[notfastenough]

Not heard of that before, but
Not heard of that before, but strangely have been tempted to point forwards in some way to indicate my intended direction at lights.

[notfastenough]

You probably have a heel-up
You probably have a heel-up pedalling style.

[notfastenough]

Well with a username like
Well with a username like that, I daresay you have a custom frame – I’ve heard Viner’s are awesome.

As someone that is currently finding out more about geometry than any sane person should have to in order to resolve some fit issues, I can see the appeal. Currently, the Trek Madone looks to be the best fit for me, but if I’m honest, I’m not a fan of the Trek brand. Great bikes I’m sure, but I’d rather have a Cervelo or something, so there’s a question of whether I can find the same position on something else without loads of headset spacers etc.

Thus, if you’ve got the cash spare to buy something that is the best of both worlds, go for it.

[notfastenough]

A skinsuit for 100 miles
A skinsuit for 100 miles sounds fun, where will you put your rainjacket/phone/keys/food?

[notfastenough]

700c wrote:…campag much

700c wrote:

…campag much more about feel, is lighter, way more comfortable on the hoods and slightly cheaper

Campag all the way!

I’ve nothing against Campag, I built my first bike with it years ago, but:

Shimano Ultegra 2012
£625-650
2441 grams

Campag Chorus
£889
2096 grams

SRAM Force
£660
2013 grams

This assumes that you aren’t putting Record against the others, which will obviously push the campag cost up further.

[notfastenough]

Don’t know about bike bags,
Don’t know about bike bags, but what about a custom size cardboard box? Just collapse it and store somewhere while riding.

http://www.1stbox.co.uk/quote.html

[notfastenough]

Raleigh wrote:Sealskins are

Raleigh wrote:

Sealskins are waterproof.

No question.

Try UltraGrip

Yeah, I fell for that one too. The weather last weekend clearly had other ideas. 🙁

[notfastenough]

Wasn’t Adrian Timmis a pro
Wasn’t Adrian Timmis a pro with Raleigh Banana back in the day? The surname rings a bell.

There are many bike fitters about these days, but I’ve no idea who to see. Cadence is down south, right? Anyone suggest someone in the Manchester area?

Edit: aye-aye, he’s only 90 minutes down the M6. Hmm.

[notfastenough]

Ha – I knew my ramble still
Ha – I knew my ramble still wouldn’t be enough!

The stem is a 7 degree tilt and is flipped already. I’m certainly not planning on buying anything based on geometry charts, no worries there!

I had planned on visiting a few bike shops and getting fitted. I hadn’t considered an adjustable stem to play around with position – good idea that, thanks.

[looks on Wiggle – god they’re ugly!]

I saw a sports therapist a while ago – really knew what he was talking about re knees, pedals, cleat setup etc, but I’m not sure about this aspect. I’ll need to have a think about that.

Thanks for all the replies already, any more welcome!

[notfastenough]

bike_food is indeed correct,
bike_food is indeed correct, but I would recommend seeing a sports therapist or bike fitter that can advise on this, otherwise it’s just a range of different insoles and wedges without any real insight as to which one would be best for you.

Let me know if you want any more detail – there are a couple of things you can do to try and point yourself in the right direction.

[notfastenough]

I was thinking that a Ti
I was thinking that a Ti frame might be at the heart of my next bike, but I’m so inflexible that I need a tall headtube (like, 225mm including stack). This means that bikes with normal size tubing look a bit daft, whereas something like a Roubaix still manages to look good thanks to the oversize tubes and the curves from the top to the down tube.

What did you think of the Roubaix? I’ve noticed some shops still have 2011 SL3 in stock for £1400 – I can’t be paying over £2.5k just for an SL4 frameset before I’ve even started building it up.

[notfastenough]

@pdows47 – that’s pretty much
@pdows47 – that’s pretty much what we do

[notfastenough]

Probably between £100-200
Probably between £100-200

[notfastenough]

Pedal extenders are an
Pedal extenders are an option, but they increase the ‘q’ factor (distance between feet) – this can cause other issues because unless you have exceptionally wide hips, your legs will no longer be parallel.

I have fallen arches, so I have custom orthotics for everyday shoes etc. However, walking around/running/whatever are heel-posted activites, whereas cycling is forefoot-posted, so use of heel-based orthotics is of debatable benefit.

I also have a neutral foot stance where my soles are tilted inwards by about 4.5 degrees (outstep lower than instep, in other words). This meant that when I was pedalling easy it was ok, but once I pushed on, each foot would collapse inwards on the downstroke. This in turn caused my knee to knock inwards by a couple of cm with each pedal revolution.

I went to see a sports therapist who does bike fittings, and ended up with the following:

Specialised Body Geometry footbeds, in the +++ (green) flavour (this is their maximum arch support).

Varus wedges to support the tilted foot stance, essentially bringing the instep upwards to meet the foot. This consists of 1 x 1.5 degree varus wedge under each insole, use of Spesh Body Geometry shoes which include a built-in 1.5 degree tilt (since they reckon the majority of people need that), and a further 1.5 degree wedge slotted into the Speedplay cleats. Total 4.5 degrees.

Interestingly, while all the above was definitely necessary (they would have caused me problems at some point, and prevention is better than cure), my knee pains were actually solved rather more simply. Basically, the vertical track on which the kneecap runs relies on equal tension from the attached inner and outer quads. Contrary to what you might think when looking at your thighs, the outer quad is used more than the big strong teardrop shaped inner quad. This meant that the outer quad wanted to pull my knee off-track when I tensed the muscles. So, some foam roller work on the outers, and regular tensing of the inners (when just standing around or whatever) solved it. Your mileage may vary, obviously.

Oh, and check that the bike fitter will look at pedals/cleats, a lot don’t touch them.

Good luck.

[notfastenough]

I don’t have one, but my wife
I don’t have one, but my wife was using a device at the gym which seemed to rely on passing an electrical current through the body to determine the fat/water figures. She says it’s never seemed reliable and the staff don’t really trust it. Also, my doctor friend says that the only way of accurately measuring fat is by using calipers, which I presume are not included with your scales.

I think I’d take the view that spinning a high cadence will tone the muscle without adding bulk. So get a tape measure (preferably a bendy one like tailors use) and measure the circumference of your upper arms, thighs, waist and hips every week. Use your weight/BMI as well, and I think you’ll see the results.

For what it’s worth, the first few rides with my local club shed about 6-7lb for me. Basically, the effort required to keep up with someone else’s pace was a shock to my system. Really enjoyable though, perhaps you could give it a try?

Well done on the lbs lost already, by the way!

[Author]

Replies