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Sore legs, bike fit issue?

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Sore legs, bike fit issue?

Old 02-17-14, 06:56 AM
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jim83
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Sore legs, bike fit issue?

Hi, new to the forums and looking for some advice, hopefully I've posted this in the right section.

Recently after rides I have been experiencing very sore legs, mostly in my hamstrings just above the knee and top of my calves just below the knees.

Back in October I was fitted to my bike by my local bike shop using the Retul 3D system, amongst other things the saddle was raised and the handlebars lowered. I have been riding the bike since then and didn't have any problems with aches or pains, in fact all pain that I was having before the fit disappeared (sore neck).

Anyway, since about January I have been getting very sore legs after any ride, usually comes on in the evening after the ride. Now I understand that having a saddle too high can cause pain in the backs of your knees but was wondering if this could also affect hamstrings? But like I say I've had a proper bike fit done a few months ago and my knee angles were well within recommended values on both sides and I didn't have any problems after the fit.

The other thing is it could be that my weekly mileage has gone down over winter before Christmas and then maybe I went too hard too soon after Christmas and have pulled my hamstrings.

Daily stretching and massage eases the pain off but after I've been out for a ride again it comes back.

So just looking for people's opinions really. A bike fit issue or my own fault for pushing a bit too hard too soon.

Thanks.
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Old 02-18-14, 08:40 AM
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Probably just related to effort and conditioning.
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Old 02-22-14, 09:20 PM
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Pushing a bit hard can do that, but so can a seat that's too high and/or too far rearward (even by just 5 mm). The bar being too low and/or too far from the seat can do that as well. (Again, just 5 - 10 mm can make all the difference in the world.) PS: just because you've had a "pro" fit doesn't mean the position is perfectly ideal for your anatomy, flexibility, body quirks, etc. I found that out the VERY long way . . .
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Old 02-24-14, 06:29 AM
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Originally Posted by pakossa
Pushing a bit hard can do that, but so can a seat that's too high and/or too far rearward (even by just 5 mm). The bar being too low and/or too far from the seat can do that as well. (Again, just 5 - 10 mm can make all the difference in the world.) PS: just because you've had a "pro" fit doesn't mean the position is perfectly ideal for your anatomy, flexibility, body quirks, etc. I found that out the VERY long way . . .
Yes I suppose but I would have thought I'd have had problems sooner after having the fit if something was off and I've done a lot of mileage since having the fit (back in October). Anyway, as a test I lowered my saddle a few mm to see if this made any difference and it made none, in fact it was worse and I had sore back, shoulders and neck which is what I was getting before the fit, so saddle has gone back up to it's original height.

The problem seems to be improving anyway and I'm fairly certain it's my own fault for pushing too hard on one ride after a couple of months of slower rides only at weekends because of the weather and road conditions. Making sure I do a proper stretching routine after rides and have invested in a foam roller to work the knots out and it all seems to be helping.

What happened to you when you say you found out the long way?
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Old 02-27-14, 02:54 PM
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After one bike fitting -- for a custom frame -- my hamstrings were killing me, even off the bike. This got me into an obsessive-compulsion thing with constantly fooling around with my position. (Eventually figured out that the fitter's seat height was at least 1 cm too high for me.)
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Old 03-03-14, 07:05 PM
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Keep in mind a bike fitter fit you. Retul is a tool. Did you notice what brand of hex keys he used? Probably not. Check out the credentials of the fitter not the data or motion capture system he or she uses. All retul does is track some of your movements. Retul training focuses more on how to use the tool and not how to fit a bike. It does not tell you what to adjust. Also is does not see your foot/pedal connection or you hand connection. The dots do not consider the cleat or the hands on the bars. Did you notice there was a straight line on your print out representing your back. Every single retul printout shows a straight back. You think we all have a straight backs?

Nothing against Retul but can you tell us the tilt of your forefoot? (Forefoot varus angle?) probably not. Did he move the cleat back on the shoe? This may help with the calf soreness. And yes the saddle may be high but it could be others things.

Read this article and see if your fitter did have of the things at the feet that are mentioned in this article. https://bikefit.com/s-13-road-bikes.aspx

Best of luck
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Old 03-07-14, 09:49 PM
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Did you happen to stay down in the drops more than usual when this occurred? That can stretch your hamstrings if they aren't loosened up, especially if you're driving a big gear. If nothing has changed since your fit, and everything was good for months after the fit, then it's probably a fluke injury.

Cheers
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Old 03-08-14, 01:17 PM
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jim83
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Originally Posted by Zero7
Did you happen to stay down in the drops more than usual when this occurred? That can stretch your hamstrings if they aren't loosened up, especially if you're driving a big gear. If nothing has changed since your fit, and everything was good for months after the fit, then it's probably a fluke injury.

Cheers
I can remember the ride when I got back and thought my legs were more sore than normal (wasn't on the drops for any longer than usual) and it was a nice day, roads were clean and not slippery for once so my pace was a lot quicker than it had been over the winter months. I'm pretty much convinced it's my own fault for pushing too hard. Absouletly nothing has changed on my bike fit, I even took measurements a few weeks back to make sure because I was getting paranoid about it!

It's been improving, the last couple of weeks my legs have been sore the evening after a ride but the next day no pain at all, but then sitting at a desk in an office all week I don't think helps so they do tighten up a bit towards the end of the week. Now the weather is getting better and the days staying lighter for longer I can start getting out during the week as well. Going to invest in a turbo trainer this year though so I can keep at it during the winter.

Only been cycling properly for a year so guess I'm still learning.
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Old 03-08-14, 01:31 PM
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Originally Posted by BikeFitPro
Keep in mind a bike fitter fit you. Retul is a tool. Did you notice what brand of hex keys he used? Probably not. Check out the credentials of the fitter not the data or motion capture system he or she uses. All retul does is track some of your movements. Retul training focuses more on how to use the tool and not how to fit a bike. It does not tell you what to adjust. Also is does not see your foot/pedal connection or you hand connection. The dots do not consider the cleat or the hands on the bars. Did you notice there was a straight line on your print out representing your back. Every single retul printout shows a straight back. You think we all have a straight backs?

Nothing against Retul but can you tell us the tilt of your forefoot? (Forefoot varus angle?) probably not. Did he move the cleat back on the shoe? This may help with the calf soreness. And yes the saddle may be high but it could be others things.

Read this article and see if your fitter did have of the things at the feet that are mentioned in this article. https://bikefit.com/s-13-road-bikes.aspx

Best of luck
I can't remember exactly everything that was done but I was in the shop for a long time getting things adjusted. Saddle height, fore/aft position, handlebar height, cleat postion were all checked and changed, and if he wasn't happy with some of the readouts he went back and adjusted something to get it right.

I understand what you're saying that Retul is only a tool but the guy doing the fit is knowledgeable and wasn't just adjusting things for the sake of it, and he explained what he was adjusting and what effect that would have on me and/or the bike. For example, he told me that my saddle could go higher as my knee angle with my leg at the bottom of the stoke was well within range but he said it would then effect the overall comfort on the bike in longer rides (I guess because my upper body would be in a flatter position), so we didn't go any higher.

Before I had the fit done I was playing about with things on the bike myself and if I got something wrong I knew I had pretty much instantly because I'd come back from a ride with a new pain. In the end, I gave up trying to get it right myself and had the Retul fit done, from the first ride after the fit I had never felt so comfortable on the bike, absouletly no pains whatsoever, until now. So I would have thought that if something was off with the fit I would have had problems straight away, but I am by no means an expert and that is just what makes logical sense to me.
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