h8rhrtr

Hello everyone,

Long time browser, first time poster. Great forum, I know I'll get sound, knowledgeable advice...

So... I'm new to road cycling. I just purchased a used Large Giant OCR 1, about 3 or 4 years old. It currently has a 100 mm stem installed. I am about 210 lbs, and 6'2", maybe closer to 6'3". i have really long arms (I wear a 36-37 in dress shirts), and my inseam is 33-34.

When I purchased the bike, the guy at the shop where I bought it fitted me to it, and said it fit fine, and my lower body does feel fine. The seatpost is pretty high, and the saddle just about all the way back. However, I've ridden the bike a few times around a 10 mile bike trail around my area, and I am experiencing a lot of fatigue in my chest and shoulders after about mile 6 or 7. My legs feel great, but my arms can't take it, so I only do one loop.

My questions are:

1. Is it normal to experience chest/shoulder fatigue after only 7 miles?
2. Could this be a fitting issue, or should I just HTFU?
3. If it is a fitting issue, should I consider a different (longer and/or more upright) stem?

Your feedback is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

cvall91

I think you should just keep riding and see if the pain persists. When I got my first road bike, I had pain in quite a bit of places because I was not use to the position. If after a couple of weeks it's still happening, try and get another fitting and see if that helps. If not, I'm sure the LBS can help you with sizing

Creakyknees

These kinds of questions are really tough to help with via the internet. Is there a local cycling club, or maybe a regular bike shop ride, that you can hang with? An experienced eye riding alongside you is invaluable.

Campag4life

Contrary to public belief, riding a road bike is a skill really. To me your fit is much too short in reach. Seems like there are a lot of big guys that come here riding small set ups and complain about fit.

Good that you pushed your saddle back...but size Large bike with 100mm stem at 6'2/3"? By contrast, I ride a XL bike and 140mm stem at just over 6'.
My body would hurt on your bike too. You should be able to ride 60 miles in comfort...I do it 2-3x's a week.
Have fun.

adrien

Yup, that's small. I'm almost exactly the same size as you, and need a 58-60TT with at least a 120 stem. Doesn't mean this one can't be made to fit, but it looks marginal on paper.

The other thing is that if you are not used to a road bike, arms and chest can hurt early on. Especially when standing (climbing or accelerating) you do use chest and arms much more than you'd expect, and it can get sore after a bit. And if your core is not up to the task, you'll be putting more weight on your hands, which will also contribute.

hammy56

ColinL

how about a pic or short video of you on the bike? need to be pedalling on the road or a trainer.

I wonder if your elbows are locked.

volosong

I'm pretty close to your size. I'm 6' 2.75" and currently 205 lbs., on the way down. I wear size 34" slacks, but have slightly shorter arms than you do. I think I wear 34" sleeves in long-sleeve shirts. That said ... 100mm sounds way too short for you. The frame sizes of my three bikes, (top tube length), are 58cm, 57.5cm, and 60cm. The 60cm is just slightly large for me, the other two fit pretty well. On the 57.5 and 58, I ride with a 120mm stem.

To answer your questions specifically: 1) No, it is not normal to experience chest/shoulder fatigue after only 7 miles. Keep in mind that you state that you are new to road cycling. If you don't get stronger every time you ride, and you still experience pain ... your bike fit is wrong for your body size/shape. 2.) In my opinion, yes, it is a fit issue; and 3.) yes, in my opinion, you need a 120mm stem ... and move the seat slightly forward. It's not an issue of being more upright or not.

And ... find another shop. That guy didn't do you any favors. I'm skeptical with his knowledge and how he fit the bike to you. Lastly, if you find a shop you trust, get a "professional fit" from them. It will cost you between $100 and $200, but the bike will be fitted exactly to your body. After a proper fit, if you experience any pain, it is due to your physical conditioning ... not a bike that is improperly fitted to you. Good luck.

Campag4life

Sounds like we are close to in fit. I see a bunch of 6'+ guys come here with 100mm stem and 58cm top tube. A shame really that bikes shops set big guys up with short reach. The best overall metric I have seen isn't setback...or drop...its saddle tip to handlebar center. I see a lot of conformity in the pro ranks for this dimension relative to rider size. Most guys 6'3" will ride in the 630mm+ ball park for this dimension. Now some 6'3" guys will do this on a 58cm bike like Hincapie...he goes 58 for the shorter head tube and drop...but slams his saddle back and runs a 140mm stem.
I don't believe a big guy can be comfortable nor put down much power on a short cockpit bike...I can't.
Even though guys my size on tour ride about 620mm or so for saddle tip to handlebar center, I ride 600mm for this dimension and it makes a huge difference versus what the OP is riding and he is a bigger guy than me.

merlinextraligh

I'm 6'1" and have a Giant M/L with a 110 mm stem. The effective TT is 57.5cm. So a large Giant is going to have a TT that's likely around 59cm.

