Road Cycling - A little help needed. . . . .

I was finally able to take my newly acquired Reno out of the neighborhood yesterday and take it to the open road. I was very happy with the bikes and my performance, I was able to get in a 20 mile ride with an avg. speed of 17.1 mph, not the greatest but hey I am a NOOB. :D I did notice two things however:

1. About halfway through my ride it felt like my left foot little toe and the one next to it fell asleep, I had no feeling in it. What causes this and how do I fix it.

2. For some reason I feel a lot more comfortable in the drops than on the hoods, I think it is because I am more stretched out therefore I am more comfortable. If I were to flip the stem and/or raise my seat would this make me more comfortable on the hoods?

can you post a pic of your position?

Is it safe to assume that you haven't been fitted for the bike?

1. Sounds like a cleat position/adjustment issue.
2. I can't think of a reason why somebody can be comfy in the drops but not up on top.

Before you start moving things around and experimenting - I'd suggest a professional fit. That will establish a baseline from which you can make adjustments in the future.

55/Rad

I've had similar issues with my Reno, mike9903. I tried moving the cleats all the way back on my shoes, and that seemed to help a bit. My shoes are lace-ups with the velocro strap across the top, and I found that by not lacing the shoes up so tightly, some of the numbness also went away. I get numbness in both feet though, and I just end up having to take my feet out of the pedals every 10 - 15 miles or so and shake them. If all else fails, a quick, 60-second stop seems to fix the problem for a while.

I just put a new stem on, on Saturday. The stock stem had a lot of rise, and the new one has about half as much. You might want to flip your stem and see how that feels, before you change your seat postion. I noticed a big difference when I flipped mine.

People seem to think it best to give yourself several rides with a new setup before making more changes.

Hope you like the new bike. I love mine!

Cheers.

When I purchased the bike at the LBS, I was fit for the bike, I am not sure to how thorough of a job the guy did though. He said that the bike was almost perfect for me stock, all he did was move the seat up a little, other than that it all stayed the same.

[QUOTE=mike9903]He said that the bike was almost perfect for me stock,QUOTE]

Most LBSs will say this to new cyclist. Best thing to do is like others have mentioned, find a shop that will spend the time and do a proper fitting.

Is it safe to assume that you haven't been fitted for the bike?

1. Sounds like a cleat position/adjustment issue.
2. I can't think of a reason why somebody can be comfy in the drops but not up on top.

Before you start moving things around and experimenting - I'd suggest a professional fit. That will establish a baseline from which you can make adjustments in the future.

55/Rad

I completely agree with the others and highly recommend a professional fitting. There are several different options out there, but in my opinion the Serotta fit cycle is the way to go. If has been a while for me, but I believe it cost about $100 and takes 2-3 hours. When you are done, you will know that your fit is as best as you can be on your particular bike. (Of course, the problem comes when you may have bought an inappropriate size frame and you need to correct that with swapping parts in and out.) You can go to their website to find authorized fitters in your area. You will have to bring your bike and all your kit to best reproduce ride conditions.

As for your specific complaints, I agree on the cleat position as a likely cause. However, you should also consider shoe fit - shoes that are too tight in or around the toes can cause similar problems. Also make sure you are not too loose in the shoes as, somewhat without you knowing, you may be trying to "grab hold" of the shoe to keep in from moving too much. That also can result in similar symptoms.

About the drops - I had the same problem when I bought my first road bike. In my case, I was way too stretched out. As I shortened (and later raised) my stem, brought the brifters up a bit, and finally tilted my bars up a tick, this problem has all but gone away.

Take care,
T

Possible Geometry Changes:

Raise/Lower the saddle
Fore/Aft Position
Cleat Position
Stem Length/Angle
Bar/Hood Angle

There are a ton of combinations available to you...
Like some have suggested - a professional fit - is essential to get the "ballpark" fit you need..
As you progress as a rider - your fit will change & so will your abilities...

Find a good shop that does the Serrotta fitting - member advice is a good place to start - and go from there

I'm actually getting fit for the fourth time tommorow - and I've been riding for 8 months; to give you an indication of my insecurity with fittings :)

Cheers!
-simplyred