Your TT position - pics

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Comments

  • John.T
    John.T Posts: 3,698
    You look rather a long way forward for comfort. Can you maintain this position? It may be worth shortening the front a little.
  • Simon Notley
    Simon Notley Posts: 1,263
    Being far forward was a deliberate choice to open my hip angle and allow me to get lower without being cramped, I can ride on the extensions for an hour max and I have to move around a little to stay comfy so perhaps bringing the bars back a little might result in a comfier position. I'd move the saddle forward, but it's already very close to the CTT limit.
  • John.T
    John.T Posts: 3,698
    As you have moved the bars up you need to move them back a little to maintain the same body shape. That is to rotate your position around the BB. I lifted my pads by 20mm also and it enabled me to sit on the centre of the saddle rather than perch on the nose. The result was more comfort (less shuffling about), less neck ache and the bike handled better. My helmet sat better as well. There may have been a slight loss in aero but it was more than made up by being able to stay tucked down.
    http://martin.photium.com/photo9040036.html
    Bear in mind that I am getting on a bit and am not as flexible as I was Xty years ago.
  • sturmey
    sturmey Posts: 964
    Jeff Jones wrote:
    John.T wrote:
    34dsc_0077.jpg
    Does this look OK for an old man. Ignore the helmet. I had it on wrong that day. I have also now fitted a horizontal stem so lowered the front about 10mm.
    Yes, it looks good. Just work on your head and shoulder position to get everything a bit more compact, shrug your shoulders etc.

    Can you tell us what his head and shoulders should look like to save those extra watts?

    Do you mean head tilted up to smooth out airflow and shoulders narrower?
  • joeyhalloran
    joeyhalloran Posts: 1,073
    http://kimroy-photography.co.uk/gallery ... emId=27337

    and my position last saturday, any thoughts?
  • JackPozzi
    JackPozzi Posts: 1,191
    Any thoughts on these please? I'm thinking saddle needs to come forward. A lot... (or arse needs to go backwards)

    http://kimroy-photography.co.uk/gallery ... emId=28211
    http://kimroy-photography.co.uk/gallery ... emId=28213
    http://kimroy-photography.co.uk/gallery ... emId=28215
  • joeyhalloran
    joeyhalloran Posts: 1,073
    I would say up more than forward?
  • JackPozzi
    JackPozzi Posts: 1,191
    Good point! Just measured it and the damn thing has slipped down, thought something didn't feel quite right today :oops:
  • joeyhalloran
    joeyhalloran Posts: 1,073
    well, that is free speed for the next event! And good to have it happen on a bad day like Saturday, not a PB smashing float day.
  • danowat
    danowat Posts: 2,877
    Dare I post my position........

    Right, firstly let me say I lack flexability, so struggle with power if my hip angle is too much, also, having lost 10 stone in weight, I have a fair bit of loose skin around my belly, which means I struggle to breath if I am too bent up, this position is very comfortable, but obviously a bit of a comprimise.....

    http://kimroy-photography.co.uk/gallery ... emId=27612
    http://kimroy-photography.co.uk/gallery ... emId=27620
  • Jeff Jones
    Jeff Jones Posts: 1,865
    edited March 2011
    sturmey wrote:
    Jeff Jones wrote:
    John.T wrote:
    34dsc_0077.jpg
    Does this look OK for an old man. Ignore the helmet. I had it on wrong that day. I have also now fitted a horizontal stem so lowered the front about 10mm.
    Yes, it looks good. Just work on your head and shoulder position to get everything a bit more compact, shrug your shoulders etc.

    Can you tell us what his head and shoulders should look like to save those extra watts?

    Do you mean head tilted up to smooth out airflow and shoulders narrower?
    No, head tucked down and neck forward to peer out the top of the visor. This photo looks good: http://martin.photium.com/photo9040036.html (lower would be better but that does depend on flexibility, as John said.
    Jeff Jones

    Product manager, Sports
  • Jeff Jones
    Jeff Jones Posts: 1,865
    JackPozzi wrote:
    Any thoughts on these please? I'm thinking saddle needs to come forward. A lot... (or ars* needs to go backwards)

    http://kimroy-photography.co.uk/gallery ... emId=28211
    http://kimroy-photography.co.uk/gallery ... emId=28213
    http://kimroy-photography.co.uk/gallery ... emId=28215
    Your saddle position doesn't look that bad - can you get the power out? Your helmet sits nicely on your back too.

