Is a Bike Fitter Enough?

[ChrisF]

58 minutes ago, The Ouzo said:

Dropped saddle height

changed angle of saddle

move saddle backwards.

 

makes sense. The only thing to have changed (setup wise) on the bike since my last visit to him was the saddle.

Even though I had spent alot of time trying to get it as close as possible to how the old one was, I did not get it just right. 

 

Going from Ryder to SellaItalia the rail to top of saddle height was significantly different.

 

Drop the saddle to get the height right, and the saddle had to move back to get the same distance to the bars ....  Even the setback needs to understand the way the saddle curves to the back.

 

Seems easy enough .... but man ooo man, easy to start chasing your tail .....

 

 

And once you know your fitter, these tweak sessions are typically not that expensive.

[The Ouzo]

1 hour ago, SwissVan said:

“just came back”……. Jinna boeta its still early days.

I’ve been trying to find a comfortable saddle since 1989, a few “professional” bike fits and a few online connections…. I still live in hope 🙏

I've also just re-read your post. This discomfort i was feeling on the bike was not on my ass, it was in my neck and shoulders and to small degree my hands. (I was placing to much weight on my hands)

The fabirc scoop saddle I have on there works for me, with my ass shape and bib shorts. It did take a while to dial it in, so hopefully the changes dont introduce discomfort on longer riders now.

[The Ouzo]

3 minutes ago, ChrisF said:

Seems easy enough .... but man ooo man, easy to start chasing your tail ...

add a non standard length saddle into the mix as well as going from a flat saddle to a scooped saddle and you have all sorts of best guesses to deal with.

[Wyatt Earp]

1 hour ago, The Ouzo said:

Dropped saddle height

changed angle of saddle

move saddle backwards.

 

makes sense. The only thing to have changed (setup wise) on the bike since my last visit to him was the saddle.

Even though I had spent alot of time trying to get it as close as possible to how the old one was, I did not get it just right. 

Strange question, but is your weight the same it was since the last setup ?

[The Ouzo]

9 minutes ago, Wyatt Earp said:

Strange question, but is your weight the same it was since the last setup ?

+/- 1kg difference Up or down. Its about 2 years since I've been to him last but my weight stays pretty constant.

[Wyatt Earp]

1 hour ago, The Ouzo said:

+/- 1kg difference Up or down. Its about 2 years since I've been to him last but my weight stays pretty constant.

Weight change has an effect on saddle height.

[The Ouzo]

52 minutes ago, Wyatt Earp said:

Weight change has an effect on saddle height.

Are you calling me fat 😂

saddle height change is because the new saddle is a different height from its rails than the old one. 

[Wyatt Earp]

14 minutes ago, The Ouzo said:

Are you calling me fat 😂

saddle height change is because the new saddle is a different height from its rails than the old one. 

What do I know 🤷🏻‍♂️

[DieselnDust]

15 hours ago, Wyatt Earp said:

Weight change has an effect on saddle height.

overall flexibility too and these can be linked

[The Ouzo]

28 minutes ago, DieselnDust said:

overall flexibility too and these can be linked

and core strength

[DieselnDust]

1 hour ago, The Ouzo said:

and core strength

I find to a degree yes. More related to how far you can slam the stem and still produce power vs time. Studies I’ve read do indicate a benefit overall but it’s not as big a benefit as we think 

[The Ouzo]

1 hour ago, DieselnDust said:

I find to a degree yes. More related to how far you can slam the stem and still produce power vs time. Studies I’ve read do indicate a benefit overall but it’s not as big a benefit as we think 

I guess it depends on how weak your core was to begin with.

Its been about a year since I started doing core work a couple of times a week, nothing hectic, but enough to notice the increase in core strength which has translated to being able to get a little more aero on the bike for longer periods.

But my core has come from a very weak starting point.

[Wyatt Earp]

3 hours ago, DieselnDust said:

overall flexibility too and these can be linked

 

[The Ouzo]

3 minutes ago, Wyatt Earp said:

 

agreed.

but when I was younger I could get away with it, I'm knocking on the door of 50 so need all the help I can get. Hence why I started doing core exercises a year ago, but they wont help on their own if the bike setup is not right. (and visa versa). Not at my age anyway.

[betaboy]

On 8/14/2023 at 1:15 PM, SwissVan said:

“just came back”……. Jinna boeta its still early days.

I’ve been trying to find a comfortable saddle since 1989, a few “professional” bike fits and a few online connections…. I still live in hope 🙏

TurboMatic not good enough? Even back in the day…🤔

[Ncayi]

Seeing that this is linked to my bike fit story I thought let me just ask it here instead of creating another thread. 

I need some easier gears for the numerous climbs I have to do. I currently have a 52-36 chain ring and a 11-28 cassette. I want to increase my average cadence from 78-83 to 85-90 rpm which I used to manage with 50-34. 

• Would I be best served changing just the chaininrings or is it worth it to change to 11-30 cassette as well?
• If I slap on a 50-34 and 11-30 will I be sacrificing too much speed on the flat? Not a deal breaker but I still want to be able to keep up with the bunch on flat terrain.

I tried to figure it out but the tables below didn't really make too much sense to me. 

Thanks

Edited August 24, 2023 by Ncayi