Road Cycling - I got fited to my new Specialized Alles 02.........

I got fited to my new Specialized Alles 02 and after a couple of 25 mile rides I couldn’t seat anymore, but not only my a$$, my wrists as well were pain. I went back to the shop and told the whole story. They adjusted my seat and off I went. Today again 25 miles and same story. My behind was herting again, but in different place, my wrist pain never went away during the whole ride. I’ll try to go to the store again tomorrow, let them do the thing all over. My question is: how long do these things take to adjust, or is it just me getting used to new riding position? P.S. I never had a road bike before, and from what I’ve had heard the guy who fited me to the bike is really good and in business for about 30 years.

How long have you been riding road bikes ? and is it set up like your last one ?

Chuvak. Maybe its the saddle. The stores reputation seems solid from your contacts.? Might consider what you are wearing. Took awhile to find the saddle I liked the most. Went through a couple of saddles in the process of acclimating myself to a roadie positon. I find the chamois in my britches to be more important than the saddle, even ...Now, I am pretty comfortable. More so than a hybrid bike, I find.
Maybe, Roadie saddles take time to cause your rear to become conditioned . I have had shoes that I am less comfortable in than others. Some shoes I find more tolerable if I put shoe liners in to cushion their stiffness. Gel gloves, maybe . Takes awhile to get used to the drops.
If still in doubt about the store.? I recall some web sites somewhere, where they help measure you scienticically to needed seat/handlebar/pedal positions. Just some ideas. takes awhile to acquire the needed accessories, and get used to the positions of road bikes
ps- I thought that to be a great bike. Looked at them before buying my road bike. Good luck.

I'm anxious to hear how this turns out for you, as I'm having the same problem. I tried to make some saddle adjustments myself in order to fix my numb fingers, but that only resulted in numb fingers AND a sore @ss. So, I'm off to the bike shop tomorrow to see if they can figure out the problem. See my thread below about Can my saddle make my fingers numb? and maybe it will give you some troubleshooting ideas. I know I learned a lot.

Maybe your bar is set to low for you? Just a thought.

Originally posted by Olyroller
How long have you been riding road bikes ? and is it set up like your last one ?
I thought I said it's my first road bike:rolleyes:

Originally posted by cyclezealot
Chuvak. Maybe its the saddle. The stores reputation seems solid from your contacts.? Might consider what you are wearing. Took awhile to find the saddle I liked the most. Went through a couple of saddles in the process of acclimating myself to a roadie position. I find the chamois in my britches to be more important than the saddle, even ...Now, I am pretty comfortable. More so than a hybrid bike, I find.
Maybe, Roadie saddles take time to cause your rear to become conditioned . I have had shoes that I am less comfortable in than others. Some shoes I find more tolerable if I put shoe liners in to cushion their stiffness. Gel gloves, maybe . Takes awhile to get used to the drops.
I recall some web sites somewhere, where they help measure you scientifically to needed seat/handlebar/pedal positions. Just some ideas. takes awhile to acquire the needed accessories, and get used to the positions of road bikes
ps- I thought that to be a great bike. Looked at them before buying my road bike. Good luck.

That’s my thinking rite now. I also think that it might be the saddle itself. On my MTB I have gel seat with whatever you call that cutout in the middle, the hole?? Anyways I am comfortable on that, however my road bike came with a BG Specialized stock seat. It’s hard as a rock(for my @ss at least). My shoes have kind of odd feeling. After pedaling for about half an hour, my rite leg STOPS hurting (finally), but my toes become kind off numb on both of my legs. I did use gloves yesterday, but without gel. Felt better but still a whole lot room for improvement. 25 miles is my limit, I just can’t tolerate the uncomfortable riding.
P.S. I have Trico Sports lycra with gel padding.

If still in doubt about the store.? What do you mean?

I just got a Specialized Allez..also my first road bike. The first time I rode it was only 10 miles or something. I noticed that I was putting ALOT of weight on my arms from being in that 'roadie' position. My elbows and hands hurt pretty bad during the ride. The second ride was about 25 miles and I had no problem. The only thing I did differently was use my back and ab muscles instead of sinking so much weight on my arms to hold my upper body in place. If that makes any sense...I was still in the drops.

natophelia, are you having trouble with your rear wheel?

