hvvelo wrote:
ericMPro wrote:
I say that because while the Cervelo NP3 was and is a fast bike, the OEM bars that it came with weren't always the best in terms of what you'd get now with a P5d, P3x, or even P-Series.
At any rate... Pad Stack of 709mm and Pad Reach of 419mm. You are in the upper left quadrant my friend, ie. slack or upright. On a mortal bike that means unsightly spacers under the stem to get you where you need to be. I'm questioning this fit... on the P3x charts you are too high for a size L and too far to the left for a size XL... off the charts IOW.
You say you've been "adapting", working downward in 5mm increments. Have you tried going longer in a similar manner? This would bring you into the orthodox fit range and likely make you more comfortable. That said, whatever you're doing is working because 59:xx 40km TT on 248w AP is amazing.
How tall are you? I would ride a 58cm NP3 if it were me and I'm 6'2". Really I'd ride a 61cm but I'm vain. You might do well on a 58cm with a short stem, or on a 56cm with a longer stem and some spacers. Best to find a cockpit system that allows you to raise pads and extensions independently of the basebar. So yes, the general relative quadrants of the charts apply to the NP3 as well. A tri bike will automatically bring you forward and down some, and when it does you'll land in the 56cm frame size fit range.
Make sense?
Hi Eric -
Thank you very much for the input here!
Yes, this makes sense - if the NP3 fit diagram is similar to P3x, then I was thinking that at 419/706 mm, I'm right on the upper left corner (tried attaching the chart that I think applies to the last rim P3s?) and the second I drop and move forward at all, I'll be working into the meat of the 56 cm chart with lots of room to progress if needed. For bar/bike selection, budget is of course a factor, and with Cervelo having gone all disc, the extra money that would be required to duplicate my excellent rim brake wheels just takes the newest models off the table for me for now. But maybe I'll help someone else upgrade their NP3 into a new disc bike :-)
As to current position, maybe this picture will help - don't laugh at the SPD shoes - it's all I have :-) This is where I converged after some help on the trainerroad forum in the first 3 months with my redshift kit - EXCEPT I later flipped the stem to -6 degrees, with a 5 mm under it. I haven't pushed any longer/lower as it starts to get uncomfortable on 3+ hr road rides without aerobars. I'm about 5' 11.5" so a bit shorter than you. When I went from 13 deg to 6 deg stem, I went + 10mm on the stem - but otherwise haven't gone longer yet. I do find myself starting rides with elbows just behind the pad, and tend to move forward a bit while I ride so probably some room there.
I've probably tweaked the seat position a few mm since this photo and no longer use the same saddle, but it's otherwise the same position I did for my 40k. I also ditched my frame bottles/pump/gloves, used a BTA torpedo, narrower top tube bag and 65 mm wheels - have been lurking and studying these pages trying to learn. I was still surprised to pull it off at 58:56 for 248W, but I never broke position, it was all right turns so never had to touch brakes or turnaround, temp in the 70s and pretty flat and wind-free - very ideal conditions.
I would guess that my current position is still very boxed in being on a road bike and I am planning a serious fit trip soon at what I believe is a very well regarded place. (not sure if we can say names on here)
My thought is that since I had to schedule this appointment months in advance, and it's not easy for me to make this trip often or even schedule it, I may benefit from finding an appropriate sized P3 ahead of time, get some rides in with an initial setup that is a step more aggressive than what I can do on the road bike, and perhaps that will help me provide more informed input to the fit process, esp. coupled with the experience I now have on the road bike TT setup.
In summary, it sounds like I should look for a 56 in the P-series unless you see something in this photo that says "wait, that's all wrong!"
Yep, that basically sums it up. You'll start hitting the meat of the 56cm P-Series chart once you come slightly forward, which will make you want to come slightly down, which will make you want to go even more forward, etc. I think you'll find the P-Series bars to be *very* versatile and adjustable too.
Eric
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