Cannondale synapse. Position help please.

Toe knee

Hi all, I bought a synapse at the end of feb, and been out a few times now not far still building up, when I bought the bike I tried a 56cm which was agreed to big for me, I'm 5'9" and 31 inch inside leg, so tried a 54cm which seemed a better fit.
Now for the last few weeks I have had bad back pain to the left side of the back of my hip, and travelling down to my knee, and my left spud has also been sore.
I am now watching the lads in the tour of catalunya, and noticed when they are on the hoods there arms are slightly bent, so have just been upstairs and jumped on my dale, and my arms are straight on the hoods, also on the down stroke of the pedal my leg is straight.
Would these be contributing factors to my problems , what adjustments if any could I make to the bike ?
My other option would be to change the bike in the LBS where I bought it , swap my dale synapse sora,for a trek 1.2 , I tried the trek before I decided on the dale, and I thought it fitted like a glove and felt very comfortable, but the chap in store said it was to small , and he would have to order the next size in for me.
Any suggestions please.

Thanks tony

cyberknight

Without seeing a picture of you on your bike (from the side ) leg at 6 oclock and hands on hoods its hard to say ,it could be a number of factors.
With regards to your hip pain is it ..
http://www.sportsinjuryclinic.net/sport ... d-syndrome
or
http://velonews.competitor.com/2011/05/ ... ing_172757

Both symptoms can be caused by a saddle height that is to high, i did suffer with the latter and found dropping a few mm and stretching helped.
http://www.westchestertriclub.com/Advic ... drome.html
http://www.spine-health.com/wellness/ex ... s-syndrome

With your bike fit i have found the following to be really helpful..
http://www.jimlangley.net/crank/bikefit.html
http://bikedynamics.co.uk/guidelines.htm
http://bikedynamics.co.uk/achesandpains.htm
I would not change the bike just yet as bike fit can be replicated but if your really suffering it might be worth looking at a proper bike fit if the guidelines do not help as over the tinternet we can only advise and offer basic advise that should get you in the right direction .It could be that you have one leg shorter than the other etc but its hard to tell .Have a look at the links above and see if they help.

Toe knee

Thanks cyber knight.
I didn't like mentioning one leg shorter, as it does feel I'm stretching more on my left hand side ?
Thank you very much for your advice, much appreciated.

Tony

cyberknight

Toe knee wrote:

Thanks cyber knight.
I didn't like mentioning one leg shorter, as it does feel I'm stretching more on my left hand side ?
Thank you very much for your advice, much appreciated.

Tony

The leg length is an extreme example , you will naturally be more flexible on one side anyway liek your right or left handed, i did martial arts for over a decade and only stopped when a non training injury forced me to stop as a shoulder was permanently weakened so i could not train properly.Anyway back to the legs .. one leg was always a bit more flexible .
I am no medical professional so i cannot offer any advice you should take as gospel but have a look at your bike fit and stretches first.

Sprool

First I would say that you should not try to match the position of a pro rider when you've only been out a few times; they have thousands of miles experience, fitness and flexibility and will be set up for a very aggressive low ride position. Flexibility will get better but trying to match a pro's position at this stage will be painful.
Second it sounds like your saddle is too high, then leg should never be straight at the bottom of the downstroke. Lower the saddle 1cm then ride for 1/2 a mile, see if it feels better.
Look at fitting a shorter stem if the handlebar reach is too much, or flip the stem and bring the bars a bit higher up with a spacer for a more comfortable position.
Third, take the bike back where you bought it and seek advice from whoever sold it to you regarding the fit.

Toe knee

Thanks for that spool, will try what you said.

t4tomo

Sprool wrote:

First I would say that you should not try to match the position of a pro rider when you've only been out a few times;

True but the point the OP had picked up was that you should have your arms slighly bent whilst on the hoods. If you lock your arms then you are going to feel all he vibrations.

Leg straight whilst your heel is on pedal at its lowest point, is a good quick and dirty for seat height. that means your leg won't be quite fully extended at lowest point when you are pedally normally.

keef66

My arms are nearly straight when on the hoods most of the time. If I make an effort to get a bit lower then I have a bend in my arms, but it doesn't come naturally. I'm 55 though and certainly do not have the flexibility of a pro rider. Looking at those guys some of them have a very flat back even when on the hoods.

wavefront

I also have a synapse and it's a bike that should give a more relaxed riding position.

You should definitely bend your arms like others have said, as it'll create less stress on your shoulders which I could imagine are often hunched if you're locking your arms straight? Also it does soak up bumps alot more.

Are you locking your arms to prevent yourself falling forward and remain upright? If so this suggests your saddle position is wrong as you should be sat 'in' the bike, not 'on' it. I had a bike fit with Arian Timmis and I was originally perched on the bike with locked arms yet I felt too stretched. My intuition would have suggested I get even closer to the bars or shorten the stem but I was completely wrong! Adrian moved my seat up and back a fair way, and somehow the bike felt more compact, I felt less stretched, but in the mirror I was way flatter, but my arms weren't supporting me anymore, my seat and 'core' was.

I would suggest a bike fit - looking at the above replies we're all suggesting different things but a good fitter will really be able to help when they see you.