is the hard part. I’ve another appointment with him next week to give him back the chamber of horrors saddle he put on. He said he’ll fit a narrower version of my original selle Italian saddle as the next step. I’m in two minds whether to agree to that or just to cut my losses and refit my old saddle (which made me numb but wasn’t as bad as the latest saddle).


  • Registered Users Posts: 8,211 ✭✭✭07Lapierre


    If your old saddle is better... use it. All saddles will make you numb, if its at the incorrect angle. Don't be afraid to make adjustments yourself. they key is to only make one change each time. Ride your bike a few times and see if that one change has made any difference. if it hasn't, put it back the way it was and try something else. Lets face it, at this point you've nothing to lose and everything to gain.


    Start with your older saddle. Fit it and make sure its level. That should be your starting point.


  • Advertisement
  • Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 24,445 Mod ✭✭✭✭CramCycle


    Just to be clear, it is hard to give any useful advice without seeing you on your bike, so please take anything I say with a pinch of salt. I am guessing what the issues may be but its impossible to say if I am speaking out of my arse with out seeing the whole picture.
    D13exile wrote: »
    The latest refit saw him lower the bars by one spacer ring and tilting the saddle down at the front. I’ve always had numb hands issues but this has made them worse. Tilting the saddle has also caused me to slide forward. 90% of my cycling is done on the hoods with the remainder on the top of the bars. I never use the drops as I find my neck hurts. While I can maintain a good average speed, I’m no racer and a comfort fit is my preference over a racing fit. He knows this as I told him and so I don’t know why he’d set it up for racing? My bike has an endurance geometry and so should be tuned to the comfort style.
    If you can't use the drops at the minute, there is either an issue with your flexibility or the bars are too low. It's not a good sign, either way, that he dropped the bars IMO. Particularly if you are getting numb hands as you are now putting more pressure on them. Also the saddle tilt thing, I am not sold on this as a good idea, particularly for comfort riding. As your noticing, your sliding forwards, this will lead to shoulder pain and neck issues on long rides eventually. I personally would have it level, and depending on what the sit issue is either move it forward a bit if possible (which will feel like its been lowered in many cases), it will mean you actually sit on your sit bones. If he was using sit bone software, it can easily tell a fitter what they want to hear, lowering your saddle and tilting it becomes the solution to everything if you just want to see less pressure on the saddle at those points.
    Again, when I was a complete noob and asked for help with aches and pains, I was told a proper bike fit was the way to go. I had set the bike up initially myself using YouTube videos but I was suffering leg aches. The fitter moved the seat a few mms and solved these. I’d be worried that if I started tinkering around with it, I’d cause myself more issues.
    I think its worth going back and if they are a decent business, this one should be on the house, even if its just ot move it back to where you were before
    I need to get the right saddle first and foremost.
    Some fizik dealers will loan you the fizik "trial saddles". Might be worth having a look. The easiest way though is to actually sit on your hands, move your fingers until the tips of your fingers are directly under the sit bones. Measure this distance and see does it fit with the saddle recommendation or your old one.
    Then it has to be set up right which is the hard part. I’ve another appointment with him next week to give him back the chamber of horrors saddle he put on. He said he’ll fit a narrower version of my original selle Italian saddle as the next step. I’m in two minds whether to agree to that or just to cut my losses and refit my old saddle (which made me numb but wasn’t as bad as the latest saddle).
    Refitting a saddle that didn't work in the first place isn't really the right answer either.

    Las question, is the way you sit on the bike during a fitting actually the way you sit on your bike when you are out for a ride?


  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 15,707 Mod ✭✭✭✭smacl


    Just one thing to add to the above, if you've been in pain from a recent ride (sounds dodgy!), take a few of days off the bike before trying a new setup. Quite possible you're undercarriage is slightly bruised and/or inflamed and any time on the bike is going to feel sore until it has had a chance to recover properly. There are plenty of people of your weight and build spending lots of time on the bike with no issues, so it is a problem that can in all likelihood be solved. If you're not already doing them, regular flexibility are core training will also help.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,275 ✭✭✭dave_o_brien


    6ft, 43inch chest, 94kg myself. Probably carrying a bit more fat than you, but hardly rolling in it. Very comfortable on the bike, though getting slower all the time.

