Band of Bothers
I went in to get my bike-fit checked. I've been having problems with my feet and legs when I ride (or run, or walk, or sit) and I wanted to know if my bike was causing the problem, or if the bike was just making an existing problem more noticeable. Brandon (bike-fitter and triathlon trainer) gave me a good look-over, it seems like my bike is fine but I probably pulled my IT Band (among other issues.) This was a similar problem I had before the 1/2 Ironman in March. What caused it to come back? Well, Brandon said it could be a result of a lot of strenuous activity (Ironman), followed by a period of strenuous INactivity (July), followed by more activity (Lake Arrowhead Tri.) So I guess I have to do a lot of stretching and stuff now.
I told Brandon that I was doing Ironman Wisconsin. He told me "That's a tough course." I know. "The swim is rough." Got it. "It's very narrow, a lot of fighting in the water." Bad swim. I understand. "A lot of hills on the bike." Are you done yet? "The hills never stop coming." OK STOP TALKING!
I told him I was looking to buy a new bike, and he said I should take a look at the Specialized Transition. I said that the decision really wasn't up to me, that I wouldn't be able to buy a bike without getting approval from Jon. Brandon said that Jon has a Transition, or had one, so it shouldn't be an issue. What's good for Jon isn't necessarily good for Wedgie (or Wedgie's wallet), but I'll probably try to ride one this weekend.
posted by Wedgie @ 4:13 PM
7 Comments:
Oh no now you're opening a can of worms.... The Transition is a great bike, if I get another tri bike that's the one I'm getting! But on the other hand you might not get the Jon seal of approval....
As long as there are no hills in the swim, then I think you will be fine :)
Dont buy a bike until you have had a professional bike fit. Check out these guys, www.retul.com. They have fitters around the country that can tell you the best bikes for your unique biomechanics
Bob
Huh???
Shouldn't you buy a bike because it suits your needs? Why would you spend big cash on a bike based on what Jon thinks you should get our ride???
Jon is GOD!!! His word is everything.....
A 2-3 hour fit and hours of riding the bike will tell you if it works or not. No shops will offer that for free so all off us are left on our own to try to figure out what bike/dimensions will work for you. Cervelo's feel long on the top tube so they are not as compact as other bikes. you will need to go a little smaller then what you think you should have. The transition is nice since it is compact but with a different seatpost you can also stretch it out making it long. it is also much closer a road bike feel in handling and climbing if you ride it shallow, not steep. This will have the seat tip much closer to the bottom bracket vs other tri bikes where your tip of the saddle can be 3-6 cm forward of the bottom bracket. The more you move the seat forward from the bottom bracket you will tend to reduce the ability for better power. You are trying to ride steeper to be more aero but you will sacrifice power. Since most courses are hilly, a power position will benefit better. If you are racing a flat long course, an aggressive aero position might trumph power position. However, sitting up a lot and not be able to hold the aeroposition for 6 hs then your fit/position is pointless. Wisconson will be all about a comfortable aeroposition optimized for power. Sitting relaxed and in aerobars but with power optimized fit will allow you to spin up the hills in a more road like way vs beeing steep and stretched out which cause you to get out the saddle more. Most of you triathlete are not fitted well, do not understand the difference between power and aero positions, buys bikes based on marketing hypes. If you are a triathlete, of course you have to have a triathlon bike. The problem all triathlon bikes are really build around Road TT racing. Which is go as fast as you can for 20-60 min and don't run. These races are also mostly flat. At some point we will start seeing triathletes waking up and look for bikes that ascend, descend, improved handlng and provides more comfort/power options then bikes made for windtunnels and 30-60 min flat Time Trials by Roadies.
Jon
See I told you JON IS GOD!!!
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