I live in a car-parking-unfriendly city (Newport Beach Peninsula) and often ride my bike over driving to do anything; movies, groceries, visits to friends- since I can rarely find parking when I go out.

Before purchasing my Bianchi I rode a hand me down mountain bike that didn't really fit my 6'4" body and often found it a chore to ride anywhere over 2 miles. This changed when I got my first fixed gear bike. The 59cm Bianchi was big enough to make me enjoy being on it for longer trips and I went from 2 mile trips to nearly 20 mile trips within 2 months of having it. Put nearly 350 miles on it in July and then an under-inflated front tire caused me to have a wipe out that broke both my wrists. After 6 weeks of healing I got back on my bike and rode down our beachfront bike path when a drunk biker crashed into me and I re-broke my left wrist.

I became unconfident on my favorite bike. I was too scared to ride it and felt that after breaking my wrists 2 times in a similar manner that it would be in my best interests to get a new frame.

I now have a 2011 58cm Cinelli Vigorelli and I have found that it does not feel as comfortable as my Bianchi did.

My questions are as follows:
Is the difference in harshness I feel due to the steel vs aluminum frame construction?

My ass gets much more sore with my new bike than my old one. How do you find the saddle that fits you without buying multiples?

The drops look fantastic, but my neck hurts from having to look up/forward all the time. I'm thinking a set of bullhorns would fit my posture better. Thoughts?

What are some of the things you guys have swapped out that made a huge difference in keeping you on your bike for longer periods? Would I benefit from taking my Cinelli to a shop to have it fitted to my body? If so, any good places to recommend in the OC area?

I'm including pics of each bike for fiment/setup suggestions.
Bianchi:


Cinelli:

Before the nasty comments come in- Already re-taped the bars to cover up to near the stem, the cranks are getting replaced by a set of Campagnolo Pistas, and the wheels are geting replaced by a set of Shamals I recently purchased. Just waiting on the Phil Wood rear hub so I can have them re-laced and converted to fixed.
Thanks for any feedback or tips.

Tyler

I'm jealous of your income. Being poor sucks man haha. Anyhow, aluminum will give you a rougher ride. If you are always on the street and never use the drops anyhow, by all means swap those suckers for some bulls. Go get yourself fitted at a good shop. If you decide you don't like either one, they're both on my short list of bikes I want and I currently ride 58/59... Just sayin.

Is the difference in harshness I feel due to the steel vs aluminum frame construction?

~Yup, there's a reason there's the saying "steel is real", steel absorbs/ dulls vibration much better than aluminum which seemingly doesn't; road vibrations are only worsened with the frameset being designed to be as stiff as possible to enable maximum downward power transfer on the track.

My ass gets much more sore with my new bike than my old one. How do you find the saddle that fits you without buying multiples?

~Go to your local bike shop and test out some out or fitted to one before doing that.

The drops look fantastic, but my neck hurts from having to look up/forward all the time. I'm thinking a set of bullhorns would fit my posture better. Thoughts?

~You have to get used to it because you chose a track bike, not a beach cruiser/ mountain bike.

What are some of the things you guys have swapped out that made a huge difference in keeping you on your bike for longer periods? Would I benefit from taking my Cinelli to a shop to have it fitted to my body? If so, any good places to recommend in the OC area?

~Tires, wheelset, saddle, stem, handle bars, bar tape.
Yes, you will benefit from a professional fitting.

EDIT: Do you promise to post pictures of your vigorelli once all those upgrades fall into place?

Yes.


Many shops offer a trial period for saddles, and many will measure your sitbones and help you find the best seat for you. As for buying multiples, you kinda just do it.


Bullhorns likely wouldn't help. Risers, and a shorter may help with comfort

Huge differences?

Fitment- Take your bike down to a shop and get fitted.

Bike shorts- Padded biker shorts are awesome, especially for longer rides.

Saddle- Get the right saddle for you, and your butt will be much happier.

EDIT: Basically all the stuff that Leuky said. HAH. Took me too long to respond.

I went from Bianchi Pista to Cinelli Mash, which is similar to the progression you made. If you don't feel difference in speed between the two bikes, then ride whichever is more comfortable. I love switching between both my bikes (commuting to work vs. riding my favorite canyon after work). The Pista is definitely more fun to ride around town - more comfy without cycling shorts, more upright position, and easier to do tricks and maneuver around during trackstands at stoplights. That being said, I really don't think the Cinelli was worth the money I've put into it. It's stiffer and I can accelerate faster and for longer than some of my friends (who are just as strong as I am), but who cares? It's just riding a bike. Then again, I wouldn't sell my Mash for twice what I paid for it.

What?

You park it in the street? You'd better invest in a damn good lock....

NO. NO. NO. NO. If you're going to ride and lock up your MASH with said upgrades, I wouldn't even let it touch the likes of a city rack out in the open. I would rather ride the pista instead and save the MASH for fun rides. Seriously, it's too dangerous to risk it.

Any lock/ system of locks is vulnerable to a determined thief; and I'm pretty sure a complete shamal wheelset and record pista cranks would drive them ruthless alone.

Maybe if they steal his Mash then he will get himself a more comfortable/ better fitting bike? Nothing wrong with that.

Your bars and stem look quite a bit lower on the Cinelli.
Just a guess but at least a couple inches, which is a big change. Drops also bring you down, as you mentioned.

