gr84l

Just bought my first bike (I had been riding my sons hybred w upright bars). A Lemond Zurch (03), 56cm. I'm 5' 9' and when I got measured, was told I had long legs and a short trunk. Got measured on a Scott CR1 and was told that the 56 was the best fit for me. One item they seem to think was important was that when my hands were on the upper bar and look down at the axle of the front wheel, the handle bar should be in the way, covering it or obstructing its view.

Well when I road tested the Zurich it seemed right on as I looked over the handle bar to the axle. Now that I have ridden it for about 10 miles I note that when I get my butt from creeping forward and put it on the meat of the saddle, the axle is clearly in front of the handlebar. I also feel that my elbows have lost their flexsion and are almost locked out with my hands on hoods.

I'm not sure what to do? A shorter stem, it has a 110? Raise the handle bar by fliping the stem or putting in a new spacer or both..................I' ve already moved the seat foreward and my knee seems to still be behind the pedal axle when it is at 3 o'clock?...................What is the right adjustment?

powerglide

hard to say without looking but an easy place to start is flipping the stem up (yeah...you'll take some flak on this board about it but its all about comfort and fit so go for it).
Then I'd tinker with the saddle back/forward just a tad, then maybe go with shorter stem.

FWIW I started out with a 110 stem, flipped down and fitter at the LBS said "you look great" ...I felt stretched out but they said I'll get used to it. $200 bucks and 2 months later, professional bike fitter says I need a 80mm with large angle up. So I bought one and the fit is many times better. The main problem was: my gut too big and generally not flexible.

It takes a while to get the fit dialed in. (money and time) and then as you get more experience on the bike the tinkering continues...never seems to end for me.

the GOO

Not to steal this thread, but, i'm 6'5, so would getting the biggest bike be the best for me, and then adjust the seat up/down if it's not comfortable or too small/big for me?

Post42K

It's gonna take a lot more than 10 miles to get used to the new position compared to your hybrid. Give yourself some more time before making any adjustments.

mrbubbles

This method of fit is outdated. Go back to your LBS and tell them to give you another size.

BarracksSi

To the OP:

A shorter stem is certainly an easy fix, and it might make the difference you need. It'll change the handling feel of the bike, though, and there may be other dimensions to tweak as well.

My shop threw on a shorter stem before I even bought my bike; it was after my third test ride, though, so I think they knew I'd get it.

I don't know a whole lot about fit, but I'd think that seat height should be used for getting the proper leg extension and not much else. Change the handlebar stem length & angle to adjust how your upper body fits. Even then, the wrong size is likely to just plain hurt after a while (as was the case for me on a friend's bike that was too small).

Camilo

First adjust your saddle position - both height and fore/aft. You can do it yourself, but it's easier if you have help. Height - straight leg when heel is on pedal at "6 o'clock". Fore/aft - top of tibea directly over pedal spindle (with plumb bob). Tweek from there.

After that, adjust saddle dead level (with a level) and tweek from there.

Then go on SEVERAL rides of reasonable length for your fitness. After that, decide if your stem is correct. Many/most shops will let you try stems if you buy the final selection from them.

If you bought this bike at an LBS, they should make these adjustments, and readjustments for you. They should help you with the stem too.

the GOO

Thanks, I didn't think about the stem and what not. Much appreciated.

alanbikehouston

Raise the bars so that the highest part of the bars is level with the top of the saddle. That will reduce your "reach" measurement...the distance from the rear edge of the saddle to the front of the stem.

Based on your description of your height and build, a good "reach" measurement for you to begin with would be about 30 1/2 inches or 31 inches, measuring from the back edge of your saddle to the front edge of your stem.

Raising the bars will probably require a new stem...get a stem that has a "high" rise, but on the short side.

Guys who race think there is a "magic" saddle position. If there is any "magic", it doesn't mean much for a fitness cyclist. Another way to decrease "reach" is simply to slide the saddle forward on its rails toward the stem.

