My first bike I bought when I wanted to give triathlon a try was a Giant OCR three. I bought it at a local bike shop and thought I had been given good service and a good deal. When I decided to pimp it out with aero bars, I took it to Wheelie Fun in Cincinnati and had the bars attached and a new fit done. As I mounted the bike for the fit, Bob exclaimed, "you're riding on that?!" He explained that the bike would never fit me, but I let him know that it had to work because I couldn't buy a new bike. He tweaked and fitted all kinds of components on the bike and made it work temporarily. I did a few races and decided to stop doing triathlon.
Three years later I decided to give triathlon another go-round, so I headed back down to Wheelie Fun and bought myself a bike that fits: a Kuota K Factor. I rode it for a while and once again decided triathlon was not for me.
Here I am again, two years later deciding it's time to "tri" again. I'm still using the Kuota and have been riding it exclusively on the trainer. Recently I've tricked it out with a new saddle, pedals, and shoes. With these new changes, things have seemed a little off. So, I began to adjust things by myself. After about a week my back was KILLING me!!! A scheduled another bike fitting at a local shop, Roll.
Last week as I "rolled" my bike into the store, the technician said to me, "you're riding on that?!" Yes! Two for two! No, it wasn't the bike itself that he was horrified with. He was horrified about how aggressive my positioning was set up on the bike. I was set up to compete in a European World Cup race! No wonder my back was hurting; how could I be doing all my base miles like that? So, Chris the technician helped me change things around and put me in a more neutral position. I absolutely LOVE my new fit. My legs feel better, my back feels better, and most importantly my crotch feels better!!!
Now I'm hoping to hear (in the best New Jersey accent around) "damn girl, you riding on that!"
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5 comments:
yay for getting a fit that works! phew. I didn't ride my tri bike more than once until I got it fit for me...
Bike fit can make ALL the difference in the world. I know a good one can be expensive, but they are worth it to me, and I get mine fit and adjusted a couple times a year. A saddle change? I'm in a for a new fit. Which reminds me....I need to schedule a fit.... ;)
You aren't kiddin'... bike fit can make such a difference. Although I kind of had the opposite happen to me. I went in with a position that was all over the place. John Cobb fit me to my bike. When he was done he told me I was going to have to learn to love it. Thank goodness I did!
Good for you! I am toying with the idea of getting a new bik this year. Ryan is up for one, b/c he is now the ride leader for a fancy local group, and can't be caught dead on a "you're riding on that". It has been fun shopping with him, but not many shops carry anything small enough for me, so I may have to just have to order unseen and then get fit that way. Glad to hear Kuota is working out for you, Ryan has been eyeing one of those.
Nice! Glad to hear you giving Triathlon another tri :) I have my bike fit in November but have yet to try it out on the road. Wish me luck!
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