LRC Tip: Buying 1st Road Bike

Buying your first road bike

First off, I don’t sell bikes, hence my article here is meant to get a FIRST road bike that best fits you with consideration on cost vs performance. Save yourself money and get worthy purchases whenever possible..!!

During the course of writing this article I have considered to exclude aspects like weight, aerodynamics, saddle shape, damping characteristics, bottom bracket stiffness, handling response, wheelbase length, etc, as they only affect buyers looking for an upgrade, and doesn't mean anything to first time road bike buyers most of the time.

I’ll start off with bullet points, followed by detailed explanation further below so that readers can easily trace back the important points. 

Every word in bullet points is important and means something; they are not there to fill up the sentence. 

• Spend around RM1.5k maximum for FIRST road bike. Usually will be a used aluminum frame bike with 10-speed 4600-Tiagra groupset. Usually Merida, Polygon and Fuji. Be patient, you’ll find it. 
• Check bicyclebuysell.com, or mudah.my, or from member-member and otai-otai.
• How to determine frame size? There’s no definite answer if this is your first road bike. Start off by looking at height vs frame size chart from bike manufacturer website. Get 1 size smaller if in doubt.
• Borrow from friends during group rides to test for frame size. 2km of experience here and there summed up is better than none at all.

What to do AFTER buying first road bike:

1. Ride for 1-2 months, DON’T upgrade ANYTHING.
2. After (1) above, get a bike fitting session done. Upgrade parts as recommended by bike fitter.
3. After (2) above, ride for another 2-3 months, DON’T upgrade ANYTHING.
4. After (3) above, get a fit update to know your latest bike fit settings.
5. Now you can decide to sell off your RM1.5k bike without losing money and get the bling-bling brand new bike. Or keep using your properly fitted RM1.5k bike.

Now we go on to the explanation in detail. Long winded but highly packed with goodness. If you can’t digest all in one-shot, please come back and read it part-by-part.

A) Why I can’t find aluminum road bike with Tiagra groupset within RM1.5k? 

You didn’t look hard enough, or you didn’t open your mind to accept RM1.5k road bikes. My friends, customers and myself already have a few successful purchases done this way, most deals closed between RM1.1k-to-RM1.3k.

B) Why it must have at least 10-speed 4600-Tiagra groupset?

I service bikes. After servicing lot of bikes, I can safely recommend 10-speed 4600-Tiagra for a beginner bike on a cost vs performance basis. 4600-Tiagra with external shifter cables is very reliable, easy to tune, shifts easily and stays in tune for a very long time. 

This will save you a lot of headache from hearing chain-rubs or clicking noises when riding. You should be enjoying the ride, not get frustrated over an easily out-of-tune drivetrain.

Why avoid 9-speed 3500-Sora and lesser grade groupsets? They have “older” technology, don’t shift as smooth, get out of tune frequently and have stiff shifters and brakes. 

In comparison of used bikes on the market, 4600-Tiagra equipped bikes usually cost the same as 3500-Sora equipped bikes, why not go for the “free” upgrade. 

C) Why can’t I just buy an expensive bling-bling bike one-shot and be done with it?

The first road bike is usually the wrong bike with very high chance of it being of wrong SIZE or wrong TYPE. AND bike value will drop 20%-30% when you step out of the shop if you bought it new.

Choice of road bike frame SIZE and TYPE are greatly affected by a cyclist’s capability, flexibility, amount of training and rate of improvement.

Reasoning for wrong SIZE: Road biking is different from other cycling styles, we are meant to ride fast on road bikes, hence they call it racing bikes in the past. You’ll need to be consistently riding with some load on your legs even when cruising or else you’ll get pains and sores on upper body. You’re posture will be determined by how much load your legs can take. 

Stronger your legs are, more lean can be achieved (read more aero), the further your arms can reach out towards the front; hence handlebar can be placed further in front. 

Using SpeedRacer and WeekendWarrior as example and assume they are first time road bike buyers, have exactly the same body anatomy and functional characteristics. Both started with the “correctly” sized 52cm bike based on charts.

