Australian Cycling Forums - Bicycles Network Australia

The Walrus wrote:Thanks horsey!

Yes I would love to get this sorted as its really stopping me from doing longer rides. I'm now wondering if the original seat could be totally fine and its other elements that are wrong!

I am in a health fund but have no idea if any local physio's do this service, I'll start looking. Does a database of any kind exist?

How do you think the Specialized BG fit system compares to a physio fit?

BG is simply a standard set of angles that BG thinks a cyclist should fit into.
They then contort your body into that angle.
Owned by Specialized (as is Retul).
I have been through 2 BG fits.
One was unrideable and I dismantled it the next day.
The other put me 2cm higher than I usually ride and ultimately led me to injury.
My Retul was very similar. I stuck with it for 12 months before I noticed that the niggling back injuries were back.

None of the fits addressed any of the issues that I brought up prior to the fitting.

Here are the first google results for NSW

http://www.sydneyphysio.com.au/cycle-se ... erapy.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.balmainsportsmed.com.au/inde ... siotherapy" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.thebodymechanic.com.au/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

including one of the RETUL, which I've not heard of til Sumgy's post above.

http://www.parksidesportsphysio.com.au/ ... fault.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I don't have any affiliation or knowledge of the above physios. Might be worth finding out who the physio is and googling them to see if there are decent reviews, albeit taking them with a grain of salt. As far as I know, the fact that their websites have turned up may mean they are excellent at metatagging and optimising google search results!

Then there is http://www.stevehoggbikefitting.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;, who seems to have acquired legendary status.

The only disclaimer I have in respect of physios and bike fits is that I avoid osteopathy and run as far and as fast as I can whenever anyone mentions chiropratic. So, while I am not in the health sciences, I do come from a non voodoo health perspective.

sumgy wrote:

BG is simply a standard set of angles that BG thinks a cyclist should fit into.
They then contort your body into that angle.
Owned by Specialized (as is Retul).
I have been through 2 BG fits.
One was unrideable and I dismantled it the next day.
The other put me 2cm higher than I usually ride and ultimately led me to injury.
My Retul was very similar. I stuck with it for 12 months before I noticed that the niggling back injuries were back.

None of the fits addressed any of the issues that I brought up prior to the fitting.[/quote]

Yeah, based on your experience, I don't blame you for not advocating these kinds of fits.

I did a quick search of Retul. Looks all very pro with the sky team pootling about. I wonder tho, is BG and Retul designed for pro cyclists (or wannabes!) who are aimed at squeezing every gram of performance out of a cyclist's position, even if it might bring about long term issues?

Certainly my bike fit was aimed at stopping pain and the feeling that someone popped a incandescent heat bead down the front of my bike shorts after a 100km ride. So not wanting to be pro. Just wanting to be pain free.

The Walrus wrote:

As has already been mentioned it's hard to sort a saddle out from a picture in isolation but I can't help thinking after looking at all four images that this one is a little nose down which I know I'd find uncomfortable...

If you are a wide arse like me then consider some of the Selle Italia saddles (I run a retro Flite and an SLR XC), the aforementioned Brooks (a B17 crowns my CX bike) or one of the new wide bodied Ergon saddles that look the biscuit. Another great cheapie is the Charge Spoon. I've found that any saddle narrower than about 145mm in the back is not for me.

Truth is though that even these saddles (as comfortable as I've found them) are all butt shredding dick numbers if they are in any way out of alignment...so (as always) start there.

Thought I had already posted this here but it seems I have not:

Steve Hogg's blog.

Read these posts in this order:

Basic Premise
Cleat position
Seat Height
Set Back

I rang my regular physio and was surprised to hear that they do a bike fitting service! They said a 30 minute appointment should be enough so its just $68!

I have no idea how good they are but I know they are one of the best physio's I've ever used and they did my rehab after back surgery so they know my history...and for that money its worth finding out!

I never got to see the Physio as their trainer didn't work properly so have to make another appointment.