    My opinion (and that's all it is) is that your primary issue is with the fit and the saddle and the bib-shorts are the final elements that will make your long spins all the more enjoyable. Relying on them to sort the issue is probably misplaces.

    There's an awful lot to unpack and understand about your specific set of problems. It sounds like you have suffered with discomfort in your seating position for a long time, coupled with numbness in the delicates, numbness in the hands and an inability to get comfortable in the drops. As others have said, it's really impossible to comment on why without seeing you on the bike and knowing your range of motion off it. It would be easy to speculate about issues with the size of the bike, length of stem, fore/aft issues and on and on and on... It's just unknowable without being able to see you and the rothar.

    The fact that you're engaging with a bike fitter is probably a good thing. It's unfortunate that this hasn't dealt with the issue already, but I'd engage with him/her (although I'm confident I read him already, so I'll go with that from now on) and explain that despite his help, you haven't gotten comfortable. Hopefully he can help, but I would get proactive yourself too. A person's "ideal position" changes with time and capacity.

    As someone above just said, if you've been experiencing pain that endures off the bike, the 1st thing I'd do is take a week of two off. Let your body recover. If you have a microtrauma and are just going to persist sitting on the bike without letting yourself recover, you may never find yourself comfortable due to repeatedly stressing the pre-existing trauma. You might, possibly, need to heal first.

    In my mind, I'd do the following in this order:

    1. Rest until no pain, swelling or discomfort anywhere remains.
    2. Work hard with lots of tweaking to find a better position.
    3. Experiment with saddles.
    4. Experiment with bib-shorts.
    5. Coffee.

    I hope you get sorted sooner rather than later.


  • Registered Users Posts: 716 ✭✭✭gaffmaster


    Lots of good advice coming in on this thread. I'd just add, don't be afraid to try a different fitter if you're not happy after your next visit.

    Assuming there's nothing medically wrong down there, a fitter with a different approach might be able sort your problems instantly. Some fitters stick to the rules of (for example) the Retul system, which isn't for everyone and is not a holistic approach.

    In terms of saddle choice, every fitter has their favourites. One fitter I've used insists Fizik are the worst brand out there and highly recommends Fabric. Another I've used doesn't like Fabric at all. You have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find your prince haha.


  • Registered Users Posts: 728 ✭✭✭D13exile


    07Lapierre wrote: »
    If your old saddle is better... use it. All saddles will make you numb, if its at the incorrect angle. Don't be afraid to make adjustments yourself. they key is to only make one change each time. Ride your bike a few times and see if that one change has made any difference. if it hasn't, put it back the way it was and try something else. Lets face it, at this point you've nothing to lose and everything to gain.


    Start with your older saddle. Fit it and make sure its level. That should be your starting point.

    My old saddle was a Selle Italia which was the best of the three I'd used up to recently. It still made me numb in the ass (but didn't crush the man bits like the new one does!!) and I'd still have to stand up and cycle for 30-60 seconds every ten minutes to get relief in the posterior area. That saddle was level but the fitter put a downward angle on the new one.
    CramCycle wrote: »
    Just to be clear, it is hard to give any useful advice without seeing you on your bike, so please take anything I say with a pinch of salt. I am guessing what the issues may be but its impossible to say if I am speaking out of my arse with out seeing the whole picture. If you can't use the drops at the minute, there is either an issue with your flexibility or the bars are too low. It's not a good sign, either way, that he dropped the bars IMO. Particularly if you are getting numb hands as you are now putting more pressure on them. Also the saddle tilt thing, I am not sold on this as a good idea, particularly for comfort riding. As your noticing, your sliding forwards, this will lead to shoulder pain and neck issues on long rides eventually. I personally would have it level, and depending on what the sit issue is either move it forward a bit if possible (which will feel like its been lowered in many cases), it will mean you actually sit on your sit bones. If he was using sit bone software, it can easily tell a fitter what they want to hear, lowering your saddle and tilting it becomes the solution to everything if you just want to see less pressure on the saddle at those points.

    I think its worth going back and if they are a decent business, this one should be on the house, even if its just ot move it back to where you were before

    Some fizik dealers will loan you the fizik "trial saddles". Might be worth having a look. The easiest way though is to actually sit on your hands, move your fingers until the tips of your fingers are directly under the sit bones. Measure this distance and see does it fit with the saddle recommendation or your old one.

    Refitting a saddle that didn't work in the first place isn't really the right answer either.

