Trying to adjust to a road bike

[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?

[LBTC]

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

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~

[tulip]

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?

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.

[Starfish]

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

[VeloVT]

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

[VeloVT]

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.

[Starfish]

Wow, what a couple of sweet bikes!

[GLC1968]

Here's another example of a touring bike that isn't loaded up. This is my Terry Classic (yes, the front wheel is smaller, because I'm smaller ) and I use it as my road bike when conditions are poor (dark, rain, etc). Of course, the day I took this picture, it was a wonderful day. I forget why I'd chosen this bike over my other road bike that day.