SpeedRacer loves to train hard and rides frequent, loves to score Strava personal bests on every ride. He improves very fast in strength, and very soon he’s able to lean much lower. Hence, he needs a new longer stem or a bigger frame in a short period of time.

On the contrary, WeekendWarrior loves to ride but don’t specifically train to improve, he rides average 22km/h this month, and six months later still rides at average 22km/h. His posture almost didn’t change at all. And yet, he always feels overly stretched out because his slow riding nature puts him in a more upright seating posture.

SpeedRacer progressed from 100mm stem to 130mm at end of 6 months.

WeekendWarrior will have no progress, staying at 100mm stem for the next 6 months of riding. And yet he always feel overly stretched out.

Using SpeedRacer as example again, he started off with 52cm frame and 100mm stem.

At 3 months, he’s riding with 52cm frame and 120mm stem. Or he can choose 53.5cm frame with 100mm stem. 

At 6 months, he’s riding a 52cm frame and 130mm stem, or he can choose 53.5cm frame with 120mm stem, or 55cm frame and 100mm stem.

Are you able to see the correlation between rider capability vs frame SIZE now?

Reasoning for wrong TYPE: in general there are two categories of road bike frame designs, ENDURANCE and RACE.

What’s the most notable difference between ENDURANCE and RACE bikes? 

From bike fitting point of view, it’s the Head-Tube Length. How does this affects a fit?

ENDURANCE frames generally have extra 20mm higher head-tube compared to RACE frames.

Because general population of cyclists are WeekendWarriors who do not train hard and frequent enough to achieve strength required to lean comfortably on a RACE bike. Hence the extra head-tube height helps keep the handlebar higher for weekend warriors to reach comfortably without over-stretching upper torso.

Using SpeedRacer and WeekendWarrior as example again. I mentioned they started off a 52cm bike right? But I didn’t mention the head-tube length.

As SpeedRacer improves, he doesn't only increase his reach, he has lowered his lean too. With this, he actually needs to lower the stem and handlebar too. If SpeedRacer started with ENDURANCE frame, he might not be able to lower the stem enough to suit his lean angle. Hence, he will feel the cockpit is too cramp when riding an ENDURANCE frame, that's when he needs to get a RACE frame.

How about vice versa, if WeekendWarrior started off with a RACE frame instead of ENDURANCE frame? He will have trouble getting the bike to properly fit him as WeekendWarrior is unable to lean comfortably to reach the low handlebar as the RACE frame head-tube is short. He’ll suffer back-aches and shoulder pains. UNLESS, he uses a high-rise stem which…you know…kind of looks ugly…but then it does give him a proper fit. Only thing is how long he can stand looking at the up-standing stem without thinking of buying a new frame every minute he sees his bike.

In short,

Endurance frame has taller head-tube, suits majority riding population (WeekendWarrior) who rides slightly more upright.

Race frame has short head-tube, suits low leaning Speedracer.

Are you able to see the correlation between rider capability vs frame TYPE now?

D) Conclusion:

Body HEIGHT only determines a RANGE of frame sizes a rider can choose from.

However, CAPABLITY determines riding POSTURE, which then determines the EXACT bike fitments (here means size and type of frame) suitable for the rider at that very given point of time.  

Bike fitments might (or might not) get outdated across time based on:
- cycling habits: frequency, intensity and consistency.
- other sporting programs: yoga, gym, running, etc.
- fitness improvement/deterioration: stamina, flexibility, injuries, etc.

SUMMARY ALL THE ABOVE:

Scenario 1:

WeekendWarriorA buys a brand new RACE bike, spends RM7k. 

After 3 months, he thought he bought a bike sized too big because he was unable to lean to reach the bars comfortably having backaches and sore shoulders. The real problem is that he has a slow riding style which puts him in a more upright posture, reaching out to the handlebar is an over-stretch for him.

Assuming he needs a smaller bike, he sold off RACE bike at RM5.5k. 

Then he makes a mistake buying another new RACE Bike, only smaller in size this time thinking it will shorten the reach. Another RM7k spent. 

