A few 'first month niggles'

NCFC
NCFC Posts: 33
edited September 2013 in Road beginners
So I bought my road bike about a month ago. It's due it's first service and there are a few things I want to mention when I drop it in for the service, and another couple of non-mechanical things I wanted to seek advice on before taking any action.

1) 'Clicking' when applying pressure on left side of the handlebars. This isn't cable housing as I tried holding all casing away from frame/stem/handlebars during a test.

2) Slight chain/rear mech rub on rear wheel spokes when on the largest front and rear rings, if I'm going uphill and riding aggressively, i.e. pushing the handlebars/frame from side to side as I climb.

Should I be riding on the two biggest rings, or would it be better to drop down to the front granny ring if I'm having to put that much into an uphill section?

3) Foot pain - I find myself curling my feet in my shoes and as I cycle and I'm experiencing aches in the outer edge of the anterior transverse arch, between the 4th and 5th metatarsal. On a relaxed ride it's not so bad and I can force myself not to do it, but I find the more I put into the ride the less I can focus on my feet and end up aching. Is there anything I can do? Any insole which people recommend?

4) Seat positioning - I find myself sliding forward on my saddle. When I'm riding on the hoods my arms are bent slightly. Head is down, back is straight and bum is back. I can see the small narrow front of the saddle popping out between my thighs on a gentle ride, but as with the above I find that the more effort I'm putting into the ride the more I find myself pulling forward on my seat. I've tried to tilt the seat up a bit but find that it hurts the pelvic muscle rather than forces me onto the seat to use my sitting muscles. I've tried dropping the seat back as far as it goes on the rails but this hasn't made much difference either.

I'm 5' 11.5", and I'm riding a large Wilier Izoard XP 105

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/wilier-izoard-xp-105-2013/

Size guides suggest that this is the right bike for me, and tbh I wouldn't want to drop to a medium due to concerns about clearance between front wheel and feet when handlebars are turned.

Could it be that I have stubby arms and need more bend in the elbow and to get that bend I'm compensating at the rear end? Shorter stem would be the only solution for this I assume? Any recommendations?

Comments

  • spanner239
    spanner239 Posts: 181
    NCFC wrote:
    2) Slight chain/rear mech rub on rear wheel spokes when on the largest front and rear rings, if I'm going uphill and riding aggressively, i.e. pushing the handlebars/frame from side to side as I climb.

    Should I be riding on the two biggest rings, or would it be better to drop down to the front granny ring if I'm having to put that much into an uphill section?

    No part of the chain or rear mech should ever rub on the spokes! Why not just maintain yourself, google and you tube are a vast resource. Also the Park Tool web site is a good place to start. Some simple basic maintenance is not beyond anybody and you will be much better placed when you have mastered some simple tasks!

    There should be no need to use the big big combination and it will put excessive wear on the drive train components.
  • Calpol
    Calpol Posts: 1,039
    NCFC wrote:
    So I bought my road bike about a month ago. It's due it's first service and there are a few things I want to mention when I drop it in for the service, and another couple of non-mechanical things I wanted to seek advice on before taking any action.
    Can't help with all but will try. I have a Wilier Izoard also.
    NCFC wrote:
    1) 'Clicking' when applying pressure on left side of the handlebars. This isn't cable housing as I tried holding all casing away from frame/stem/handlebars during a test.
    Not sure about this one. Could be related to cables under the bar tape. Is your headset tight?
    NCFC wrote:
    2) Slight chain/rear mech rub on rear wheel spokes when on the largest front and rear rings, if I'm going uphill and riding aggressively, i.e. pushing the handlebars/frame from side to side as I climb.
    Don't ride your bike like this. Your rear mech should not be anywhere near your spokes. It suggests your limit screws are not set correctly and you need to adjust them. Plenty videos on the net for this. YOu need to back off the lower limit screw I think
    NCFC wrote:
    Should I be riding on the two biggest rings, or would it be better to drop down to the front granny ring if I'm having to put that much into an uphill section?
    Should not be cross chaining like this for too long as it puts wear in your drivetrain but its fine for a short time. Get your mech set properly and its not an issue.
    NCFC wrote:
    3) Foot pain - I find myself curling my feet in my shoes and as I cycle and I'm experiencing aches in the outer edge of the anterior transverse arch, between the 4th and 5th metatarsal. On a relaxed ride it's not so bad and I can force myself not to do it, but I find the more I put into the ride the less I can focus on my feet and end up aching. Is there anything I can do? Any insole which people recommend?
    I have the Specialized ones. Mine are green for the foot of high arch. Made a huge difference.Any specialized shop will have a gel pad thing for you to stand on to assess your support requirement.
    NCFC wrote:
    4) Seat positioning - I find myself sliding forward on my saddle. When I'm riding on the hoods my arms are bent slightly. Head is down, back is straight and bum is back. I can see the small narrow front of the saddle popping out between my thighs on a gentle ride, but as with the above I find that the more effort I'm putting into the ride the more I find myself pulling forward on my seat. I've tried to tilt the seat up a bit but find that it hurts the pelvic muscle rather than forces me onto the seat to use my sitting muscles. I've tried dropping the seat back as far as it goes on the rails but this hasn't made much difference either.
    Maybe it just takes time to get used to the riding position and also time for your core to adapt. Core exercises really are worth doing particularly if you are a bit overweight.
    NCFC wrote:
    I'm 5' 11.5", and I'm riding a large Wilier Izoard XP 105

