new bike - first outing today, couple of niggles

frazered

so the triban 3 i bought on friday had its first proper outing today after I had decorated the upstairs middle bedroom - wife orders :oops:

did 23 miles and moved up the strava league tables on the segments near me.

needed to stop a couple of times to adjust my riding position and need to get rid of the not so comfy saddle and move away from the basic pedals that came with the bike.

niggles after the ride:

- hands were a little sore with the more forward position, had my gel palm gloves which i was glad of
- upper back / should blades were aching a bit - again more weight forward from leaning forwards on the bike compared to my c456 mtb

any suggestions on tweaks I could make?

- shorter stem to reduce the reach? or just get more miles on the bike first?

cheers

simon_masterson

There is a chance that a different stem length will improve your position on the bike, but so will proper posture, saddle height, position and orientation, and so on. Certainly not a 'night and day' difference; it will take you a few rides to get used to the position, so you're right that you just need to put more miles in.

However, what I will say is that ideally your saddle fore-aft position should be such that your upper body isn't taking the weight, and that WILL affect your comfort. Have a read of this article; I think he outlines the basics very well. http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/fitting.htm

sharky1029

I would recommend getting more time on the bike first before buying new parts that are not broken.
It is probably you are just quite stiff in your back which you haven't found out about while on a mountain bike, I found the same thing after getting on my road bike for the first time in a while.
This should help if that is the issue: http://www.bikeradar.com/fitness/articl ... sts-26074/

Also, consider making adjustments which do not require new parts:
Try removing spacers above the stem if there are any and consider flipping the stem : most have 2 angles depending on the way up they are.
Also, you could try moving the saddle forwards on the rails but make sure you still feel comfortable pedalling as it can affect your power output (both positively and negatively)
You can also try adjusting bar angle but this is the least likely to have an effect on your position.

If all else fails, a shorter stem may help but if you go too short it can become a bit fidgety, especially at high speeds (Unlike a mtb where a short stem is great)

Sprool

+1 for getting some more time in the saddle first, esp after being used to a MTB. Gel gloves can alleviate the symptoms - theres a lot more vibrations with 100psi skinny tyres than your big cushy MTB tyres - but they do not solve a problem. Stem flipping worked well for me transitioning to a road bike after 8 years of MTB only, just getting the bars raised a bit felt much more comfortable. Its probably my gut and lack of flexibility that's the issue here, not the bike fit. I also felt like I was having to reach really far when i first got my road bike, I swapped the 110mm stem for a 90mm but it just squashed me up more, esp when riding the drops, even though it brought my line of vision back into what is perceived as being better - where the bar hides the view of the front hub. I put the 110mm stem back on, kept it flipped upwards and got a couple of weeks of good miles in, and its feeling pretty spot on for me now.

Bozman

I wouldn't change too much because your body has got to get used to a new riding position, just make sure that your saddle is the right height.
I've ridden motorbikes for years and every time i buy a new one i'll ache somewhere different for a few weeks, all down to a different riding position. A mtb is a world away from a road bike so your body will need plenty of time to adjust.

frazered

cheers will have a good read.

i certainly felt I was sliding forwards on the outward leg, fixed after some adjustment. I have a charge spoon on my mtb so I am going to give that a go to see how that changes things

noted on the stem and getting out more.

tyres - i have the stock btwin 23mm tyres ones on, not sure what the opinions on them are, but I felt ok on them yesterday. from reading around going wider may also improve comfort some more? 25mm on the back maybe and 23 on the front? again will see how I get on / try to wear out the existing ones before spending more money! (continential gp4000s seem to be well recommended)

pics of steed

Sprool

i wouldnt mix tyre sizes. The front is where a lot of the vibrations will come from so either try out 25's front and back or just put in some more miles on the stock rubber. These are likely to be entry-level tyres and you may feel a good gain later from a higher spec lighter tyre. Theres a lot of angular momentum held in a spinning wheel.

Gizmo_

"Fast, reliable, comfortable" sounds like a "pick two" situation.

I agree that you need to get some miles in to settle into the position. When I started on my road bike I felt like the hoods were a long stretch away - after a couple of hundred miles it was just right, but now I feel like the saddle is a touch too low and tilted a smidge too far forward, so I need to adjust that. Little tweaks...

zx6man

Charge spoon on my MTB too, for the cash def get one for roadie.
My road bike I had to change the stem from 120mm to 90mm, and its now perfect for me.
has anyone run a bike with 23's and then 25's... I can't tell too much difference to be honest.
MTB to roadie, just takes a few weeks to bed in as suggested.

zx6man

noted on your pic the seat looks angled back quite a bit? And again +1 for the flip of the stem..

Bozman

zx6man wrote:

noted on your pic the seat looks angled back quite a bit? And again +1 for the flip of the stem..

