Juan Foote

I went yesterday and had a pro fit done for the new bike. I had forgotten that since having one done last time (not as comprehensive as this one) that I had lowered the seat myself at a later time due to comfort issues. My left knee has significant ROM issues which cause me to sit too low for my "good" knee and leads to me to have a very narrow tolerance for seat height. If I am a touch too high then my left "foot" causes my hip to pull slightly at the bottom of the pedal stroke. If I am too low I can run out of ROM on the left knee and typically will develop ITB issues on the right.

After the fitting yesterday I went for a short ride, and on the road it actually felt pretty good. Prior to that, during the fit, I could very much feel the dead spot and pull in the bottom of the pedal stroke. I knew it was going on, even before (I have played with foot height and angle with an adjustable pylon for the last year or so) I wouldn't say it's overextending my knee, it is very hard for me to describe the feeling. Other amps might be able to understand what I mean, as it is a bit strange. The fit maximized the setup for my right leg first, and then we had to back away (so to speak) from that setting in order to find a spot my bad knee would tolerate.

The reasons behind the fit were to increase comfort and strength on the bike. This bike is larger, and with the included stem is set up way different and more open (like to my chest and back) than my previous one. Included in the service are follow ups to fine tune the fit and get it more comfortable, after doing a 250-500 road test period.

So, today I woke up and my "bad" knee is stiff as hell. I know that it is, in part, due to the higher extension angle I put it under. I also know that it takes some riding and conditioning for a new fit to become comfortable, muscles get used to it and all that. If I do end up lowering the seat it is going to change everything. I really didn't realize just how true that was until yesterday, looking at the videos, looking at the metrics, and seeing what changing one little thing as tiny amount as a mm would do. My back is flatter, my chest is more open, my good leg is almost in an optimal position and my legs aren't circling or woodchopping (in a bad way, lots of us do it to some extent). One of the best outcomes is that I can actually use the drops on the new Roubaix without hunching.


A more specific concern for me, on this subject is, that in the trial and error period after having the last basic fit done I played with my leg height for my riding leg. I found that I could easily manipulate the leg length to eliminate the issue being caused my lack of ankle flex. The issue that arises and is fairly common in leg amps is a specific hip dysfunction (sacroiliac) due to having your hip move in an uneven or unnatural way.

Where I would love to meet the goals of having the fit done...being able to ride a century in comfort, and being able to break the 16MPH average "rut" that I have found myself in, I don't want to do it at the cost of more issue and pain with my prosthesis.

At what point does the discomfort of a new fit/ride become something to be concerned about and worth looking at changing, even if it goes outside the parameters of the fit?

AngrySaki

If I were you and the fit was hurting my knees, I would immediately go outside of the parameters of the fit to a known setup that doesn't hurt my knees. (but I should note that I've never had a proper bike fitting)

If you wanted to try the same fit but have less leg extension, you could get 5mm shorter cranks and move your saddle and handlebars 5mm lower. That way at the top your leg would be in the same position, but be less extended at the bottom.

bianchi10

a bike fitting is only a detailed guess. Your body will tell you if something is right or not. The hard part is to get enough experience to know what feels right and what feels wrong. If you are getting pain, i would simply take the bike back and review what you are feeling and let him/her make some minor adjustments. I'm sure you paid for it. When I paid for my first fitting when i didn't know what was right or wrong, I was allowed to bring my bike back for 6 months for minor adjustments.

Looigi

Correct. Also, what works will change over time as your body becomes accustomed to riding and adapts.

And of course there is no guarantee that a fitter is competent.

Ultraslide

You should be having this conversation with the person who did your fitting. Follow up visits and adjustments should be included in the cost of the fit.

Impreza_aL

were shims added for the leg length discrepancies?

roadwarrior

I want to make sure I understand....this bike you were just fitted on is bigger than the old bike, plus you had adjustments? How much bigger?

Juan Foote

First off, my fitter was competent, I have no issues with follow up visits. I guess I didn't word what I am "asking" correctly. I am curious to know, at what point does a little discomfort become something that you try to adjust away from, or give yourself time to try and get used to (thus the 250-500 mile road test before a scheduled follow up)?

Second, no, he wanted to add shims, but my leg length discrepancy is weird. It presents long and short, according to where I am in the pedal stroke. On the table I am long, on the upstroke I am long (tibia), but on power short that presents as both tibial (expected) and femur (unexpected). I asked him not to shim for now to keep leg extension about where it is. My functional and mechanical issues result in about a 5* difference in knee flextion (on saddle, clipped in). I am at around 32* on my good leg, and 38* is the "limit" for the other. The issue is that with limited ROM, if I start creeping back towards 42* then I run out of knee flexion.


The new bike is "sized" about .5cm larger, but the virtual size is much larger, especially at the headtube.


After doing my first road test of any significance today, I am thinking that perhaps the knee stiffness was a result of all the various adjustment we did, rather than over extension. I should know more tonight.

cyclezen

so you still have your 'old' bike from which you can get your prior position measurements?

recommendations over the internet are problematic, especially for special situations, like an amputee (have I got that right?)

things that do make sense for most riders:

1. compare to your old 'position' - if the changes are very different, then it's best to 'work' to a new position over a longer period of time (weeks) and in small incremental steps... large changes screw riders up. small changes allow the body to adjust to new requirements, especially for the core, back, shoulder, neck and arms.

2. muscles tend to recover relatively quickly after 'abuse' - joints don't suffer abuse well and can take LONG periods to recover from imbalance/abuse. Guards the joints, whatever you do.

3. whenever making changes, I would do a few days of easy, steady, lower gear (70's on the flat) higher cadence riding (90-ish+) without a lot of 'power'/surging. This will confirm if the changes are improving your pedaling/hip/back/core/shoulder/neck balance.
Gives a chance for sore muscles to work thru it, and for problems in the joints to make themselves known without causing serious injury.

If you've been a regular rider before, I can;t imagine ignoring how you've been setup and riding before and suddenly making a huge change - you rbody will certainly not ignore the changes...
Edit: I Should note that even a gear in the 60's for flats would be a better choice if it allows a decent spin without forcing the stroke.

roadwarrior

You have muscle memory from your old riding position. I liken it to doing differnet weightlifting exercises, or increasing weight....for a day of two you are sore until you adjust. But we do not recommend massive changes all at once, like raising a seat an inch or something like that. Ease into it so you don't hurt yourself. But without specifics I am really guessing at the issue with you in particlular.