Bicycles
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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.
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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.
Very jealous of this ride. A cycling focused trip to Europe is a big bucket list item for me.
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A few shots from races this season, which is just about wrapped up.
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Very cool esp the first pic. I’m curious about these races and what sort of level you’re at. Do you use strava? Would be cool to see.
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@Nkwkfld most of those pics are from a couple different races in Seattle. That first one is at the Seward Park series which runs every Thursday from April through August. I race at the P/1/2 level for all USAC sanctioned races (third year racing bikes). My Strava profile should pull up at the below link.
https://www.strava.com/athletes/30762450
If you're interested in what one of the races looks like from a speed/wattage perspective here is my file from last week's race (this one was about a minute slower than the few prior races just due to tactics). I race in the 7PM, which would be considered the P/1/2 race. There is also a 6PM and a 5:30PM which are geared more toward category 3/4 and 4/5 riders.
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Whoa cool I grew up in Magnolia and Capitol Hill. Awesome!
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That's awesome. Yeah the bottom two are from Volunteer Park up on the hill. That's a really fun crit.
