"The 33"-Road Bike Racing - Do Your Knees Hit the Armrests on Your TT Bike?

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LT Intolerant
12-05-07, 09:17 PM
Hi all -

Another question for those w TT machines. Do your knees hit your armrests when you get out of the saddle to sprint or crest a hill or...? If so, what law of proper TT fitting is being violated?

Thanks in advance for your insight.

gene r

kukusz
12-05-07, 09:25 PM
Do your knees hit your armrests when you get out of the saddle to sprint or crest a hill

Yes. When going totally buck nutty. You generally don't sprint on a TT rig, so it is not a common issue. Out of the saddle going uphill on grades > 10%, yes. Again, not a common TT situation.
jimmy P
12-06-07, 12:30 AM
when my clip-on aerobars are on the roadie they hit my knees. not a big deal

curiouskid55
12-06-07, 08:17 AM
Yes, but riding TT out of the aero position is extremely bad form.
El Diablo Rojo
12-06-07, 08:31 AM
Yes, I had to adjust my out of the saddle style to avoid it. The first time it happened I really bruised my right knee badly.
KendallF
12-06-07, 08:34 AM
It really depends on your torso and arm length vs. your leg length (or more properly, your femur length, I guess). In my case, if I try to get my arm angle at 90 degrees at the shoulder (ala FIST fitting) my knees hit the pads. I'm a bit more stretched out now to avoid this, and it works for me.

Where do your arms fit on the pads? Do you have a bar/pad setup where you can move the pads forward? You may be able to keep the same position, just with your arms resting further up on the pads. I actually find this more comfortable, as the nerves near the elbow are sensitive and the forearms aren't.
bdcheung
12-06-07, 01:36 PM
Yes.

*but only out of the saddle
GatorFL
12-06-07, 02:47 PM
They won't hit if you raise your bars.....but then you'd go slower. I can't afford to go any slower, so I just hit my knees.
UT_Dude
12-06-07, 03:20 PM
They won't hit if you raise your bars.....but then you'd go slower. I can't afford to go any slower, so I just hit my knees.

You get a new bike yet?
LT Intolerant
12-06-07, 03:22 PM
It really depends on your torso and arm length vs. your leg length (or more properly, your femur length, I guess). In my case, if I try to get my arm angle at 90 degrees at the shoulder (ala FIST fitting) my knees hit the pads. I'm a bit more stretched out now to avoid this, and it works for me.

Where do your arms fit on the pads? Do you have a bar/pad setup where you can move the pads forward? You may be able to keep the same position, just with your arms resting further up on the pads. I actually find this more comfortable, as the nerves near the elbow are sensitive and the forearms aren't.

I use the FIST method as well and my arm angle is 90 degrees. Seems like the consensus is that most everyone faces this issue and we all just deal w it and try to minimize being out of the saddle. I can live w that. Thanks for the help.

gene r