Talk me back into getting a bike fit

Herbsman

I've booked a bike fit as I suffer from lower back pain and sometimes get aching shoulders and numb hands during races. The main thing is the lower back pain. My race bike is considerably longer than my training bike, and I only suffer on the race bike. I have put a shorter stem on it and an inline seatpost, but it's still that little bit too long. Is it really worth paying £120 to get a fit if the frame is simply too long?

Herbsman

...or should I put that £120 towards the cost of a custom frame? My current frame is 63cm. One size lower is only 1cm shorter but 3cm lower , which would have given a much larger saddle to bar drop

StageWinner

Or put race parts on your training bike as that one seems to fit you fine!

Tom Butcher

Do you get lower back pain training on the race bike ?

Herbsman

One problem: it's steel, has downtube shifters and weighs almost a tonne.

nottscobb

It might not be that the frame is too long. I had a bike fit with Adrian Timmis at Cadence Sport after reading other recommendations on here. I fully expected my position to be stretched out and my seat to go up... he actually put my seat down by over an inch and moved my bars closer and the difference is fantastic. I am so much more comfortable on the bike and fatigue much slower as I am now using the full range of muscle groups to turn the pedals, not just my quads. The occasional pain across my shoulders after a longer ride is also a thing of the past

Herbsman

When you say he moved the bars closer... you mean shorter stem? Or moved the hoods up?

I have a 100mm stem (bike came with a 120mm) - had been riding with a 90mm for a year but this feels too short and makes cornering feel unstable - the 100mm doesn't affect comfort much but I feel much more stable on corners. So a shorter stem is not ideal solution for me.

30 mins left before I have to catch the train to get this fit done....

Wirral_paul

Why not get the bike fit on your training bike, and then work out if you can replicate that position on your race bike? If you cant then at least you'll be able to work out the geometry and size of frame you need when replacing the race bike frame - and you'll have your training bike as a reference / test bed for the new position you're in

Herbsman

It's ok I've already had it done, and it seems to have worked.