    Las question, is the way you sit on the bike during a fitting actually the way you sit on your bike when you are out for a ride?

    I'm pretty flexible for my age (51) and can touch my toes etc. I use a backballer (foam roller thingy) to work on the muscles groups to keep them loose. I find that if I try to use the drops, my knees are banging off my belly (which is pretty firm and little flab) and I soon get neck strain. When the fitter was looking at me on the bike last week, it was in my usual riding position of on the hoods.
    smacl wrote: »
    Just one thing to add to the above, if you've been in pain from a recent ride (sounds dodgy!), take a few of days off the bike before trying a new setup. Quite possible you're undercarriage is slightly bruised and/or inflamed and any time on the bike is going to feel sore until it has had a chance to recover properly. There are plenty of people of your weight and build spending lots of time on the bike with no issues, so it is a problem that can in all likelihood be solved. If you're not already doing them, regular flexibility are core training will also help.

    My last cycle was last Sunday and I've taken this week off to recover as I did feel I'd bruised something down there. After my next session with him (and possibly last!!) next Monday, I plan on going on a 50km ride to see if this new saddle works. If not, it's coming off and the old one going back on for a while until I decide what to do.
    6ft, 43inch chest, 94kg myself. Probably carrying a bit more fat than you, but hardly rolling in it. Very comfortable on the bike, though getting slower all the time.

    My opinion (and that's all it is) is that your primary issue is with the fit and the saddle and the bib-shorts are the final elements that will make your long spins all the more enjoyable. Relying on them to sort the issue is probably misplaces.

    There's an awful lot to unpack and understand about your specific set of problems. It sounds like you have suffered with discomfort in your seating position for a long time, coupled with numbness in the delicates, numbness in the hands and an inability to get comfortable in the drops. As others have said, it's really impossible to comment on why without seeing you on the bike and knowing your range of motion off it. It would be easy to speculate about issues with the size of the bike, length of stem, fore/aft issues and on and on and on... It's just unknowable without being able to see you and the rothar.

    The fact that you're engaging with a bike fitter is probably a good thing. It's unfortunate that this hasn't dealt with the issue already, but I'd engage with him/her (although I'm confident I read him already, so I'll go with that from now on) and explain that despite his help, you haven't gotten comfortable. Hopefully he can help, but I would get proactive yourself too. A person's "ideal position" changes with time and capacity.

    As someone above just said, if you've been experiencing pain that endures off the bike, the 1st thing I'd do is take a week of two off. Let your body recover. If you have a microtrauma and are just going to persist sitting on the bike without letting yourself recover, you may never find yourself comfortable due to repeatedly stressing the pre-existing trauma. You might, possibly, need to heal first.

    In my mind, I'd do the following in this order:

    1. Rest until no pain, swelling or discomfort anywhere remains.
    2. Work hard with lots of tweaking to find a better position.
    3. Experiment with saddles.
    4. Experiment with bib-shorts.
    5. Coffee.

    I hope you get sorted sooner rather than later.

    Thanks.

    To add to my earlier measurements, I'm five ten and my bike is a 56cm frame which I was told is my ideal size. I'm going to give this guy one last try to get me comfortable but then I'm cutting my losses. I'll either try another fitter or restrict my cycles to an hour which is about all I can manage before serious discomfort sets in. That will end my dream of doing the Ring of Kerry (longest I've done to date is a 140km).
    gaffmaster wrote: »
    Lots of good advice coming in on this thread. I'd just add, don't be afraid to try a different fitter if you're not happy after your next visit.

    Assuming there's nothing medically wrong down there, a fitter with a different approach might be able sort your problems instantly. Some fitters stick to the rules of (for example) the Retul system, which isn't for everyone and is not a holistic approach.

    In terms of saddle choice, every fitter has their favourites. One fitter I've used insists Fizik are the worst brand out there and highly recommends Fabric. Another I've used doesn't like Fabric at all. You have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find your prince haha.

    Trying a different fitter was the next option on my list. Apart from the guy I've been using, the only other one I've heard of is in north county Dublin and I believe he uses the Retul system.

    Thank you all again for the advice.


  • Registered Users Posts: 72 ✭✭YakerK


    I would echo the changing many things at once comments - the saddle may be the most likely culprit, but the other changes made could mean that it's not the main or sole reason for discomfort.

