Road bike body position

[SlowManiac]

Anyone got any tips or experiences in how long it took for them to get used to the very different body position on a road bike?

I just tried out a Giant Defy - a pretty non-aggressive riding position apparently and it felt REALLY weird. Being in the drops obviously felt the strangest but steering and shifting was also pretty odd.

I want to do some roadie events and I'm sure I can get used to it but just interested in hearing what others have felt.

My mtb is a Trek Fuel EX and the body position is pretty upright so I guess this made the difference even bigger. I also commute on a flat bar roadie which is really upright too.

 

[rearviewmirror]

Shouldn't take long, get a proper bike fit done. You should be very comfortable going back and forth between the MTB and road bike.

 

[ozzybmx]

It will feel strange at the start but you will get used to it. The Defy is a fondo bike too and has a bit more of a relaxed/upright position compared to say, an aero bike... which in the Giant range is the Propel and the TCR is somewhere in between.

A flat bar bike will feel upright, then moving your hands ~80-100mm further forward onto the hoods will stretch you out and feel racier, then onto the drops for an aero position that will feel wrong to start with.

Start with all the spacers below the stem and maybe even the stem pointed upwards, a mate of mine bought a short stem to reduce the stretch until he got used to it... still don't think he's back on the original but its definitely flipped downwards and the spacers are reduced.

 

[ducky1988]

how did it feel weird exactly?

 

[The Duckmeister]

The Defy is a fondo bike too and has a bit more of a relaxed/upright position compared to say, an aero bike... which in the Giant range is the Propel and the TCR is somewhere in between.

TCR & Propel are actually the same geometry aside from the Propel having a level top tube (therefore taller measured seat tube), only layup, tube profiles & aero details differ.

But we digress....

If you have any decent degree of bike fitness adapting to the different position shouldn't take you too long, but it will depend to a considerable extent what your MTB setup is like; jumping from a XC rig to a roadie is much less extreme than going from a DH bike. On the Defy, which is a decent bit taller in the front than its racing brothers, it shouldn't be too hard to get a setup that's not all that much lower than a XC setup. The narrower bars will also push your torso up a bit for a similar top tube length.

 

[SlowManiac]

how did it feel weird exactly?

Just incredibly stretched out, twitchy and when I was in the drops you have a lot of weight on you hands. It's just pretty alien if you have never ridden a roadie before.

TCR & Propel are actually the same geometry aside from the Propel having a level top tube (therefore taller measured seat tube), only layup, tube profiles & aero details differ.

But we digress....

If you have any decent degree of bike fitness adapting to the different position shouldn't take you too long, but it will depend to a considerable extent what your MTB setup is like; jumping from a XC rig to a roadie is much less extreme than going from a DH bike. On the Defy, which is a decent bit taller in the front than its racing brothers, it shouldn't be too hard to get a setup that's not all that much lower than a XC setup. The narrower bars will also push your torso up a bit for a similar top tube length.

Cheers - my mtb setup is not very 'racy' so that's part of it. I'm also not very flexible and maybe that is part of it too. When I jumped on for a test ride the seat ended up being fairly close to level with the bars so it's not that extreme at all.

 

[RB 24]

Just incredibly stretched out, twitchy and when I was in the drops you have a lot of weight on you hands. It's just pretty alien if you have never ridden a roadie before.



Cheers - my mtb setup is not very 'racy' so that's part of it. I'm also not very flexible and maybe that is part of it too. When I jumped on for a test ride the seat ended up being fairly close to level with the bars so it's not that extreme at all.

If your seat to bar drop was nearly level and you felt stretched out then I am guessing that your stem is too long?

It feels different in the drops as you tend to have your neck and shoulders in a position that is more flat. I fitted a bloke a while ago that had a defy. His issue was the roll of his bars to his hood location and the bars being too high in the stack. Dropped a 5mm spacer down rolled the bars to ensure the curve of the bar was more comfortable and happy days. No more shoulder pressure or pins and needles.

Where are you located??

Oh. If your stem ain't slammed and you have less than 150mm seat to bar drop you ain't pro.

 

[SlowManiac]

Haha I'm definitely not pro - enthusiastic hubbard more like it!

The stretched out feeling might just be that I feel more stretched than on my mtb (which I guess in normal), not sure if I am stretched more than I should be? I am slap bang in the middle of the height for the bike I tried (a medium Defy).

Hadn't thought of bar roll, I'll have to do some reading about it.

I'm in Sydney (Dee Why).

 

[RB 24]

My mtb is still a 26 er so I suppose that would make a small amount of difference maybe?

When I went from a giant defy to another brand (which has a similar Geo to a TCR) I found myself fiddling with the setup for around two months to get comfy.

I moved the hoods up and rolled the bars and kept the same saddle height from peddle spindle not bb. If you want to be fitted Steve Hogg is a guru and worth looking up in Sydney.

 

[Chriso_29er]

Might be able to give you some tips in a few weeks, just about to do the same thing and pick up my first ever road bike lol.
Test ride was very weird, gear changing is going to take a bit of practice.
I also went with a race geometry bike so could take a little while to get comfy.

 

[SlowManiac]

Well I have been on the roadie now for a couple of weeks, ended up with a 2016 Defy Advanced Pro 1 - it's a kickass bike!

I have to say - I have really been enjoying road riding! Riding with a bunch has made all the difference, it's a very different experience to solo road riding. It's pretty exciting, there is a lot to think about (especially for the noob) and it's FAST!

Turns out I was overly stretched out on the bike I tried on for size - I went one size down and it feels much better. I have gotten used to the position now and turns out you adapt pretty quickly.

 

[Chriso_29er]

Yeah, have found the same.
Really enjoying my TCR, did a 5 hour ride on it and didn't kill me. No major pain in the back/neck or anything.

 

[PedalPhil]

Started on the roadbike for the last few weeks. Even did a couple of group rides before work. Jagged a 2016 Trek Madone which was a demo bike. Pretty much brand new, but $4K not $7K. Biggest issue is the amount of Hamstring/Glutes use compared with MTB where I seem to be mostly Quad dominant. Butt /Hammies kill after three solid 50km rides last week.

That and they just keep going whereas on the MTB we tend to ride to the top wait/gasbag, then go down, wait/gasbag, etc... Roadies just keep on going, only breaks being waiting for traffic lights. Reckon it will improve the fitness though.

 

[Art Vanderlay]

Started on the roadbike for the last few weeks. Even did a couple of group rides before work. Jagged a 2016 Trek Madone which was a demo bike. Pretty much brand new, but $4K not $7K. Biggest issue is the amount of Hamstring/Glutes use compared with MTB where I seem to be mostly Quad dominant. Butt /Hammies kill after three solid 50km rides last week.

That and they just keep going whereas on the MTB we tend to ride to the top wait/gasbag, then go down, wait/gasbag, etc... Roadies just keep on going, only breaks being waiting for traffic lights. Reckon it will improve the fitness though.

Seat to high?

 

[creaky]

Seat to high?

Or MTB seat too low .....