Thus I don't think any of us know whether the OP needs a longer stem, without looking at his setup.

He may or may not. Also it may be that he has more drop from the bars to the seat than he needs or is used to.

My bet is the OP is not used to riding a road bike, and having weight on his hands/arms in a somewhat aggressive position.

I'd ride the bike as is for a bit, and see how things progress.

Campag4life

Drop is a factor to be sure. But will give you another data point. Lance rides pedestrian drop...always has. He is 5'10" and rides a 580mm top tube with 130mm stem. Lance is not a very big guy and you and I would dwarf him. This is pretty standard for a serious recreational rider or racer.
I have never seen you ride. Will just comment on your fit. You ride a full 25-35mm short in cockpit for a guy 6'1".

adrien

Very close, indeed. It's funny, that is the one measurement that my custom builder honed in on. For me, it's most comfortable at 600-605mm, so I either like a shorter reach, or my saddle is longer than yours...

Campag4life

If you think about it, saddle tip to handlebar center transcends setback because it is basically a sliding cockpit that fits body size independent of how much setback you run. Some guys prefer more or less setback but cockpit length needs to be preserved regardless. Further saddle tip to handlebar transcends ratio of horizontal reach to drop. It is the resultant vector if you will which accounts for both horizontal and vertical components of reach. It is a also a parameter that the Competitive Cyclist on line calculator determines. For my on line fit parameters this value is on average about 600mm for the three different fits which agrees with where I am most comfortable and seem to generate the most power. I find the CC calculator to be pretty close to how I ride.

10 Wheels

Ride it for about 500 miles to get use to it.

Learn to relax your arms and hands while riding.

Timothy

Hopefully you have already ruled out cardiac problems. Most new riders I've talked to complain of hand, neck, back and shoulders. Chest and arm pains is what I used to hear from heart patients.

Jed19

The OP needs to post a picture before we can ascertain what his issues are. It could be that he's locking his elbows, tense on the bike thus affecting his trapezius negatively, or some other issues before it can be said categorically that his frame is too small for him.

Like someone previously posted, there are skills involved to feel comfortable and ride well on a road bike.

OP, please post a pic of you on your bike, if you can.

h8rhrtr

Wow. That's why I dig this forum. Thanks for all the responses, guys.

So, I read a couple "We need a picture" posts, a few "yeah man, you definitely need a longer stem" posts, and a few "keep riding, and harden up" posts.

I think I should do all three. I'll be riding tomorrow morning with my Pops. And he's no wuss like me who does one 10-mile loop and calls it a day. He'll probably want to go around 2 or 3 three times. And I refuse to be the 28-year son getting dropped by his 55 year old father. Not happening. So I'm going to get a longer stem tonight, I'm thinking 130mm. Hopefully that will make a difference tomorrow. I'll have him take a pic of me while riding, or I'll ask my wife (since asking another dude to take a picture of you might constitute a man-law violation), and I'll post over the weekend. And whether it is more comfortable or not, I will HTFU and keep up with my Pops!

Thanks again!

hammy56

OP- do yourself a favor by taking all advice here with a grain of salt. Do a little research and try to find a pro fitter in your area.

Clem von Jones

Here's an excellent thread about correct riding position and set-up. The Cobb videos are a bit extreme and more probably should be said about saddle setback for comfort. https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...tion-Discovery

h8rhrtr

Thanks guys.

So here's the report:

1. I picked up the new stem, a 130mm. While installing it I discovered that the stem that was on the bike was actually a 90MM!
2. Me and my Pops got out to the bike trail early Saturday morning for our first ride together. As we're getting ready to head out, he says "We'll just take it easy today, since I haven't rode in a while." I'm thinking, "Cool. I should be able to keep up with him..."

My old man kicked my @ss.

I struggled to keep about a 15.5 - 16.0 mph pace. He must've been doing 17.5-18.0 mph. After about 5 miles, I couldn't see him. Embarrassed...

As for my chest and shoulder pain, it was still there. I scheduled a pro bike fitting with a different fitter for Wednesday, so hopefully I can get my issues resolved. After reading the links in the post above by Clem von Jones, I'm thinking my posture might be off too. So I'll have plenty of questions for Wednesday's fitting.

So I guess my next question is, how do you guys who regularly ride 50+ miles position yourself on your bikes? The link above suggested that a rider should bend at the hips and tilt the pelvis forward, rather than bend at the back, like sitting on a bar stool. I've been bending at the back, which I believe could be causing me to place a lot of weight on my arms and shoulders.

What are your thoughts?