    There's no room to come down at the front is there? Not talking much, maybe a cm or two. And I'd experiment with narrowing your forearms. Ideally you'd want to do a power based field test to see if it works.
    Jeff Jones

    Product manager, Sports
  • Jeff Jones
    Jeff Jones Posts: 1,865
    http://kimroy-photography.co.uk/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=27337

    and my position last saturday, any thoughts?
    It's decent, but you look a wee bit stretched. Can you come back a bit on your bars and go lower?
    Jeff Jones

    Product manager, Sports
  • joeyhalloran
    joeyhalloran Posts: 1,073
    Jeff Jones wrote:
    http://kimroy-photography.co.uk/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=27337

    and my position last saturday, any thoughts?
    It's decent, but you look a wee bit stretched. Can you come back a bit on your bars and go lower?


    Can't go lower with out a different stem (something I am looking into). Was thinking of getting a higher degree stem that is the same length, so moving me back a wee bit and down a bit. Sound good?
  • Jeff Jones
    Jeff Jones Posts: 1,865
    If you move back on your bars you will end up higher so yes, you'll need a stem with a steeper (downward) angle.
    Jeff Jones

    Product manager, Sports
  • joeyhalloran
    joeyhalloran Posts: 1,073
    my arms are comfy on the bars there, so shouldn't i move the whole bar set up backwards?

    How much lower do you think I need to go?

    I was thinking one of these in 90mm (same as my current stem) http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/System-EX-Adjusta ... _500wt_922
  • Jeff Jones
    Jeff Jones Posts: 1,865
    If they're comfy there then there's no point in forcing the issue.

    You could get lower simply by angling the bars up a little, which would drop the pads. Experiment with that and see how you get on before getting another stem.

    Looking at the static shot of you on the trainer, your torso is already pretty flat so you don't have to come down much. Again, can't be much more than a cm in it.
    Jeff Jones

    Product manager, Sports
  • JackPozzi
    JackPozzi Posts: 1,191
    Jeff Jones wrote:
    JackPozzi wrote:
    Any thoughts on these please? I'm thinking saddle needs to come forward. A lot... (or ars* needs to go backwards)

    http://kimroy-photography.co.uk/gallery ... emId=28211
    http://kimroy-photography.co.uk/gallery ... emId=28213
    http://kimroy-photography.co.uk/gallery ... emId=28215
    Your saddle position doesn't look that bad - can you get the power out? Your helmet sits nicely on your back too.

    There's no room to come down at the front is there? Not talking much, maybe a cm or two. And I'd experiment with narrowing your forearms. Ideally you'd want to do a power based field test to see if it works.

    With the saddle up I was getting power out, in yesterday's race I did feel a bit lacking, which I'm hoping was mainly due to the slipping... Could probably get the front end a tad lower, I've got an ergostem in place for the moment to enable me to try different things, unfortunately my PT wheel doen't fit in this frame (the battery cover bulges out and binds on the chainstay) so power testing isn't an option yet, hopefully a reliable pedal based power measurement system isn't too far off. Thanks for the advice, I'll give it a go and hopefully see my times tumble... :D
  • Jeff Jones
    Jeff Jones Posts: 1,865
    JackPozzi wrote:
    With the saddle up I was getting power out, in yesterday's race I did feel a bit lacking, which I'm hoping was mainly due to the slipping... Could probably get the front end a tad lower, I've got an ergostem in place for the moment to enable me to try different things, unfortunately my PT wheel doen't fit in this frame (the battery cover bulges out and binds on the chainstay) so power testing isn't an option yet, hopefully a reliable pedal based power measurement system isn't too far off. Thanks for the advice, I'll give it a go and hopefully see my times tumble... :D
    If your saddle slipped down then yes your power could have been compromised. And putting it up again will achieve a similar thing as dropping the front end (flatter torso) although you still need to get your head down+forward a bit.

    Pity the PT won't fit in the frame! A pedal based system would get around that but don't hold your breath on price. You might be better going for a second hand Quarq or SRM.
    Jeff Jones

    Product manager, Sports
  • Eyon
    Eyon Posts: 623
    OK I know my bike is as far from a TT bike as its possible to get, but I've tried my best to adapt it to something a bit more racey than its intended purpose. The picture isnt ideal as I'm leaning on the wall a bit, but it gives a good idea.

    Within the limits of my bike, what could I do to improve my position? A new bike is out of the question, and ideally I dont want to replace the stem but will if needed.

    First TT is in a weeks time, really looking forward to it.

    p4pb6392609.jpg
    p4pb6392626.jpg
    p4pb6392621.jpg

    Ian
  • John.T
    John.T Posts: 3,698
    That is not too bad. I have seen a lot worse on TT bikes. I would go with that for the first one and see how comfortable you feel. You can always try to get lower later if you feel you can. Remember that getting lower would also mean bringing the saddle forward or you will get a too acute hip angle. This can give handling problems on a road frame.
  • Eyon
    Eyon Posts: 623
    Thanks John.

