really rough ride today..

[F8th637]

Ohhh, that sounds no fun at all! You're not suppose to cry tears of pain after a bike ride. . . tears of joy are understandable but not tears of pain. Big no-no! You've gone to your local LBS for 2 fits already and are completely miserable. I think you should definitely try another bike shop that can help you out. For the hot spots, try moving your cleats all the way back in your shoes if they aren't already. I'm glad that the chocolate milk worked for you, I like a post-ride milk myself. Big hugs and let us know about your progress.

[littlegrasshopp]

Karen, thanks for the tip. Unfortunately I've move the seat forward, and now we tried tilting. First saddle problem was pressure on sit bones. Now we've fixed that with new saddle - it's a separating and pressure on the nose end of the saddle. I'm trying a fizik that is flat and simple. I'll take it out tomorrow. I'm also making a call to a recommended LBS for a pro fit.

I agree - no tears of pain. I think I just melted down because it's not getting better...and there is heat to get use to in addition. I needed a pity party and it started without me even realizing it. Hubby handled it great. Once he realized it was happening. I'm not usually like that! We pulled off and rested for about 20 minutes. Let everything cool off and stop hurting a bit.

F8th - I will try moving the cleats back. The new shoes have a LOT of room for movement. I wondered if I could, or if it would cause problems.

thanks for the support! I have hope that it will improve. I just have to keep working at it and not give up.

[mimitabby]

see if you can find really really thin WOOL socks. yes, wool
it helps with hot spots.

like these:

http://www.teamestrogen.com/products.asp?pID=10340

[Zen]

I'm wondering if you really want to go back to the road?

Why did you quit before, even going so far as to sell your bike?

I know what it's like to want to love your bike but just not being able to get there.
These days I'm loving my new trail bike much more than my road bike .

[Triskeliongirl]

I got hot spots from spd pedals but not speedplay frogs. My fitter also gave me a high quality replacement shoe insole helped to disritubute the pressure, eliminating hot foot (I think it was superfeet brand).

If there is pain in your hands, there is too much weight on them. When this happened to me, my fitter pushed my saddle further back. It pushes your weight further back on the bike, so you are not resting on your hands as much. But, if you do that and the reach is too long, you may also need a shorter stem. You also want to check the rotation of your bars, to be sure you are not bending your wrists too much to contact them.

Seems like you really need a pro here, as saddle for-aft should be set mostly in order to get the axis of rotation of your knee over the axis of rotation of the pedal, but there is a range. You also want the saddle level, to not push too much onto your hands. Its about achieving balance on the bike, and adjusting the bike to your body. Saddle height, stem length, stem height are also parameters an eperienced fitter will play with.

I know riding an ill fit bike is no fun, and in fact you shouldn't ride or you just get injured making it hard to find your true position.

Good luck, but you can work with out!

[littlegrasshopp]

Zen - at the time I'd just gotten interested in mountain biking. A local radio station ran repeated morning shows that attacked roadies. They told drivers to drink you-hoo because the bottles were heavy and would hurt more when they threw them at us. They told people to run us down and to run us off the road and onto the side walks where we belong. They had daily callin's where people unleashed all this stupid hate talk about cyclists. I decided that I liked the trail better. If I hit a tree, I KNEW it was my fault. There was no hate involved. In the five years I've been away, I miss the road. It was much more "zen" to steal your name. Less adrenaline rushing and peaceful. I missed that and decided I wanted to get back on the road. It helps that in the five years since, I know not one person that has had an angry incident with drivers. Things felt very different when I decided to stop though. Does that help?

[Tuckervill]

Holy cow, where do you live??

Karen

[F8th637]

I do remember hearing about that but I can't remember what city that was in. That's just absolutely horrible!

[BarbaraAlys]

You wrote: First saddle problem was pressure on sit bones. Now we've fixed that with new saddle - it's a separating and pressure on the nose end of the saddle.

Pressure on the sit bones is normal and kind of what you look for when you are just starting out. The ONLY acceptable sorness in that area is the sit bones. Is the new seat softer? That would allow your sit bones to sink in and cause smashing of other bits.

I have read that you can sometimes reduce hand pressure by moving the seat back, rather than forward, because you are actually looking for the perfect triangle for your particular body.

I'm with the rest of them that advise you to go find someone who will do a good fit. Maybe contact a local bike club and see if they have suggestions.

Barbara