Why would you flip the stem? You've got to give the body chance to settle not give-in at the first hurdle, fair enough if you're sixty or have back issues but not after the first ride.

Sprool

I realised after the 6 mile ride home from the bike shop that the handlebar position was too low for me. I persevered another couple of days riding then flipped the stem, it was instantly so much more comfortable and i was able to ride further for longer in comfort. Maybe when I'm regularly cycling 50 milers at the weekends I may flip it back, but its not as if its a big job to try out and make the ride more comfortable if you are a bit inflexible. Its your bike, the stems are designed to be flipped!

frazered

nipped out at lunch. put my spd pedals and shoes on from my mtb (m530's) felt much more stable on the pedals compared to the cheap toes clips.

only a 8 mile blast and approx 40mins.

managed to bag a KOM local to me and get a 2nd best time on another segment moving up to 17th.

still a little tense in my back but felt comfier overall. more miles will tell.

zx6man

Bozman wrote:

zx6man wrote:

noted on your pic the seat looks angled back quite a bit? And again +1 for the flip of the stem..

Why would you flip the stem? You've got to give the body chance to settle not give-in at the first hurdle, fair enough if you're sixty or have back issues but not after the first ride.

Flip just makes it more upright, so less of a back stretch. Not all new riders want the race position on a road bike (new riders may find their bellies in the way anyway )

frazered

another first this evening...first time out in just bibs, leg warmers and thermal top plus ss jersey - i.e. no overshorts to the lycra

still aching between the shoulder blades, going to play with the seat again and bars.

knocked 10 seconds off one of the more challenging strava segments on my 11mile loop 8)

il_principe

Out of interest what size is the frame and what height are you? Saddle looks very high to me.

frazered

6ft and half an inch, 33inch inside leg approx - size 57cm triban 3. I have been watching some bike fit videos at pedal precision in manchester and was thinking I might be too high in the saddle.

planning to fettle a bit when home tomorrow

il_principe

Yeah it does look high. A good test is to have someone ride behind you, if your hips are rocking up and down loads then it's too high.

giant_man

you need a bike fit to get the correct position. Your sizing seems ok, just the actual fit imo.

frazered

Pedal precision for approx 60 quid looks good value at the manc velodrome?

giant_man

Look at it as an investment. It's one of the most important things in cycling, that the bike fits you and not the other way around. Crucial for comfort and ultimately, enjoyment when riding.

Just depends on how thorough the bike fitting will be. For 60 quid I would want the fitter to rectify the problems you have been having and make the bike comfortable. Handlebar/stem adjustments and saddle fettling would be the order of the day imo. I've never been with the Manc velodrome so can't recommmend, I can recommend Paul Hewitt at Leyland for around the same money.

jeepie

Assuming your saddle is the correct height, don't you think the problem might be you are just going at it too hard too soon without the musculature to support your effort? I'd give it a few weeks or regular stretching and cycling to verify if your problems disappear....

siamon

You will find it a lot more comfortable and efficient if the weight is on the saddle rather than your hands.

frazered

Stem flipped and a charge spoon fitted = much more comfort.

The decathlon 'boil in the bag' waterproof layer despite having venting was not so much fun on the 23 miler at 16 mph ave.

Saw lots out early this morning all very polite apart from a more serious group who I caught and overtook whilst on a strava segment blast. Said hello but no acknowledgement at all. Maybe me overtaking their exotica on the humble triban was not the done thing ?

Buckie2k5

tbh since owning my triban ive not seen another on the road. Maybe they were blown away by the exotica of yours

frazered

i have seen a couple near me. also a few on this forum, bought and then sold quickly!

frazered

was out yesterday with 3 others for a proper ride - did 70 miles around st helens, billinge, warrington and over to edge of knutsford and back

soaked and cold despite waterproof jacket, thermal top, windproof gilet, roubaix bibs and tights, sealskinz socks with overshoes!

longest ride i have done by far! hopefully good prep for the cheshire cat sportive

aching shoulders during the ride and sore knees today!

lotus49

Don't make more than one change at a time - if you do you won't be able to tell which of the changes has made things better (or worse). Don't make radical changes either. You don't suddenly want to be lowering your saddle by 5cm in one go.

The main thing though, is to get used to how a road bike feels and try to assess whether the niggles you are experiencing are because you aren't used to the road bike position or whether your bike really isn't properly adjusted.

frazered

I have had an initial bike fit from pedal precision. So reckon just need to adjust and get the miles in. Cheers

drlodge

frazered wrote:

pics of steed

That saddle seems quite far forward, which will put more weight on your arms and back. I would try moving the seat back, so your butt acts more as a cantilever and places less weight on your arms...squat and see how your butt sticks out rearwards in order to balance.

frazered

quite a bit has changed since then

25mm conti gp4000s
specialized romin saddle
stem flipped
bike fit with pedal precision
shimano m530 spds
sks XL mudguards

will post a more recent pic