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Everything else above - i agree with. Whilst I respect all the information about backs and the consequences and I didnt have this problems the line above about your bike fit is exactly the opposite of what you should be doing. But No 5 above. please don't do this. Pay attention to your bike fit and get it done regularly, as it changes and your body changes with age. And get professional help. Not your eye and some googling and assumptions as to what worked in the past is good for you now.... How do i know? I assumed exactly this as well. I have over 25 years on bikes so should know what fits me from experience. Turns out that was completely wrong. I assumed like you did that as i had been on the bike a long time and had a little pain it was just age and sagging core muscles. I was also 57 at the time. I was sore in shoulders, lower back and neck after a ride but hey i am old etc etc. Comes with the territory and age. Suck it up. the fit was good as it was what i always used. Hmm After long and arduous conversations with @Eldron on this topic I went to see Richard Baxter for a full fit. The very next ride post my fit and using the new setup and all the changes (saddle, bars, stem, shoes) both my VO2 max and FTP increased as measured on the bike computer and no change in my training. I was also comfortable in the saddle for longer periods and had no neck/lower back issues. This was just from a setup. I related this on the hub at the time. So not only was I more comfortable and therefore able to ride longer but also faster. Best money I ever spent. Unless you're are a genetic throwback , our body changes over time mostly for the worse and your flexibility and strength reduce, hence my line that you shouldn't have a setup based on Tadej Pogacar if you are 57. I now sit a lot more upright, i have a lot wider bars and also have pedal extensions as i am built like a prop. I need a wide Q factor. Added to this Lake shoes for my wide flat feet - there were so many changes but all for the better. PLease don't assume you are able to get your bike fit right and if you are uncomfortable go to the professionals and get it done properly. FWIW i am not a fan of Specialized BG fits - they always seem wrong to me so make sure you share what you are looking for. #justsaying. As a final proof point i got my old Colnago C40 back from my nephew recently after he had borrowed it for some time. This is the bike I raced seriously (for me) on and was at my fastest on in all my results. My go to race bike for 10 years. It's a really stiff carbon race bike and I did thousands of kilos on it, most of them when i was lean and fit and fast. When I got it back a couple of weeks ago I took it for a short run and with the seating position it is set up for which is the one i used for all this racing, i doubt i would be able to go 50 kms without being in serious pain. This is the bike that felt like home for years. I can hardly ride it. PLease get a proper fit done.....

Like "many" cyclists I have never had a professional bike fit. On my part mostly due to being stingy if I am being honest but GCN telling me I can do it on my own didn't help either. I have been riding for 2 years now in the same position with no issues, but at the back of my mind, I was flirting with the idea of getting one. I always felt that I was leaving some power and comfort on the table and felt a bike fit would help in this regard. After suffering an injury (off the bike) and getting a professional assessment by a Biokineticist I am now rehabbing what he called patellar chondromalacia. This has led me to accept that I desperately need a bike fit. I have narrowed my bike fit options to Richard Baxter, Cycle Fit and North Cliff Cycles. Which brings me to the point of this thread. Is a bike fitter enough or should I also consult with a podiatrist? I have extremely flat feet, knocked knees and duck "feet" the trifactor of bad posture. On top of that, I was once told that I have a leg length discrepancy, extremely tight hamstrings.

Richard Baxter did my fit many moons ago, could feel the change and also helped that someone just looked at my pedaling style and gave some tips. If you spend R1.5k and it doesn't work for you or you're doing everything right, it is not a massive waste (money/value/everything is relative).

Go and see Richard Baxter and do it properly the first time : https://forum.bikehub.co.za/search/?&q=Baxter&search_and_or=and

Richard baxter, I think he operates from Linden cycles during the week. He is on instagram as BIKEFITGUY

Richard Baxter

This will sound weird but I've never had one before. Never felt like I needed one as I never had pain or discomfort on the bike. On the new bike I had some hand pain and elbow discomfort. Rolling the bars forward sorted that out 100%. Just the damn feet man. But as you say... the older we get. I booked a session with Richard Baxter for next week. Throwing money at the problem will make it go away.

