Softride fitting
147
Member
647 days
kaolelo posted 47 weeks ago.
if you can afford it, the best answer would be to get a bike fit. even if you can't do the full video, etc (which might not be necessary), at least a shop can help you with the basics for about $25 or so.
hope that this helps.
66
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422 days
amphibops posted 46 weeks ago.
From one Marine to another...Greetings, Leatherneck! I started triathlons last year, having never been on a road bike but had a few years of mountain biking, and a lifetime of running and swimming. The bike is certainly the hardest part for me, too. The best site you can use for bike fit knowledge is http://www.slowtwitch.com/Bike_Fit/Tour_de_Bike_Fit_649.html Article numbers 3-6 address your questions. Also, some folks take a picture of their position and post it for others to review....the feedback is outstanding....I've done it. You should also find an empty parking lot and use it to ride around on the aerobars to get a feel for them...wish I could have told you that before your first ride! If you think about....the swim is the ride to the beach, the bike is the movement to contact, and the run is the taking of the objective.
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14687 days
mwconstruct1972 posted 46 weeks ago.
+1 on taking you and your bike to the LBS for a proper fitting. The softride beam is adjustable so you may be able to get the ride height adjusted up more and your saddle moved forward for a more desireable seat angle. Your LBS will be able to take your measurements and make the best adjustments to your bike. Once they have it dialed in you may be able to make small adjustments yourself. Good luck.
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329 days
GearHead posted 46 weeks ago.
Hey guys, thanks for the help. One LBS quoted me $350 for a fitting! Hopefully I can find a place in that $25 range you mentioned. Getting a real fitting would be the best bet. Other than that, I guess I'll just have to feel it out in the meantime.
Semper Fi amphibops! Thanks for that great link and the even better analogy. I was a grunt back in the Corps and one of the main reasons I decided to get into Tris was because since leaving the Corps I haven't been able to satisfy that inborn desire every Marine has to torture oneself on a regular basis. Triathlons seemed a perfect fit, after all, we Marines are amphibious creatures. I'll make sure to keep your analogy in mind next time I'm feeling some pain during training or in a race. It'll put some pep in my step.
475
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2880 days
Joe_H posted 46 weeks ago.
where are you at? maybe someone can recommend a place. i've got a beam bike an elite aria and it took some looking to find someone that could handle fitting a beam bike but it was worth it and I so frigging love it. good luck
what I'm up to:
http://www.athletefocus.com/forum/sport/triathlon
2433
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819 days
TriSooner posted 46 weeks ago.
You've got a great bike. I rode a Softride classic through five seasons and three Ironmans. There simply is not a more comfortable bike. I am intimately familiar with your ride . . .
GearHead wrote:
I'm 6'4" 205lbs and my bike is a 60cm softride classic with 650cc tires. The frame is probably a few cm too small for me. With the seat in the highest position I can extend my leg almost fully on the down stroke, which is what I think I'm shooting for. The softride also allows you to change the distance between the saddle and the handle bars. I have mine pushed as far back as allowed. This was done merely because I'm so tall and assumed it would be the best fit. At least the bike wasn't damaged! A few cuts and bruises never bothered me before.
I too am 6'4" - but not a 200+ pound Marine - and my Large Softie was more than ample. I suspect that your bike frame isn't as large as you think it is. First, 650 typically don't come on frames that large unless the previous owner specificially put them on there. And if that is the case, s/he may have also changed forks. If that is the case, you've got some weird geometry to deal with. A large frame, large rider, small wheels = difficult handling. Hence your wipeout. Also, mentioning that you've raised the seat as high as it will go and slid the 'virtual' seatpost back as far as it will go, I'm still suspicious that the frame is as large as you think. Regardless, with the adjustability of a Softie you can make it work. Even though they no longer manufacture the Softride frame, they do still maintain their website's fit guide.
Your questions 1, 2, and 3 are dependent upon rider so there isn't a universal guide. As has been said before, a fitting would be good, but so will riding on it enough to get a feel for what is comfortable. A $300+ fit is way-too-much. A good-enough-to-get-started fit will run less than $100 for sure. You may also consider putting the bike on a trainer (if you have one, which I doubt since you just started) and taking a profile pic (of you on the bike, obviously) and posting it.
Hello guys,
I've been lurking around these forums a bit for the last few weeks and finally decided it was time to join. I'm totally new to cycling in general and trithlons as well. I've run several marathons and am a former Marine so my overall fitness level is pretty high. I arrogantly thought that biking would be the easiest part of running a tri. "It'll be a good chance to recover from the swim and psych myself up for the run," I ignorantly thought to myself. I found out how wrong I was today when I took my new softride (used, but new to me) out for a test ride. I wiped out after only about 15 minutes and shamefully limp-pedaled myself home.
I've done a little research on the net about proper fitting but was hoping to get a little more advice, hopefully some specific to the softride frame.
I'm 6'4" 205lbs and my bike is a 60cm softride classic with 650cc tires. The frame is probably a few cm too small for me but it was given to me as a gift, and beggars can't be choosers. I won't be able to afford a new bike for quite awhile, I'm a starving graduate-student, so I need to make this bike work in the mean time.
With the seat in the highest position I can extend my leg almost fully on the down stroke, which is what I think I'm shooting for. The softride also allows you to change the distance between the saddle and the handle bars. I have mine pushed as far back as allowed. This was done merely because I'm so tall and assumed it would be the best fit. My handle bars have about 1.5 inches of stem extended and leave my aerobar pads about 3/4 of an inch below the plane of my saddle.
I haven't been able to find a good source of information about what the ideal distances or ratios would be for all of these different parts so if someone could give me a link that would be awesome.
Some specific questions I'm hoping to find the answer to are
1. What distance is best between saddle and aero bar pads? Is there some part of my body I can measure to figure out how to adjust it properly. I've heard that you want your elbows going at 90 degree angle to allow the aeros to support your upper body. Is this a good enough rule of thumb?
2. What distance is best between height or the aerobars and height of the saddle?
3. Any tips on aero bars would be great! They served as my downfall today. Within 5 seconds of trying to use them I was on the asphalt.
Today was my first day on a road bike ever, and my first time on any kind of bike since I was pretty young. Instead of getting a feel for the thing over time I foolishly tried to open it up full-speed my first day out the gates. Oh well. At least the bike wasn't damaged! A few cuts and bruises never bothered me before.
Thanks for any help and info you can provide. I apologize if any of the bike terminology I used was incorrect or if any of the questions I asked were pretty stupid. I tried to find answers doing google searching but didn't have much luck. I think my lack of knowledge of biking nomenclature makes it hard for me to look stuff up. If anyone knows a good link for biking terms that might help too.
Thanks again.