friendlybunny

Howdy... first post. I've been a full time commuter for about a year now. I sold my car, and ride about 15-25 miles per day during the week depending on which job/ office I"m going to. I hook up my kids old trailer to my bike when I go grocery shopping.

I really don't know much about bikes or bike gear... or even what the components are called.

My commuting bike is a 1998 (I think) Schwinn Peloton road bike. I got it used off of craigslist a couple of years ago and it's pretty much a frankenbike with little of the original components.

Lately I have been having to run more errands and have been riding longer while working 2 jobs. My right shoulder has been killing me on these longer rides (after about an hour).

My question is... Is it a wrong size bike? Is it too much of a racing bike? Should I be riding something less aggressive?

The height seems ok, but maybe it's a bit too long?

My local bike shop is not very helpful, and I try to avoid them as much as possible. I am in Austin TX.

I might consider getting a different bike, but I have very little money, so I will probably have to buy another craigslist bike.

Any advice is appreciated. Thanks!

mkeller234

First off, Pelotons are pretty nice bikes. It's difficult to impossible to give you fit recommendations online. You can try a few things for neck and shoulder pain, maybe raising the stem or trying trekking bars. Make sure that the stem isn't out past the minimum insertion mark, if it is you can buy longer ones.

As far as fit, start with some basics. What size is your frame and how tall are you?

Aloe

Shoulder pain could mean a few things: You're bending one arm far more than the other; One arm is longer than the other; Your posture/sitting causes you to lean too far forwards when you ride, putting a lot of strain on the forearms, hands, and, of course, shoulders.

You could try fiddling with the seat angle (bringing the front upwards a bit) or handlebars (adjust for a longer arm by adjust the height or angle).

friendlybunny

I really like the Peloton. It rides fast and smooth like a BMW, so I'm trying to keep it if possible.

The bike frame says 58cm, and I am about 6' or 6'1" and 180lbs.

It feels like maybe I am reaching too far when shifting and braking (which I mostly do with my right hand).

Is sizing something that is done at a bike shop, or is it something I do myself? I have been reading a bunch online, but I'm not good with tools... ha ha

frpax

A. It's hard (if not downright impossible) to diagnose the cause of shoulder pain over the internet.
B. There's almost no such thing as a "wrong" bike for commuting. Back when I raced, I rode my race bike (since is was my ONLY bike) for everything. Commuting to work, errands, everything. I never had a problem with it, and it was as racy as anything of it's time.
C. Go see a doctor and have him figure out what's causing your pain.
D. There has to be a good bike shop in Austin. Find it. Get a fitting.

friendlybunny

I will try some other shops, but will skip the doctor. No insurance!

I was just wondering if racy bikes can be bad on backs/ shoulders (for non-racer bodies).

Thanks for the responses.

1nterceptor

Post some photos of you on your bike,
lean against a wall to stay up. This will
give the forum even more ideas to help
you out.

mkeller234

I am also 6 foot tall and I am comfortable on 58 and 60cm frames... of course we are all built a little differently, but it sounds like your in the ball park. You could try shorter quill stems to bring the bars closer, I did on a bunch of my bikes since I have short arms.

deanp

I commute with my road bike and I have the most non-racer body you could get.

meanwhile

They can.

You might try fitting a shorter and higher stem - a couple of cm up and a couple back can transform a bike.

tsl

I own a 1999 Peloton. I love the days when I can take it to work through the slice-and-dice of city traffic.

Upper body pain is tough to diagnose on teh Interwebz. It's not like knee pain which can be traced to specific things based on its specific location. It's likely to be something with the bar location--too high, too low, too close, too far--but it could just as easily be position and rotation of the levers, or even something rider-induced, like muscle tension or the way you hold yourself on the bike, or use of a backpack or messenger bag.

Fortunately, the Peloton uses an older-style quill stem, which is easy to adjust for height. There's a 5mm bolt dead center in the top of the shaft that extends down through the head tube. Loosen it and you can move the whole assembly up and down. You'll need to respect the markings on the shaft of the quill for minimum insertion (maximum height).

While you're messing with it, put some grease (yes grease) on the quill shaft to help prevent it from corroding in place. If it doesn't move after loosening the bolt, this corrosion has already happened.

