Bike fit not going well

[faster]

I would say the saddle still to far forward, moving it back will unweight the arms
this is your piccie black line is your line from knee through pedal, other one is where it should be as a starting point,
Also looking at your pic are the hoods a bit low ? itshard to tell but i think they could do with rotating up a bit loosening the bolt that hold the bar to the stem and rotating it upwards a bit which combined with moving the saddle back would give a better position.
View attachment 511965

Good post - I like what you've done there with the lines drawn on the attachments.

I agree - it looks like the seat needs go back a bit. Not everyone agrees with the KOPS (knee over pedal spindle) way of setting up the saddle, but it works for me and is surely good for getting it there or thereabouts.

As someone has already pointed out, you may be using too high gears. You should be aiming to spin the pedals at around 80rpm (I think!). If you're a beginner/unfit, it's tempting to try to spin them as slowly as possible and rely on strength. Generally, and there are obviously exceptions, cycling is more of an aerobic sport and doesn't require a great deal of strength. Some people have success pushing really high gears and spinning the pedals slowly, but I think I'm right in saying that for most people, most of the time, it should feel like you're only applying fairly light pressure to the pedals and thus putting very little pressure through the knees.

What pedals/cleats are you using? I think I can see a bit of yellow on one on the photos. If they are Shimano yellow cleats, these are the ones to go for as they have lots of float. I don't think there are many good reasons to choose pedals/cleats with less float.

What happens to your knees when you ride? If you watch them they should track up and down in a fairly straight line. I quite often see people riding along and their knees swing outwards fairly alarmingly at the top of each stroke, which I think is down to hip flexibility problems or possibly just a bad habit. It's worth having a look at what is happening.

Good luck and look after your knees - you only really get one chance with them, so don't try to ride through the pain. Build up slowly and if it hurts, do a bit less or seek out further help. I completely disagree with what a few others have said - unlike getting a really sore arse, sore knees are not to be expected for someone just starting out on a bike. Bike fits are not always a waste of money in my opinion, especially if there is a problem to be solved.

Nice bike btw.

 

[Fat-thor]

Thank you so much for all your replies, this is such a helpful forum with such helpful people. Really great community.

I will move my saddle back today and go for a ride.

Yup, I am guilty of the big gears will look to stay at around 80rpm.

I am also going to try and swap out the saddle it's very small and hard. Any tips for a good "comfy" saddle.

Thanks again!!

 

[biggs682]

@Fat-thor just lift the saddle a small amount and just find a happy rythem which you can maintain for 20 minutes and see how that goes .

 

[vickster]

Thank you so much for all your replies, this is such a helpful forum with such helpful people. Really great community.

I will move my saddle back today and go for a ride.

Yup, I am guilty of the big gears will look to stay at around 80rpm.

I am also going to try and swap out the saddle it's very small and hard. Any tips for a good "comfy" saddle.

Thanks again!!

Saddle comfort is very subjective but the inexpensive Charge Spoon (£20 ish) is a popular choice and better padded than a racing saddle

https://www.merlincycles.com/charge-spoon-cromo-rail-saddle-106422.html

 

[cyberknight]

@Fat-thor just lift the saddle a small amount and just find a happy rythem which you can maintain for 20 minutes and see how that goes .

remember pushing the saddle back also raises effective saddle height

 

[Shadow121]

I would say the saddle still to far forward, moving it back will unweight the arms
this is your piccie black line is your line from knee through pedal, other one is where it should be as a starting point,
Also looking at your pic are the hoods a bit low ? itshard to tell but i think they could do with rotating up a bit loosening the bolt that hold the bar to the stem and rotating it upwards a bit which combined with moving the saddle back would give a better position.
View attachment 511965

How would putting the seat back take weight off your arms,
you will be further back on the bike, and have to lean further
forward, bring your torso and head weight with you, and the only
place that extra weight can rest is on your arms through to your hands.

If you were to put the seat way forward, you would be sitting up straighter
and doing the opposite, less weight hanging forwards, so less weight to support
through your arms.

