Hi.

After reading all the useful comments on the other thread I decided that a couple of (sized) pictures will talk by themselfs.

So, here they are. Happy new year!!

PD: Take in consideration the angle of the camera.

Thanks for the useful answers!

bye!

looks like your reach is short, you're kind of scrunched up on the bike. your back has more curvature than normal.
I can't really comment on saddle height or position, since I only see your leg in one spot.
It'd be useful to see you with your leg at the bottom of the pedal stroke.

what he said

(estone)

what he said

(estone)


+3

you need to stretch out more on the bike.

just that in these pictures my back is not very visible.


thanks!

Questions for you:
1. How tall are you?
2. What is the frame size of the bike in the photos?

Your body looks to be too big for that size frame. The saddle might be mounted too far forward as well. My guess is that's a 54 cm or 56 cm frame & you're probably over 6' feet tall...

Options? A (longer) swept back seat post & a longer stem with a bit more rise.

just that in these pictures my back is not very visible.


thanks!
Judging by the angle of your foot (raised heel/toes down), and where it looks like the cleat is, it looks like your saddle's a bit high, and you also might want to move the cleat back on your shoes.
The cleat should be positioned so as to have the ball of your foot exactly over the spindle of the pedal.
If your cleat's already set up that way, disregard, the photo may just be odd (or I may be odd).

If it's not, when you move it, it's going to feel like you raised your saddle, and you may become more exaggerated in the toes-down pedaling. A good way to figure out roughly where your saddle should be is to unclip your shoe, and put your heel on the pedal. When you go to pedal, at the bottom of the pedal stroke, your leg should be straight. While pedaling, imagine that there's a pole going through your body sideways, along your hips, forcing them to stay level (do not rock in the saddle). If you either have to rock to get to the bottom of the pedalstroke, or you can't keep contact on the pedal, your saddle's too high. If your leg does not straighten out, your saddle's too low.

hope that helps
-estone2

I think that looks pretty good. For those who think the reach is short - do think this is in part due to the OP having his arms fully extended in the photos? I think most of us ride with our arms bent - this would make his back flatter and give the appearance of a longer top tube. Just a thought.

OP: In any case - ride the bike and don't worry if you like having your stem 10-20mm shorter than the pros or Cat1-2's. Ride it the way you like it for a while and maybe try a longer cheap stem from your LBS for a while and see if its worth being stretched out. If stretching out slows you down or makes you ride less, it's not worth it.

-Reach is too short.....
-You are bending at the waist as opposed to rolling forward with your hips.....
-Arms are too rigid.......Get in the drops and bend your arms so that your forearm is parallel to the ground......I think you will be way overlapped with your knee when the spindle is at 3:00PM.
-I think you need a professional fitting.

Len

Couple of questions for info:

1.) What is your TT length?
2.) What is your Seat tube length?
3.) What is seat tube angle?
4.) What is Head tube angle?
5.) What is your height?
6.) What is your cycling inseam?
7.) What is your saddle to bar drop?
8.) What stem length & angle on your bike?
9.) What reach bars?

Thanks

len

I think that looks pretty good. For those who think the reach is short - do think this is in part due to the OP having his arms fully extended in the photos? I think most of us ride with our arms bent - this would make his back flatter and give the appearance of a longer top tube. Just a thought.

OP: In any case - ride the bike and don't worry if you like having your stem 10-20mm shorter than the pros or Cat1-2's. Ride it the way you like it for a while and maybe try a longer cheap stem from your LBS for a while and see if its worth being stretched out. If stretching out slows you down or makes you ride less, it's not worth it.
His arms are bent. In the first one it's not that noticeable, but they're not straight - there's a very slight bend in them. The other ones are bent pretty clearly.
OP, correct me if I'm wrong.

However, Quattrotom, I'd disagree with you in terms of what you say about stretching out. I know for a bit I was fiddling around with reach on my bike, and shortened the reach once. The result was my back being humped somewhat, like the OP's. I didn't think anything of it, until I did a trainer session on it. Just one hour, and my back put me into agony.
It's not a case of stretching out to get low and aero - that's done by taking spacers out. It's a case of riding with a straighter back, for more comfort.
Sure, Cat 1/2 and Pro stretch out a bit more than they need to, but the OP definitely needs to stretch out just to get to a neutral road position.

I would say the bike is to small for you. I had that same posture. I had originally set my bike up with a short stem and thought I was comfortable. As I rode, I moved the seat back and up. Then put the longer stem in and rotated the bars down. Now I am stretched out, my back is flat, my hands are no longer numb and it is so much better feeling. My frame is a 53 and it looks about the same size as yours and you are way taller than I am.

My 1st knee-jerk impression is that the bike is too small. IMO, it's specifically too short in the top tube dimension. Someone above used the term scrunched up. I agree. It's a little hard to tell, but my guess is that the seat tube is a little too short for you too.

Although you look kinda bunched up on the bike, pay no heed to what others say; Sean, the King of Spring, Kelly and the last of the truly hard men of cycling, rode that way and is one of the most winningest [?] cyclist of all time (only bested by the Cannibal).

do you have numb hands, shoulder/neck pains or toe slap when you turn the bike? the stem looks like it was switched to a horizontal position from the first photo. if you don't have any pains then the position isn't too extreme or your youth has given you a flexible forgiving bike fit. if you want get more aero get a fit at a shop.

