Fit help, please(with pictures)
 

well, I don't know exactly what to do because I can't shell out the money for another fit(my previous bike was damaged in an automobile collision and I had been fit to it). it's a 58cm Cannondale CAAD9 Optimo1(2007) and I am 6'1.5'' with rather long legs. any advice for fitting you could give would help immensely.
p.s.: if these pictures are not sufficient, please ask and I'll try to get more. oh, and I was in a rush and didn't have time to put on a kit, though if needed I can do so.

Post a picture with your right leg at the bottom of the stroke "6 oclock", and look forward as if you're riding, not at your back wheel.

Why do you have a bike at all, when you have a perfectly fast bed?
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ynpXE4BgpG...roomsticks.jpg

His bed is not the flying type. You need the knob to activate it.

The knob is less aero.

just a question, and I don't know cuz I've never had a pro fit, but when you were originally fit for your bike didn't you get a spec sheet of all your numbers? Wouldn't that be a good place to start.

The arch in your back looks painful. I can't get past it to offer any other advice...

Lay lady lay
Lay across my big brass bed!

+1

something is way wrong.

I think you are popping your shoulders too high up. You're almost covering your ears and your arms are almost straight.

Is that seat jammed all the way forward to help with your reach?

Hopefully you can get comfortable, because that fit doesn't (look comfortable). It looks like you are in a constant state of throwing your bike for a sprint finish.

Disclaimer: I am not an expert.

*In pic 1 your left leg looks pretty extended, perhaps too much, maybe seat needs to come down a tiny bit?
*In pic 2 your right knee looks very far back from KOPS. KOPS is not infallible, but it's usually a good starting point, so your seat may need to go forward quite a bit. Remember that pushing the seat forward will also have the same effect as lowering it a bit.

Mac

Stop arching your back. Get a haircut.
And buy some new cologne- that pink stuff probably isn't doing you any favors.

Just on first glance...your reach is all messed up - it looks like you're throwing the bike at the finish of a bunch sprint.

A rule of thumb is that a line drawn vertically down from your nose should fall somewhere on the stem, but yours falls an inch or so behind it. Hard to tell, as the bike seems to be angled up on the trainer. The saddle is already way forward, so there's nothing to get there. All you have left is either the frame is too big for you - or at least the top tube is too long - or you need to get some flexibility in your back to ride the bike properly. Easier said than done, of course...

You can get a little out of a 0-offset seatpost, moving you forward over the BB, and a shorter stem, moving the bar toward you, and a short reach bar, and your hoods could come up on the bar a bit, but the bottom line is you need some flexibility.

Or at least that's my 2 cents of internet fit advice based on the pictures.

And bend your elbows a bit. No way you should be in that riding position on the road.

You should have got a 60cm

you look cramped and stretched out at the same time....I don't know how you pulled it off. Almost like you are throwing your bike for a sprint. Your arms are too stretched and you saddle looks a bit back. Can't tell about leg extension without a view of the side with your leg extended. You can probably make the bike work but it does need some tweaking.

Anti404,

you need to find your optimal reach, saddle height, saddle fore\aft and bar drop. You are still a new rider so with the exception of saddle height they will continue to be moving targets until you ride longer and get more fit and flexible. Riding technique also plays a role in fit. Flattening that back out will address some of your reach issues. Instead of relying on fitters and folks here looking at your pics I would spend my time experimenting with saddle fore\aft, reach, bar drop and riding technique on your own. You can get cheap stems of differing rise and length off ebay. Are you having comfort or efficiency\power issues with your current setup. Are you ok with the amount of bar drop you have?

On a side note I see a lot of pics posted here showing riders with their hands draped completely down over the brake levers which of course exaggerates the appearance of their reach. Do you like to cruise with this hand position?

need a pic with your head up to see how u actually ride.

hrm, so I guess the key thing is for me to get some proper pictures; I will try this tomorrow evening when I can get someone to take them.
about frame size: okay, I was told, by various owners, riders, and other random bike lovers that I needed a 56-60cm frame. I was placed onto various CAAD9's, but the 58cm was what was most commonly recommended; someone once mentioned a 56, but said there was far too much saddle height going on(yay/nay?).
my flexibility is something of mine that has never been put into question, as I can easily place both legs behind my head, kiss my upper thighs when standing straight, and touch the balls of my feet when sitting in the floor. if someone can give me some pointers, I would be quite pleased, though.
my old fit was done by a college friend, who raced as a CAT3, I believe. I was on a 59cm Bianchi C2C Via Nirone 7(2007 model) at the time. He eyed some things and whatnot, and fit me fairly well to it from what his teammates said. but since I transferred out, I've not been able to get in contact with him, but can also not afford a 200$ fit+other possible purchases.
anyways, thanks for the help and I'll try to get some more pics. by the way: the bed is for the XXX throwdowns(that must wait until marriage...argh), the JOOP! cologne was a gift from my girlfriend who loved the stuff when I wore it originally, and she also told me that my hair should not be cut(although I do need to get it trimmed). huzzah!

Looking at your pictures, I don't know how you can breathe riding a bike set up like that. Your abdomen is all scrunched up. Your diaphragm probably can't move up and down a fraction of its range.

You don't need a $200 fit. All the information you need is easily available on the internet. Start with the basics and just fit yourself according to the usual rules of thumb - no matter how often these get "debunked" on various websites and internet forums. That's all it takes to ride with reasonable comfort and efficiency, and without injury. Then, you can fine tune it by experimenting a bit with saddle height and setback, or in response to any pain you might get after riding (such as in your back or knees). Later, get a pro fitting when you can afford it, but personally, unless you're a pro cyclist who needs to compete with all the other pro cyclists and you need to squeeze out every drop of performance, I just don't see the need for that.

i personally think a big part of the problem here is you positioning in these pictures. you dont seem to be bending at all at the waist, just your upper body, kind of like you're looking backwards or something. there's no way that your actual riding position, unless you hate your body that is.

i'm definitely no fit expert, just an observation. for the next pictures, try looking forward and bend your body as you would if you were actually riding.

man you guys are cruel! :) simply put, the bike is too small for you. i had a 58cm and am 5'11 - granted it was a little too big for me but you need a bigger bike. if you haven't already done so, move the seat up and back and raise the handlebar angle. good luck until you can get a bigger bike.

hmmm,

just looked at those pics again I see a lot of seat post. How much saddle to bar drop is that? I'm gonna guess the reason he has his seat all the way forward is due to the amount of bar drop which is adding a lot to his overall reach. Unless the anti can get used to that much drop he might have a hard time getting this frame to work.

I agree with OCRider, that you need to do some experimenting on your own, but I would suggest doing it with some guidance. I really like the strategy provided by Lennard Zinn in his book Zinn's Cycling Primer published by VeloPress (VeloNews). He has you set up a starting point based on a proper inseam measurement and knee position measurement, then you can tweak from there. I would think just starting with Zinn's baseline would be a significant improvement. He also gives you the rules of thumb that Longfemur refers to, you just save the uncertainty and sometimes frustration of sorting the wheat from the chaff on the web, while experimenting on your own body.

Road Fan