Road Cycling Essentials

[George Hincapie]

You mentioned having lower back pain the other day - it's possible you may need a shorter stem to reduce your reach given you already have a very neutral saddle to bar drop.

Looking at how short the stem is already and how far the seat is on the post, I'd suggest he needs a frame at least one size smaller and most likely 2 sizes smaller; go to a decent LBS and have a proper fit. That should allow the seat to be located properly and a longer stem to slow down the steering and eliminate the twitch that is naturally the result of using a very short stem.

 

[shadowcreaper]

Hey guys, anyone got a Canyon speedmax / CF speedmax??
I'm getting seriously addicted to TT s ATM, and next bike might end up being one.
Just want to know though if they any good aerodynamic wise, as only review was from bike radar who don't exactly know much about aero lol

 

[#Chri5#]

I'm ready for bed. Peaks Punisher 102km, 2400m climbing for me today (lots of respect for anyone who did the 100m route!). Coming down a very bouncy descent somewhere in the last 10km I think the rear gear cable lost tension, so I only had the smallest cog on the block. Hurt so much trying to mash up the last few climbs of the day.

Horrible climb only 4km in - Lesser Lane[/URL. Strava says the average is 8.8% but roll slowly over the profile and 28% shows up in one part (which I can entirely believe).

Worst [URL="http://app.strava.com/segments/1776773"]climb was up to Flash (there's a reason it's the highest village in England!). There should be a "great" picture of me about 100m from the top, blowing out of my ears and gurning for England

 

[grudas]

Looking at how short the stem is already and how far the seat is on the post, I'd suggest he needs a frame at least one size smaller and most likely 2 sizes smaller; go to a decent LBS and have a proper fit. That should allow the seat to be located properly and a longer stem to slow down the steering and eliminate the twitch that is naturally the result of using a very short stem.

im in a really cramped position when i look at it! what i actually need to do is raise my seat quite a bit and get used to getting of it when i stop at traffic lights! currently i prefer sitting on it and i can reach the ground no problem.

here's a pics to show you how cramped i look on my bike

• 
• 

so by the looks of it raising seat and longer stem is the go? or am i completely off?

 

[Shamrock]

Hey guys, anyone got a Canyon speedmax / CF speedmax??
I'm getting seriously addicted to TT s ATM, and next bike might end up being one.
Just want to know though if they any good aerodynamic wise, as only review was from bike radar who don't exactly know much about aero lol

It's good enough for Katusha!

 

[George Hincapie]

im in a really cramped position when i look at it! what i actually need to do is raise my seat quite a bit and get used to getting of it when i stop at traffic lights! currently i prefer sitting on it and i can reach the ground no problem.

so by the looks of it raising seat and longer stem is the go? or am i completely off?

Quite honestly I'd urge you to go for a professional bike fit. We all differ in proportion and medical history and I wouldn't feel comfortable giving you fitting advice based on a few photos; particularly if you were to then develop other issues as a result of that.

They aren't too expensive and if you live in the London area I can recommend a couple of places that are very good.

It's clear to me looking at the photo of your green frame that the contact points have had to be altered significantly to fit you. Now, within reason, adjustment is fine. But the issue is that extreme adjustment (particularly very short stem length) can destroy the handling of a bike. I know this because I've been there. Ultimately however, you need to be comfortable and your body needs to function efficiently in a physiological sense under effort.

 

[One More Solo]

What George said but I think it's safe to say your seat looks too low by a fairly decent amount.

Edit: if you can sit on your seat while at traffic lights then your seat is FAR too low. It makes no sense to adjust your bike based on the position you take up waiting on lights rather than the position you actually ride it in. A bike fit is probably worthwhile but I'm also a fan of experimenting and understanding what works for you. Have a read here for some good advice: http://www.jimlangley.net/crank/bikefit.html

Welcome back George by the way, haven't seen you in here for a while.

 

[grudas]

cool thanks! i didnt mean it in that way lol, i have raised it and slammed my stem a bit ill see how it feels! im all up for experimenting too and if that doesnt work ill need to look into bike fit.

 

[rogan]

seats way too low for sure

I cant even come close to touching the floor even on my tiptoe leaning to one side a bit if im in the saddle,

 

[One More Solo]

cool thanks! i didnt mean it in that way lol, i have raised it and slammed my stem a bit ill see how it feels! im all up for experimenting too and if that doesnt work ill need to look into bike fit.

I had the same issues on my Btwin as I bought one a size too big and ended up shortening the stem from 110mm to 80mm which improved things a huge amount for me. I definitely wouldn't want to go shorter than 80mm though as it does make the bike feel twitchier. Do you know what length the current stem is?

