Addiction LXXVIII
#4201
cowboy, steel horse, etc
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: The hot spot.
Posts: 46,048
Bikes: everywhere
Liked 8,551 Times
in
4,559 Posts
#4202
cowboy, steel horse, etc
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: The hot spot.
Posts: 46,048
Bikes: everywhere
Liked 8,551 Times
in
4,559 Posts
#4203
Should Be More Popular
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Malvern, PA (20 miles West of Philly)
Posts: 43,643
Bikes: 1986 Alpine (steel road bike), 2009 Ti Habenero, 2013 Specialized Roubaix
Liked 9,572 Times
in
4,426 Posts
#4204
Should Be More Popular
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Malvern, PA (20 miles West of Philly)
Posts: 43,643
Bikes: 1986 Alpine (steel road bike), 2009 Ti Habenero, 2013 Specialized Roubaix
Liked 9,572 Times
in
4,426 Posts
#4205
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2019
Location: 757
Posts: 11,678
Bikes: Madone, Emonda, 5500, Ritchey Breakaway
Liked 5,610 Times
in
2,393 Posts
Here are the pictures of me riding. Sorry they didn’t turn out all that well. Wife was trying to keep our two year old from running in the street as she took these.
#4206
Mostly Harmless
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: At Large
Posts: 57,071
Bikes: Have two wheels
Liked 4,938 Times
in
2,648 Posts
I don't see anything obviously horrible going on here.
Your back is a bit rounded. Do you usually ride with your hands at the back of the hoods like that?
Based on the first pic, saddle position seems okay. Biased back, maybe
Looking at the third pic, your leg extension isn't bad. You might have some room to raise the seat a little.
Your back is a bit rounded. Do you usually ride with your hands at the back of the hoods like that?
Based on the first pic, saddle position seems okay. Biased back, maybe
Looking at the third pic, your leg extension isn't bad. You might have some room to raise the seat a little.
#4207
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2019
Location: 757
Posts: 11,678
Bikes: Madone, Emonda, 5500, Ritchey Breakaway
Liked 5,610 Times
in
2,393 Posts
I don't see anything obviously horrible going on here.
Your back is a bit rounded. Do you usually ride with your hands at the back of the hoods like that?
Based on the first pic, saddle position seems okay. Biased back, maybe
Looking at the third pic, your leg extension isn't bad. You might have some room to raise the seat a little.
Your back is a bit rounded. Do you usually ride with your hands at the back of the hoods like that?
Based on the first pic, saddle position seems okay. Biased back, maybe
Looking at the third pic, your leg extension isn't bad. You might have some room to raise the seat a little.
I actually just lowered the seat a couple of mm right before this picture, my leg felt like it was having to stretch at the bottom.
#4208
Mostly Harmless
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: At Large
Posts: 57,071
Bikes: Have two wheels
Liked 4,938 Times
in
2,648 Posts
I typically keep my hands on the back of the hoods. I usually only drop on sprints, only because for the longest time I didn’t use the drops at all.
I actually just lowered the seat a couple of mm right before this picture, my leg felt like it was having to stretch at the bottom.
I actually just lowered the seat a couple of mm right before this picture, my leg felt like it was having to stretch at the bottom.
#4209
dot dash
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Land of Pleasant Living
Posts: 12,576
Bikes: Shmikes
Liked 6,176 Times
in
3,323 Posts
Many here call it flexibility, but I believe it's got a lot more to do with the gluteal strength to cantilever the trunk out from the pelvis without straining the lower back. In my case, I have found deadlifts, bridges, squats etc., very helpful for getting low on the bike and you can't do them safely without strengthening the rest of the core.
Last edited by MoAlpha; 04-29-20 at 07:52 PM.
#4210
VFL For Life
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Knoxville, TN
Posts: 52,249
Bikes: Velo Volmobile
Liked 2,064 Times
in
1,444 Posts
#4211
Mostly Harmless
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: At Large
Posts: 57,071
Bikes: Have two wheels
Liked 4,938 Times
in
2,648 Posts
Likes For rjones28:
#4212
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2019
Location: 757
Posts: 11,678
Bikes: Madone, Emonda, 5500, Ritchey Breakaway
Liked 5,610 Times
in
2,393 Posts
I don't want to hold myself out as any sort of expert, but the pictures suggest to me that you are fighting the position the bike wants you to assume. I think you are protracting your shoulders, hyperextending your arms, and sliding back on the hoods, to keep from having to flex your hips and lower the back to where it needs to be. I want to hear what the others have to say, but I think the fix is to work on getting comfortable with being more horizontal on the bike.
Many here call it flexibility, but I believe it's got a lot more to do with the gluteal strength to cantilever the trunk out from the pelvis. In my case, I have found deadlifts, bridges, squats etc., very helpful for getting low on the bike and you can't do them safely without strengthening the rest of the core.