Should you need to adjust the reach, your best bet is to replace the quill stem with a quill-to-threadless adapter, (about $15) then use a contemporary stem ($20 and up) to lengthen or shorten the reach. This is what I've done on mine. The alternative, a different quill stem, is difficult to source these days. They're available mail-order, but you'll already need to know the correct length to order. It's far easier to get local fitting, service and advice with the quill adapter and threadless stem.

Since your local shop doens't seem too enthusiastic about helping you, find another. Austin has plenty.

There's also the Austin Yellow Bike Project, a community bicycle organization:

Fizzaly

Shoulder pain can also be caused by bar width, someone can correct me if im wrong but your supposed to have drop bars about the same width as your shoulders, I was having problems with shoulder pain though a lot of it was from previous injury, but someone suggested I get wider bars which I did and haven't been having the same problems.

canyoneagle

I grew up in Austin, and it has been a bicycle hot spot for decades. Despite the gentrification of an otherwise awesome city in the past 20 years, Austin does have some excellent bike shops. If one LBS does not work for you, there is a plethora of really good shops there.

Unless times have changed:
-Freewheeling bicycles (on 24th near the university)
-Bicycle Sport Shop (By the Arboretum). Marty is a great guy and knows bikes. I knew him when he managed the shop in College Station and he's a solid guy with a passion for bikes. He tends to employ similar people.
- Bicycle Co-Op. If it is still there, this has been an institution.

I'd recommend finding a good shop (which section of town do you live in?) and having them help you out.
The Peloton is an excellent road racing bicycle, which may be too aggressive for your needs, especially things like commuting and towing a trailer.
If you find (with some face to face advice from someone who know something about bike fit) that the Peloton will work for you, keep it for recreational rides and as a commuting backup.

Once you've established some fit parameters, test ride numerous bikes (5-10 minutes, not just a slow circle in the parking lot) and see what suits you.
You might be surprised at how sporty some of the more comfortable, transportation-oriented bikes can be.

If you are on a budget, the Austin Craigslist should offer a steady supply of options - it's a bike city.
If you have the budget to consider a new bike, there are many options, so the test riding well help you dial in the genre that suits you.

furballi

Pain around the right wrist and shoulder area could translate to poor saddle positioning. If the nose is too low, then your body will slide forward, placing greater stress on the wrist and arm. Also try adjusting the fore and aft of the saddle by 1/4" each time.

Ride with no hands. Is your butt firmly planted at the widest area of the saddle? If you noticed that the body is sliding forward as you pedal, raise the nose by 1/8" and retest.

Seattle Forrest

You really can't pick a frame size based on your height. You might have short legs and orang-utan arms, or you might have stilts for legs and t-rex arms. So, if anyone ever says "You're X tall, which means you need Y frame size," put your hand over your wallet. That said, I'm 6'1", and take a 58 cm frame, with pretty typical proportions.

You probably need a different stem. It will cost you anywhere from $10 to $50, and you can put it on the bike yourself if you can operate a screw driver. This will move the handlebars in a little bit closer, so you don't have to reach as far.

Racing bikes aren't more or less comfortable than other bikes - it all comes down to how well the bike fits your body.

Sounds like other people are chiming in with great advice, so I won't step on their toes. But I'll leave off saying that if you get someone to take some photos of you on the bike, that would make it possible for people to give you good advice about exactly what changes to make.

c3hamby

Hey, I am in Austin, TX as well. The first thing that comes up for me reading your post is that there are probably some issues with fit. A poorly fitting bike is going to cause some body pains that shouldn't still be with you after a year of riding.

As far as whether or not the bike is a good bike for commuting-it could be-but any bike that doesn't fit right is going to be the wrong bike for anything.

I have been going to Performance on Anderson for a couple of years. They are great guys, tell them Brian with the Surly LHT sent you. They will do a bike fit for you for about 60.00 bucks, and it might be well worth it to have them do it. If it's a real bad fit then they probably won't even go that far.

Is there a 2 finger gap between the top tube and your privates when you stand over the top tube? If you can't even stand over the top tube the bike is to big. If it is way more than that then the bike is too small. Have them recommend a bike that fits you and ride it just to see how it feels-either choose a commuter specific back or a drop handlebar bike-doesn't matter-just so you know how good a correctly fitted bike feels.

Good luck!

c3hamby

Hey well if you are in Austin and don't have insurance, set up an appointment at People's Clinic. Low cost medical care for people with no insurance.