 

[touch]

Hey guys, anyone got a Canyon speedmax / CF speedmax??
I'm getting seriously addicted to TT s ATM, and next bike might end up being one.
Just want to know though if they any good aerodynamic wise, as only review was from bike radar who don't exactly know much about aero lol

In terms of the bike itself, a TT bike is not that much more aero than a normal road bike. Deep rims, shaped tubing, internal cable routing, etc all help with aerodynamics but most road bikes have all that now anyway.
The big difference is the position that a TT bike allows for the rider. The aero drag from the bike is tiny compared to that of the rider, so dont worry too much about differences between bikes. Just try to find something with a good spec and preferably some nice wheels.


Also: George is still alive?! I thought you'd disappeared into a ditch on a big alpine descent (or, more likely, collapsed into it on the way up ).

 

[oli collett]

I'm ready for bed. Peaks Punisher 102km, 2400m climbing for me today (lots of respect for anyone who did the 100m route!). Coming down a very bouncy descent somewhere in the last 10km I think the rear gear cable lost tension, so I only had the smallest cog on the block. Hurt so much trying to mash up the last few climbs of the day.

Horrible climb only 4km in - Lesser Lane[/URL. Strava says the average is 8.8% but roll slowly over the profile and 28% shows up in one part (which I can entirely believe).

Worst [URL="http://app.strava.com/segments/1776773"]climb was up to Flash (there's a reason it's the highest village in England!). There should be a "great" picture of me about 100m from the top, blowing out of my ears and gurning for England

Looks nasty.. and gives me an idea for a route next weekend Was it on fairly quiet roads?

 

[Fuzz]

I am battered.
Not the fastest ride in the world but the longest ride I've ever done and without any training.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/315220141

 

[touch]

i have raised it and slammed my stem a bit ill see how it feels!

Dont slam your stem just because the internet told you to it's cool.

Use an online bike fit calculator if you have to but, as other have said, a professional bike fit would be the best option.

(also, you're not truely OCD until you line up your tyre logos with the valve)

 

[grudas]

seats way too low for sure

I cant even come close to touching the floor even on my tiptoe leaning to one side a bit if im in the saddle,

tbh the current adjustment i've just made feels quite good, but then again i only done 3 miles on it so ill test it out properly over the week and see how it feels! but yeah i can clearly see that my seat was way to low.

I had the same issues on my Btwin as I bought one a size too big and ended up shortening the stem from 110mm to 80mm which improved things a huge amount for me. I definitely wouldn't want to go shorter than 80mm though as it does make the bike feel twitchier. Do you know what length the current stem is?

it will be the stock one which is 110mm as you said ill give this setup a go and ill see how it works during the week, i don't often get the lower back pain but when i do its quite annoying tbh!

Dont slam your stem just because the internet told you to it's cool.

Use an online bike fit calculator if you have to but, as other have said, a professional bike fit would be the best option.

(also, you're not truely OCD until you line up your tyre logos with the valve)

haha i don't do it because its cool obviously, im just giving it a shot to actually see how my bike feels as i always felt cramped when riding it even thought its an size L frame - 58cm AFAIK.

this is one thing that annoyed the heck out of me! it will get done the next time i need to fit my tubes/tyres as it sits im just OK with it!

 

[One More Solo]

it will be the stock one which is 110mm as you said ill give this setup a go and ill see how it works during the week, i don't often get the lower back pain but when i do its quite annoying tbh!

You've got a bit of wiggle room then, I would:

Raise the saddle (think you've already done this)
Move the saddle back so that your knees are in line with the pedal spindle with the pedals at 9 o'clock (this is not a rule, just a good place to start, you may need to experiment back and forth from this point to get comfortable)
Fit a stem that is shorter by as much as you've moved the saddle back (e.g. move saddle back 20mm, fit 90mm stem)

 

[platypus]

here's a pic of the garden

the bikes are located on the left, just in front of them is the fixed seating area, and opposite that is the barbecue area with a BBQ and wall surrounding it

now you can see that I already have a shed lol

Can you not simply place a lined roof over where the bikes are now? Might look a bit odd but would do a decent job.

 

[Shadowness]

Guys, I've starting to get an annoying creak on my bike in the last few rides. It only occurs when I'm out of the saddle, normally on climbs when I'm putting a lot of effort in.
It's a sort of knocking/clicking sound.

Any ideas what to check/look out for?

 

[[DOD]Asprilla]

Headset or Bottom Bracket. Could be either. Look for play in both as a first course of action.

 

[grudas]

pedals/bb as a first guess..