    Will give it a try like that first and see how it goes. I've seen Merlin doing an adjustable stem at 110mm (the current stem length) so I think I'll get one of those as its on special. Should be able to lower it a little more and counter-act the tall HT the bike has.

    I do however think if i lower my front end, the saddle will need to come forward a bit more which isnt possible on the current seatpost, so would also have to invest in an inline seatpost which means I'd gain about 10-15mm forward adjustability (but then be able to move the rails further back).

    In all reality this bike is not a TT bike and will never be a TT bike, so i dont want to change everything for 1 weekly 10 mile race, just adapt it but still be able to do a few hours in the saddle on the weekend.

    Ian
  • John.T
    John.T Posts: 3,698
    This stem is very good. I use it to swap my bike between TT and road use.
    http://www.specialized.com/gb/gb/bc/SBCEqProduct.jsp?spid=41848&menuItemId=10828&eid=5135
    I use a Trek 5200 frame for TTs but using this stem and an inline post I have got a reasonable TT position. See posts earlier on this thread. I can revert back to a road bike in about 1 hour by flipping the stem, pushing the saddle back and refitting the road bars which still have the levers and cables attached. I do have another road bike so do not do this too often. You should be able to move the saddle and reset the stem in about 15 to 20 min. You do need to re-adjust the headset bearings each time.
    As I said try what you have first. I had a very similar set-up last year and it worked fine. It was just that the Trek was semi redundant so I thought why not make it a TT bike.
  • tgotb
    tgotb Posts: 4,714
    I'm pretty new to TT-ing (this is only my second race on the bike), so still have a lot to learn... On the bike, it feels as though my hands are quite low relative to my elbows, which means I tend to tense my upper arms; by the end of my first 10, my arms were actually hurting more than my legs! I was thinking of raising my hands, but looking at this picture I wonder whether I should actually keep them where they are and drop the arm rests.

    Opinions on this (or any other glaring errors) welcome...

    I also have a lot to learn about pinning numbers on properly :-)

    5618821603_6857d33a95_d.jpg
    Pannier, 120rpm.
  • hopper1
    hopper1 Posts: 4,389
    Ok... I'm just about done with adjusting my position.
    How's this?...

    5643628090_ec7e7e826f_z.jpg
    Start with a budget, finish with a mortgage!
  • joeyhalloran
    joeyhalloran Posts: 1,073
    TGOTB wrote:
    I'm pretty new to TT-ing (this is only my second race on the bike), so still have a lot to learn... On the bike, it feels as though my hands are quite low relative to my elbows, which means I tend to tense my upper arms; by the end of my first 10, my arms were actually hurting more than my legs! I was thinking of raising my hands, but looking at this picture I wonder whether I should actually keep them where they are and drop the arm rests.

    Opinions on this (or any other glaring errors) welcome...

    I also have a lot to learn about pinning numbers on properly :-)

    5618821603_6857d33a95_d.jpg

    I would say raise the arms as you body is already quite flat, dropping the pads will bring your front end very low (it may work for you but will prob take time to get use to the position.)
  • John.T
    John.T Posts: 3,698
    Bringing your hands up relative to your elbows will help stop you tending to slide forward on the bars. It will also make you CTT legal as your wrists should not be below your elbows. You are UCI legal but borderline CTT.
    Also check your saddle. If it is down at the front this will also put more weight on the arms. You need to play around with the position a bit to find what suits you. I have done 5 races this year and changed the position slightly for each one. Unfortunately I find that it is only in a race that I find the need for change.
  • karnali
    karnali Posts: 703
    could the wisdom of the forum (Jeff) cast an eye over my position, i can't quite decide whher to go for a shorter stem or to go for a smaller frame.

    5665479395_cc0ecc29b1_m.jpg

    cheers
  • joeyhalloran
    joeyhalloran Posts: 1,073
    How 'powerful' does this position feel? It looks like a very tight hip angle.

    I am no expect (Jeff) but I would say you could afford to bring your saddle forward a bit, you knee looks pretty inline with the pedal (which is good for a road bike) but I would say you want it 2-3cm in front. This may help your arms get that right angle an will also open up the hip angle a bit.
  • Hi

    This is the first season of using a TT bike. It isnt anything fancy but its knocked a hell of a chunk of my PB as you see it now.

    This pic was taken on the 1st May KCA 10. Just wondering if theres anything i can do to improve the position.

    I was thinking of getting an adjustable stem to get the front end even lower. I also think the bars are to wide apart from the front, unfortunatly you cant see that.

    THanks

    Rory

    DSC_1291.jpg[/img]