Andy_K 

If the fit is right, this isn't generally a problem. There's a good chance your bike is close enough to fitting you that a stem swap could fix the problem.

In theory, you can figure out the sizing issues yourself. In practice, it can be hard. I wouldn't even try one of the online fit calculator. There's way too much going on there. Try these links to see if one of them appeals to you:

https://www.peterwhitecycles.com/fitting.htm
https://www.sheldonbrown.com/frame-sizing.html
https://www.jimlangley.net/crank/bikefit.html


You probably don't need a full professional fit, and a friendly bike shop might give you a basic fit as part of the service if you buy a new stem or handlebars from them. At the very least, I would hope you can find a shop that will, at no charge, let you throw your bike on a trainer and give you an opinion as to whether or not the fit is bad. The key will be to go in with a good attitude and at a time when they aren't busy. This time of year that will mean mid-day on a weekday. You could stop in any time and ask them what time would be best.

Also, look here: https://www.sheldonbrown.com/pain.html

Seattle Forrest

Free and low-cost clinics tend to be ... crowded. The doctors are overworked, and don't have time or expertise to deal with issues like this. Bike fit problems aren't easy, and require specialized knowledge that they don't go over in med school to deal with. ( When I had a fit problem and bad shoulder pain, my doctor sent me to a couple of physical therapists instead of dealing with it himself. The only 'treatment' he gave me was vicotin for after long rides. ) Going to the clinic probably won't solve your issue, so you'd be better off posting photos here ... a lot of us have been through a number of bike fittings.

tornado60

Just a thought, but do you use a back pack or something of the like. I can't wear my back pack for much more than an hour without back and/or shoulder pain.

exile

I'm sure there is more than one bike shop in Austin. I'm lucky enough that the best bike shop where I live is the closest. Sometimes thats not always the case.

You current bike seems about the right size for you. If you feel you are reaching to far, find a bike shop that you like and go over the problem with them. Perhaps a change in bars could help (i'm not familiar in adjusting a quill stem).

c3hamby

That may be true, in most places, but getting in at People's Clinic in Austin where the OP and I live, you simply make an appointment, and you can get in just about as quickly as you can anywhere else.

frpax

Opinions on self fitting are abundant and, many times, passionate! I, for one, am a self fitter. Back when I started cycling, there really wasn't any such thing as a "professional fit". 90+% of the LBS's "fit" you by having you straddle the top tube, and that was about it.

So, I bought a book on competitive & long distance cycling and went by that, and have continued to use those guidelines to this day.

26 years later, I still have no "issues". I can do a century in a reasonable time and not have my knees kill me. Yeah, I might be butt sore for a day, and leg sore for a day (maybe 2, depending on effort), but no adverse effects to speak of.

I recognize the fact that there have been many advancements in sports medicine & understanding of the physiology of the body in the last 2+ decades, and I'm not nay-saying any of that.

Some people do not have the patience to go through the trial and error process of self fitting. Some people do not trust that they have accurate information to do it. That's all well and good. Some people are more than willing to have a pro fit. That's all well and good too. In fact, I am scheduling a pro fit for myself in the next couple of weeks. I'm interested to see how the way I've been doing it all these years jives with the modern method.

Andy_K 

The problem with the trial-and-error method is that it is self-limiting. I went in for a pro fit a couple of years ago, and the guy raised my bars and lowered my saddle. Riding home, it felt completely wrong. It wasn't uncomfortable...it just felt wrong. But I gave it a few weeks, and now I use that bike as the baseline for setting up the fit on all my other bikes.

friendlybunny

Hey all... thanks so much for the advice. What a great forum!!

I plan on going to a different bike shop. I have heard good things about Freewheeling bicycles and I teach at UT, so that would be convenient. It sounds like it might be a handlebar height issue and maybe a little seat adjustment. I have a feeling the handlebars are just a little bit too far away.

Thanks TSL for the specific advice. Great technical info! I think my bike was put together at the yellow bike project. Every piece of the bike is from a different manufacturer, and some of the parts are pretty funky... ha ha, but it rides nice. I think the stem might be from spare parts and not really the right size, making everything a bit too far of a reach.

I do wear a backpack or sometimes a messenger bag with heavy stuff in it.

I plan on getting a fit adjustment this weekend. I think the frame should be fine.

Thanks again everybody.