Cyril 

Fitting Your Bike

Start reading, it won't cost you a cent.

69chevy

Well it really depends on how properly you are fitted to the bike you have.

If you already have the saddle height and setback set "correctly" your reach to your bars may be a little long, causing you to "cheat" forward.

I would start here...
https://www.bikeforums.net/road-cycli...e-you-buy.html

Don't just throw money at it.

Emperor Ryker

OK, I just used the calculator, and here's what I got:



Here are the actual measurements:

Top tube length: 55.7 cm (!)
Seat tube range CC: 56 cm
Seat tube (?): 53 cm
Head tube (?): 17 cm
Frame reach: 38.7 cm
Frame stack: 57.6 cm

69chevy

Now navigate the thread and measure your bike.

What "size" bike are you on?

Check the saddle setback, saddle to bars, and seat to bottom bracket.

Emperor Ryker

Yeah, those are the actual measurements of the frame that I listed below. I had to put the seat as far back as I could, and even then I couldn't reach the saddle handlebar required. I could only get to about 53 cm, but the saddle setback is good. Stem length seems OK by rough measurement, too.

Stratocaster

I would't poo-poo a cycling jersey. In warm weather, they will make you feel more comfortable via its sweat-wicking properties. More comfort could lead to riding further and longer - better workout - rather than suffering with a sweaty, clingy, drenched cotton shirt...which could be a downer.
Just sayin'

69chevy

I'll look closely in a few. I'm betting you have a bad measurement in there somewhere.

caloso

No reason to get a jersey? I can think of a few off the top of my head:

1) pockets to hold stuff that you might want to access during the ride, like food or armwarmers or an extra bottle.
2) zipper to pull down when it gets hot to to pull up when it gets cold
3) wicking material to help evaporate your sweat
4) it's cut to fit properly in a riding position

If none of these things are important to you, then it's not worth it.

Emperor Ryker

Yeah, definitely, but like I said I prefer to ride shirtless in hot weather anyway

Bad measurement of what? You mean what I put into the calculator? Because the bike measurements are as given by Trek.

Emperor Ryker

1) I don't eat while riding, since I don't need it for 3-4 hour rides.
2) Not too important right now, but might become more important when it gets colder.
3) Same as 2).
4) Sure, but a T-shirt or no T-shirt is fine, too.

noodle soup

If you don't care about your performance, I understand that.

I won't eat on rides under 3 hours because I make sure I'm fueled before rides, but for rides over 3 hours it would be better to add a little fuel at around 2.25 hours, and every 30-40 minutes after that.

Emperor Ryker

Sure, it's just that at this point I'm only competing with myself and I'll try to improve on my own times. My rides before were also always only 40 - 45 miles, but if the saddle helps, I'll extend them. If I see I hit a plateau, I might consider intra-ride nutrition, but I'm used to even riding and lifting fasted, so I think I'll be good for now. I can fit a bar elsewhere, too, and it's not like if I don't buy the jersey now I'll never buy it. If I get into cycling more, I'll definitely be able to justify spending money on a jersey more, but now I just see it as another unnecessary entry cost.

bakes1

What?!
I finally came across someone else that rides shirtless?
Awesome choice my man. Let your freak flag fly and piss off the spandys at the same time. It's a win-win

Emperor Ryker

I know. They can take their bike etiquette and show it up their farmer tan ass

Cyril 

OTOH, you come to the road cycling forums and ask us, the vast majority of which are "spandys", for advice regarding bike fit and cycling apparel.
Hmmm...
The 41 is about to revert to form.

snidely

These are....................................rich. Pass the popcorn, please.

Emperor Ryker

I'm a practical person. If I can avoid a farmer's tan while dedicating zero extra time to it and at the same time being more comfortable in terms of heat, I'll do it. I'm not sure how asking for advice regarding bike fit and cycling apparel is in any contradiction with that. I wasn't asking for cycling fashion advice.

69chevy

Yes, I mean what you put in the calculator or how you measured your bike.

If you have the setback and seat height correctly measured, you will find yourself in a good cycling position on the shifter hoods if the saddle/bar distance matches the calculator.

Emperor Ryker

No, like I said, I can't match the saddle bar distance to what the calculator gives me. The maximum distance I can get it is 53 cm. I might raise the saddle a bit closer to the numbers given, though.

kbarch

While that may have been written in jest, it's pretty much spot on.
If you have to ask, then no, you should not bother getting cycling shoes and jersey, and to put it bluntly, you are in the wrong forum. You might as well participate in a forum of physicians and ask whether you should get a stethoscope, a forum of chefs and ask if you should have sharp knives, or a forum of swimmers and ask if you should bother with goggles. That's not to say you don't know when to take an aspirin, how to cook a steak, or can't splash around in your back yard pool or swim a few laps at your gym or country club. There's nothing wrong with being a dabbler, but it's not superior to being a committed amateur, either.

69chevy

If you are on a 58cm bike but can only reach the bars with a saddle to bar measurement of 53cm, you may be on a bike too large for you.

What's your cycling inseam?

Lazyass

Emperor Ryker

This is ridiculous. Several people said no, and several mentioned the benefits. So how am I in the wrong forum? Just because YOU need to have them doesn't mean everyone else does. And your analogies are bad, because in all of those cases the things you mention are much more crucial to the performance there than cycling shoes and jersey. If I ask whether I need to buy lifting shoes on a bodybuilding forum, no one is going to tell me I'm at the wrong place like you are here.

It's 88 cm. And I mean that I can't put the saddle further back for the measurement to be ~58 cm. I can only put it so that the bar saddle distance is around 53 cm.

Yeah, I get that you're salty I pump my tires at a local bike shop for free and without any extra hassle.

blart

If you already know that you don't want to buy a jersey, then why did you post a thread asking if should get one?

69chevy

Then you must have your seat very low, which could also cause numbness.