bike meltdown - what would you do (Page 2)

Yes I'm fully aware that a Trek 50 does not equal a Felt 50 != Specialized 50 != Cervelo 50 !=Guru 50  etc etc etc

Oh this all sounds so familiar.

I can tell you what I DID because I could have wrote this same post several years ago.

This may not be you but in my case when I bought my first road bike I thought I would now be able to go out and ride for miles and miles with no problem. I had been riding a hybrid for 7 years and could go 20 miles on that old thing so I figured I already had bike fitness. Well it did not work out that way for me. I built up to 30 miles that first summer, bought my bike in April, but it was not easy. I had tingling hands, an aching sit bone and lower back, fatigue in my legs all the time. I had a terrible time trying to keep up with my friends. I took my bike back the shop for fit adjustments, bought a different saddle, put aero bars on it to help my hands. I paid big bucks for an different fit over an hour away. Sound familiar?

Guess what, I didn't have bike fitness, That is all. Time in the saddle FOR ME did not come in 4 or 5 or 6 months. It took years to build.

Now, like you, I blamed the bike. I never loved that bike. I was on a budget so it was an entry level bike. The gears were not smooth, the chain dropped a lot, it sucked the life out of me going uphill. I bought a tri bike. I love the tri bike which means I ride it more which means I have developed better bike fitness. I no longer struggle to keep up with my friends on group rides.

Just this year I sold that first road bike to a friend thinking I would be satisfied with the tri bike all year but again I was wrong. So this fall I shopped around and purchased a different used road bike and I think I've got something that fits the criteria I was frustrated with in the old road bike. It is older but better components and a very smooth ride.

You know I don't regret any of those decisions. It was a learning process and I just had to figure it out. And some of it I didn't figure out until years later. But one thing I know, if you don't love the bike you won't ride as much and you can't build your bike fitness if your not riding the bike. In may case - it was "worth it" to me to try to do everything I possibly could with the bike I already had but in the end it still didn't work out with that bike.

Good luck!

Ohhh, didn't see this post before I replied. Guess what kind of bike my first roadie was that I was never happy with?

No, I was talking about cassette, compact crank, etc.   They make no difference in fit.

Oh I totally agree. Just like the OP I never felt like the fit was right on that bike. I don't know what it was but I really tried. I posted pics here more than once, went back to the original shop multiple times, paid for the expensive fit and went back there for follow ups. The problems I described in my first few months did not last for the duration of me owning that bike, most of them were taken care of with time in the saddle. But I was not expecting all of that for a break in period and I was not expecting the break in period to take so long!

I actually ended up loving that saddle strangely enough. Way back then I bought a new saddle, road 10 miles in it then put the original saddle back on. In fact I wound up liking it so much that I actually moved it to my tri bike and then bought the same one to replace the saddle on my recently purchased used road bike. The components, yes, I wish I would have known more about that back when I originally purchased but there was a lot of sticker shock for me at that time and I really did not know what I was doing AT ALL.  And my first race was in 2 weeks but you didn't hear me say that right?

My recently purchased used road bike has campy components and a steel frame. The bike is 10 years old but my ride comfort has improved dramatically. It is fun to ride.

Jason, I've used the 2012 Tiagra 12-30. I had it on a spare wheel that I use on the trainer and swapped out cassettes for a hilly century ride a few months ago (you were right that I would be happy to have that extra gear).  I have a 2006 road bike that came with 105 12-27.   I wouldn't call it an even trade in terms of smooth shifting. It was a bit noisier but I never dropped a chain and it was very rideable.  This was a recreational century not a race but I wouldn't have an issue riding with it year round if that was what my budget allowed. But then most of my races times look a bit recreational.   

x2. This is what I was thinking as well. It doesn't seem like you've ridden the bike enough to know for sure that the fit isn't right. My concern would be that you'd pour money into a different fit or a different bike and have similar problems.

Good luck and feel free to keep us updated.

In 2013 they switched the Tiagra shifters from the button style on the hoods to shifter levers as is the 105 style. I don't know if that also means they improved the Tiagra as a whole to make in more inline with the 105 but it does give evidence to Shimano trickling down technology to make improvements on lower end systems.

I'm happy to hear people echo what the fitter said about doing more core work and it wasn't about telling me BS to cover fit mistakes. As a newbie I had no idea it -really- takes over a year to acclimate to riding.