I was looking at this string and about to comment and I saw Eldron on here and smiled. Whilst i certainly don't have your list of injuries I also didn't believe that a proper bike fit would solve the issues. I even argued back quite a bit when he gave the above advice as i was in the same frame of mind. 57, not a small lad, been on bikes for 25 years plus and kind of just decided that HTFU was what was needed. You can go and find the string here on the hub. Anyway I went to Richard Baxter locally. The changes to my riding and comfort were material. In many aspects. Comfort was improved, endurance therefore better and some others which i am not sure i should get in to the details (VO2 and FTP). I also am built like a rugby prop so a Q factor of a Bianchi that Pantani rode also leads to me pushing off the edge of the pedals. I. had used spacers but nothing like the ones i now ride with. I cant comment on the injuries that you have and how they influence things but i can comment on the bike fit piece and the attitude of "I am getting old so HTFU as its just a bit of pain etc". That was what changed. I can say that it was eye opening and i constantly wished i had done it a lot earlier. Disclaimer No1 is is that this isn't a cheap exercise t cheap and that if your setup is wrong it may involve costly new bits like bars, saddles and stems. But if you look at how much time you spend on the bike and new groupos, tyres etc, what's the point of not getting yourself comfortable on it and properly sorted. It's a very good use of your money.

Me as well I eventually had three sets of pedal spacers machined from a set I got from @Richard Baxter at a bike fitting. I have the same problem. I am now using 20 mm extenders on all my bikes. If you are built like a prop forward why do they think the same Q factor that fits Pantani will apply to you? I first saw this on my Garmin Vector pedals which has platform centre offset measurements on it and it shows i am pushing off the side of the pedal rather than on the centre line. There are alos extra spindle length Shimano Ultegra pedals ( have a set) but when i changed to the garmins they don't have the same extra spindle length. I suppose you could get a set machined but spacers work as well. Also try Lake shoes if you have big feet - recommended.

Richard Baxter http://richardbaxter.co.za/ Cyclefit https://www.cyclefit.co.za/

Stolen: Specialized Epic 2018 When: 23/10/2021Where: , Rynfield, Benoni, GautengQuarq power meter - 170 cranks these are not common - also spacers between the time pedals fitted by Richard Baxter - sram 1 x electronic gears Shimano top end trigger brakes Roval wheels back decals not mint only front hoops have ROVAL decals but back rim is simply black also ROVAL - my original carbon seat post and carbon swat the thieves left behind the post is aluminium as I was letting my girlfriend use this they stole this off the kicker wahoo mount on handle barsGet further details about the incident in the Stolen Bikes section.

Okay so had a bike fit done by Richard Baxter on wednesday at Dunkeld. I was a bit worried as i am riding CTCT this weekend so wasn't sure but WTH if it fixes shoulder and back pain then its worth it and he came highly recommended off this string. So far the changes have been great. Seat height wasn't an issue but saddle width and softness was and i was too far forward, also cleat location and Q Factor which i will discuss below. So just FYI being on the downhill slope to 58, 105 kgs (should be about 90) and have been riding for about 25 years so have some Kms under my belt. However the bars were too narrow (41 cm bars shipped on a large Roubaix - they were Specialized standard bars - not sure why they used such narrow bars as standard). Tick - new wider bars. Stem up a bit and aligned with Saddle height. Softer and wider saddle. tick. Pressure removed from seat area and then also off hands by raising bars. The big change was where i had always struggled and found no answers. So i have always had hassles with getting wide enough Q factor for my stance. Richard looked at it and added 20mm spacers on to my pedal axles. this was radical compared to the 2 mm spacers i had in there. I also showed him how on the PCO measurements on the Garmin software i pedal 25 mm off the outside of the pedals and also have a problem with shoes etc (always have). So 20 mm was huge - i didnt even know if you could do it or should but i have for example got extra axle length Shimano pedals but when i went to the Garmin Vector pedals i couldnt get so was using small spacers. So feedback after 3 x rides (2 x indoor and about 50 km yesterday ) has been interesting. Definitely my back and shoulders are much less painful as i am much less hunched over so that seems to have fixed the primary problem. However i am also pedalling down directly and even though the PCO is still high i am able to correct it much better. Next step would be a set of wide platform Lake road shoes but i am not changing that prior to the race on Sunday. The crazy thing is now i feel like i can put more power down and therefore it seems like my HR is lower but the most bizarre thing on my training data is that my VO2 max has shot up, coincidentally since July when i had my first vaccine. By a lot. Since mid July from 42 to 48 yesterday and it went from 45 to 48 yesterday and has been consistently increasing. I don't know if its related i.e. i am more efficient in the pedal stroke so HR is lower but i would be interested in the observations of others. My only major change hasnt really been an increase in training (up a little) but why would your VO2 max go up by 20% and then after the vaccine. Given its the highest its been in 10 years i cant really attribute it to much and i cant see what else i changed. Had a vaccine and got a setup. Something is different. So HR at a given power is lower. I suppose i need to do an FTP test to prove it but Gramin told me about a month ago when i started to ramp up training that my FTP was down about 10 watts from 230 to 220. Would be keen to hear theories. But overall much happier, this was a great outcome and i am glad i questioned you guys as i assumed my discomfort was par for the course related to become and old fart and not having enough core strength and too heavy so just live with it. Notch one up to the hub gurus. Oh and i posted many times on Q factor and no one replied so i thought i was unique but it turns out that its a pretty common problem and that pedal extensions should be used a lot more. I used to crush the sides of my feet after a long race so badly i often couldnt walk for days.