 

[cyberknight]

How would putting the seat back take weight off your arms,
you will be further back on the bike, and have to lean further
forward, bring your torso and head weight with you, and the only
place that extra weight can rest is on your arms through to your hands.

If you were to put the seat way forward, you would be sitting up straighter
and doing the opposite, less weight hanging forwards, so less weight to support
through your arms.

Actually given the picture putttign the saddle back puts more weight further back , think of a see saw where the pivot point is your centre of gravity , too much weight too far forward and your loading more of your bodyweight onto your hands.If the bum goes back then more weight is behind the centre of gravity assuming you dont have a stem that to low and long and not leaning to far forward you end up with the weight more evenly distributed .
You should be able to ride in your given body position with no weight on the arms

I used to get bad pins and needles from my weight being to far forwards and the saddle to high .I moved my fit down, back and fitted a shorter stem which made my weight further back and solved the issue even though my effective seat height remained nar enough unchanged .

 

[cyberknight]

https://www.stevehoggbikefitting.com/bikefit/2011/05/seat-set-back-for-road-bikes/

 

[Shadow121]

Actually given the picture putttign the saddle back puts more weight further back , think of a see saw where the pivot point is your centre of gravity , too much weight too far forward and your loading more of your bodyweight onto your hands.If the bum goes back then more weight is behind the centre of gravity assuming you dont have a stem that to low and long and not leaning to far forward you end up with the weight more evenly distributed .
You should be able to ride in your given body position with no weight on the arms
View attachment 512107
I used to get bad pins and needles from my weight being to far forwards and the saddle to high .I moved my fit down, back and fitted a shorter stem which made my weight further back and solved the issue even though my effective seat height remained nar enough unchanged .

The guy in this picture is depending on his muscles to keep from falling forward,
this is something a new cyclist won’t have developed, the pressure of pushing against the
pedals helps keep upright too.
The fact his arms are behind him helps big time, but we can’t cycle that way for long.

I can’t see how moving the seat back, then shortening the stem achieves much,
as nothing relative to where you grip the bars and touch the seat changes.

I can see more weight moving backwards as a whole on the bike, but that’s all.

 

[MichaelW2]

The pedal at 9:00 is used to set the fore-aft position of the saddle. Those cranks do look a bit short for a big lad, but short cranks are in vogue.

 

[CXRAndy]

I understand the principle of being further back just behind or KOPS. From what I've seen on the internet. When riding you should be able to swing your arms back, and briefly not fall into the stem with your face. If you hold position for a couple of seconds, your body balance is just about spot on

 

[Globalti]

Welcome FT. Lots of excellent advice on here but I've one thing to add: the improvement in strength and fitness comes during the periods of rest in between rides so don't overdo it. Twice a week should suffice, three at the very most.

 

[mjr]

Welcome FT. Lots of excellent advice on here but I've one thing to add: the improvement in strength and fitness comes during the periods of rest in between rides so don't overdo it. Twice a week should suffice, three at the very most.

Source? Sounds untrue else commuters and tourers would be very unfit.

 

[Reynard]

Source? Sounds untrue else commuters and tourers would be very unfit.

It's more of a common sense thing really - the OP is new to cycling.

Totally different kettle of fish for those of us used to riding every day. We didn't build up that strength and fitness overnight, and some of us forget that. I've just started getting back on my bike after a four month hiatus due to ill health, and believe me, eight-ish miles twice a week is plenty enough right now as I'm effectively starting from scratch again.

 

[mjr]

It's more of a common sense thing really - the OP is new to cycling.

Totally different kettle of fish for those of us used to riding every day. We didn't build up that strength and fitness overnight, and some of us forget that. I've just started getting back on my bike after a four month hiatus due to ill health, and believe me, eight-ish miles twice a week is plenty enough right now as I'm effectively starting from

I've not forgotten starting off (which I can remember because it predates the period of memory I've lost) and I'd say it's common sense that it's different for different people. A specific universal claim was made and I really strongly suspect it's bull shoot, even for beginners.

I'm not saying anyone should feel pressured to ride every day but I'm pretty sure anyone who wants to should, albeit probably less than eight miles each time at first.