wsuhoops1000

Hey guys, I haven't had a fit on my bike other then the initial "put your foot down, heres your saddle height, your bike is fit too you" thing that took 3 minutes when I got it at the shop.

I notice my saddle is lower then my bars or right about level giving me the appearance of a puss. I am also breaking rule 44.


Is there anything you would suggest for me to adjust? Thanks

My goals are road racing, and trying to get more aero.

5'11-6'0, 135 pounds on 58cm Fuji Roubaix 1.0

Thirstyman

bike looks too short

Bathwater

Flip and slam the stem. Also, I applaud your improvised riser block.

bianchi10

kind of hard to tell with these photo's, but I would maybe suggest raise your seatpost, Maybe 2 or 3mm. I say flip your stem. your arms are fairly long and you have a lot of bend at the elbow. This is with you in the drops though, so Id like to see a photo with your hands on the hoods before I say much more.

there are others on the forum that have better feedback when it comes to just pictures.

wsuhoops1000

Thanks, I just did the pictures in the drops because I for some reason, never ride on the hoods, just is uncomfortable to me. Probably not a good sign

wsuhoops1000

haha thanks, I applaud your Wanderlai silva avi

catonec 

when your pedal is at the bottom your leg should be almost straight but your knee shouldnt lock. Id say raise your seat more or perhaps the frame is alittle small for you.

Dunbar

The hoods are level or higher than the seat. You could try removing all of the spacers and/or flipping the stem down to lower them. Outside of racing it's not normal to ride in the drops all of the time.

halfspeed

Saddle height doesn't look so bad. But you look cramped. Flip and lower the stem to get a flatter back. You'll feel better on the hoods and you'll still be able to use the drops comfortably.

lazerzxr

thats becasue your seat is all the way forward, slide it back, drop the spacers and flip the stem, that is unless you are comfortable as you are, which I assume you are not or you wouldnt be here

cyclezen

sometimes it's not rocket science...
you may already be in a good spot...

if riding in the drops all the time bothers you, then flip the stem and over time, move spacers from below to above the stem. Eventually you'll find the place where the hoods and tops will feel as good as the drops...

BTW - nice elbow bend, try to keep that...

OK, details... pelvis, lower back could tip forward a bit more... another hint is the slight downward tipping of saddle.
to experiment and see if more pelviic tilt gives you more power and retains spin - drop the saddle 3-4 mm at most, level the saddle

Spartacus' Power road position...

oldbobcat

You're sitting very tall for riding the drops. Perhaps with a slightly lower bar, the hoods would be more comfortable. The last time I got a "pro" fit (i.e., one that I paid for), we flipped the stem up. Then I rode all the way home on the drops, and ended up flipping it back.

Try flipping the stem to start using the other parts of the bar.

It also looks like you might benefit from more saddle setback, which would require a slightly lower saddle. Afterward, check the stem length issue. Saddle setback is for establishing fore-and-aft balance on the bike, not reach to the handlebar. After establishing balance using setback, look at the reach and make adjustments if necessary.

shovelhd

I thought I'd make a rare 41 appearance and answer your questions here. Don't be afraid to ask in the 33.

My observations.

You're not that far off if you can hold the bent arm position in the drops for long periods of time. I bet you can't. But you're still not that far off.

Pay no attention to the "pro look". Waste no time on hand wringing over saddle to bar drop or slammed stems. Leave that to the Freds. I know guys with 10"+ of drop and I'm more aero than them. Morphology is not a cookbook recipe. Everybody is different.

Try your best to change one thing at a time. You are young and more adaptable than an old fart like me but fitting injuries can still happen. Don't try to do it all at once.

The pictures don't show a lot but they do show enough to start with. Video would be much better. I don't like adjusting the reach and drop until the saddle is where it should be, but like I said, one thing at a time.

If you are comfortable with your saddle position, the first thing I would do is flip the stem. Ride it for a few days. Make sure you alternate between all hand positions: tops, bends, hoods, drops. Make sure you're comfortable. Be wary of your position on the saddle. It is natural to slide backward as your torso rotates clockwise. That's going to flatten your back, but it will also change your hip angle, which might require a saddle adjustment. Mark the saddle before you touch it.

