Road Cycling - Help!! First ride on a road bike, 50 miles, sore as all hell!

Ok I went for my first ride on the OCR2 today, I love the drop bars and the aero position cause it was WINDY outside today but after 15 minutes or so, my entire right hand would go completely numb (I've had this problem for a while). Plus I couldn't find any position that wouldn't put a lot of stress on my hands unless I'm on the flats. I went 25 miles in the morning, had lunch, did another 25 in the afternoon and I am sore!

My seat's 3.5" above the flat portion of my drop bars, is that too high?
Also, maybe I have small hands but when I'm on the drops, I have to "reach" a little to get to the brake lever. When I'm holding the bar in that position, my finger tips barely touch the front of the lever.
When I'm on the hoods, I don't have enough leverage to really pull the brake plus I can't rest my wrist on the hood, i'm just kind of holding onto it with my thumb wrapped around the "horn" over there.

I love the bike, I love the speed and the responsiveness but it's making me way too sore. Would I eventually get used to this or is there something I can adjust? Any advice?

Congrats on the new bike and the intense approach to training. Even with a properly adjusted bike, you would be sore as hell doing 50 miles on the first day. Sounds like your seat may be too high. But, you will get a number of different opinions on that so you need to vary it over time to see what works for you. You should be able to rest your hands on the brake hoods without locking your arms out and you should be able to pull the brakes from that position. Your LBS should be able to adjust the brake lever to correct the reach.

A number of minor aches and pains will come and go as your body adjusts to cycling. Good luck.

What do you mean "adjust the brake lever to correct the reach". Does that mean that the lever in it's neutral position can be placed back more?
I just got it yesterday and after they finished building it, the place was about 5 minutes from closing so there wasn't much time to adjust it, I have to go back on a weekend. I can do 50+ miles in an afternoon on my mtb just fine but this thing makes me sore. I want to do a couple of centuries but the thing definitely has to be adjusted properly first.

The hood looks like the drawing (side view). The circled portion is angled downwards about 5 degrees or so, it's making my wrist bend forward too much and getting into it so I can't "rest" my wrist there.

As far as seat height's concerned, how long should my legs be extended when the pedal's at its lowest point? Some people say my legs should be all the way straight down with my feet pointed downwards slightly, some people say my legs should be bent slightly, etc.

Assuming your saddle is adjusted to the correct height, you might try a taller stem so the bar is closer to your saddle height. Also, you can ask one or more LBS for advice.

I will ask the LBS for advice too as well as here.
Some forum members probably ride a lot more than the people I know at the LBS and for far longer distances so I thought maybe they'll have a few tips too.

Should the bar be close to the saddle height? I see a lot of people who have seats much higher.

Seat height vs bar height?? The key is: what is comfortable for you? If you are used to the more upright position of a mountain bike a bar close to your saddle height can help you make the transition. As you get used to riding with drop bars you can make adjustments to get a more aero position without getting numb hands & a sore back.

Your hands are gonna be sore until your gut gets in better shape - pure and simple. When your mid section and lower back get stronger, they will carry more of the weight. Until then, it all falls on your hands.

50 miles for a first ride is huge, no matter how great of shape you are in to begin with. Keep it up, the cycling muscles will get there.

Oh, and get a professional fit.

55/Rad

move your hands around when you ride ... if you stay in one position you will be prone to get numbness .. the ulnar nerve especially ( your pinkie and the outer half of your ring finger) this will happen even with ideal bar/lever positioning .. although it does sound like you might need some adjustment there

Is the seat postion set up correctly on its rails, even a few mm`s can make a significant difference.

If you are unused to a road bike, give it a few rides to adapt to the new posture, I felt a similar doubt as to reaching the brakes when I first aquired mine, but the flexibilty soon comes, also the natural instinct to slide foward and back on the saddle for the various nescessary adjustments and riding positions.

Its a whole new Ball game you entering my friend if you have just sat on a Hybrid/mtb. Give it time to adjust. I now PREFER.... my road bike for comfort...

