Retul fitting results

[mdeth1313]

This is interesting- over the past 2 years I've slowly developed issues w/ my right leg/lower back/groin area. I've tried everything else- shoes, podiatrist, trying to fit myself and it wasn't getting better- it was getting to the point that I was in pain on and off the bike- so, I did some research and ended up going for a retul fitting mid-february.

So, I found out my 54cm scott frame is a tad too large- workable, but I'd be better off w/ a small. Since that's not going to happen, adjustments had to be made- thus, no more schmolke bars- reach/drop is too much- 100mm stem had to go to a 90mm and my xx-light post had to be ditched because I needed setback. I went home w/ a cheap 90mm stem on and pro vibe compact bars were suggested for their short 70mm reach. I realized on my drive home I had an old set of salsa poco bars, which are supposed to have a 70mm reach. So, I put those on- turns out they weren't exactly 70, but they were much shorter than the schmolke bars.
Weather didn't exactly cooperate, but the rides I got in were noticeably better- still not perfect, but I was not nearly as sore after riding as I used to be- at any part of my body. I ended up opting for ritchey superlogic II carbon bars- 72mm reach and only 183g (only 24g more than the schmolke bars I had on). That brought the bars back to the ideal spot- I also settled on a pro vibe setback post- 151g, not bad, but 60g more than my xx-light post.
Once the ritchey bars were on and I was able to get more rides in, I was amazed- I went out w/ nothing longer than a 40 mile ride and did a horrific 60 mile ride in the cold w/ lots of wind and came home exhausted. Usually within an hour of finishing, my quads hurt like hell when walking downstairs- I had none of that. The next morning I woke up expecting the worst and I had very little soreness. I did some short rides during the week and, while my right side is still not perfect, it's definitely 1,000,000 times better. This past sunday I went out to ride an 80 miler. I was slow, there were some nasty climbs and again, not perfect, but each time is better- this time I had no discomfort, just a lack of strength towards the end, which can also be attributed to lack of serious miles. Again- very little soreness, the only thing I noticed is my core/abs were kind of weak, probably from adjusting to a different (more correct) position. I now have no discomfort off the bike and it feels as if my body is repairing itself with every ride.
In hindsight, if I had spent the money on a fitting much further back I probably would have spent a lot less over the 2 years experimenting w/ all kinds of other crap, but there's not much I can do about that. Now if it would stop snowing I could get more miles in!

Only problem now is I keep looking at other frames- chances of finding a scott addict sl in small w/ a standard bb are slim to none- I keep getting the urge to find a lapierre frame- I still miss my old scandium team frame (where I turned into a total WW). Gotta resist! At least now I understand why correct fit is more important than anything else.

[mdeth1313]

Just a quick follow up- May 25. I think it's safe to say I can pronounce myself "cured". 3 visits to a chiropractor who is also an avid cyclist helped speed things along. This was the first and only time I've ever used a chiropractor- I just figured riding in a less than optimal position all those years would have lasting effects. It definitely helped. No more leg pain, no soreness and I've been getting in 100-200 miles per week, usually w/ back to back days of riding. I'm not even sure when that kicked in, I was just walking down the hallway at my job and realized I didn't have pain anymore. Next test will be the coming months- the miles really start ramping up!

[pritchet74]

Congrats!!!!!

[maxxevv]

Definitely good news for you!

Generally for any sports ( I do 4~5 other sports besides cycling regularly), if its muscular sores that tend to fade off after 2~3 sessions, its not too much to worry about. But if its something that results in joint or tendon/ligament pain, then its something that needs to be looked at seriously. Likewise for muscular sores that perpetuate and not got away.

A high quality professional bike fit is one sure way to do such things for cycling which well over 90% of the cyclists out there ignore.

[coloclimber]

+++ on fit first and retul!!!

[mdeth1313]

Now add e-soles and my "forever problem" with my right foot seems to be solved. My left foot would always feel perfect and the right foot was never 100% comfortable. Changes or different shoes/insoles would be a temporary fix, but eventually the same feeling of my foot not being in the right spot when I pedaling would re-appear. I finally got it down to not being a wedge issue. but rather an arch/metatarsal type thingy. The esoles seem to provide the right amount of support for my arch, so I don't end up having more pressure towards the inside of my foot (just below the big toe). I still need a few more rides to determine, but this is the best it's ever felt- I would always compare my left foot to my right foot and this was the first time applying force w/ the right foot felt exactly the same as the left foot (over a 25 mile ride).

I keep hoping this is it!

[Boonen]

Sounds great! It can be super frustrating to try and find a cure for problems like these.

[mdeth1313]

Sounds great! It can be super frustrating to try and find a cure for problems like these.

of course, I tried out the e-soles in my old bont a-1 shoes, which I had stopped using because they were killing my feet. I might try them on a longer ride tomorrow because the e-soles seemed to have the same effect as when they were in the mavic shoes. It would have been nice to have tried these before buying mavic huez shoes and then zxelliums, but hey, 3 pairs of shoes are better than 2, right (especially when you can get cleats for $10 a pair)!