bike fit: part 1 of ?

This week I made the most amazing turkey burgers with carmelized onions and bacon, and roasted broccoli (courtesy of the Sarahs) and sweet potatoes. Had to share. Who wants to come over next time?

I had my bike fit with Smiley two weekends ago. He laughed at me for how little I had gotten right on my own. (His language is a bit... salty. It's awesome). He worked on both my road bike and tri bike. 

The first thing we did was replace the pedals on both bikes with SPD-SLs. Probably a good time to do this since the bike fit process involved getting in and out of the pedals repeatedly. I'm still not used to them. 

The road bike needed a lot of work, notably, the seat needed to be raised 2". The stem got flipped over, and the handlebars adjusted, so that I can get the most 'stretch' out of my upper body. Turns out I probably needed a size 58 instead of a 56, but a longer stem should fix that later, if I decide I want to stretch out more. I also really, really need a new saddle.

The tri bike also probably needs to be a 58 instead of a 56. But, for now, it's set up a bit more 'conservatively' until I get used to riding it. Then we get to talk about changing out the aerobars for a more adjustable version, depending on how aggressive I want to be eventually.

I'm really grateful to Smiley for working with me on what I have, instead of automatically requiring me to go out and buy more (expensive) parts.

I test drove the road bike twice this weekend, one Rock Creek loop and 2 Prince William Forest loops, for a total of 25mi on both days. And wow what a difference. I often found myself feeling like I was 'coasting' but was actually hanging with the group at 16-18mph. Maybe I am a B-grouper after all. The back of my left knee was cramping up after the first day, but Smiley mentioned that the left knee was bowing towards the middle of the bike, and said I probably need a shim in that shoe. (He's right, I do have a leg length discrepancy on that side, of about 1/8-1/4"). And I'm still getting some soreness in the upper back afterward, but I'm guessing that's just getting used to the new position. Going back this weekend for some tweaks. Looking forward to seeing how things evolve!

some kind of madness

So the big news is: Ruby now has a sister. Say hello to Sunny!

I'm so glad Sunny already came with a name so I didn't have to come up with one on my own!

She's a 2010 Cervelo P1 (stock except for Adamo saddle). Sunny came to me via a posting on our club forum. One of our NTP coleaders did IMFL on this bike, then decided she'd rather do hills and was looking to offload the tri bike in favor of pimping out her road bike! She and I are basically the same size, and the price was too good to pass up. 

The posting came right after I had begun to look at higher-end road bikes and tri bikes. I *think* I would love an ITU-type setup- a great, aggressive, carbon road bike with some clip-ons. But the price tag was still too much of a shocker! 

So, hence the reason why I think the timing of the posting was a sign for me to jump on this. So now 2013 is dedicated to riding the flats and getting used to the tri bike. I like the idea of having two entry level bikes to ride until I figure out exactly what I want! In the meantime, with the money I saved going used on the tri bike I can upgrade some things on Ruby that I've been thinking about (specifically, a compact crank and maybe some race wheels that I can switch between the two). And then, in the future, that leaves me the option of offloading one or both onto another newbie (helloooo NTP, I wish someone like me was around when I was first shopping) and getting exactly what I want instead of guessing what I'll want.

As part of this deal, and along with my offseason project of preventing further injury, I promised myself a proper bike fit. I am going in next weekend to see Smiley, a guy who does bike fittings out of his garage and comes highly recommended by a few friends who are injury-prone (and the club in general). I'm bringing him both my bikes and telling him basically, "blank slate, have at it!"

Also, someone put in my head recently that based on my background I should look into getting certified as a bike fitter. There's a void in the bike shop community for a go-to person right now, especially someone who knows tris. So I think there would be opportunity there. I'm going to ask Smiley a lot of questions on Sunday. Is it bad that I'm totally geeked out about this??

Ruby also fits in well with my IM 2014 plan. I have a few others on that plan as well, but I'm not sure we'll all be able to pick the same race. Assuming getting used to the TT setup will go well, I think Arizona is a good fit for me. But is signing up a year in advance feasible for me? Or would something like Beach to Battleship or Rev3 Cedar Point (full) be better to have some flexibility in when I sign up? Also, the club has started 'featured races' every year, so I should wait and see what's chosen for 2014. IMLP is the 'featured race' for 2013 and I'm already seeing how much of a benefit that would be to have training buddies and travel buddies and housemates already lined up. So, just something to think about. Meanwhile, I'm trying to not feel left out or otherwise inferior- I'm trying my best to just listen to my body and do what's best for me at that moment.

i don't know where i went wrong / but i can write a song

I'm feeling optimistic today. That's why I feel okay writing this down. Not actually spending any more money yet, but just writing it down.

Celtic Solstice 5mi 12/15
RnR DC half 3/16
Rumpus in Bumpass Oly "postponed indefinitely" boooooo
Cherry Blossom 10mi 4/7
NWM DC half 4/28?
Peasantman 5/5
Rock Hall Oly 6/1
Rev3 Williamsburg Oly 6/23
Musselman 70.3 7/14
Rev3 Cedar Point 70.3 9/8
Giant Acorn Oly 9/28 One week earlier than normal! boooo. And now the same weekend as:
Pittsburgh Great Race 10k 9/29 I will run in Pittsburgh. Soon.

or, alternate 70.3s include
IM 70.3 New Orleans 4/21
Rev3 Williamsburg 70.3 6/23
IM 70.3 Augusta 9/29

Besides Setup/VTS messing with their normal schedule in 2013 I have some other news coming that explains why I chose the races I did here. Note the conspicuous absence of Columbia, and the general flatness of these races. Oooh, the suspense. 

And yes, I can be bought. With a pint glass. "If I do a 70.3 I get a pint glass? Sure, why not??" Famous last words.

Thanks DC Tri Club!