When I first switched over from mtb to the road the first week or so was hell. As my body became acclimated to the different position I felt much more comfortable. 3 1/2 inches drop from the bars to the seat does not seem like it should be to much ( I have a 5 " drop).
Keep riding but at lower distances until your back muscles "tone" up. Slowly build up and I think you will be better off.
Also try tinkering with the adjustments on your bike, handlebar, seatpost, and seating position (forward and back). Eventually you will find the right combination for yourself.

Ok I went for my first ride on the OCR2 today, I love the drop bars and the aero position cause it was WINDY outside today but after 15 minutes or so, my entire right hand would go completely numb (I've had this problem for a while). Plus I couldn't find any position that wouldn't put a lot of stress on my hands unless I'm on the flats. I went 25 miles in the morning, had lunch, did another 25 in the afternoon and I am sore!

My seat's 3.5" above the flat portion of my drop bars, is that too high?
Also, maybe I have small hands but when I'm on the drops, I have to "reach" a little to get to the brake lever. When I'm holding the bar in that position, my finger tips barely touch the front of the lever.
When I'm on the hoods, I don't have enough leverage to really pull the brake plus I can't rest my wrist on the hood, i'm just kind of holding onto it with my thumb wrapped around the "horn" over there.

I love the bike, I love the speed and the responsiveness but it's making me way too sore. Would I eventually get used to this or is there something I can adjust? Any advice?


Since the OCR is compact, it gets a different approach on sizing...Giant sizing for compact geometry (http://www.giantbicycles.com/us/050.000.000/050.600.100.asp?sPageID=050.600.100)
You did not mention the size of the bike...but here you can make sure you have the correct size, as well as seat height issues. The OCR does not have an aero seatpost like the TCR, so the .883 calculation will tell you how high the seat needs to be. If the bike is the correct size to begin with.
Did the LBS measure you, or did you get the "you look about...try this and see..." approach and you have no clue what the bike's supposed to really feel like? Especially if you are coming off a MTB. Entirely different.
On the brakes...you can get a spacer that will move the brake handle closer to the bar if you have short fingers or small hands. It requires, of course, resetting the brake cables to have them extended with the handle partially closed. It does not change or alter the braking. We used these recently with a triathlete who has a partially deformed hand and set it up so she could apply the brakes no problem.
Three and a half inches is about the maximum you want in distance between the top of the bars and the nose of your seat. Any more than that, you bend too far over at the waist, begin hitting your chest with your knees, or ride mostly on the hoods and the tops of the bars to compensate. Bending too far over also restricts your breathing which, frankly, makes you work harder and get tired much faster. The OCR's have an adjustable stem (bolt in a joint that can be loosened so the stem will point more upward), so until you get acclimated to the bike you might try to raise the stem and decrease the distance you have to bend...as you ride the bike more, you can gradually increase the distance to about 3 inches.
Last...knee bend should be about 30 degrees at the bottom of your pedal stroke. This allows clearance for a full pedal stroke. You should be able to come up over the top of the stroke, without interference of your waist or chest. You should be bent at the hips, not the waist. If you are bent at the waist (probably not enough room in the "cockpit"), you will pedal with the muscles of your lower back, and not enough of your quads. Then you get real sore.

Basically what happened was, the small is way too small for me and the large I can barely clear the top tube. So medium was the only option I had. That's one of the problems of a small/medium/large fit.

Thanks for the tips though, I think I figured out part of my problem. On my mtb, my seat tube comes out a little more than a foot and sticks up real far. When I got the OCR, the seat was a little too low and so I lowered the handle bars to adjust for it. But then I figured my knees were bending way too much so I jacked the seat up without adjusting the bars and that left me really nicely hunched over. :(

It's also only my right hand because I have a slight case of carpal tunnel syndrome and this huge lump on the bottom of my wrist that either pinches the nerve or blood vessel or something. I went for about 4 hours with my left hand on the drops but I had to take my right hand off about 10 times to flex and rotate my wrist because it got painfully numb.

Two things you can do to shift weight off your hands:

1. raise the handlebar
2. move the saddle back

While it's important for you to understand the basics of fitting yourself to the bicycle, I think it more than a little irresponsible that the shop basically gave you the bike and sent you on your way. Is this the same shop that said "Stand over the bike.. ok you're good, you're a medium."