    http://www.wiggle.co.uk/wilier-izoard-xp-105-2013/

    Size guides suggest that this is the right bike for me, and tbh I wouldn't want to drop to a medium due to concerns about clearance between front wheel and feet when handlebars are turned.
    I am on an XL Izoard and I am 6'0. I ride with a 120mm stem and its pretty perfect for me. Maybe slightly stretched but I feel comfortable on the bike at distances of up to 110 miles. Of course this does take time and I now have 3500 miles on that bike. Saddle position - its tempting to mess around with this but most experts on here advise not to move it fore/aft in order to sort reach issues - better to consider a shorter stem.
  • kajjal
    kajjal Posts: 3,380
    (1) check nothing is lose on the bike. My road bike a click due to a bolt being lose and the end of the front gear cable hitting the frame. A quick tighten and bending the cable out the way all is now fine.

    (2) using front and rear big rings or front and rear small rings at the same time is not a good idea as the chain is being stretch across increasing wear, making gear changes less reliable, rubbing on front derailier etc. if I understand you properly. If it is rubbing on your spokes talk to the bike shop as that should not be happening.

    (3) don't know.

    (4) assuming your saddle is level try using KOPS as a starting point to get the saddle in a good position on the rails. If you don't use clips or sods on your pedals your saddle often needs to be further forward to compensate.

    Also measure the vertical drop from your saddle to the top of your handle bars. If this is too much for your preferred riding style it will transfer more weight to your hands making you slide forwards. This is easily fixed by spacers or flipping your stem so it is upright.
  • Tjgoodhew
    Tjgoodhew Posts: 628
    Just a quick point on number one.

    I had a click which i thought was coming from the front of the bike - stem, handlebar area.

    When i took it into the LBS it turned out my Bottom bracket was lose.

    May be worth checking some other parts of the bike for the noise if your convinced everything is ok up front
    Cannondale Caad8
    Canyon Aeroad 8.0

    http://www.strava.com/athletes/goodhewt
  • djm501
    djm501 Posts: 378
    If the rear mech is rubbing on the spokes then it's probably one of two things (or both!) - your lower limit screw is not set right or the hanger bolt for the rear mech is bent. Have you bashed the derailleur at any point?

    Worth mentioning that they check the hanger bolt is straight when you get it serviced - it's a simple job to put right. Or, as mentioned, you could for about £20-30 get a bolt straighting tool yourself. Cost of one service and you've got it forever. Use as many times as you like - but use it properly, the hanger bolt is made of cheese deliberately so if something catastrophic happens it breaks before the frame does.

    Rear mech rubbing on your spokes is a _bad_ thing - if it gets and closer then you may find that catastrophic thing happening... trashed wheel, trashed rear mech and bolt - lots more dosh to fix than buying a straightening tool. http://www.bike-discount.de/shop/a9183/ ... tAodbnAAZA

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