patentcad

Here are the pics. Remember boys, this is a work in progress. I'm very comfortable in this position, but my back isn't as flat as I thought. I may lower the stem a bit and see if I can get used to a more aggressive posture on the bike. I suppose you're trying to split the difference between comfort and aerodynamics, eh? Perhaps even a slightly longer stem?







I have donned my flame-resistant lycra. Go easy on me it was a hard ride today.

ElJamoquio

+1 on your bars are too high.

cslone

Flip your stem or remove your spacers and see where that gets you. I bet it would be a good position if you can get used to it.

Hocam

That shirt looks like you cut off the sleeves. I mean I've heard of weirdo's wearing sleeveless jersey's but actually taking a knife to a jersey and cutting the sleeves off is a new level of fashion ***********.

/Flame

Keep in mind lowering your bars will make you bend your elbows a little more.

Snuffleupagus

You look like you could come forward more too.

ElJamoquio

Do you have your saddle to bb distance 'correct'? It looks good to me in the first pic, but what do I know.

Anyway, I agree with Snuff - try to move forward a little. Try to put the bars down a little. Snap another few pics and get back to us.

In the meantime we'll be photo-shopping your head onto various pictures.

patentcad

That jersey has more miles on it than your entire bicycle fleet and it's only two years old.

Flipping the stem is an extreme measure, but looking at these photos I think I need to go +1cm in length and drop down a spacer or two. The bike does feel quite comfy however.

asgelle

Rough guideline is with pedal at 12:00, forward point of patella lies midway up upper arm.

gcl8a

I agree. It looks like you could rotate your whole body around to gain aerodynamics and not lose too much comfort. Maybe stretch out a little more, too.

Keep in mind, I have never ridden a TT bike, not am I particularly experienced in these matters. But that won't stop me from chiming in.

Snuffleupagus

Just mimick this:



I think he might be dialed in







...although of course, I realize that what works for Cancellara very well may not work for everyone...

asgelle

Only if you're racing UCI.

Snuffleupagus

True enough I suppose - getting more forward over the BB would be popular, if they were allowed to do it.

bdcheung

Definitely your bars are too high.

UT_Dude

I'm going to second what everyone else said pretty much. You need to drop your bars considerably. Remove spacers, flip the stem. You also need to come forward on your saddle a LOT. Like, sit on the nose of the saddle. That's why you want to get a TT saddle.

Remember, you don't necessarily want it to hurt, but a TT position isn't really supposed to be comfortable, it's supposed to be fast.

patentcad

You can remove the spacers OR flip the stem. Doing both would put my nose on the front tire. I'm 49 with a bad back, not a 29 year old world class TT specialist.

I will have a longer stem tomorrow. I'll start by putting that on and dropping the stem one spacer. We'll take it from there. I suspect that will get my back considerably flatter.

The 'flip it' mentality on these boards is entertaining at times, but utterly ********.

patentcad

Your comments are welcome. If you needed expertise to post here, there would be no BF at all.

waterrockets 

Flipping the stem also effectively lengthens it, but not quite by a full cm.

Bacciagalupe

Have you considered getting a pro fit? Given your back issues it may be worth it.

bdcheung

pcad, that stem looks to have a pretty sharp angle. Try flipping it without removing any stems and post some pics. Do you have an aero helmet?

ZeCanon

Looks to me like the major issue is actually the seat contact point. Basically, you are too far back for a good TT position. You need to move forward and roll your hips forward (looking at them from the side think about turning your hips clockwise). Once you can do that you will actually be able to get low in front. Right now lowering your bars or getting a longer stem is just going to stretch you forward and roll your back more (not comfy).

bdcheung

btw, you look exactly as I expected.

jrennie

The helmet is going to be part of the equation not an after thought. What lid did you choose and pics with it on. Provided you don't have any back issues(you can see the gnarly scar on your knee so more issues could be present) you need to get further out and lower, much lower. While most people will never TT like fabian there are position tips to take from the photo. Low, Flat and his head is at a funny angle but usually the tip of the helmet is on his back.

cslone

I would hold off on moving the saddle forward because when you are really hitting it, you will naturally slide forward.

Lithuania

for some reason between these photos and the way he posts all i cant help but read his posts in a g gordon liddy voice.

donrhummy

I could be wrong (looking at a still pic) but I think your elbows are too far back. When you're motoring I think they're gonna interfere with your knees. Also, I know that Floyd/Phonak said that all their wind tunnel testing said that it didn't matter how tight you were vertically; what matters is how narrow you are.