Mikey58 

Below is a pic of myself at Ttown this past weekend (sorry for the fuzzy, low-res image - it's all I have). I'm a track newbie and was finishing up a "Try the Track" clinic.

So, do any of you seasoned vets have any comments on my positioning on the bike? Anything glaring? Perhaps the bars could be a little more forward and lower? I'm planning to be fitted on the bike sometime in the future. Right now, I'm just looking for any constructive ideas which I could apply in the short term.

Thanks!

Mike

queerpunk

A lot of fit is what your body can and wants to do, and a lot of that is watching somebody ride - still photos provide real slim data. So, maybe your bars could go further and lower, but maybe your body can't really accommodate that. It's hard to tell without seeing movement.

From the one picture, I don't see anything glaring or weird. You look pretty okay. You should make sure you bend your elbows.

carleton

As queerpunk says, not much you can do from a photo. But, given that's all we have, I'd say try a stem that is about 2cm longer. Go out forward, not down.

kyle!

Mos def more stretch. Baby steps though.

catonec 

seat up alittle, bars out farther. Is the frame a size too small for you??

Mikey58 

Thanks queerpunk for your feedback. And, unfortunately, I don't have any video to post - it certainly would have made things easier, for sure. And I hear you about ideal vs. real position. One of my goals over the winter before having a pro fit job done is to increase my core flexibility. I have an excellent Pilates instructor who is also an accomplished cyclist (roadie not a trackie). So, I'm hoping that we can make some progress in that area.


Thanks carleton & kyle. I think I can scrounge up some stems. Right now I'm at 100mm and can probably put my hands on a 110 and 120 to at least test out.

Thanks catonec - The frame size is a 56cm. I'm 6'-0" with a shortish inseam. The LBS where I bought the bike is a Felt, BMC, & Parlee dealer. The owner of the shop is a certified Serotta fit tech. Based on a series of preliminary measurements taken by him, we arrived at the 56 frame size. The bike is a Felt TK2, FWIW...

Again, thanks everybody for your input - it's greatly appreciated by this newbie!

Mike

Jaytron

I'm about the same height on a 56, but may have to size up FWIW.

I have a 130mm stem on my bike as is.

Mikey58 

Interesting... would you say that you are short inseam/long torso, long inseam/short torso, or somewhere in between?


Mike

Jaytron

When I went to get fitted, I expressed concern saying my proportions were weird, but he said mine were actually pretty average. If anything, probably a longer torso, but nothing too crazy.

catonec 

sounds and as I said looks small, Im not an expert fitter but Im 5'10 and ride a 55. Maybe that lbs only had 56's in stock and really wanted your cash.

brawlo

Ah I wish....... I'm sporting a 140mm stem on a 61cm top tube frame...... But I certainly wouldn't ride that way for longer mass starts!

Without really paying heed to your photo, how does your position compare to your road bike? The easiest place to start is to mimmick your road bike and then massage the position from there to become more agressive.