    I'd also discuss the actual frame with your fitter. I went to a fitter (whom from your description I think was the same one) a few years ago to deal with shoulder pain and wrist numbness which occurred after 100k or more rides - I did the Wicklow 200 and was in agony for the last 50k or so. He changed a few things, but made a slight passing comment on the bike itself, but didn't push that point.

    The changes he made definitely helped, but didn't solve the issue. Year or so later I upgraded the bike and set up myself broadly using the measurements he gave me. The bike was supposedly the same size, but the difference was unreal. I get no discomfort whatsoever on the new one. New frame did allow me to fit 28mm tires though, so that might be a bigger factor than the frame, but something worked!

    I think he was mainly working with what I had when I was with him, but looking back it's clear to me now that if I had asked the question differently and put new frame/other equipment on the table I would have gotten that issue solved even quicker.


  • Registered Users Posts: 728 ✭✭✭D13exile


    YakerK wrote: »
    I would echo the changing many things at once comments - the saddle may be the most likely culprit, but the other changes made could mean that it's not the main or sole reason for discomfort.

    I'd also discuss the actual frame with your fitter. I went to a fitter (whom from your description I think was the same one) a few years ago to deal with shoulder pain and wrist numbness which occurred after 100k or more rides - I did the Wicklow 200 and was in agony for the last 50k or so. He changed a few things, but made a slight passing comment on the bike itself, but didn't push that point.

    The changes he made definitely helped, but didn't solve the issue. Year or so later I upgraded the bike and set up myself broadly using the measurements he gave me. The bike was supposedly the same size, but the difference was unreal. I get no discomfort whatsoever on the new one. New frame did allow me to fit 28mm tires though, so that might be a bigger factor than the frame, but something worked!

    I think he was mainly working with what I had when I was with him, but looking back it's clear to me now that if I had asked the question differently and put new frame/other equipment on the table I would have gotten that issue solved even quicker.

    It's the same guy alright but he has done his best for me and loaned me this new saddle. Perhaps my bike is wrong for me and he's too polite to say that out straight as a new bike is an expensive option to cure a numb ass!! I was considering a change of tyre too as my old Conti 4000's are due for retirement. They're 700x25 (which I've heard are closer to 23) while the newer 5000 are truer to size.


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,539 ✭✭✭MojoMaker


    If your knees are touching your stomach when you're in the drops your bars are way too low and your saddle most likely not at the optimum height either - I can't imagine the position you have on the bike actually - that's crazy aggressive.

    I'm the same height as you and I ride a 52 and a 54. had a 56 on loan and it was awfully uncomfortable. Now sizing is not uniform between manufacturers so one man's 56 is another man's 52 so you're only really going to know by stack and reach measurement to be sure.

    I reckon you need to get much higher on the bike and you'll start to really enjoy a more upright position. At 51 and a non-elite athlete, it won't make a blind bit of difference to your performance and in fact a more comfortable position may allow you to push more watts through the pedals. Definitely won't be as mentally tired if you're not worrying about managing pain. No downside to that choice at all as far as I can see.


  • Registered Users Posts: 728 ✭✭✭D13exile


    MojoMaker wrote: »
    If your knees are touching your stomach when you're in the drops your bars are way too low and your saddle most likely not at the optimum height either - I can't imagine the position you have on the bike actually - that's crazy aggressive.

    I'm the same height as you and I ride a 52 and a 54. had a 56 on loan and it was awfully uncomfortable. Now sizing is not uniform between manufacturers so one man's 56 is another man's 52 so you're only really going to know by stack and reach measurement to be sure.

    I reckon you need to get much higher on the bike and you'll start to really enjoy a more upright position. At 51 and a non-elite athlete, it won't make a blind bit of difference to your performance and in fact a more comfortable position may allow you to push more watts through the pedals. Definitely won't be as mentally tired if you're not worrying about managing pain. No downside to that choice at all as far as I can see.

    My bike is a Trek and its a 56cm frame. I bought the bike in 2014 in Wheelworx in Lucan. They were in two minds whether I was a 54cm or 56cm frame size but as they had a 54cm in stock, I thought they were trying to push that one on me and it felt "cramped" when I took it for a test ride.

    I've never felt comfortable in the drops. I feel too low down, I can't breathe properly and like I said, my knees are up to my chest/belly. I can cycle just as fast if not faster on the hoods.