You got the '03 Allez Elite right? My freehub is binding big time, to the point where I can't coast..I fixed it with grease a few months ago, but it seems like this shouldn't be a problem.

Yeah that's what I got...no trouble with the rear wheel though. Well that stinks!

Chuvak.. If you still have doubts about the stores' advice there are web sites that asks questions about your measurements and make recommendations about saddle position, etc... Been so long since I searched for these sites , I'd have to look for them..
I went through what you are going through, so don't feel alone.

yes, I know, it's just so frustrating to get a new bike and not being able to go for a long ride or being comfortable for the matter of fact.

Reality is it takes a good 3-6 months to start feeling comfortable when you first start riding a road bike. Your body has to adapt. Part of it is "fit", part of it is getting muscle groups adjusted to the position with regard to strength and flexibility. There are some tips that I will share with you that I learned.

Saddle: You want one that your sit bones are square upon. Most people find a "squishy" saddle not comfortable for the long haul. Every butt is different. It takes time for the rear to become adapted to a particular saddle, especially a newbie rear. Most folks go through several saddles before they come upon one that works for them. Give each a few months. Eventually your butt won't hurt, trust me.

Handlebar positioning: Important to wear padded gloves and have good, padded cork/gel wrap around the bar. After that, it's about learning how to grasp the bar. Do not use a "death grip". This is a natural first tendency. Switch your hand position frequently. Don't lean your weight in on your bars. Keep your elbows slightly bent to offer a "shock" support. Keep your wrists straight so as not to cause "carpel tunnel" like symptoms to set in. RELAX. Ride the bar, the hoods, the drops. Vary as it feels good.

It takes TIME to get used to a road bike. As you ride you may find yourself adjusting your stem, saddle, seatpost,etc. until you get it dialed in right for you. My tips come from others who told me and what I learned over a 6-9 month period when I first started riding the bike.

You can do abs/back/arm/shoulder strengthening & flexibility exercises as well to help your gain comfort. Just know it's going to be uncomfortable for a while. Then suddenly it will feel "natural" assuming you are set up properly from the start. Tweaking the fit is part of learning to ride the bike. Roll with it and you'll do ok. Welcome to the club!

dude you just gota get that arse in shape:p

Originally posted by ChiliDog
Reality is it takes a good 3-6 months to start feeling comfortable when you first start riding a road bike. Your body has to adapt. Part of it is "fit", part of it is getting muscle groups adjusted to the position with regard to strength and flexibility. There are some tips that I will share with you that I learned.

Saddle: You want one that your sit bones are square upon. Most people find a "squishy" saddle not comfortable for the long haul. Every butt is different. It takes time for the rear to become adapted to a particular saddle, especially a newbie rear. Most folks go through several saddles before they come upon one that works for them. Give each a few months. Eventually your butt won't hurt, trust me.

Handlebar positioning: Important to wear padded gloves and have good, padded cork/gel wrap around the bar. After that, it's about learning how to grasp the bar. Do not use a "death grip". This is a natural first tendency. Switch your hand position frequently. Don't lean your weight in on your bars. Keep your elbows slightly bent to offer a "shock" support. Keep your wrists straight so as not to cause "carpel tunnel" like symptoms to set in. RELAX. Ride the bar, the hoods, the drops. Vary as it feels good.

It takes TIME to get used to a road bike. As you ride you may find yourself adjusting your stem, saddle, seatpost,etc. until you get it dialed in right for you. My tips come from others who told me and what I learned over a 6-9 month period when I first started riding the bike.

You can do abs/back/arm/shoulder strengthening & flexibility exercises as well to help your gain comfort. Just know it's going to be uncomfortable for a while. Then suddenly it will feel "natural" assuming you are set up properly from the start. Tweaking the fit is part of learning to ride the bike. Roll with it and you'll do ok. Welcome to the club!
Does the fact that I ride MTB at the same time(well not literarily) will effect my adjustment to new set up on road bike? Should I stop for sometime with my off road stuff?