I've just got the Romin Evo size 155 today. Initially felt good but will give it a proper go tomorrow so fingers crossed.

The Walrus wrote:I never got to see the Physio as their trainer didn't work properly so have to make another appointment.

Not a great sign. You're not just seeing a physio cos of their understanding of biomechanics, but how that's applied to cycling specific activities. Ideally you'd want to see someone who is experienced and sees a lot of cyclists and then learns from everyone's odd bodies and can apply it to yours. Ideally you don't want someone who whips out the trainer every 9 months or so when someone rocks up for a bike fit.

That is assuming it didn't just break when you turned up!

misterhorsey wrote:

The Walrus wrote:I never got to see the Physio as their trainer didn't work properly so have to make another appointment.

Not a great sign. You're not just seeing a physio cos of their understanding of biomechanics, but how that's applied to cycling specific activities. Ideally you'd want to see someone who is experienced and sees a lot of cyclists and then learns from everyone's odd bodies and can apply it to yours. Ideally you don't want someone who whips out the trainer every 9 months or so when someone rocks up for a bike fit.

That is assuming it didn't just break when you turned up!

Good point. The physio is a triathlete and cycles quite a bit, so he does have a good understanding but I'm not sure how often they do a bike fit. The trainer they had didnt have a great fixing (didnt have a skewer) so he was going to bring in his own!

Did a good run with the Romin Evo today...started out well and I thought it could be the one but 12 k's in it started to get painful. The sit bones were quite sore. Another 20 k's and I'm not sure, but it felt like it was getting better, so maybe I need to fine tune the position on it a bit more....or try another 155 with more padding!

The Walrus wrote:

misterhorsey wrote:

The Walrus wrote:I never got to see the Physio as their trainer didn't work properly so have to make another appointment.

Not a great sign. You're not just seeing a physio cos of their understanding of biomechanics, but how that's applied to cycling specific activities. Ideally you'd want to see someone who is experienced and sees a lot of cyclists and then learns from everyone's odd bodies and can apply it to yours. Ideally you don't want someone who whips out the trainer every 9 months or so when someone rocks up for a bike fit.

That is assuming it didn't just break when you turned up!

Good point. The physio is a triathlete and cycles quite a bit, so he does have a good understanding but I'm not sure how often they do a bike fit. The trainer they had didnt have a great fixing (didnt have a skewer) so he was going to bring in his own!

Did a good run with the Romin Evo today...started out well and I thought it could be the one but 12 k's in it started to get painful. The sit bones were quite sore. Another 20 k's and I'm not sure, but it felt like it was getting better, so maybe I need to fine tune the position on it a bit more....or try another 155 with more padding!

Ah well, that doesn't sound too bad then. At least the fitter has some kind of bike experience.

Looks like I've finally hit on a winner, WTB Rocket V, re-tried it with a tweak to position and angle and it seems all good.

The Walrus wrote: Did a good run with the Romin Evo today.................... I'm not sure, but it felt like it was getting better, so maybe I need to fine tune the position on it a bit more....or try another 155 with more padding!

Give the saddle a couple of good rides at least 1-2hours & try shifting your weight around a little. I quite often slide back a little & have a little wriggle every now & then. Sitting in one spot on any saddle will surely become uncomfortable no matter how good a fit it is.

Glad you gave the 155 a go all the same.

ZepinAtor wrote:

The Walrus wrote: Did a good run with the Romin Evo today.................... I'm not sure, but it felt like it was getting better, so maybe I need to fine tune the position on it a bit more....or try another 155 with more padding!

Give the saddle a couple of good rides at least 1-2hours & try shifting your weight around a little. I quite often slide back a little & have a little wriggle every now & then. Sitting in one spot on any saddle will surely become uncomfortable no matter how good a fit it is.

Glad you gave the 155 a go all the same.

Yes I'm going out tmrw to have another try but the 155 definitely felt better. So now I'm wondering if all the saddles I've tried (all 143) should be tried again in 155?