In turn, that is moving more weight on your shoulders and neck. This will amplify all the bumps and jolts.
It also rotates your hips and that could be the reason, or one of the reasons, for your saddle discomfort.

In my experience, moving the saddle fore/aft/tilt even a few mm or a cm is the difference between pain and all-day comfort.

A suggestion:
Drop your saddle slightly to closer mimic the saddle/stem relationship you had on the Bianchi.
My guess is that you will feel a lot more comfortable, even in the drops.
If it works, get a stem with higher rise (like your Bianchi).

Without seeing, it's all a guess but that's the obvious difference between your two setups.

As for breaking your wrists, practice tuck n roll! Get your body used to falling a different way.
It's instinct and people often repeat the same fall and same injury on a bike. Get on the grass, start without your bike and tumble safely.
Get your body used to falling safely without your wrists taking the brunt!


The Cinelli looks fantastic, I like the half-taped bars too!

Yeah that's what I'm wondering.

Neither of your incidents had anything to do with your frame.

I bet that is a little tricky to get riding after hurting yourself like that. I had a little wreck the other night and went down hard on my right side. It had me pretty shook up and I walked my bike for about a half a block...then I was like screw it, walking is too slow. Luckily(?) I seem to fall down quite a bit so I'm quite good at it!

Consider trying a Brooks saddle.

Bad juju maybe? I got my bike stolen 2 days after I crashed it, and when I was at my LBS earlier this week talking to the owner, he told me a story of a friend passing away in a motorcycle crash, only to have his friends destroy the entire bike, despite it surviving the crash mostly intact.

Yes, but aluminum vs. steel ride quality is generally overstated: Early aluminum frames weren't stressed right and rode horribly, but they've improved a lot in recent years. Getting some wider tires will help alleviate this problem.

Find a shop that has loaner saddles or will let you return a poor-fitting saddle after purchase. Specialized saddle dealers (not all Specialized dealers are saddle dealers) have an "assometer" which can measure where your seat bones are to get a better fit. Brooks saddles are basically leather hammocks and have to be broken in to fit your body. Many people love them, but there also plenty of people who can't get comfortable on them. As you may have gathered, everyone's butt is different, so there's no way to give a single recommendation.

I was much happier with my bike after shifting from narrow noddle drops to bullhorns, but try fiddling with the bar height and angle first. Sometimes moving to a wider or more anatomical bar will make a big difference.

A good fit will help, and the fitter may be able to tell you what will help most for you on the bike.

It's a feeling that I get. Bad juju for sure. The Pista is up for sale and I no longer ride it.

I don't park any of my bikes outside. They are stored indoors always, but if I must lock it while out doing errands I use a Kryptonite lock, and a cable to go through the front wheel/saddle; I don't leave it for long periods and try to keep a line of sight on it if I'm at a bar.

I can't seem to get out of the clips and straps in a quick enough manner. Each fall I had the bike came over the top of me with my foot still attached in the clips. I am now moving my brake levers to be in my hands where I ride the most vs being up on the flats by the stem.

Thanks for the tips. There is a certified fitter not to far from me that charges between $175-$395 to do a fitment. I just got back from a 22 mile ride and my neck is sore as hell, so I picked up some Deda bullhorns and end levers while I was out. I just need to swap the stem and I'm hoping that fixes my neck strain.

I'll post pics of the new config with the Shamals and Campagnolo Pista cranks just for you Leuky as soon as they are on.

Tyler

get new wrists.

Ahaha I have a midterm in 6 hours and I'm here replying to a post.

1. Steel softens bumps a lot more than aluminium, but seeing as you broke your wrist twice, it might be your wrists being more sensitive. Which might be the forks, in this case, or the bars themselves or the position of your hands on said bars. Or the seat.

2. Some bike shops fit you for free, otherwise you need to pay a fee. Some bike shops have some sample seats and some have a very generous return policy (and this probably means you can buy "used" saddles at a discounted price). The cheap and dirty solution is to buy a gel seat cover and just put it on your saddle when riding. If you care about looks of your bike when it's not in use (ie locked up,) then take the gel seat cover with you.

The drops look fantastic, but my neck hurts from having to look up/forward all the time. I'm thinking a set of bullhorns would fit my posture better. Thoughts?

This is often how accidents happen - from people looking down at the front tire area because their neck hurts to look up all the time. IF you really want drops, you can put some spacers in and that'll alleviate the problem a lot but you won't get the full aerodynamic benefits. Bullhorns are more forward if in the aerodynamic position, so it would not be much better. Best bet is to just get riser bars or get used to it.

Remember, bullhorns and drops were meant for track / racing use where there is little traffic and / or aerodynamics > comfort.

What are some of the things you guys have swapped out that made a huge difference in keeping you on your bike for longer periods? Would I benefit from taking my Cinelli to a shop to have it fitted to my body? If so, any good places to recommend in the OC area?

I care about looks somewhat, so I do have a track seat on my fixie. It's the one with the hole down the centre for your balls to hang + for ventilation. MUCH better comfort than the standard fair. Gel seat (on my roadie), sliiiiiiiightly lower tire pressure down to 100 psi from 110 psi, different tires (better grip) and RISER BARS.

Unless you're popping tricks or racing on your fixie, or doing long rides, go for comfort over looks or special need requirements. I don't care what my bike looks like (actually I do, but hey I'm trying to make a point here) as long as I'm comfortable on it and it rides like a dream.