Doug, Have you had a proper bike fit done? Maybe go see Richard Baxter at Dunkeld Cycles. Makes a very big difference. Otherwise, as suggested, a good coach can help. And commitment and patience. Depending upon your genetics, it can take some time.

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!

Richard Baxter is phenomenal. Does bike fits at Mellovelo so close enough for you. I've been riding competitively for 15 years plus and thought I knew my stuff setting up all my own bikes. I eventually started getting neck and shoulder pain. Went for a fit and basically all but the saddle height contact points shifted plenty. At first I felt to compact compared to my self setup. Took a few km to get used to it. I then found I could put more power down and it felt less strained. Funny I chose to go against advice and kept the bars high as it was my demo bike and needed to be able to offer customers options. I still had some neck and shoulder issues. My new bike arrived(same frame, custom paint job) and I followed Richard's advice and actually slammed the stem. Guess what, no more neck and shoulder pain! Get a professional bike fit it's the best money you can spend. Period. There is no need for pain on bikes under any circumstances.

what you should have been asking then is "where can I go for a bike fit" I use Richard Baxter, The Bike Fit Gut (thats his company name), he operates out of a few bike shops, so check out his site and pick a location close to you.

I definitely recommend using Richard Baxter @bikefitguy

Went for a bike fit with Richard Baxter in JHB. Complete eye opener in terms of what I always thought looked at felt right. I feel completely different and a lot more comfortable on the bike. definitely the most confident I’ve felt with the least money spent. What part can you buy for R900 that makes you comfortable and confident on a bike? Looking forward to the weekend!

This thread got me off my butt to book my long overdue follow up with Richard Baxter

Search the Hub, this question is asked regularly, and more often that not one name comes up . Richard Baxter He is not a "guy at Spez". He is not a bike shop employee doing set-ups part time, he is not some Suzelle DIY with a website and a calculator, he does not sell or service bicycles, all he does is professionally fit cyclists to their bicycles, and he does it very, very well. It is no surprise that his name comes up every time someone has a bike fit issue. He is experienced, meticulous, and truly professional. He has earned his kudos. He has two studios, one at Dunkeld Cycles and one in the Fourways area and there is a reason why Cape based Epic frontrunners come up for him to do their set-ups. Call him on 078 295 5037 and go and see him. He will sort you out.

Getting the Richard Baxter treatment

Richard Baxter working out of Dunkeld Cycles.

Richard Baxter

Richard Baxter at Dunkeld Cycles

Richard Baxter the "Bike Fit GuY" has imported some 10mm extenders. He installed them on my wife's bike when she had a bike fit done with him. Quality product. Maybe contact him?