anything glaringly wrong with my position?

Do you mean something other than staring straight down at the ground? 😄

Seriously though you seem a bit 'crunched up' fore and aft.

And per this recent thread: http://www.cyclingforums.com/cycling-training/472282-riding-position-lower-back.html you might work on rotating forward in the saddle and reducing the 'break' in your lower back which takes practice, may change your bike fit a bit but typically reduces back soreness and flattens you out for better aerodynamics.

-Dave

thanks Dave, when I am relaxed I can 'push my trunk forward' gives my lower back a flatter line, is that the effect you're talking about?

my hands are not completely on the hoods here maybe 3cm back... I wonder if that is why this position looks compacted fore/aft... I thought the same thing when I saw the pic but I picked that stem length/bar reach so I feel very confident on the descents and didnt feel too stretched out.

thanks again,

curby

Bottom line: if it's comfortable then it really doesn't matter how it looks.

I'm no fitter, but a couple things caught my eye:
1) staring at the stem
2) either your arms are very long or that reach looks pretty short -- looks like your elbows would seriously interfere with your knee motion.
3) can you comfortably ride in the drops with that setup?
4) file name says "ttpos." Is that your timetrial position? What kind of events are you running?

if I remember correctly I am suffering pretty good here, so looking down is kinda of like hiding from the pain... hehe
I think my forearms are very long, no long sleeve jerseys fit my arms and most fitters put me on a 58cm top tube until they measure my arms and then they suggest a 59 like this bike.
riding on the drops is no problem on this bike, quite comfortable, the drops are long so I have 2 positions really, one where I can reach the levers and one where I cannot. when I time trial I get lower, and rest my wrists on the curve of the tops and palms on the 'nubs' of the levers...

thanks for the feedback,

curby

Hey Curby,

Your position looks pretty good. If anything, slightly cramped but that may be the photo.

I agree with Frenchy though - If it's comfortable, it's not really a big deal either way.

There's no secret, ideal position that's going to give you an extra 20% power output when you 'find it'.

It's very hard to critique your position from that picture, therefore I'd be very careful making changes to it based on guidance here.

If you must make adjustments, make them very incremental over a week or two. millimeters - not centimeters.

Check your head stem length - maybe you can go longer? Maybe your seat can go back a little but put the seat down the same length if you do.

It's a serious topic that can result in injury so go easy.

Mark

Thanks Mark, I have slid forward on the saddle in that one, working pretty hard. Found another shot to compare, more relaxed in this one.

curby said:

Thanks Mark, I have slid forward on the saddle in that one, working pretty hard. Found another shot to compare, more relaxed in this one.

Yeah I think you look good on the bike. Good flexibility through your lower back.

What's instigated your post? Has someone said something?

I'd like to see your left foot at the 6 o'clock.

All up though, minor adjustments if any.

tnx again for comments, a coach (not mine) suggested the frame is big, wants to see lower bar position on his athletes bikes. a little hard to get with this model, 59cm top tube, 59cm seat tube, 200mm head tube. I could maybe get a centimeter by changing the top cap of the headset. wasnt sure if it is worth trying but I am getting more flexibility over years past...

curby said:

tnx again for comments, a coach (not mine) suggested the frame is big, wants to see lower bar position on his athletes bikes.

Yah, if your knees are aren't pounding your diaphragm, your stem's too high. Just kidding. A little lower is the current fashion, and it looks like your body can handle going down a centimeter or a little more. But I don't think that will help you go much faster.

What's your height and leg length?

curby said:

here is a candid of me working near my threshold, so i assume this is close to the position i usually ride in...

any suggestions/comments/criticisms? thanks

If you're going hard on the flat in a big gear, why are you not on the drops?

If you are going to stay on the hoods at least make like Roger DeVlaeminck...
[IMG]pezcyclingnews.compreview roger.jpgOpen ↗[/IMG]

These guys just don't end up on a position that looks like that...

You end up racing hard in the position that you train the most in when going hard. Sure training on the drops isn't the most comfortable to start with but if you can't ride in the drops for even a short time then you're either as inflexible as I or your bars are way too low for you.

curby said:

I think my forearms are very long, no long sleeve jerseys fit my arms and most fitters put me on a 58cm top tube until they measure my arms and then they suggest a 59 like this bike.

I think I see what your coach was getting at in talking about a smaller frame.

Most fit formulas factor arm length and torso length somewhat equally in arriving at a top tube and stem lengths. Having ape-arms myself, I've found that this is not really helpful. The main component of top tube length should be torso length, so you should probably be on the 58.

Long arms just allow the rider to lower the handlebar more as the back lowers and flattens. Lowering the handlebar subsequently requires pulling it in with a slightly shorter stem and top tube combination. Envision rotating the torso lower from the hips. As the shoulders move lower, they also move forward. Then, if you're maintaining the angle from the humerus to the torso (generally 90+ degrees), the hands need to be lowered, and as they're lowered they'll move rearward.

So, yeah, I understand the point of this coach's advice. He wants your back lower, and the only way this can happen significantly is for you ride a smaller frame.

Thanks for the continued feedback!! good points. I really like a 59cm top tube and 11cm stem. On the descents its really stable when I put my nose to the stem! hehe This is really hard to find on a 58m or smaller frame, esp. compact frame. I am 186cm tall with an 89cm floor to crotch height.

Looking again at that second picture; that IS my typical position, I do train like that all the time... hehe thats my sitting up position. Not working so hard, but fatigued nonetheless... thanks again all!