If you ride five or six days a week, the "stretched" position of a road bike will likely feel more comfortable in a month or two. When you get comfortable with the bars level with the top of the saddle, you could try dropping them an inch or so.

Some of the new stems with the "four bolt" faceplate make changing stems a fast and easy job. Keep your original stem, and each stem that you buy. Having a couple extra stems around the house makes it easier to make adjustments to bar height.

After you find the perfect "reach" set-up, the "reach" that is most comfortable on a four or five hour ride, carefully measure from the rear of the saddle to the front of the stem. Knowing your perfect "reach" measurement makes it easy to set-up your bike after you change bar height, or when you ride a different bike.

clausen

Give it more time. 10 miles is nothing, it will take a few rides for your muscle to adapt to the new fit. After you have put on a few hundred miles on or sooner if you develop pain go back to your fitter, they will be in the best position to give you advise.

rollin

I was exactly the same when I came back to road bikes after a few years on mountain bikes only.

It has taken me patience, 500 miles, loss of 6kg, 2 stems (100mm and 80mm), one seatpost with zero offset and a good fitting to get to where I am now. I am now set up exactly the way the bike came in the first place but it actually feels comfortable!

The biggest difference for me was personal fitness and a stronger core.

cyclezen

ABH, its not about 'magic', its about respecting your knees.
and yes, the overall riding position will become more comfortable IF the saddle is properly positioned

OP, 'seeing' the hub in 'FRONT' of the bars refers to the stem being SHORTER than one which would allow the bars obsure the hub. So you're sliding back on the saddle and the hub moves forward? On this planet?
if you have long legs and short torso relatively, then you will likely have longer arms (matching the leg proportion) and the whole 'bar obsures the hub' fit thing won't apply. Shorter torso usually means the hub appears Behind the bars on a good 'reach'.

elbows? roll them 'down' rather than splayed to side and locked.

stay with what you have for now...
give it and yourself a chance

or you can go shorter and get back pains on longer rides, tight gluts and complainin hamstrings

and flexibility will have a huge effect on all this. a concerted and maintained effort to 'improve' and 'optimize' flexibility reaches far beyond cycling into all aspects of well-being

roadwarrior

1. What did they do to "measure" you?

2. All this stuff that you are talking about doing to the bike to get it comfortable, they should be doing with you. Especially at that price level.

Based on what you are saying, it sounds like the bike might be too big. But it's impossible to tell for certain. Scott is a little different in that, in a 56, the top tube and seat tube are the same, both at 56 (per their geometry chart on their website). Generally, that's not the case. For example, a CAAD9/System Six measured at 56 (and you need to know what that means, too) has a 57.5 top tube. But the employee selling road bikes should know all this, especially if selling the uber-expensive bikes. Example, I measured a customer yesterday and a 56 Six/13 geometry would work with an 11 cm stem. I had a 55 on sale, that would work with a 12 cm stem. But I knew exactly what seat tube and top tube was needed and we lost a bit with the smaller frame and it works with the longer stem. And we showed him the numbers so he knew that we were not just trying to get rid of a bike.

Simply put, they should measure your "bike sitting inseam" (where you sit on the seat to the bottom of your shoeless foot) and compare that to your total height, then match it to the frame geometry (seat tube AND top tube) to see what works. From there, the tweaking begins.

Bottom line, you need to know based on height and "bike sitting" inseam what frame geometry works best for you.

Hope that helps.

BTW...when I ride my bike I can see the front hub in front of my bars. But since my bike's been fitted, the fit's been tested, and I've been riding bikes for a very long time, it's not an issue.
Some of this stuff was more appropriate when bike sizes and top tube lengths were different (not sized well and why, when I raced I always had to have custom). Everyone is different and to get it dialed in for you takes time and someone that knows exactly what they are doing. Especially on a CR1 as it is a top end bike.

battery guy

just wanted to add that if you're used to riding a flat bar bike (hybrid), then riding a real road bike such as a something as aggressive as the CR1 is going to feel a lot different. You may just not be used to be the hunched over, aerodynamic position. It takes time.

