Quote:
Hi Ian,
Thanks for your response, I've had chance to play with the bike a bit now and I think I'm getting there although I just wanted to run a few things past you if possible.
Attached is a small video of the current set-up. It would be great to get your thoughts.
Many Thanks for your help, I really appreciate.
Jeremy,
You've done very well. Let's discuss....
Quote:
Seat height - I set it as previous bike but I think it could come up a bit.
I think your seat height looks really good. I don't have it with pedal at bottom dead center right at profile to the camera but it's pretty close here. Don't raise it.
Quote:
Set Back - I was worried about cockpit distance being too big so put the seat as far forward as it would go... I think it may need to come back slightly. It feels comfortable, but the set back is about 0 at the moment, on my old bike it was more like 6cm. Is a 0cm setback a bad thing or shall I just leave it as it is?
I think I could move the seat back 1-2cm and still have a cockpit distance that is comfortable, so I'm thinking of trying that next.
First, let's clarify something...seat height and setback are items critical to power (and to comfort) and they must be set unto themselves as the place where you generate the most power. The cockpit then gets adjusted with stem length and pad movement to compliment and support that optimal spot the saddle found. You didn't approach from that direction but I think you stumbled into a pretty good position. More below pic..
Zero setback is not only an acceptable thing (in triathlon we're talking here - not in time trial that is governed by UCI rules) but for you it's a must. The reason I say that is... you are sitting
ON that saddle. You are not perched off the nose of that saddle. If that's where you need to sit to find comfort then the seat has to be forward. It could, in theory, even have a setback of + 5mm or + 10mm or a bit more - a "set forward" as it were. I think you should leave the saddle where it is and ride. if....when you strive for greater power.... you find yourself creeping towards the front of the saddle a bit more, know two things: 1) that's common/typical/expected, and 2) you can move the arm pads and extensions forward a touch to make room for that movement if it works for you.
Quote:
Pad Drop - I've got it approx 10% of seat height as you suggested, to do this I got hold of some of the max size risers that profile design do (70mm). It feels comfortable but looking at pictures and the video, I think I look very upright. So I'm not sure if I should bring this down a bit. Also for comfort I moved the areobars apart slightly (increasing pad width), I have broad shoulders and this seemed to make things more comfortable as well as being similar to what I am used to on my old bike.
About pad width...smart move on the pad width, find comfort for your broad shoulders.
About pad drop...how long are the cranks on that bike? I worry they are 175s. It's printed on the inside of the crank arm, near the pedal axle. Get back to me on that because what I see here is probably the max pad drop you can have. If you want to go lower it's gotta be shorter cranks that allow that to happen - by the way, I don't think you look very upright.
Let me know about crank length.
Ian
Ian Murray
http://www.TriathlonTrainingSeries.com I like the pursuit of mastery
Twitter - @TriCoachIan