Yay! Just got my new Fuji Roubaix Pro! Bum bum hurts a LOT!

It`s normal that you have problems with seat after first 10 mins on it! Your bum bum just has to accustom on it! At the beginning you will be able to have problems with your back (because different poise as on MTB), palms (because different handlebar as MTB`s) and may be with something else too!

Just one advice - ride a lot!🙂

Virenque said:

It`s normal that you have problems with seat after first 10 mins on it! Your bum bum just has to accustom on it! At the beginning you will be able to have problems with your back (because different poise as on MTB), palms (because different handlebar as MTB`s) and may be with something else too!

Just one advice - ride a lot!🙂

Exactly! While I was riding I was so confused because of the pain of the riding position. My back from bending down so low, my neck from having to crane up constantly to see things, my bum bum from sitting on such a narrow seat, and the weird handlebar. I'm not even sure where I'm supposed to grip it, at the very ends or closer to the brakes or maybe different positions while sprinting?

Shifting is crazy. I come from using grip shift, which means I could jump from highest ratio down to lowest gear ratio in one shift. If seems like with flight deck shifting I'm forced to go one gear by one gear until I finally get to the gear I want. Is this right or am I missing something?

I'm sorry for all the n00b questions cuz I'm just a bunny and I don't know anything about roadies yet!

Hehe I had all these problems too! Hold the handlebar where it suits you the most and don`t think if it`s good or not! Time will show you which attitude is the best for you!
And don`t forget the stretching when pains appear!

Upwards you can shift up to three gears, but downwards you must go one by one! But it`s not the problem because shifting is fast!

babybunny said:

My back from bending down so low, my neck from having to crane up constantly to see things, my bum bum from sitting on such a narrow seat, and the weird handlebar. I'm not even sure where I'm supposed to grip it, at the very ends or closer to the brakes or maybe different positions while sprinting?!

There's a few things you can do to raise your grip.

Some people like having their levers up high on the bars like this:
http://www.cyclingnews.com/tech/2003/probikes/?id=CerveloCSCDean
I Have mine like that, and I spend almost all my time on the "hoods", which I find very comfortable.

You can also get a stem that goes up on an angle and/or get a shorter one.

Actually I have no problem with the handlebars and the positioning, although I expected to feel a bit more "aero." I dunno, probably just the fact that my seat can't be raised that high because I have short legs.

After riding about 5 miles today, I have to say that everything feels better. The seat, back position, and neck position aren't giving me nearly as much trouble as before.

I couldn't find my cadence again after all these years of not riding. I remember back when I was around 14 my average speed while riding a hardtail for 30 miles on pavement was 15mph. Today I found myself only able to do 10mph. Man, I need some work.

Everybody new to a road bike experiences what you what you are going through now; instead of you breaking in the bike, the bike kind of breaks you in. The key is persistence, just keep at it and the discomfort should be gone within a month.

I got mine this time last year, at age 45, and initially came to the conclusion that it was an evil contraption designed by someone like the Marquis de Sade. It was agony, I hated it, and I thought I must have been nuts to have bought that malevolent torture device. Largely owing to what it cost, I did force myself to ride it every night; the pain was gone pretty fast and my speed and mileage increased rapidly. I've now put over 4,000 miles on it, I'm hopelessly addicted to the thing, and it is probably the best purchase I've ever made. So much for first impressions....

I did consistently experience some saddle soreness once I went beyond 50 miles or so, but a new saddle (a Fizik Aliante) fixed that and I've since done several centuries without any problems at all. The only issue I have these days is that it takes 50 or 60 miles for me to feel like I've had any kind of a workout!

ElPerro,
I could have written your post myself, I totally agree...

I went from a MTB to a Roadbike around a year ago...I test rode it ( a Felt), and thought "NO WAY"...and I bought it...

The first ten miles it felt (no pun intended) totally alien..everything felt very odd...then only thing that kept me going was the acceleration and the way a roadbike coasts soooo easily compared to a MTB...

It just got better and better, then as I progressed I realized I could do with a larger Frame, so I sold it and bought a Cannondale (58 compared to 54cm), and I was away!!

Not unlike you, I finish a Ride and after 5 minutes fell like I could do it all over again...

I'm now shopping for a Bike in the $2500-3000 bracket because now I know I can tell whether a Bike is right for me or not...this is the reason I would never recommend anyone buy a spendy Bike to start with untill they get used to the Roadbiking position, gear changes etc, and educate themselves first, which is what I'm trying to do...so maybe a Trek 1000, Giant OCR3..or like me, a Feltracing F91...all great starter bikes in the $5-600 range...a used "Name" bike always sells well on ebay too if you take good care of them...so they can be a very economical choice....

OK, I know I'm babbling...

ElPerro said:

Everybody new to a road bike experiences what you what you are going through now; instead of you breaking in the bike, the bike kind of breaks you in. The key is persistence, just keep at it and the discomfort should be gone within a month.

I got mine this time last year, at age 45, and initially came to the conclusion that it was an evil contraption designed by someone like the Marquis de Sade. It was agony, I hated it, and I thought I must have been nuts to have bought that malevolent torture device. Largely owing to what it cost, I did force myself to ride it every night; the pain was gone pretty fast and my speed and mileage increased rapidly. I've now put over 4,000 miles on it, I'm hopelessly addicted to the thing, and it is probably the best purchase I've ever made. So much for first impressions....

I did consistently experience some saddle soreness once I went beyond 50 miles or so, but a new saddle (a Fizik Aliante) fixed that and I've since done several centuries without any problems at all. The only issue I have these days is that it takes 50 or 60 miles for me to feel like I've had any kind of a workout!

🙁

Are there any pointers as to how I should feel on a perfectly-sized frame? I always imagined that my arms would be out further in front me while gripping the handlebars, but it's not so with mine. It's more in a "neutral" position, neither back nor forward. I find that the neutral position isn't giving me the aerodynamic feel that again, I've always imagined I would feel.

Well, I've only ridden about 2600 miles since last Jan 1st, a lot less than some on this board, and to be honest, every time I ride (well most times anyway) I always have some kinda discomfort...either my palms hurt, or my arms ache...sometimes my neck...it depends on the day...it never stops hurting...we just get faster...

As a rule of thumb, it's OK to hurt a little, as long as the hurt doesn't last..if you know what I mean...you really need to ride quite a few miles to see how it goes...you need to kinda condition yourself to the bike...

First and foremost, you need to get the saddle height and peddle circle dialed in....then adjust the Bars to suit...you can do some simple adjustments yourself, like rotate the bars upwards or downwards...you may also need your LBS to change the position of the brakes etc...

But first of all, as I said...adjust the saddle up or down, fore or aft, and get the pedal reach down...then worry about the Cockpit...

Hope this helps...I'm sure you'll recieve a lot more opinions on this...

babybunny said:

Are there any pointers as to how I should feel on a perfectly-sized frame? I always imagined that my arms would be out further in front me while gripping the handlebars, but it's not so with mine. It's more in a "neutral" position, neither back nor forward. I find that the neutral position isn't giving me the aerodynamic feel that again, I've always imagined I would feel.