Any suggestions?

dukeofsycamore

Hi,

Here's a short clip of me on the turbo, I was wondering what other think of my position on the bike...

Does it seem ok? Not too stretched out etc? Its a small (54) Focus Variado and I'm 5'8" with an inseam of 77cm..

It seems fine to me but after making the mistake last year of buying a bike that was too small and suffering ligament damage I'd like others opinions..

Cheers people, heres the link :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlKB7SxSiOg

redddraggon

Looks fine to me.

Are you comfortable? If you are that's all that matters.

Smokin Joe

Never mind your position, you want to do something about those socks. Black should never be worn with shorts.

redvee

You'll need a towel over the toptube for the sweat you produce, can be quite corrosive I've heard. You ought to try it with a Posties bike

dukeofsycamore

i still had half my uniform on so that explains the socks mate! haha.....

Think I'll give the postie bike option a miss thou

The position feels comfortable but I am getting a slight pain in my left knee, now i think it has maybe something to do with the cleat alignment, is it a game of trial and error with this or is there a set rule to aligning cleats?

Cheers all

feel

For me i would want the seat a tiny bit higher so there wasn't quite so much bend in my leg when the pedal is at it's lowest position.

If you do raise the seat, i would also consider moving the seat slightly forward. One rule of thumb that you often hear is the bone just below the knee cap should be vertically above the ball of your foot when it is in the 3 o'clock position. Trying to pause the clip at just the right position and it looks as if your knee and hence seat position is a tiny bit back.

geoff_ss

Certainly protect the top tube with a towel or something. I think you can get purpose made shields. I don't bother because the frame on my turbo is a bent wreck that'll never be used for anything else.

I think your saddle may be a touch low. Cleat settings are definitely trial and error - what feels right is right.

Are those modern turbos quiet? My 20 year old one is very noisy.

Geoff

edit Ha! great minds think alike re saddle height

Doobz

deffo worth a look at this site for some info about getting comfy and posture..

http://tinyurl.com/2lj4z7

feel

Geoff_SS wrote:

edit Ha! great minds think alike re saddle height

my edits take 5 mins at least - i must be the world's slowest typist :oops:

geoff_ss

feel wrote:

If you do raise the seat, i would also consider moving the seat slightly forward. One rule of thumb that you often hear is the bone just below the knee cap should be vertically above the ball of your foot when it is in the 3 o'clock position. Trying to pause the clip at just the right position and it looks as if your knee and hence seat position is a tiny bit back.

I'm not disputing this but what about recumbents? All this vertical stuff goes out the window

Geoff

John.T

I agree with Feel. The saddle is a bit low and you could be a bit further forward. You seem a bit pinched at the hip when your foot is at the top of the stroke. Getting the saddle for/aft position is a balance between a comfortable hip angle and how much weight you have on your arms. Recumbents are different Geoff as you push against a back rest not your body weight on the saddle. To check your saddle height try moving it up until your hips start to rock slightly when pedaling then move it down until the rocking stops. Fine tune from there. Do this on the road as a turbo does not replicate riding quite the same. Have someone ride behind you to check movement.

McBain_v1

Sweat protectors for your frame are made by TACX and you can order one from Wiggle. I use one and it's saved my beloved 531c from being corroded by my nasty secretions :?

dukeofsycamore

Hi and thanks for all the replies,

I think I may have sorted the bike position,

heres yet another link! hehe

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbfpIIi_8oQ&feature=user

And no black socks either!

Cheers....

redddraggon

I think I'd raise your saddle just a touch more.

dukeofsycamore

Ok cheers,

thing that gets me is that my inseam is 77cm and according to some magic formula I multiply 0.883 which would give me 67.9 from the centre of the BB to the top of the seat, I have this now set at 69cms...

Just a case of trial and error with this too?

Thanks again...

redddraggon

dukeofsycamore wrote:

Ok cheers,

thing that gets me is that my inseam is 77cm and according to some magic formula I multiply 0.883 which would give me 67.9 from the centre of the BB to the top of the seat, I have this now set at 69cms...

Just a case of trial and error with this too?

Thanks again...

There was a thread about that somewhere, and the formulas didn't seem to work for a lot of people.

I find my seat height by trial and error, eventually you raise it so far and you know it's to high and you lower it a touch.

Your leg should be "nearly" straight at the bottom of the stroke. I just played around until it felt right - if you feel right on the bike perhaps there's no need to do any more alteration.

John.T

That looks better. Agree with Red, you could maybe go a little higher with the saddle. You ride toes down so need to amend the formula a little. You get most power and least injuries with the saddle as high as you can get it without any pelvis rocking.