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Old 06-09-25 | 09:19 AM
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cyclezen
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Joined: Jul 2005
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From: Goleta CA

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Originally Posted by One Wheel
I moved my seat back this winter to take weight off my hands, and it worked just enough that it feels like just a bit more would be good. On the other hand, I just finished my first 100k of the year, and my quads are entirely shot but other muscles seem fine. Should I move the seat forward to spread the load more evenly to my glutes and hamstrings, and then get a longer stem? I'm 5'9", with fairly normal proportions. Old (early 70s) ~52cm frame, with a pretty laid-back (slack?) seat tube angle, and 70mm stem.

Most of the problem is just fitness, but I'm tentatively targeting both a 200 mile ride and the gravel national championships this year, at least the latter on this bike. Fit seems like some obvious low hanging fruit to work on.
There are so Many thoughts/Options/opinions on bike 'Fitting' out there, especially the internet, you'll surely be able to have a good choice on what to use.
I've given advise here before, and honestly, it's very difficult to give this kind of advise online, without personal contact with the rider... So, I learned to not try, beyond basic concepts...
SO, use any of the methods noted in this thread or any you feel/assess as being a good method.
But things to consider
Have you been riding for some extended time or is this a 1st real 'fitting' or after a very long hiatus?
If you've been riding fairly regularly and now think you need adjustment, consider what changes you need to address.
Then, Make only one small adjustment at a time, ride/try for a while, repeat.
Hand numbness - If you primarily ride with your contact point at the bars has the center channel of the hands near the wrist; that will accentuate hand numbness - find better hand positions.
Locked elbows posture will accentuate shocks into the hands, up the arms to the shoulders, neck and upper back. Bend your elbows when riding. This is a problem I see with more than 90% of those I see riding bikes... If you're on a laid back cruiser style bike, very much less of an issue. But with a road type bike (or similar) bending the elbows is key to preventing pain and injury.
There was a thread on BF about numbness and padded gloves - one suggestion was 'Sting Pad Pro' on amazon. I tried it, it works ! I have a pair. My wife uses a pair, she loves them.
Fried Glutes
You say '1st 100K ride', in how long? If all your rides have been well below that length and ride time - then what would you expect?
A more forward position will engage the Quads more... (depending on where you were before).
SLowing cadence as you tire in a ride, will have you putting more force into each pedal stroke, if you try to maintain the same pace.
Add miles in a reasonable increase level... If you commonly ride 20 mi (or whatever) then ride 30 mi for while. If you do 40 mil rides frequently, a 60 would not be a reach... Age counts here, Fitness counts for any age.
I ride almost every day, and my average ride is now 30 mi. But I mostly do 35 ish mi. and at least 1 day at 45ish mi. Then some shorter 23-24 ish miles on recovery days, which brings the avg down to 30.
I would find riding 60mi here, solo, to be a long day, cause I would also prolly need to do 4000 ft min.-5000 ft gain to get that, where I live. I can relatively easily do 60 mi. riding in a group...

'Fitting', as far as my opinion, is about fine tuning - unless you're currently position and posture is Way Off. A Fitter can help. But they do not have real experience and understanding of you, so it often is a multi-session effort. They are not like a 'coach' who have good fitting experience.
Honestly evaluate yourself and your riding position and habits. If you're not able to do that, try something else, like a 'fitter'.

Ride On
Yuri

Last edited by cyclezen; 06-09-25 at 09:23 AM.
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