Mach42

You'll need a lot of rides to adapt.

When I got my first road bike, I thought that a 110mm stem was stretching me out too much, so I got 90mm. After a couple months, that started feeling very very cramped.

I'm now on a 120mm stem that I traded for, and am thinking of trading to a 130mm. And to think that I thought that 90mm was perfect a year ago.

Give it time. You'll grow into the position as your muscles and flexibility get used to the new position.

Szczuldo

I am 5'10.75" and I ride a 54cm frame. Unless your inseam is significantly greater than 81cm then I'm going to go ahead and say you are on a frame too big. Especially if you feel stretched out. On a second note, a 110mm stem is quite lengthy if the shop agrees you have long legs and a short torso. I'm surprised the shop let you leave especially if you complained about "feeling stretched out."

Oh, and about the whole "looking down and not seeing the hub" The way I am set up right now I can clearly see the hub and well it seems to be that far back, yes you would feel very stretched out.

Maybe try out the competitive fit calculator here and figure what could be wrong with your fit after that. If you still feel off, well back to the shop you go.

remixity

I'm 5' 7½", inseam 30½", a 52cm fits me like a glove. For someone 1½ inches taller and a relatively short trunk, a 54cm frame might be the answer. gr84l, what's your inseam measurement?

mollusk

Something is weird. The Lemond Zurich does not come in a 56 cm frame size so I don't know what frame you actually have. Also bikes don't have identical geometries so a 56 cm for one brand and model won't be the same as a 56 cm in another line of bikes. In particular Lemonds are built with longer top tubes as compared to most other brands. For example, a 55 cm Zurich will have a slightly longer top tube than a 56 cm Scott CR1. I think it is about 5 mm longer. If they put you on a 57 cm Lemond it will have a top tube that is 1.5 cm longer than the 56 cm Scott. That is a pretty big difference.

FixdGearHead

80mm stem...with a steep angle up? Wow. Gotta imagine your bike is a little squirrly to handle, no?

knary

As others have noted, if you're relatively inexperienced, 10 miles is not close to enough to make any strong conclusions about fit. Go back the bike shop. Tell them your concern. They may look at things a little differently. But don't be surprised if they suggest you get some more miles in. Having said that, if you're not comfortable to start, you're not going to ride and develop the flexibility the seating position requires. Talk to the bike shop.

Bike fit is part voodoo and part science. Some people can ride anything in any position and be just fine for hours and miles. Others will caress the fit down to the mm, swapping parts out constantly, shimming shoes again and again, and after years of work finally get it right and swear that their particularly fitting system is THE system. Reality for most of us, of course, is somewhere in between.

alanbikehouston

Some of the posts in this thread make "bike fit" sound more complicated than building a space shuttle. Just do the easy thing first. Swap out your stem for a stem that brings the bars up level with the top of your saddle. Nine times out of ten, that will solve the problem of feeling overly stretched out on a bike.

DocRay

+1, this is all right. Always start with seat setback, then worry about the stem.

DocRay

Dumb advice if you plan on riding above 12 miles/hr.

Impossible to get this number from this thread. Just make up a random number.


You REALLY have NO IDEA what you are talking about. You can't just jam a saddle at any random position, it has to do with the biomechanics of the knee and leg. This is bad, ignorant advice that could cause injury. Grow up.

Why don't you do yourself a favor and read something before posting your tripe?

Start with this:

https://www.competitivecyclist.com/pdf/fit_details.pdf

Artmo 

Take a look at https://www.competitivecyclist.com/za...LCULATOR_INTRO

DocRay

AGAIN...bad advice, this will cause you to put too much weight on the back of the bike, this will affect saddle comfort, kill aerodynamics and bike handling.
This is great advice for a 50 year old housewife on a hybrid with a large wicker basket, but way off for anyone riding a road racing bike.
If typing in 8 measurements is more complicated than building a space shuttle, you need to get to the other side of Houston sometime.