Trying to adjust to a road bike

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Originally Posted by aicabsolut

Sounds like you had a brake pad rubbing the wheel.

You should also get fitted to the bike and then ride it. You may have to readjust your fit as you get more miles on the road bike. This bike setup may have the bars too close to you. I know that when I needed to flip my stem down that I would get really sore in the shoulders because I was hunching them to make enough room for my arms, essentially. You should also have a saddle position as far forward as you can where you can just hold yourself up without falling on your face when you remove your hands from the bars (best to test this out on a trainer..haha). So find the part where you feel like you're going to tip and then move it back a smidge. A good place to start is by doing the knee over pedal spindle test, but based on your femur length and the geometry of the bike versus your build, this is only a general guideline. You shouldn't be using gobs of core strength while your hands are on the bars.

All of that said, I LOVE my 54 Roubaix comp. :) Get fitted. Ride. If it's for you, then ride some more. Then get refitted as your road bike fitness and comfort level improves.

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I'm glad you like it. What year is yours?

Thanks everyone, again, for your reassurance and advice. We returned the Roubaix rentals and now have a pair of Cannondale Synapses to try out (top-of-the line with all DA !!! :eek:). I wasn't at the shop when my husband picked them up so mine does not have a different stem, but it is my size and the owner made other adjustments based on how he set up the Roubaix.

Basically, I want to feel sure that, although the reach feels far and uncomfortable now and assuming I'm on the *correct* size bike, reasonable adjustments will make it feel better and shorten my reach, while I learn to adjust to the position. I'm a little scared that I'll buy this new bike for a lot of money and even after 200-300 miles I'll still be uncomfortable and wondering what have I done?!

The fitter wants me to ride for 200-300 miles before I get the full fitting, since I'll be jumping from a hybrid to a road bike (so to speak -- I'm imagining a man jumping from horse to horse like in those old westerns right now...:D). Then, I believe he'll be available for questions and adjustments after that as well. This LBS offers free lifetime maintenance as well (and we are borrowing these bikes at no cost), so I think this is a great shop to stick with, which narrows my choices to the Synapse and the Roubaix.:confused:

It sounds like you're dealing with a really great shop.

Mine is an '06, Gerolsteiner team paint. I'd definitely go with expert or pro (or S-works ;) ) if I could afford it, but the comp with 105/ultegra/fsa is doing pretty well. I changed saddle and bars. Just needs a race wheel upgrade.

Keep in mind that the Cannondale geometry will be pretty different from the Roubaix. Generally, I think people go down a size in Cannondale, but that's not written in stone or anything. It may mean you'd want a different stem or something though than with the other bike.

Something else to consider while you're testing this stuff out is handlebar width. if you've got 42-44cm men's bars on there, you may not feel as comfortable riding on the hoods as if you had 38cm or 40cm bars (mens or women's--though I think only women's bars come in 38). Bar width and the reach to the levers and all of that can affect how your shoulders and neck are feeling. It's usually more comfortable to be too wide rather than too narrow, and some people prefer a wide bar for climbing, but there's wide and then there's way too wide.

Sounds like you've got a fantastic shop!

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Originally Posted by aicabsolut

Keep in mind that the Cannondale geometry will be pretty different from the Roubaix. Generally, I think people go down a size in Cannondale, but that's not written in stone or anything. It may mean you'd want a different stem or something though than with the other bike.

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Absolutely! Fuji measures center to top to get the frame size, while Canny measures center to center (at least they did the last time I owned one). Bike sizes are just like clothing sizes- what fits in one brand won't necessarily fit in another brand. Stick with the actual frame measurements to compare, rather than sizes, and you'll be fine. It sounds like your shop is really taking this into account, and won't assume that you need the same size in both bikes.

Sounds like your shop is taking care of you. But for the record, I actually went up a size from the 48 cm Ruby I demo'ed for three days, to the 50 cm Synapse Feminin I wound up buying. Specialized and Cannondale seem to size their WSD frames about the same, and it's just that the Ruby felt maybe a weedie bit small on me. For comparison, my old custom steel frame, without a sloping top tube, was a measured 47 cm c-to-c.

Is it the WSD Synapse you're trying, or the "men's" frame?

Yes, I think this is a great shop. They seem very conscientious about taking care of the customer.

The fitter (he doesn't work at the shop, he goes in to do fittings there) recommended narrower bars for me. This week we have a pair of top-'o-the-line C'dale Synapses, boy are they nice. I haven't had a chance to ride mine yet (53cm) because I've been at work, but I'll take it out tomorrow. Hubby already rode his today and said his reach was too far and his shoulders and neck were very uncomfortable. He's feelling a little disillusioned and wondering what other options he has if neither of these two very popular comfort-geometry road bikes can't be adjusted to set him up high enough. He rides an old Schwinn road bike (steel) and his angle is about 45 degrees and he looks very comfortable on it; he wants to be at the same angle on the new bike.

I told the fitter than I wonder if a WSD might be best for me to shorten my distance to the bars. Even if I do get more comfortable, I really don't want to be leaned over a lot -- I know this is heresy in the road bike world, but I enjoy being a little more upright (less than a hybrid, but more than a typical roadie) so I can relax and look around and wave at folks. I'm in this for the fun, fitness, and recreation with my husband -- I'm not competitive. We just want to be able to ride as far as we want, join group rides and not have to work so hard to keep up, and work up to some century rides. And we prefer a more upright position (my husband has an artificial shoulder and the other one will probably need one in a few years) for comfort.

The fitter strongly recommends against WSD for me. However, he also told my husband he wouldn't put on a 35 degree stem "because it doesn't look good". My husband told him he doesn't care how it looks, he just wants to feel comfortable. I hope we won't have to wrestle with him to get us as comfortable as we want to feel, regardless of how we look.

