Is my setup wrong?

G.Zero

I have been riding since mid-late june doing mainly 20-40 mile routes and have done a couple of 50-60 milers.

I am riding a 2011 specialized allez sport compact in size 56. I have the saddle height set up right with regards to my legs but recently my right hip joint and the back of my left leg behind my knee have been hurting/aching my knee especially when my leg reaches the bottom of a revolution. And my right hip especially when going slightly uphill or when I'm trying to get some power down when in the drops.

Also if I am in the drops for any length of time my neck really starts to ache from looking up.

the combination of all of these means that I can never really go that fast apart from short sprints from still say from traffic lights or just downhill.

Is there anything I can do?

Also I can safely say that it is nothing to do with cleat set up as I don't have proper cycling shoes yet as I can't afford them being a skint student, which also means that for now a bike fit is out of the picture as I would need to save for a while to be able to get one.

Thanks for any comments
Josh

cougie

Almost impossible for us to say from this information.

Some photos of you on the bike may help ?

colinsmith123

How often are you riding 20-40 miles? If your doing this daily, or close to daily it may well be your body telling you to rest.

If not that, simply try lowering your saddle a 2-3mm to start with to see if that helps

Is your fore/aft position of your saddle correct?

Change one thing at a time and try for 20-40 miles.Remember to use a marker pen or similar so if you change height / position and there is no improvement you can easily reset.

Wacky Racer

Agree with post above. I had a knee problem when first moving to road bikes, and I dropped the seat 1cm at a time until the pain went away. I didn't try anything else as the problem went away, but only change one thing at a time so you know what works, and as previosly mentioned mark up where you make adjustments so you can revert back to the original set-up if something doesn't work. Trial and error I'm afraid!

ollyridesfirst

If it's an ache down your leg then try some hip flexor stretches a couple of times a week. I had the same and the physio said it was quite common and gave me some decent stretches to do and now i'm fine. Something to do with the nerve being squashed between muscles and bone....

try this:

http://www.howcast.com/videos/50-How-To ... r-Hip-Area

G.Zero

Thanks for the tips guys I will give them all a go. I am only doing these rides a couple of times a week as I don't have too much time because of work etc.

My knee is hurting most of the time now not just cycling it is aching whilst I walk along now too.

How do I work out if my fore/aft position of my saddle is right?

Josh

cougie

With your pedals level, drop a line from the knobbly bit of your kneecap, and it should drop down to the pedal spindle.

kingrollo

from what you say your saddle could be to high - which is causing you to over reach with your legs - thus rocking your pelvis. thats the first adjustment I would make.

G.Zero

Ok thanks for the suggestions I will give them a go

mrwibble

Advice: if you are hurting on the bike, get some money together and go for a bike fit. This is the single best thing you can do, trust me I know. Get the bike fitted to you, simple

G.Zero

I will do if I can't sort the problems myself I want to get new pedals and shoes first so that if I do go they can also look at cleat set up to maximise my performance, as knowing me I won't get it perfectly right

mrwibble

unless you have had professional training, i doubt you will be able to set the bike up properly. bike fit was the best £90 I spent

G.Zero

Yer I know I will it is just a case of saving up some money from one of my two jobs

cyberknight

http://www.jimlangley.net/crank/bikefit.html

http://www.caree.org/bike101bikefit.htm

G.Zero

Just sat on the bike and I think I may be a little too far back on the seat so I will adjust that and see how that feels along with moving down a couple of mill.

Thanks for the links cyberknight

cyberknight

Your welcome, although i am not a student i know the meaning of no cash for a bike fit, family wants food etc etc :?

Took me ages to get my bike fit right untill i discovered these 2, another good site is competitive cyclist , although their fits still tend to be on the racy side , i personally use something close to the eddy fit .

http://www.competitivecyclist.com/za/CC ... ATOR_INTRO

G.Zero

Well I have made some adjustments including flipping my stem to see how that effects my kneck. Didn't realise how much the stem was angled down until I flipped it!

G.Zero

Went on a very short 3 mile run just to see how it felt initially and first thoughts are it is going to be much better! I was slightly more comfortable and able to push higher gears at a higher cadence than normal

colinsmith123

Easy tiger, we gave you tips on how to get your knee to stop hurting, not turn you into the next Lance Armstrong!

G.Zero

Haha, I need to get out and do my normal 20 at some point soon to check the set up for my knee hip and neck but I am hopeful that it is much better I will report back when I have been for my ride, it will most probably be on sunday or something

cougie

I dont think you need professional training to get a bike to fit you. How come cyclists have managed for decades without this ? A bit of common sense goes a long way.

G.Zero

Hey guys,

thought I would update you all on this I went on one of my 22 mile loops that I quite often do and managed a time of 1hr 20mins my previous best with the old set up was 1hr 30mins and that was on a very calm warm day whereas yesterdays 1hr 20 was into ridiculous head and crosswinds going down some of the gradients felt like I was riding a fixie constantly having to pedal to get anywhere. So I am sure that I am getting more power from this set up.

My knee was a better it was slightly sore but I think that was to do with the fact that it was still a little sore from when it first started hurting but it is definitely better. and my hip was better too.

My neck was still aching but it took a lot longer to start aching than usual and I was able to go in the drops for a lot more of the time.