Could I be alergic to my 2010 Specialized Vita Comp?

I'm being facetious, sort of.

I really could use your input ladies, because I'm puzzled. I started riding my new bike in April. I love the bike, it's fast, it's zippy, love it. I had a professional fit for this bike, and it feels comfortable when I'm on the ride (except for some butt soreness, which is normal for me).

BUT......I've noticed that everytime I ride it, after my ride is over, my body aches from head to toe. When I go to bed at night, after a ride, I ache so bad I have to take some ibuprophen to relieve the pain. I never had this problem with my old 1997 Trek 730, which is a steel frame. My Vita Comp is the first bike I've owned that has an aluminum frame. It's not as smooth on the bumps as the old bike was. However, I do have a carbon fork, carbon seat stay, and Zerts (a Specialized thingy) to dampen the road jitters. But overall, my Vita Comp does have a stiffer ride than the old Trek.

Could it be that the reason I'm aching all over after a ride is because my body is just not used to the stiff ride of the aluminum frame? I'm 57 years old and let's just say that I'm not a spring chicken anymore, but my old bike didn't make me feel that way. I'm going to get out my old Trek, pump up the tires, and ride it the next time I'm out, to do a comparison test.

Any thoughts?

Ciao

It's possible. Until recently the only aluminum bikes I owned were full suspension MTBs, ridden in the dirt. For road bikes, it's been Steel and now carbon fiber, till I bought a Fuji road bike to commute with. It has a cf fork, but the rest is alu. Hitting bumps on that bike is jarring. My old steel bikes never felt like that, and the cf stuff is tame by comparison. So I am using 28c touring tires, and am experimenting with finding the best air pressure. I went too low a few weeks ago, and while it felt good, I got a flat. So I went up 10lbs pressure and am being pounded a bit again, but I am getting used to it. I had tried 25c tires, which made the bike feel more nimble (they had higher pressure and a lot less rubber on the casing), but boy every street crack felt like a chasm.

Yea, alu can be more jarring than steel. You might look into wider tires that can be run at lower pressure, if your bike can take something wider than what it has, or check tire pressure as you may be able to lower it a little for a bit more comfort.

Some folks are sensitive to road buzz (not the same as jarring and bumps) from aluminum bikes, and some aren't.

I am, and it is definitely an oddly individual thing. It drove me nuts, yet there are plenty of folks riding aluminum who have no problems at all.

Is there any chance that you're working harder because you can go faster or something?

Is the soreness improving over, say, a week or two?

How often are you riding? If it's only once every couple of weeks, then it might just be general fatigue from the road bike position (and possibly a more jarring ride). I had that problem last summer when I only rode occasionally - each ride wiped me out with aches, pains and heavy fatigue for the rest of the day. This year, I ride more frequently and I don't have the same problem.

I agree with letting a little air out of your tires. If you currently pump them to the max recommended value (like I do), you will probably see a great improvement in road feel if you back them off to the middle or lower end of the rated range for your tires.

Thanks for the feedback ladies.

So, the skinnier the tire the more road buzz???? Because that's one factor different this year, my aluminum bike has 28C tires, and my old Trek has 32C tires. That's in addition to the aluminum vs steel difference of the two bikes.

I will try the suggestion to put a bit less air in the tires, to see if that helps. Right now I'm putting 100 psi in the tires and if I recall correctly, it's max is 110 psi.

Knotted Yet: I was interested in your statement that some people are more sensitive to road buzz. I may be one of them. One of my lady friends, who is close to my age, changed to a new aluminum framed Giant FCR 2 bike this spring (from her steel comfort bike), same time as I did. I originally test rode the Giant FCR 2 (it was a left over 2009 on sale) and decided against it, even though I loved the colors on it, because the road jarring was awful on it. Her bike does not have a carbon seat stay or the Zerts, but it does have a carbon fork. She doesn't feel the road buzz like I do, and she can't figure out what I'm even talking about, LOL.

Aquila: I have been riding about once a week, steadily this spring/summer. I have not been finding the soreness to improve at all yet.

CLC1968; I don't think I'm working harder on this bike than my old Trek. Actually this new bike rolls easier.

I haven't been on my old Trek at all this year, so I'm going to try my next ride on that one to see if I get the soreness.

I will also try the other suggestion of less air in the tires on my Vita.

If that doesn't help, would it make sense to try a bit wider tire? Would I need to get new rims too??? I hope not because that would be expensive.

Ciao

Yes, road buzz is a very individual thing. Someone should do some research on it, they could make a gazillion bucks if they figured it out.

Yes, width of tires (and psi) has a lot of effect on road buzz. Mind you, my aluminum bike had 37 mm/75 psi tires and I still felt the buzz; while one of my steel bikes has 23 mm/110 psi tires and gives me no buzz at all. (other than the buzz of bicycling joy!) ;)

Wider tires do not necessarily require wider rims. Your best bet is to take the bike to the LBS and ask them the maximum width low-pressure tire you can put on your bike. That will at least give you a starting point to think from.