-mark

Yep basically, I can't really blame em since I was a little in a hurry (because it was getting late) and they were a little in a hurry (they were basically closing) so they didn't have the extra 30 minutes to an hour to help me.
I will definitely go back later on to get a good fit.

Anyway, I took all your suggestions:

1) Raised my bar.
2) Lowered my seat post.
3) Moved the seat about 3-4 mm forward.
4) Slightly angled it so the front of the seat points up about 1-2 degrees more.

Test ride! :)

Sweeeeeeet... it feels MUCH MUCH better now!

15 min ride, not too bad, it just feels so much more natural now. I'll have to fine tune it further when the weather gets better.

Should my wrist be bent forward on the hoods? or should it lay flat?

I recall that feeling..Read up about bike fit.You will in part toughen up..Be sure you seat/ handlebar/ pedal positions are correct. In the near future you will not get achy until at least 100 miles. I like putting my hands atop the drops on the hoods. but bending your hands would causes nerves muscles to hurt over lots of miles.. Think about maintaining positons that are natural on and off the bike and you will be ok..
Most bike shops, when you buy an expensive bike, give you at least a rudementary bike fit.

Yep basically, I can't really blame em since I was a little in a hurry (because it was getting late) and they were a little in a hurry (they were basically closing) so they didn't have the extra 30 minutes to an hour to help me.
I will definitely go back later on to get a good fit.



I can understand the above, BUT they are in the business of selling bikes to people who they should be trying to nurture into lifetime customers. At the very least they should have said, try it for a day or two and figure out what works right off the shelf and then be sure to come back in for a fitting.

She didn't say exactly that but she did say go back later on to adjust the bike (I'm assuming she means tune up) and so she can teach me how to use the clipless cleats, right now I'm just using the other side of my pedals.

But for now, everyone here's pretty much pointed me in the right direction and it's starting to fit and feel a lot better.

Slvoid,

Don't wait for the fitting, do it now.
You asked about leg postion angle at bottom of pedal stroke etc.
My fitter suggest between 15 and 25 degree bend at the knee when your
pedal is at the bottom of the stroke. I'm at 20 degrees and its really comfortable
and I think I spin better, also NO KNEE PAIN.
Your hand should lay naturally on the hoods, not overly extended downward but
yes some bending at the wrist.
One thing I have to constantly remind myself is to rotate forward at the hips, not
bend at the waist. Think of you position as a triangle (arms, back, toptube) with
equal weight distribution between hands/arms and butt on saddle. You don't want
to be too stretched out so that your placing too much stress on your wrists. Keeping
a straight back will help this.
Now, call LBS and make appt to get fitted.
Hope this helps,
Marty

Well that's cool. Congradtlations, it's a great feeling!

Yep basically, I can't really blame em since I was a little in a hurry (because it was getting late) and they were a little in a hurry (they were basically closing) so they didn't have the extra 30 minutes to an hour to help me.
I will definitely go back later on to get a good fit.

Anyway, I took all your suggestions:

1) Raised my bar.
2) Lowered my seat post.
3) Moved the seat about 3-4 mm forward.
4) Slightly angled it so the front of the seat points up about 1-2 degrees more.

Test ride! :)