If that goes well, flip a spacer or two and do this again.

Whatever you do, I encourage you to take pictures along the way and video if possible, but put a jersey on next time.

squatchy

You need to push your saddle back. You're too scrunched up. Move your saddle back and that will allow you to streatch out more. That will straighten out your back some and will tilt you pelvis forward. You may have to tilt your saddle tip down just a bit. Tip it enough that you don't feel like it's tipping you out of your saddle and onto your hands , but as to give your "root" a little more clearance.

rbart4506

You do not, I repeat do not adjust reach by sliding the saddle about...

Saddle position has absolutely nothing to do with reach. First step is to set saddle height, tilt and fore/aft...Then you adjust reach by adjusting the bar position through stem/bar selection...

Sliding the saddle back and forth to compensate for reach issues will only create other problems...

vesteroid

starting point...this shop also has one more specific to seat height and setback you could watch. I think it will answer your questions as much as can be found on the internet anyway.

topflightpro

I want to echo what Shovel and Rbart said:

1. Do not worry about looking pro - make sure that your saddle to bar drop is set to optimize your power output given your flexibility.

2. Do not move your saddle to adjust your reach. Saddle position should be set based on your relationship to the BB. Reach is adjusted by stem length.

Campag4life

OP...my bike set up isn't a lot different from yours. I run with a high handlebar and I have tried every permutation of fit. I will tell you based upon your pics, I believe you would be well served by positioning your handlebar a bit farther away from you. A high bar works well...my favorite position...but not with it positioned too close. Your stem already looks pretty long. So weigh in with some additional info if you want better feedback. 1. What is your saddle height...measure from center of BB to top of saddle. 2. Measure from tip of saddle to center of handlebar tops. Lets see how long your cockpit is for somebody who is 5'11". I can give you a general range. Lastly, what is your stem length? On balance you maybe close...but this depends in part on what we can't see. Your flexibility...you look to be limber....and how low you like to ride. You may prefer a lower handlebar but you won't know until you experiment...a lot.

chaadster

I also think the top tube length looks a bit short for you, but also echo the thought that you're not far out from a great position. You've got excellent flexibility, so while you're sitting pretty upright on your sitz bones, dropping the bar height (by flipping the stem over) is a great place to start, and then adjust down by removing spacers and let your hips rotate forward a bit and stretch out a bit. A longer stem may be in order too, just to give you some room to slide forward and get on top of the pedals more when you want to.

Even if you're really comfy in the drops like that, I'd consider trying to put the hoods down there and making them your go-to hold by dropping the bar; in that way, you keep a couple of holds-- hoods and flats-- at that same nice, comfy, and aero height, and gain an aggressive, power hold down in drops for big efforts.

Whatever the case, don't worry too much; as you ride and gain experience, if you're paying attention, you'll get a sense of what you need to do in order to ride the way you want to, by which I mean, you'll get a sense that you need a lower grip for your sprints, or that maybe you'll want to use the hoods more and be more aero at the same time.

ttusomeone

There's been some good advice here, but remember this advice is based on someone on the internet looking at a few pictures that has never seen you on the bike in person. I would follow this advice and see how you feel when riding, but as you do this you should also start saving up for a professional bike fit. Having someone that can spend an hour with you adjusting your fit will work wonders. Ask other racers/riders where they got their fit and ask if they were happy with the fitter, and then choose to go to someone based on this feedback and your own research.

Looigi

The straightest your leg should get when pedaling normally is ~20 degrees. Your setup looks pretty good to me.

chaadster

mkadam68

+1

mkadam68

Need two videos of you riding:

Video from the side.
Video from behind.

Both videos of you in the drops & on the hoods.

I'm almost thinking your leg is too straight. The most recurring problem I see (with racers & non) is the saddle is too high. You can usually tell by watching from behind. If the hips are rocking, lower saddle 1 cm at a time. Try to eliminate or get close. If it's really low & you're still rockin, then you have flexibility issues. Adopt a stretching program. You're young, though & should have no problems with this.

shovelhd

1cm is a LOT. That's way off. Millimeters.