Eldron

It is amazing how things change..... In SA life is cheap and you tend to get a little hardened to crime/danger/death etc. Having lived in Copenhagen for a few years now I cannot fathom how 1 human being would treat another human being like that. It is beyond belief. My condolences to all who knew the riders...

You use a pelvis width measuring system of course ???? The manual version uses a gel pad that you sit on then you see how wide the imprint is and the digital version uses pressure mapping. I'd guess the manual version is available somewhere in SA. Lemme check.

I don't know of anyone in SA using the rig - mostly because I don't think it would make financial sense there. The hardware is eye wateringly expensive and bike fitting in SA is valued pretty poorly (plus earning Rands when you've bought a rig in Euros doesn't help!). I have asked the guys at Coolheat.... The Garmin data is good - certainly good enough to identify a problem. It might be worth trying to few width extenders to get the right fit as I don't think the Garmin data is good enough to get it mm perfect. Give the fitting a few more rides before final judgement - t takes some time for the muscles to adjust.

Height and pelvic width is not a fixed relationship. Generally yes but not specifically. Each pelvis is unique ????

Why would you use BMI? It has only a vague relationship with pelvic width. Skeletal pelvic width is the correct measurement for Q factor recommendation.

The increased efficiency and power delivery is pretty common for a bike fit - I'd guess 60% of my customers report improved efficiency/lower heart rates/improved FTP (whatever you want to call it). It is one of the reasons I don't understand why everyone isn't at my door trying to get a bike fit ????That new carbon bar will cost you way more and improve your cycling way less! Rant over. Q factor is an interesting one - I only really change Q factor using extenders on my customers with really wide pelvic structures. Any ideas what your width is? The reason I ask is that ankle and leg structure can affect stance not just pelvic width. I use Shimano/Bikefitting.com's Pedal Analysis hardware and software to measure stance (see pic attached). It uses 2 x 3D power meters in a special pedalling rig. It is (in my opinion) the industry standard for stance measurement. I have had success with both cleat placement/wedging and extenders/spacing to solve stance issues. Either way I'm really pleased you're happy now. Preach the gospel to other and get everyone happier and faster on their bikes ????

Wow. What a race. I'm exhausted!

Gert Fouche.

I wouldn't think so. In a TT or normal road stage the team car is right behind so the change is pretty quick. The narrow roads and chaos at PR makes a planned change almost impossible (and the longest cobbled section is only 3.7km).

The geometry is too slack for high speed road racing. A cyclocross bike would probably be better than a gravel bike but not as good as a modified road bike. The vast majority of the course is still tarmac (around 50kmm of cobbles in 257km of racing).

Become one with the cobbles!

Great that they've sorted you out. Let us know what they did and how it feels after your next 5 hour ride.

BB formats are a nightmare - kinda like boy bands - there is a new one every week. There are multiple formats for both road and mtb depending on frame dimensions and crank combination. Basically you get threaded BBs and Press Fit BBs then a few widths and diameter options for each then you have to match your choice to the crank spindle diameter (and for some added fun some cranks are different diameters on each side). It's like bobbing for apples with your eyes closed and a gum guard in. Can we just agree that T47 will be the only format forever please...

Thehub alerted me to the fact that this little gem existed! https://www.rapide.co.za/product/rapide-eccentrick-bb/ I haven't got round to buying one yet but if it works like it says then GAME CHANGER!

Have you seen the Shimano setup in Valkenburg?

Hahaha there is always a bigger dog in town. Is that your set up in SA or Europe?

In all my dealings with SA fitters and related people in the cycle industry I've only heard good things about Richard Baxter. A fine choice ???? Please give us some feedback when you're done!

Her father is pretty good at riding a bike (and commentating) too!

Looking at the OP's set up - it is way more conservative than even my "beginner" set up (and the bikefitting.com system is already known as quite a conservative set up) . 18mm drop and 415mm reach are both really conservative - without knowing body dimensions and flexibility/age I would probably lengthen him out a bit to create a more evenly curved back. I'm pretty sure he is crunching his cervical spine and/or hunching his shoulders and locking his arms which is causing the pain* *this is a complete stab in the dark - I haven't even met the guy or seen the guy on a bike. In other news - measuring saddle set back to the point of the saddle is not useful. Saddles have changed shape dramatically over the last 5 years and the variation in length makes this way of measuring too inconsistent** **that said it is a good way of recording the customer's bike position. It shouldn't be used for pelvic location. Edit: The saddle set back of the OP also looks too short...and out of the UCI legal limit. My updated recommendation is move the saddle back to shift the balance of weight to the rear of the bike. This will take some weight off the hands (reducing neck, shoulder and arm stress). That will correct the cramped neck too (if that is an issue). My post is a fine example of why bikefitting is so complicated and individual (and arm chair experting is impossible ???? )

While I'm flexing here is a pic of my fitting room....

I use www.bikefitting.com hardware and software (as well as tons of supportive equipment). Within the ROAD setup of the software there are 4 presets for position ranging from COMFORT to PRO. Depending on your flexibility, conditioning, body geometry etc I would use one of these as a base (as an example I use SPORT for my Gran Fondo riders). From there I would make adjustments based on videos of you pedalling on various pieces of equipment I have. If I had to chose just one dimension to solve back/neck pain it would be saddle-bar drop and length. If everything is average (flex, body etc) at your age I'd recommend a drop of less than 75mm. There are probably 8 factors influencing neck/back pain in total though and it could be any one of those (or a combination).

If you're used to riding 2.5 hours then 4.5 should be a little less pleasant but not painful. If you're hurting something is wrong. You're welcome to pop into my store and I'll happily show you how ????

So I belong to a Facebook group called "The funny side of bike mechanics" who post weird and wonderful mechanic's experiences.... Most are only worth a quick giggle but this one deserves to be reposted here on thehub. Holy sheebles this is sheer evil genius - I hope the rider is heavily insured!

Throw a Girvin stem of death and some Spesh Bar Phat on that thing and you won't feel any bumps at all ????

Here is a fun article to stir the pot a little: https://www.cyclist.co.uk/news/10128/2022-bmc-urs-lt-gravel-bike?fbclid=IwAR2O2gQ-5Eln9sqJO4h-phzX0iOPPMraznpMmm_aLKB8qpYvp9wlEj1rWVE Have BMC heard of the Niner MCR RDO???? There is no line between MTB and Gravel bike any more - just a grey area where opinion decides what it is ????