NoShiftSherlock

Hey y'all! Got a touring bike and wanted to just get some opinions on fit. In case it comes up, I did get it fitted from a local bike shop but it was the basic package which essentially covered fore/aft, seat, reach, etc. Any addtl tips (if any) would be great. Angle of knee is 35 degrees at bottom of pedal stroke and KOPS was done so I'm looking more for tips on the reach if it looks OK for touring.




Thanks a ton!

oldbobcat

You appear to have the "gorilla" build--long torso, long arms, short legs. You're sitting very upright and forward in relation to the cranks. If you straightened your elbows your torso would be bolt upright, which is the way most people ride hybrid commuters. The back angle for power is between 40 and 50 degrees, and yours is more like 70. At this posture you're not using the powerful lower back and hamstring muscles, you have the aerodynamic characteristics of a barn door, and your center of gravity is too high for effective cornering.

I don't know what you're after, but if it's more performance, flip the stem, lower it a spacer or two, set the saddle back a centimeter or two, and see where you are. You might have to lower the saddle a couple mm to accommodate the increased saddle setback. Before you're done, I'm betting that you'll want a stem that's at least two cm longer. I understand that you're not racing, but the recommendations I've made are far from that.

NoShiftSherlock

Thanks for the advice. A little background. I had a 100mm stem stock on this bike and was a tad too stretched out. Im not going for a racing style but more of a longer, endurance-based touring comfort fit. I checked out the Rivendell website only because you mentioned my back angle being around a 70 and they mention 50-65 is the general "sweet spot" for most riders. I'm using an 80mm stem here so I may switch to a 90? Last thing, the fitter said on my previous fit (see below) my sjoulders weren't relaxed and being pulled slightly forward putting strain on my neck.

Measurements:
Height - 5'7 1/2"
PBH - 31.75

Bike: 54cm (This includes top tube)

Previous fit with 100mm stem

NoShiftSherlock

UPDATE! Note to self...do NOT take fit pictures while leaning on a wall for support. ACTUAL riding fit below. Tips? Apologies for the blurriness. Lets just assume legs are fine. I'm more looking at posture/reach. Thanks!

oldbobcat

You look better in motion. Is this really the same person? And are you having problems or concerns, or are you just looking for opinions?

I'd be interested in what your head and neck are doing, though.

NoShiftSherlock

Same person! The first pics my bike was slightly leaning on the wall so I had to pull back a bit to stay balanced. Had my wife take the last pic while I was riding. Neck and head are facing forward. You can kinda see my chin and its running parallel to the ground. Really just looking for opinions. On my old fit, I had reach issues so if the newest one in motion looks to be pretty good for a more upright/touring style rider postion that makes me feel a bit better not only for this fit but future ones. Plan to take it 50 miles this weekend to see for sure.

oldbobcat

Interesting. If I sat that upright on a road bike, I'd have pain starting from from my wrists, going up the backs of the arms, across my the upper back and neck. We're obviously using different muscles. My back just drops into about a 46 degree angle, and if the handlebar doesn't accommodate it, there's conflict and pain. Obviously, there's more than one way to do it.

NoShiftSherlock

My wrists were turned more parallel and out of line with my older fit and caused issues. With this position, my hands are actually very "floaty" with not much of any pressure on the hoods. The muscles I feel activating are certainly my leg muscles but no pain at all just that typical burning feeling associated with a workout. My shoulders are actually far more relaxed instead of being pull forward which was happening before and gave me neck soreness. I feel extremely comfortable in this position and I believe my back angle is around 60 degrees here. We will see after I take it for a long ride this weekend.

greesycaf

Looks very upright... Is it comfortable on long rides? That's the most important thing. I'd take any kind of fitting with a grain of salt. I'd play around with my saddle if I were you. I'd try raising it and sliding the saddle back on the rails. That should keep your back flat but get you leaned over a tad more so you can engage your glutes more and her more leverage.

greesycaf

This picture looks a lot different. Looks good to me.... Your body will tell you if it's not right. Little symptoms here and there.