Many here call it flexibility, but I believe it's got a lot more to do with the gluteal strength to cantilever the trunk out from the pelvis. In my case, I have found deadlifts, bridges, squats etc., very helpful for getting low on the bike and you can't do them safely without strengthening the rest of the core.
Thanks Mo, I am definitely not flexible at all, and I do find my self locking my arms while riding to keep my more up right. I’ll try to be more conscious of this in the future. I will add bridges and body squats to my routine. Currently using trx cables since most hotel gyms are closed.
#4213
Has a magic bike
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 12,590
Bikes: 2018 Scott Spark, 2015 Fuji Norcom Straight, 2014 BMC GF01, 2013 Trek Madone
Liked 425 Times
in
157 Posts
I don't have a fancy PM but I do have a sense of my power from Zwift rides, and I have been looking at the power estimates from Strava. I do think they are reasonably close for solo rides. Clearly they do NOT take into account wind and other factors, but for a very rough approximation it's not half bad. I would guess it's within 20% of reality for an entire ride. For segments the error rate is a bit higher, of course.
Has anyone compared what Strava says and what your PM says to see if my observation is consistent?
Has anyone compared what Strava says and what your PM says to see if my observation is consistent?
#4214
dot dash
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Land of Pleasant Living
Posts: 12,576
Bikes: Shmikes
Liked 6,176 Times
in
3,323 Posts
Thanks Mo, I am definitely not flexible at all, and I do find my self locking my arms while riding to keep my more up right. I’ll try to be more conscious of this in the future. I will add bridges and body squats to my routine. Currently using trx cables since most hotel gyms are closed.
#4215
VFL For Life
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Knoxville, TN
Posts: 52,249
Bikes: Velo Volmobile
Liked 2,064 Times
in
1,444 Posts
Likes For Velo Vol:
#4216
VFL For Life
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Knoxville, TN
Posts: 52,249
Bikes: Velo Volmobile
Liked 2,064 Times
in
1,444 Posts
#4218
Fat n slow
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Saratoga, NY
Posts: 4,327
Bikes: Cervelo R3, Giant Revolt
Liked 2,113 Times
in
987 Posts
I don't want to hold myself out as any sort of expert, but the pictures suggest to me that you are fighting the position the bike wants you to assume. I think you are protracting your shoulders, hyperextending your arms, and sliding back on the hoods, to keep from having to flex your hips and lower the back to where it needs to be. I want to hear what the others have to say, but I think the fix is to work on getting comfortable with being more horizontal on the bike.
Many here call it flexibility, but I believe it's got a lot more to do with the gluteal strength to cantilever the trunk out from the pelvis without straining the lower back. In my case, I have found deadlifts, bridges, squats etc., very helpful for getting low on the bike and you can't do them safely without strengthening the rest of the core.
Many here call it flexibility, but I believe it's got a lot more to do with the gluteal strength to cantilever the trunk out from the pelvis without straining the lower back. In my case, I have found deadlifts, bridges, squats etc., very helpful for getting low on the bike and you can't do them safely without strengthening the rest of the core.
I’d also offer a slightly different perspective- when I was on a more upright endurance type geometry I found my arms were usually straight (like in the pic) as I was fighting my body’s natural desire to want to be more stretched out and lower. By getting a bike with a lower stack and extending the reach with a longer stem, I’m naturally riding with a flat(ish) back and bent arms. It may seem counterintuitive, but may be worth reducing the # of spacers to see if that helps.
Also agree on deadlifts, squats and a core regimen. It helps, a lot. I know it’s not necessarily feasible for you, but pre Covid I was working with a personal trainer 2x a week and lifting heavy really helped develop the strength to ride better. YMMV obviously.
Likes For phrantic09:
#4219
VFL For Life
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Knoxville, TN
Posts: 52,249
Bikes: Velo Volmobile
Liked 2,064 Times
in
1,444 Posts
Strava does accept walks, they just don't count.
#4220
Mostly Harmless
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: At Large
Posts: 57,071
Bikes: Have two wheels
Liked 4,938 Times
in
2,648 Posts
#4221
Mostly Harmless
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: At Large
Posts: 57,071
Bikes: Have two wheels
Liked 4,938 Times
in
2,648 Posts
#4222
I woke up an hour ago, and started to cook breakfast. Whoops.
No bacon was wasted because of this mistake.
No bacon was wasted because of this mistake.
#4223
So it is
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Westminster, CO
Posts: 21,876
Bikes: Luzerne, 684, Boreas, Wheelhouse, Alize©®, Bayamo, Cayo
Liked 5,286 Times
in
3,014 Posts
If that's how you cook when you're asleep.... Dang....
#4225
cowboy, steel horse, etc
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: The hot spot.
Posts: 46,048
Bikes: everywhere
Liked 8,551 Times
in
4,559 Posts