bike meltdown - what would you do

You need a bike that fits you period.

BOP or FOP everyone will benefit from a well fit bike.

What parts, what it is made of, are much less important.

How did you locate this possible fitter? I would suggest looking for a shop that does FIST fitting. Have you gotten any reviews or recommendations from other triathletes where to get fit? This is really the starting point for you and shop around to find best fitter that is reasonable distance from you. Find one that focuses on triathletes and has been doing it a long time, has a stellar reputation, will give you stack and reach and other specifics on your bike set up. . If you get a poor fit, you will not improve your situation much.

Have you done a lot of reading about bike fits on line? Have you read the articles on Slowtwitch.com  that explain bike fit in lots of details. Do that before you spend money on anything relating to your bike so you can advocate for yourself.

Fit is a bit like religion, everyone thinks their method is best. But the triathlete focused and developed fit protocals I think are more liekly to help you then read bike protocals that are adapted to tri bike fitting.

Spin cast is not a good measurement to use in fit.

If you got fit at 10 places would they all recommend the same bike or bikes? Probably not.

You will likely be best fit on a bike with 650 wheels inestead of 700s.

My recommendations:
1. Research bike fit process
2. Research bike fitters
3. Get fit and find out what your ideal stack and reach are
4. Look at what bikes would fit you best then make selection

Keep asking questions here on BT as many here can give you some solid advice and we want you to end up with a bike you love to ride because it fits you well.

did you just buy it recently?  is it your first road or tri bike?  you might just not be used to how you are supposed to ride your bike yet (assuming proper fit) and not have the appropriate core strength.  my first rides on a road bike were INCREDIBLY uncomfortable, but i had a well sized and fitted bike and now it's flawless and i'm scared to mess with it!!!  how many miles have you ridden this one?

I purchased the bike last year and have ridden a total of 536 miles on it. The place I bought it from has really nice staff and was very patient in adjusting the bike. For the first month of riding I would bring the bike to the store every week and tell them about my comfort issue and they would make an adjustment for me. "How does it feel?" How does it feel? - well, I don't know how its supposed to feel so what am I supposed to say!  I kept bringing the bike back every other week for adjustments for a few months, but It got to a point where whatever adjustment they made the bike never felt any better so I stopped trying.

In an effort to resolve the issues that plagued me, I took the bike back to the store after my Tri season for a fit reassessment. All I was told was that I need more core work. Really? Thats it? If I do more sit-ups its going to make the bike fit? After that response, I felt done with the store. Yes its true that you need time to adjust to riding and you need a strong core, but isn't 536 miles of training in 5 months on the bike + the winter months str training (specifically a lot of core stuff since I wanted nice abs after 3 kids) and swimming, enough time to say whether or not there is something fundamentally wrong with the bike fit, and not just about my fitness?

This issue has been gnawing at the back of my head for many months now so on and off I have looked into retul or guru or FIST or whatever else is out there. I even thought about getting a retul fit done while I was in vacation in FL because I was far from home and thus to avoid the sales pitch. Locally, Im only able to locate fitters who also are part of a bike store. My main concern was getting an unbiased opinion.  I live in the middle of nowhere so driving an hour to get to someplace is the norm.

Certainly I should do some more research, but how does one search for "fitters that won't sell me the products they sell".  I'm 2 hours from Lake Placid, a very outdoorsy area.  There has got to be good locals around who do fits, but how do you search for someone that isn't google-able. Its not like I can call the local bike stores and ask for their competition.

After doing some research on the web, I am thinking that part of my issue is crank length. I probably need shorter ones. I have a Shimano Tiagra, 10-speed, 12-30 cassette and a  FSA Tempo, compact crank.

Mostly, I feel cramped when I ride - that I am rounding my back so I can fit on the bike. If I open my hips up and straighten my back then my arms are bent in a way that I feel like I'm going to fall forward because my weight is over the handlebars.

"I've located a bike fitter an hour away that isn't a retailer so I could get an unbiased opinion of best bikes for my geometry. They do a fitness assessment and use a Dynafit CompuTrainer fit bike with a spin scan."

Do the fit, see what they suggest, and go from there. Bring your bike so they can give you an opinion.

When I initially went out shopping for a ride I tried a friend's 50 Trek and Felt from a store briefly. I don't recall the size of the Felt, but I knew it was in the same range as the Trek. The sales person had me stand over the bike and it was at my crotch as was the Trek. I rode 7 miles on the Trek and knew it wasn't the right size bike. I felt like the store was trying to clear inventory by telling me the Felt size was ok when I had a comparison of a bike that didn't fit.

Which is bad for Felt because they seem like nice bikes. It could have been the right bike as brand-to-brand measurements are different, but it was the fact that the salesperson didn't give me a choice and didn't bother to measure me.  I was so irritated that I left and never went back to the store.

I don't think crank length is key fit issue .....stack and reach are really key. Crank length can be a fine tuning issue.

Do you have road bike?

Crank length can make more of difference when riding in aero position on tri bike.

Having ridden less than 600 miles may be part of the issue, as your body hasn't adapted to riding.

Do you want to post a picture here on BT of you on your bike? Try to take it from the side even with you not higher or lower with your foot at bottom of pedal stroke.

I think a visit to the independent fitter is the right first step.  Although, I would find someone who will also adjust YOUR bike.  Check with the person you found if they will do this. If not, then I would keep looking. 

They will be able to either:  1) adjust your bike, or 2) recommend something that will work.   I would suggest you bring the specs from some bikes that are in your price range.   

There are many components you can still change, like cranks, stem, handlebars, etc.  Those all dramatically change the fit.    You would need to be prepared to spend a few hundred bucks over the fit, though.   You might also have to spend this on a new bike, too! No bike starts out perfectly, so I wouldn't view this as a reason to buy a new bike. Although, you can use it as an excuse if you want

This part.

I have a road bike.

Sorry, I haven't had a chance to read the responses, but you think your frame is too small? I'm 5'2 with a 28" inseam and have shorter legs proportionately. I have never been able to buy a bike that is too small. I've always bought the smallest frame size that is available in the bike that I want. What bike do you have now? I usually use a longer stem than what comes with the bike to make up for my shorter leg, longer torso. 

Yes on the variable thoughts/opinions and personal preference. Its nice to think out loud sometimes and bounce ideas around - hear all the feedback, which I appreciate from everyone.

Excuse my lack of bike information. Not sure why I didnt  post it earlier.  Specialized Dolce 44 size frame with Shimano Tiagra, 10-speed, 12-30 cassette and a  FSA Tempo, compact crank.

I can borrow a trainer and get some pictures taken, but I have a technical problem with that: How do you post a message and include a picture or embed a video file?

You realize that not one of those things matters in a fit, right?  Even frame "sizes" can be wildly variable.