Crankset change--advice appreciated!

[Ana]

So you don't deserve a bike that fits unless you race ?

Yes, you are right I do deserve a proper fitting. Thank you for supporting me Sometimes it's clearer when someone clarifies the situation

Well, the place I'm considering getting fit is not where I've ever had any service before but they guarantee their fit and they are down the street from me I e-mailed the fitter there and he fits up to 6 fits a week during peak season (Jan-March) and about 30% of his clients are women Which is very promising

I have since stopped going to the LBS where I bought my bike that told me to change my chain every 500 miles. I measure my own chain now

I guess I'm a bit traumatized by my initial experience of buying my bike and feeling like they are less than helpful. They did not really do even an informal fitting and I had insist on a fitting 8 months later when I had persistent neck/back pain (the pain I'm having trouble getting rid of. I'm also having some weird knee pain but it's difficult to pinpoint since I haven't been riding a lot).

When I went in for that fitting, I felt like they were using me as an opportunity to sell things I did walk out with a new saddle (which I probably needed) but I didn't feel that the person helping me get fit was very engaged. I was largely unimpressed. The only perk is that since I got my bike there, the maintenance is free so I try to bring it in annually to get it tuned up. Whenever I go there, though, I feel like they're not taking me seriously because I do not have a really nice bicycle and I do not race

I do have another LBS that I really like because they are so helpful but I am kind of meticulous and their fits are a little informal for me I love them for everything else but they are far away and I want a more experienced fitter.

I guess I have to mentally prepare myself to go It's off season though and I keep going back and forth whether I should wait until the spring But I'm realizing more and more that I should probably just do it

[aicabsolut]

ohhh... I assumed that you were having knee pain too.

Don't buy new crankarms. Get to the bottom of the cause of your neck and back pain first. That's unlikely to be the cause of the upper body pain. If, when you are in the proper position to fix that (by moving your saddle or whatever), you start developing pain in other areas or lost a lot of power or get dead spots in your pedal stroke, then maybe it's time to investigate crank length.

If you're sitting really far back, then I'm thinking not only does your saddle need to move but so do your bars. Your bars may in fact be too high or too close to you, because by moving your saddle back, you have 1) put your feet in front of you, which helps with your balance, but 2) increased your reach to the bars by a lot. Maybe you're more hunched up than you think when your saddle is in the right place so that you're putting too much weight on your hands rather than being in a position where you are actually going to fall on your face without the bars.

So, maybe it's time for a lower or longer stem. I don't know, but your fitter should be able to help. The best part is that they are going to guarantee their work so you can go back there if you keep having problems instead of being back to square 1 and out the cash.