Watch the seat movement. You really want a "neutral" position. By that, I mean the the bony protusion at the bottom of your knee should be over the spindle of the pedal at the top (12.00 position) of your pedal stroke. Move it forward, you can't push over the top. Move it back too far, you lose the ability to pull and you put more back muscles into the stroke.
Also, since the seat post is angled, when you raise and lower the seat you move yourself farther or closer to the handlebars. Sometimes, if it's radical enough you need to adjust the seat to compensate for this to maintain the pedal stroke position.
Bottom line, when you move the seat, you change your pedal stroke so the trick is to know how to check to make sure the change is helping, not hurting.
To check your seat position, if you have a trainer, sit on the bike and tie a weight (a pen, a fishing weight, something like that) of some type to the end of a string. Then hang the string from the bottom of your knee and see where it lines up with your foot and pedal. It should be right over the spindle, as I said before.
If you don't have a trainer, have a couple of friends support the bike while you sit on it to check the seat position. Honestly, a couple of millimeters matters.
Good luck.
I guess you checked your height against the chart and it works out for your medium frame.
Honestly, unless you were just insistent on taking the bike, I would have at least done some rudimentary fitting even if I had to stick around. I would not want someone on a nice bike upset due to a fit issue I could have headed off if done properly the first time.
You really do want the seat level. On longer rides, a seat tilted backwards will put a lot of pressure on parts you don't want pressure on, if you get my drift. Numbness will also be a result. You are also bending further at the waist to get to the bars.
Hope it works for you.

Watch the seat movement. You really want a "neutral" position. By that, I mean the the bony protusion at the bottom of your knee should be over the spindle of the pedal at the top (12.00 position) of your pedal stroke. Move it forward, you can't push over the top. Move it back too far, you lose the ability to pull and you put more back muscles into the stroke.
Also, since the seat post is angled, when you raise and lower the seat you move yourself farther or closer to the handlebars. Sometimes, if it's radical enough you need to adjust the seat to compensate for this to maintain the pedal stroke position.
Bottom line, when you move the seat, you change your pedal stroke so the trick is to know how to check to make sure the change is helping, not hurting.
To check your seat position, if you have a trainer, sit on the bike and tie a weight (a pen, a fishing weight, something like that) of some type to the end of a string. Then hang the string from the bottom of your knee and see where it lines up with your foot and pedal. It should be right over the spindle, as I said before.
If you don't have a trainer, have a couple of friends support the bike while you sit on it to check the seat position. Honestly, a couple of millimeters matters.
Good luck.
I guess you checked your height against the chart and it works out for your medium frame.
Honestly, unless you were just insistent on taking the bike, I would have at least done some rudimentary fitting even if I had to stick around. I would not want someone on a nice bike upset due to a fit issue I could have headed off if done properly the first time.
You really do want the seat level. On longer rides, a seat tilted backwards will put a lot of pressure on parts you don't want pressure on, if you get my drift. Numbness will also be a result. You are also bending further at the waist to get to the bars.
Hope it works for you.


For the sake of being comprehensive and not controversial, there are other methods to bicycle fit that can be found in the links provided at the bottom of "cycletourist's" post. Specifically, they contradict the standard knee over the spindle theory. Slvoid, you would do well to look into these if only for an opposing view.

-mark

For the sake of being comprehensive and not controversial, there are other methods to bicycle fit that can be found in the links provided at the bottom of "cycletourist's" post. Specifically, they contradict the standard knee over the spindle theory. Slvoid, you would do well to look into these if only for an opposing view.

-mark

I know....but for someone who is new to that type of bike, neutral works best.

As a CAT II racer, I was about a cm behind the spindle. I'm back to neutral as it is less stress on my knee, I no longer race and don't need the additional push.

Triathletes on road bikes, for example, tend to like to be a bit forward for a better tuck.

Dr. Edmund Burke says such in his book "Serious Cycling" (ppg 241, 242) that this is a starting point. Since he's starting....that's why I recommended it. ;)

Best to start in the middle, then fool around with position after a few hunderd miles.

FWIW.

For some good advice on fitting, see Peter White Cycles. This will explain the why as well as the what.

Nothing wrong with being hunched over ... more speed!

I know....but for someone who is new to that type of bike, neutral works best.

As a CAT II racer, I was about a cm behind the spindle. I'm back to neutral as it is less stress on my knee, I no longer race and don't need the additional push.

Triathletes on road bikes, for example, tend to like to be a bit forward for a better tuck.

Dr. Edmund Burke says such in his book "Serious Cycling" (ppg 241, 242) that this is a starting point. Since he's starting....that's why I recommended it. ;)

Best to start in the middle, then fool around with position after a few hunderd miles.

FWIW.


that's cool ...

-mark

Hunched over hurts, hehe, at least for now.