It looks like you are on a bike that's too small but that's over simplistic. The camera angle is a bit high so the perspective can be misleading.

This may seem like a dumb question but how much power are you putting out riding in your living room?

Actually, it looks like you are balancing on a non-moving bike so forget the dumb question above. In order for the pictures to make any sense you need to at least be on a trainer. Your head and neck position doesn't look great while on the hoods or bars tops, either. The internet forums aren't going to get you the right information simply by judging your photos for you. But, I'm interested in following this thread to see where it goes.

Like everyone else said, the bike appears small. You look like one of those teenagers riding a BMX bike down the street, only not so much. ;)

However, I notice that you appear to be bracing your bike against that desk, and I wonder if this affects your angle. Do you have a stationary trainer you could use?

Too short a reach can really be uncomfortable, but so can too long. If you hold onto the handlebar hoods and bend your elbows, as you look forward in your riding position your shoulders and neck should feel pretty neutral. Wrong reach gives me all sorts of cramps in that area. If you have to "bunch up" your shoulders you probably need at the very least more stem on your bike, or a longer top tube.

Some people can tolerate more changes in position than others -- from "mister millimeter" Lance to Floyd Landis, who says as long as his "saddle height is within a centimeter or two" he will basically ride anything.

If this is a self fit I would be thinking the frame is too small. If this was done but a fitter with your wants in mind then that is a horse of another something or other. I ride in a somewhat upright position but not even as radical as yours. Seems like that is a ton of seat tube showing but pics can be deceiving.

Well, thanks for all the replys.
In fact, the frame is a little small for my size. I think that a 57-58cm will do the trick but I have no other option (long story), just try to get this to the best I can.

I height 6.0' , with 85cm inseam lenght.
I have a saddle to bar drop of 8cm.
After some hard rides my knees doesn`t hurt (a good indicator of neutral knee position) and the only thing that starts to hurt after the 3 hours mark is a little at the neck. I find myself sometimes streching my neck, but that`s not always a possibility (specially in races).

I`m starting to have this problem (some neck soreness) after some friends recommend me to raise a couple of cm my saddle. I raised it like 5-6cm and the change was a little radical at the beginning until I got used to it. In fact I can maintain a higher speed on the flats and climbs are a piece of cake with the seat raised. Before I can do the same, but with a little more effort.
In some of the pictures I don`t have my elbows too bend (second pic), just enough but tending to be more straight that bent.
The stem is at -8º , 120mm long. It`s a size "L" frame, 56.5cm top tube and 56cm "vertical" (I`m too lazy to go down and check the substitute to the word "vertical") ;). Compact geometry.

Keep the good comments coming!, thanks a lot guys!

The OP and Kelly are in the same hight range, although Kelly's frame is 2 to 3 sizes larger than the OP's. Note Kelly's flat back. (everyone, look, now, remember that posture). The OP is more hunched up, not in a Lance "brocken back" way, but more generally hunched. Of course Kelly has a proper bend in his elbows, the OP, is a little too straight-armed. Other small comparisons, Kelly has much less seat tube showing, but the OP has a sloping top tube, so not really apples-to apples. Both have stems that are bordering on too long, Kelly becasue he is a pro with many miles in the saddle, the OP because his frame is too small.

It looks like Kelly could ride on the tops on a climb, while the OP would have no use for the tops in his setup, unless he was standing.

more with bent elbows...
thanks!

maybe it's the extreme saddle position that's making you look all out of whack. You said you raised it 5-6cm, that is huge.

Why don't you try putting it back down 2-3 cm and see what you feel / look like?

more with bent elbows...
thanks!
Look compatible socks?

[QUOTE=Fran]I`m starting to have this problem (some neck soreness) after some friends recommend me to raise a couple of cm my saddle. I raised it like 5-6cm and the change was a little radical at the beginning until I got used to it. QUOTE]

1. wider bars to allow your chest to more easily drop between your upper arms

2. longer stem to make your bike feel bigger. I can't see exactly how straight your leg is at the bottom of the stroke, but it looks like you've raised the seat enough to take care of that.

3. tip the nose of your saddle a little bit higher, not 5-6 cm which is an enormous adjustment, to help keep your body weight back and off your hands and arms

4. strengthen your core muscles and do some push-ups, dips, and extended push-ups (hands beyond your head) which work on muscles that help support your upper body on the bike. I know these exercises are really boring, but they've made an enormous difference for me.

A few other folks have said, get a professional fitting done, as soon as you can. It might be some dollars out of pocket, but honestly, it's some of the best money that I've ever spent on anything cycling related. It's a different world after the fitting is done that's for sure. If you can swing it, get it done. Or save up some money, and get it done a little bit later. Because we can all tell you one thing or another here, but someone who does this for a living is better suited to what you will need, and they should listen to how you want to be on the bike, and so on and so forth. I don't think you'll be sorry getting it done.

DUDE,,, LOOK OUT!!!!! You're about to run into that chest of drawrs!!!!

All the small pointers are fine, but bottom line is the bike's too small.