Bicycles
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@BloodnThunder
Racing yes. But just for fun, public races only.
The Venge is great and extremely fast. But I have to say that the Tarmac is the more complete bike and from my experience even faster in most situations.
I had two BMC bikes before I switched to S-Works, a Timemachine R01 and the Teammachine SLR01 . Both a great bikes , but the S-Works fit me better.
Maybe I will sell the Venge this spring because I build a Shiv TT. Timetrail is really my thing .
Greets -
They are definitely both good looking bikes. TT bikes are also really fun. Just not enough races around where I live to justify owning one. All the stage races are typically Merckx.
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Here’s my Robert’s Transcontinental from 1996 brought so that I could see and experience our planet. Luckily for me I did my tours pre-mobile remember those days? I cycled Lands End to John O’groats and then back to Dorset. Great Britain is a beautiful on a summers day. My next journey would take me from Poole to Istanbul and my last trip the west coast of America from Hollywood to Alaska.
The bike was handmade to my measurements and is super comfy but it’s what you need when in the saddle for 8 to 10 hours a day for months. The equipment and clothing should be as light as possible because your legs have to move that fully loaded tourer up mountains.On the last pic my brother is on the right and I’m on the left.
Peace be the journey.
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Thinking about lowering my bars but would like some advice before I chop the fork.
The bike is a size 54 Scott addict RC and there are currently 80mm of spacers. I rode on it with 40mm of spacers today and felt faster but did have a bit of lower back pain. That pain might just be getting used to spending more time in the saddle, today being my longest ride since last summer.
I'm not racing a lot, but do enjoy going fast on training rides. Looking for a mix of speed and comfort. Are the aero gains of being 40-80mm lower significant enough to merit some discomfort? Wondering what people who ride a lot like @BloodnThunder and @Daniel San think? Appreciate any thoughts.
Pic below of the current Frankenstein stem the local bike shop setup so that I could try the parts lower before chopping the fork, and a couple pics of my riding position on the trainer with the full 80mm of spacers.
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@Nkwkfld
maybe you should try again with only one spacer less.
Try as much as possible before cutting the fork !
your lower back will get used to the new position or do you have a general problem with your lower back ?
Remember when the fork is chopped, it’s chopped
I think your position look pretty good on the trainer
cheers
Daniel -
Thanks. No back problems to speak of. I guess the question is whether going a bit further down and being a bit uncomfortable is worth the gains?
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I would say it’s worth riding with the Frankenstem for at least a week before committing to cutting the stearer tube. It’s not uncommon to have some discomfort when making an adjustment like that but if your body is tolerant of it it should dissipate over the course of a few rides (kind of like riding a new saddle). But, if the soreness remains no aero gain is worth discomfort as lower back pain will most likely cause a drop in efficiency and your numbers will suffer. Have you ever had a professional bike fit? It’s something that’s not cheap but can be massive in terms of on bike comfort and maximizing output.
May just be the one photo, but when you’re on the hoods your arms are very straight and you look a bit stretched out. Wondering if this is contributing to the lower back issue. Shifting the saddle forward a bit may help reduce or eliminate the soreness.
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Nice! Hadn't considered moving the saddle forward, that's interesting. And no I haven't done a bike fit, but all of this is making me interested in it. I'll see how it feels over a few more rides. Thanks. It's interesting to learn about how many different factors contribute to speed…
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@Nkwkfld Highly recommend getting a proper fitting/assessment. I was always sceptical about it, but once I had one, I get it done at each new purchase of a bike. They make minor changes here and there and it helps tremendously. A good shop will look at everything from seat height, forward/rearward seat placement, handlebar figment, crank arm length, and pedal cleats (engagement and release). All of this helps avoid knee, ankle, back, and shoulder issues.
It took about an hour or two to fine tune everything, but it makes the ride much more enjoyable for longer rides.
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Another thing you can do that is somewhat of a controlled experiment, but would take adjusting your stem height between days, is to pick a loop and ride that loop at a certain average power (if you have a power meter) or heart rate, then adjust the stem up or down, and repeat the ride the following day.
If you are using HR I'd pick an effort that is moderate as you want to have very similar freshness between days. You will also want to ride in the same position the whole time each day. Effectively you are trying to emulate as best you can a wind tunnel test without paying obscene amounts to use a wind tunnel. Assuming there aren't drastic wind/weather condition differences you should get a decent idea of how great an impact stem height will have on your speed. You can also get a good idea of how comfortable each height is in terms of perceived exertion.
There is definitely some give and take when it comes to maximizing speed through bike fit as a more aero position on the bike can potentially decrease power output but increase speed.
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That's a fun idea. Will try that and also seeming like bike fit will be worth it.
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Bike fit is definitely worth it. Especially now when you're younger and the fit is more about maximizing efficiency/speed rather than when you're old and you're getting fit because you're trying to prevent injury or solve a nagging pain.
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when you're old and you're getting fit because you're trying to prevent injury or solve a nagging pain.
And it's worth every penny!
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Thanks for all the advice everyone, super helpful. Did a few more rides with different setups and talked a lot to local bike shop owner. She did a mini-fitting and setup my bike with steerer cut and removed 20mm of spacers, angle of the bars adjusted, shifter hoods moved, saddle moved forward and up, and new bar tape. Plus new cables and fluid in brakes. Went on first ride with the new setup and it feels great. So does new clothing from Castelli, which feels like a jump up in quality from my two year old base range Rapha. Going to France soon and will be in a few different spots but spending most of our time in Auvergne. Near the house is a frequent Tour de France summit finish at Puy Mary that I am looking forward to riding.
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Ride to the top of Puy Mary today which is a common mountain finish in the Tour de France. It was the most challenging thing I have done on a bike. To get there and to get home meant climbing the Col de Pertus twice so all in after only 30m/50km a total elevation of 5900ft/1800 meters were climbed.
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@Nkwkfld:
Ride to the top of Puy Mary today which is a common mountain finish in the Tour de France. It was the most challenging thing I have done on a bike. To get there and to get home meant climbing the Col de Pertus twice so all in after only 30m/50km a total elevation of 5900ft/1800 meters were climbed.
Well done!
My daily work commute is 3500 ft elevation and most years I hit 1 million feet. Just like running, cycling needs years and continuity to become strong. But it feels easier to get there than running (for me) due to fewer injuries.