Jesmol wrote:Looks like I've finally hit on a winner, WTB Rocket V, re-tried it with a tweak to position and angle and it seems all good.

My ass is very jealous, if you know what I mean

Hope it continues to please...my search goes on.

go to a bike shop and ask to try some of their saddles. they should be able to lend some out for a week or so. thats the only way to figure out whats the right one

cippo wrote:go to a bike shop and ask to try some of their saddles. they should be able to lend some out for a week or so. thats the only way to figure out whats the right one

Thanks cippo but thats what I'm currently doing. My LBS have a service that allows you to try all the options without buying. Then when you find the one you want you order it...pretty simple, if I could find one that suits!

Day two of the Romin Evo and I'm starting to think they should change its name to Romin Evil!

Find somewhere that does the WTB range, they have quite a diverse range of saddles, and typically have more padding than most racing saddles. Only downside is the lack of cafe cred, but I'd rather be able to sit at a cafe after riding a comfy saddle, than stand after riding a torture device.

I went through all of this a while back with the Specialised saddles, couldn't stand them, so I ended up putting an old SDG Bel Air on my road bike. As someone said earlier in this topic, anything with SDG in the name I've found to be very comfortable, will be swapping out the Sella Italia X1 road on my CX bike for another SDG, that will be all 3 bikes with SDG saddles.

Love my c.one nack, got plenty of cushion

Mine is giving me some pain as well, but I suspect it's the positioning and angle. I'm going to get some checks done on that at the bike place I'm a member of - they'll do it free of charge (and they are pretty good).

Sometimes I just get off the saddle and move forward over the bars and pedal that way for a bit when I need to.

I have a Specialized Toupe 143. It's definitely flatter than my stock Scott saddle so less soreness between the legs but I find that it hurts (similar feeling to sit bones soreness) the area where the buttocks and groin meet. Not sure if I'm being a wuss and this will clear up but I'm jealous of those that can do 150kms+ and not complain about soreness or chafing.

I'll see how I go but I might try out a different shape.

Just fitted a Selle Italia Flite Flow saddle (145mm width) on my Defy and took it for the maiden voyage of 36Km. To say it feels fantastic is an understatement!!!

My Norco (2002) still has the original Selle Italia Octavia and it, too, feels fantastic.

cheers

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnJk6bkjgko" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

This old yellow pages advert from the UK takes me back...

I moved the saddle back a little further and it feel much better now although I still feel my inside bones (top of the femur or the pelvis?) but in the drops it feels like a feather bed! Perhaps I still have some sit bone settling to go? If it's still uncomfortable after a few months I'll check out the Selle Italia fitting system (somewhere in Sydney).

I have recently been loaned a Specialized Toupe Gel 143mm wide. While it is if far more enjoyable than the Syncros that came with my Scott Foil I am still getting issues.
After a reluctant fit at the LBS when he installed the saddle, I experienced an electrical sensation in the Inbetweeners and then a few minutes later a slight numbness and occasional dribbling of what I hope was urine!
Then after a proper fit including new stems by someone happy to help at a different LBS and still on the same saddle, I went out again the bike feels great, the saddle even more comfortable but the same saddle issue occurred after about 25 mins with leakage at 30. (hill climb) He is happy to re-fit but recommended a couple more rides to see if it happened again.
Now this does not happen everytime but it's not a nice sensation at all. I have been considering going noseless and the Adamo Typhoon 143mm looks tempting.
I have recently been in the wars, see http://goo.gl/wQxKJ5" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; on this forum. I think, but hope not that there may be trouble ahead, back at the hospital 24th called in to see a consultant.
From what I have read the typhoon is a comfort model. I ride between 1-4hrs and cover a lot of hills in that time. Anyone any experience with the Typhoon, I have no LBS with loaners. Has anyone a loaner for a drink?
Other reviews seem favourable but as all saddles are, it all seems personal taste.
If this works out I would also be letting the wife try it too, she has sore issues though, no numbness.
Thanks for your time.