    The really frustrating thing about my cycling, and the point that you made so well, is that instead of concentrating on pushing harder and going faster, I spend most of my time thinking about how bloody uncomfortable I am. I can do 10-15km stretches at a constant 35kph but then I can see from my stats later where that falls off to 26kph when I get to the point that I'm so uncomfortable that I have to stand in the pedals for lengthy periods. After numerous visits to my fitter, I should be well tuned to the bike now, not getting bloody worse! Sorry but my frustration is creeping in here!


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,490 ✭✭✭hesker


    Can you post a photo of your bike. Would like to see the drop.


  • Advertisement
  • Posts: 0 [Deleted User]


    I know your bike is a 2014 one so I'm not sure if the sizing is the same as a more current Trek but 5'10 would be the very upper end before going to a 58. Trek seem odd for sizing in that I'd normally fall in around 50-52 in other brands but Trek would have me on a 54.


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,561 ✭✭✭Eamonnator


    D13exile wrote: »
    It's the same guy alright but he has done his best for me and loaned me this new saddle. Perhaps my bike is wrong for me and he's too polite to say that out straight as a new bike is an expensive option to cure a numb ass!! I was considering a change of tyre too as my old Conti 4000's are due for retirement. They're 700x25 (which I've heard are closer to 23) while the newer 5000 are truer to size.

    In my experience, Continental Grand Prix 4000s 700X25 tyre typically measure about 27mm. From memory, on a previous thread, this has been the experience of most other users.


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,539 ✭✭✭MojoMaker


    Yep, GP4Ks size up definitely, not a true 25mm.

    What model Trek out of interest?

    it's possible that the 54 felt cramped because the seatpost and stem were not the correct length for you. Generally it's much easier to get on with a smaller frame than a larger frame as there are ways to lengthen out the fit more easily than shortening the fit on a frame that's too big.

    A pic would help a lot, if the steerer hasn't been cut to match you may well be able to fire in some spacers to raise it all up a little. Also you can flip the stem to a higher positive angle - although it can look wrong to some - at least to test some additional variables and give you some new information.

    Your head must be wrecked on the bike these days - to say nothing of the poor ar$e!


  • Registered Users Posts: 728 ✭✭✭D13exile


    MojoMaker wrote: »
    Yep, GP4Ks size up definitely, not a true 25mm.

    What model Trek out of interest?

    it's possible that the 54 felt cramped because the seatpost and stem were not the correct length for you. Generally it's much easier to get on with a smaller frame than a larger frame as there are ways to lengthen out the fit more easily than shortening the fit on a frame that's too big.

    A pic would help a lot, if the steerer hasn't been cut to match you may well be able to fire in some spacers to raise it all up a little. Also you can flip the stem to a higher positive angle - although it can look wrong to some - at least to test some additional variables and give you some new information.

    Your head must be wrecked on the bike these days - to say nothing of the poor ar$e!

    The bike is a Trek Domane. The fitter did flip the stem when I had my first fit back in 2014. Its stay flipped but he lowered it by one spacer last week. So I think I'm actually "higher" than most cyclists due to the flipped stem but I still feel so "awkward" when I try to use the drops as in I feel too low down. I'll post up a pic of the bike in a minute


  • Registered Users Posts: 728 ✭✭✭D13exile


    Domane


  • Registered Users Posts: 728 ✭✭✭D13exile


    Seat


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,490 ✭✭✭hesker


    I would be levelling that saddle and moving the bars to the highest position.


  • Registered Users Posts: 16,630 ✭✭✭✭dahat


    Same advice here, level the saddle & raise the bars then give it a few days to settle in.


  • Registered Users Posts: 427 ✭✭Epitaph


    I know your bike is a 2014 one so I'm not sure if the sizing is the same as a more current Trek but 5'10 would be the very upper end before going to a 58. Trek seem odd for sizing in that I'd normally fall in around 50-52 in other brands but Trek would have me on a 54.

    OP, I would agree with this, my 2013 Crossrip is a 54 but I'm typically 52 on newer road bikes. I don't know how someone 5'10 could fit on a 54 Trek. Could you borrow larger frame bike 56/58 off a mate to try for a ride or two?


  • Advertisement
  • Registered Users Posts: 36,164 ✭✭✭✭ED E


    You can't use the drops on that?

    I think you need to try Yoga. One would understand if it were slammed af.


Advertisement