I will definitely check out all the sites when I'm done with work. Thanks for all the advice!
I find that if I angle my bars so that it's pointed up more, the hoods are nearly horizontal, the brake levers aren't 90 degrees vertical, the front's actually about 1cm or so tilted forward, I can rest my wrist on the hoods better but that means when I'm in the drops I have to extend my arms out a little more. When you guys speak of getting into a position to use my muscles more effectively, what impact does this have?

Hunched over hurts, hehe, at least for now.

I will definitely check out all the sites when I'm done with work. Thanks for all the advice!
I find that if I angle my bars so that it's pointed up more, the hoods are nearly horizontal, the brake levers aren't 90 degrees vertical, the front's actually about 1cm or so tilted forward, I can rest my wrist on the hoods better but that means when I'm in the drops I have to extend my arms out a little more. When you guys speak of getting into a position to use my muscles more effectively, what impact does this have?

dunno if this helps...but;
I had the issue of difficulty reaching the breaks in the drops because my bars were rotated up (like you're talking about) for a comfortable position in the hoods. I have a Giant too (TCR). Took it back, they popped a 90mm stem on instead of the 110 that was there. bingo, good in the drops and on the hoods, felt less spread out as well. I would have to say with the Giants; if it doesn't fit, it doesn't fit. BUT as long as you're keeping in mind the suggested placement of things and changing things slowly (and riding to let it set in), you should be able to get it right. mine feels like a dream now.

Congrats on your new bike.
I see you got it at your LBS.
After the thread you posted about LBS or ebay and all the info you got I am sure you will find that people stated that your LBS will stand by you and help you any way. Now is the time to see how true that is.
What i would do is ride my new bike down to the LBS and explain to them that you just dropped $600 on your new bike, the least they could do is fit you for it. Explain about your hand pain and any other problems you may have encountered on your first ride.
Again congrats on that new roadie, ride safe and have fun.

Sorry bianchi rider, no bianchi for me :p

Honestly, I looked around at everything and this bike isn't even from the LBS i visit most. I bought it from this lbs because they offered me a good deal. I actually don't know how good their support is and never dealt with them before. The LBS I normally go to is real helpful and offers a lifetime of free tuneups and fixups if any parts become misaligned or anything. When I bought the Giant over and told em I got it at another shop the guy was like, "Traitor! Throw him into the pit!" But I got all the accessories for the Giant there so I think I'm forgiven lol.

I would have bought off ebay if I found the right deal. Thanks to everyone here, I got it fixed good now. Went out for an hour this afternoon and no hand pain, didn't even have to move my hand around that much. It still feels a bit odd, I just have to wait for the weekend to ride some more and fine tune it.

dunno if this helps...but;
I had the issue of difficulty reaching the breaks in the drops because my bars were rotated up (like you're talking about) for a comfortable position in the hoods. I have a Giant too (TCR). Took it back, they popped a 90mm stem on instead of the 110 that was there. bingo, good in the drops and on the hoods, felt less spread out as well. I would have to say with the Giants; if it doesn't fit, it doesn't fit. BUT as long as you're keeping in mind the suggested placement of things and changing things slowly (and riding to let it set in), you should be able to get it right. mine feels like a dream now.

Was the 110 mm stem too long and causing to reach forward too far, extending your arms too much?

exactly
to clarify, when I test rode, it was on another TCR (with the 90 I suspect) and it fit perfectly. when I went in to buy, they put this other one up on the trainer to get the fine tune fit. when it was on the trainer, I felt stretched out but I know that trainers can feel different than road so that wasn't a deal breaker. they had rolled up the hoods like you describe yours so I could bend my arms etc. sure enough, on my first couple of rides I was having the trouble you had (especially in the drops. I know folks say you don't spend too much time there but when I want to be there....I want to be there and should not have to worry about brake reach).

Took it back in and described my problems. it was their idea to do the shorter stem (and they didn't charge me for it). sure enough, they were able to rotate the bars back to where they should be and my arms are doing what they should be. happy end to that story.
this might not be the solution for you but you might want to check how long that stem is and ask what a change might do for you.