General Discussion Triathlon Talk » Bike Setup? Rss Feed  
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2014-03-01 7:49 AM

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Subject: Bike Setup?
In 2012 I decided to take the plunge and do my first tri. I bought a 2012 Trek 1.1 road bike from a reputable shop nearby me. The bike has served me well and was used in my one and only tri. I put right around 1000 miles on it in the first year. In 2013 I did not do any tri's as life and work got in the way of any free time.

But in 2014 I have rededicated myself to doing a series of mini sprints. This has motivate me to keep up with training but not required a lot of time to train per week. With that, now that I am spending a consistant amout of time on the bike again, I have some slight comfort issues.

When riding It seems that I have more power and feel more comfy if I sit forward on the end of the seat. More comfy except for sitting on the nose of the saddle. When seated in the middle of the saddle and hands on the bars it feels a little bit stretched out as if I am reaching just a bit too far.

I was wondering if geting seat post with a different angle (forward a bit) or a shorter stem (moving the bars back toward me a little) would be worth it.

I am between 5'11 and 6 feet tall and am at 227lbs (Im a larger guy) and the bike size is 60cm bike. Other than that the bike suits my needs. I use it ofr a short occasional tri and also to bike on the bike trails with my wife, so Id like ot keep it for now.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Tom


2014-03-01 10:30 AM
in reply to: Tom018

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, New Hampshire
Subject: RE: Bike Setup?
Could very well mean that the bike doesn't fit you well. Or that it's not setup correctly for you.

Don't start mocking with moving the seat around though… the first thing you do in a bike fit is to fix the riders position in relationship to the bottom bracket, then everything else is moved based on that one fix point. Moving the seat is the wrong place to start...
2014-03-01 6:00 PM
in reply to: #4957589

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Regular
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Grand Rapids, MI USA
Subject: RE: Bike Setup?
You need a 56 trek.
2014-03-02 8:56 AM
in reply to: MikeinGR

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, New Hampshire
Subject: RE: Bike Setup?
Originally posted by MikeinGR

You need a 56 trek.


…and how do you know that? Maybe a 58 would be a better fit, maybe a 60 fits just fine, maybe a Trek is completely wrong for him...
2014-03-02 9:03 AM
in reply to: audiojan

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Regular
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Grand Rapids, MI USA
Subject: RE: Bike Setup?
Its possible, but he looks to have my same build at one time ... and height and I have a 56. I know there are other measurements but I would be willing to bet on the little info I have that the bike is a horse
2014-03-03 5:21 AM
in reply to: MikeinGR

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Pro
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5000500100100100252525
, New Hampshire
Subject: RE: Bike Setup?
Originally posted by MikeinGR

Its possible, but he looks to have my same build at one time ... and height and I have a 56. I know there are other measurements but I would be willing to bet on the little info I have that the bike is a horse


Ok… again, height is a crappy indicator of bike fit. There's about 50/50 chance that he'd be on a different size, or even more likely, a different brand.


2014-03-03 9:22 AM
in reply to: audiojan

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Regular
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Grand Rapids, MI USA
Subject: RE: Bike Setup?
I disagree. Trek road bikes will fit pretty much anyone, as will any other road bike. His problem states that he feels too stretched out when riding the bike correctly. The bike is too big. I would imagine the seat is in its middle position or at normal ... and he needs to scrunch up to get power. Personally, I want to be able to access power all the time when I need it. If he had a smaller bike, he would not have to scrunch, sit on a more comfortable part of the saddle - and not screw around with find different posts or saddle positions - and have power at his disposal. If height such a crappy indicator of potential sizing ... tell me why Felt bikes on its site recommends sizes to start with off of, you guessed it ... height - and thats it. Truth is ... height is a great starting point to get a bike sized ... and although the other things count for sure ... it IS a primary indicator.
2014-03-04 12:37 PM
in reply to: Tom018

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Master
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Englewood, Florida
Subject: RE: Bike Setup?

Tom, I'm guessing you ride the bike more for fun and training then anything else, and it appears you are not in the market for a new one. Were I in your shoes, I'd start to fiddle with the seat position (always marking where you start). Up and down, forward and back. That would be the least intrusive place to start, as it simply requires a couple of tools. Depending on how much you want to invest, you can have a positioning done on your current bike too.  If I felt that I would be racing more and going longer, I would start down the road of a fitting, a new bike, etc., since there are a myriad of factors that can go into determining your comfort on the bike.

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