Maybe you should be on a touring bike which puts you in a more upright relaxed position (set up for long distance riding rather than speed) rather than a road (racing) bike.
And some people just like hybrids more than road bikes anyway.
Comfort is important, especially when you are not in your 20's anymore. ;) :cool:

+1 on checking out the touring bikes out there...

This is really great information. I've been riding with a fairly informal group of people, half of whom have touring/comfy almost beach-looking bikes, the other half are more serious and have road bikes. Me: I haven't had a road bike in 20 years and have been riding a mountain bike and been working to keep up with the roadies because the touring side of the group goes at a much nicer pace (perfect for just starting out, or really, really taking in a pretty day).

I am just starting to shop again for a road bike, and now I wonder if I shouldn't see if I couldn't find one used/cheap, get used to it, then get a good bike that would have the right fit?

:confused:

Yen, you've got lots of great info here, and I have a couple of thoughts, too (as usual :rolleyes:)

I just got the Canondale Synapse. I LOVE it! Had it fit by the guy I trust at a nearby bike shop. Went for the first ride last weekend and nothing hurt!! My story is not quite the same as yours: I had a year and a half of not being able to ride due to illness, but started to regain health in November ish. Since January have been exercising on the bike on the trainer about 4 times a week, and doing a ball class and belly dancing class- those last two have really helped with core strength and body awareness. I've continued to do yoga throughout. I bought the Syanpse because of it is designed more for distance / comfort than for racing, and, at the time we fit it, my illness was still causing too much discomfort in my belly to bend over any further than I was. My thought on this frame is that, if you're going to move to a full on road bike, this one ought to become comfortable at some point.

So, why are you putting more weight on your hands? The girls have covered fit quite nicely, and I agree with all of the points they made. Another thought is - how comfortable is your saddle? If your getting too much pressure on your soft tissue, you may be pushing your butt to the back and, thus, stretching yourself out further, which puts more weight on your hands. Another thought is your body position. In addition to seat placement front/back, think about how you hold yourself on the bike. I think I've got this right: your pelvis should be in a neutral position - not tipped forward or back, but, essentially, level. Unlike all those other exercises we do for flexibility, etc, on the bike we want to bend at the waist, not at the hips. This allows us to keep that neutral position, which keeps our sit bones bearing our body weight, while still bending forward to reach the bars. This is where developing core strength helps: it is easier to keep your pelvis upright with your waist bent, if your core muscles can hold it there. It took me years of riding to figure this one out, by the way!! Another cue that might help with positioning, not unlike shrugging your shoulders, try to think of your collarbones broad and open. This may shift your center of gravity a bit back and may lift a bit of the weight off your hands.

As for the fitter at the bike shop - he's sounding a bit elitist. The important part of bike fit is the FIT to that particular rider, not how it looks. If you have difficulty with him still, ask the shop if there is anyone else who can fit you. It's never fun to have to fight for what you need!!

Listen to your body carefully, you know it best, and only you will be able to tell if this fit will be something you can become accustomed to so that it becomes comfortable, or if the bike style just isn't right for you.

I'll send butterflies to help you out with that!

Hugs,
~T~

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Originally Posted by grey

This is really great information. I've been riding with a fairly informal group of people, half of whom have touring/comfy almost beach-looking bikes, the other half are more serious and have road bikes. Me: I haven't had a road bike in 20 years and have been riding a mountain bike and been working to keep up with the roadies because the touring side of the group goes at a much nicer pace (perfect for just starting out, or really, really taking in a pretty day).

I am just starting to shop again for a road bike, and now I wonder if I shouldn't see if I couldn't find one used/cheap, get used to it, then get a good bike that would have the right fit?

:confused:

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By touring bikes, we're not talking about cruisers at all. Touring bikes look like road bikes to most people, and they are road bikes. They are made for touring, not racing. They have a longer wheelbase, wider gearing, and are designed to carry panniers and gear. The geometry is different than racing bikes--more relaxed. I like touring bikes very much, even though I don't haul any camping gear around. They are just very comfortable, solid bikes. I highly recommend looking at them if you are looking for a road bike and will not be racing.

These touring bikes are all fully loaded...but you can see what a lot of different touring bikes look like here. :)

Since touring bikes have been mentioned...

You might consider looking at some cyclocross bikes as well. It sounds like you're looking at bikes that are spec'd better than most cx bikes, but might be some options out there for you (Trek XO2? Bianchi Cross Concept? There aren't many carbon cross frames out there, if you have your heart set on carbon -- Ridley might make some?). CX bikes typically have a more relaxed geometry than road bikes (bars typically end up close to level with seat). They also have clearance for wide tires, although you can certainly run skinny racing tires on them. Some cx bikes come drilled with rack bosses for touring too, although these tend to be the lower end cx bikes -- bikes that are marketed more as a touring/utility bike and less as a cx racing bike. One thing to be aware of is that some lower end cx bikes can be relatively heavy, but the higher end bikes are comparable to midrange road bikes (18lbs). You probably won't find many super light, 16lb cx bikes, if that's important to you...

just a thought...

one other thing to be aware of is that most stock cx bikes come with some variation of lower-than-standard-roadbike gearing. this may or may not be appropriate for the riding you want to do.

ETA: Ahh, Ridley DOES make a carbon cross bike. Pricey, but what a sexy frameset!

http://www.competitivecyclist.com/za...RODUCT.ID=3298

that's a light frame too. And there's one that's a little less pricey:

http://www.competitivecyclist.com/za...RODUCT.ID=4783

For comparison, here are my two bikes. Even though the saddle-to-bar drop on my road bike is not terribly extreme, notice how the drop on the Bianchi cyclocross bike is much smaller.


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Wow, what a couple of sweet bikes!