Bikeguide.org - Bike maintenance for BMX'ers
The Street => The Bike Shop => Topic started by: GUMP_ on September 01, 2016, 07:44:30 PM
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Hey all,
A few years back a bought a road bike, went to a shop and they recommend a size small men's or something and all that shit, rode a few around and picked one.
It's an Avanti Vitali or something.
I don't ride it due to being lazy and I find it really uncomfortable, I'm not sure if it's just a conditioning thing but I find I'm getting pins and needles in my hands all the time after about 10k or so. Would a shorter or higher stem make this better?
Also are the seats on all racing bikes shithouse or are there any that are comfortable? My taint/arse area are always sore afterwards for a day or two. Is this a conditioning thing aswell?
Thanks for any input guys
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Look for the size in cm somewhere on your bike. If it's small it'll be between 50 and 53cm.
You've probably got too much weight resting on your hands. Try raising the bars slightly. Could be as easy as flipping your stem over, and tilting your bars slightly upwards.
Bike bibs. Decent pair.
(Shorts give you muffin tops and cut into your waist, they suck)
Bike saddle is tricky. Find a shop that has demo saddles and play with different widths and shapes. Hard/soft, wide/narrow, flat/curved. I went through around 6 different seats before I found one that doesn't feel like I'm about to be sterilized after a few hours.
Conditioning helps. Day 1 ride, you'll be fine until the tail end of a ride. Day 2 - you'll be sore, but try to get out for an hour. Day 3 - pain should subside. If you still have pain or numbness then the seat is wrong. Change it up.
Also try lowering the seat a bit to even out your position. Easy way would be to lower it to the point where you can barely touch the ground while sitting on it. You should also be able to move your heel through the full pedal stroke. "Scraping the pan" with your heel.
These are cheap solutions, but without knowing height, weight, knee situation, ankle situation, etc, there could be more at play. Getting a proper fitting would be the next step. Expensive, but keep the measurements and you'll be able to transfer that setup bike to bike later on in life.
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I have been trying to do 15 miles each evening and found that just plopping my gooch down is not conducive to my testicular comfort. By pushing my ass back into the saddle where the rear starts its upslope Ive found it much better.
I just got this bike.
(https://scontent-dft4-1.cdninstagram.com/t51.2885-15/e35/14145389_189922604760822_1906522642_n.jpg)
Its a cannondale capo 60 cm. the gear ratio is 42-17. Often when I'm approaching full speed I feel like I max out my stroke. I think the dude who had it before me, slammed it. Would a ink or two add much in the way of me not being able to match my pedal speed to the freewheel? Or should I just get a new ring, 44t?
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Play round with your saddle position before you buy a new one, making sure your sat comfortably helps. So do padded shorts. How high you should have the bars depends on your flexibility and core strength.
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Definitely experiment with saddle position. You want to be sitting on your actual sit bones, not on any soft tissue. Lowering and moving your seat backwards might help with hand discomfort as it moves your weight back slightly and takes a bit of pressure off your hands. Rising your bars too.
Give your body time get used to the new position.
Play with tire pressure too.
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Thanks guys. I'll have a good look at the sizing of the bike when I'm on days off again.
I'll also have a play around with the stem/bars and the seat see if I can get more comfy. M
Does sound like I should just spend some more time in the saddle