Now he faces problem with head-tube too short and handlebars too low. Then he decided to get a bike fit for RM420 to solve fitting issues.

After bike fitting session, he cannot stand the look of an up-standing stem which makes his race bike looks like a touring bike. He decided to sell off smaller RACE bike at RM5.5k.

Finally, based on fit dimensions from the bike fit session, he bought a correctly fitted ENDURANCE bike at RM7k. 

Total spent RM10.42k and ends up with RM7k bike.

Scenario 2:

WeekendWarriorB buys RM1.5k used bike roughly within his fit, rides it for two months with pains and sores, then got a RM420 bike fit which improved overall riding experience.

He continued to ride for another 2-3 months, he got a fit-update to sort out final fit dimensions. At this point he might be lucky for the used bike to fit him well, he can choose to keep riding it or sell off to get an upgrade. If bike fitter says the bike is way too big or too small for him, then he can proceed to upgrade safely with fitting dimensions provided by bike fitter.

Let's say he decided to sell off the bike at RM1.3k. 

Then he buys a new ENDURANCE bike at RM7k with the correct fit dimensions. 

Total spent RM7.62k and ends up with a RM7k bike.

Hope my article made sense. It does right?

----- END -----

To understand more about bike fitting, please visit: 
www.littlerockcycles.com 
www.Facebook.com/LittleRockCycles


For further information on pricing & contact, go here:
http://littlerockcycles.blogspot.com/2014/08/pricing-and-what-to-bring-along.html

Contact: 012-232-4868 Chuah (Watsapp/SMS or call) .

Google/Waze Location: Jalan Hujan Bukit
Located in: Taman OUG, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (nearby Bukit Jalil & Sri Petaling)

Thanks very much. Ride safe and have fun..!!

Why You Can't Get It Right?

Have you ever wondered why bike fitting tips from cycling magazines or bike shop online videos rarely work out well when you try to DIY at home? 

Most of you who have tried these adjustments yourself will usually set off a never-ending chain-reaction of issues, where the numbness/pain/stiffness/strain moved from one part of the body to another, like chasing a rabbit around the forest.

Here’s a common scenario that most of us can relate to: Too much pressure at the groin causing saddle sores, along with unstable upper-body sways when pedaling.

What’s the most common answer you get from internet? Saddle height too high.

Then automatically we’ll search for saddle height calculation formulas (e.g. 0.883, 1.09, etc) and set the saddle height as recommended.

You may have followed the numbers/angles/equations/formulas and yet still couldn’t get it right, right? Why?

1. Every person’s anatomy is different. Every 5ft 8in does not wear the same shoe size, does not have the same torso/femur/arm/etc lengths.
2. Limitation of physical flexibility and capability.
3. Pedaling and weight distribution techniques are incorrectly applied.
4. Influenced by incorrect information gathered from cycling buddies who mistakenly diagnosed tell-tale signs from your body movement when out cycling, causing you to make adjustments which brings you further away from the ideal setting.

The most common mistake is to have the saddle tipped down too much, causing the sit-bones to slide forward and end up with perineum area compressed against the nose of the saddle. Hence, too much pressure at the groin causing saddle sores, along with unstable upper-body sways as body naturally tilts trying to reduce pressure at the groins. 

But...I can say that many toe dippers who came in for a bike fit are not actually toe dippers. They look like they are pedaling like toe dippers, but in actual fact they are seating too high that the pedals are pulling on the cleats at the bottom of stroke. And yet they claim that they are not seating high enough because cycling buddies told them that he/she has too much bend in the knees when pedaling. Effect of this? Too much pressure at the groin causing saddle sore, along with unstable upper-body sways when pedaling.

BUT...that's not just it...an observant bike fitter will tell you that the saddle shape might be unsuitable for you as the sit bones do not have a stable platform to rest on, hence putting more pressure on perineum soft tissues. With this, cyclist will experience too much pressure at the groin causing saddle sores, along with unstable upper-body sways too trying to reduce pressure at the groins. 

Side-note: I always say this, out of 10 models by a saddle brand, only 1 will fit your pelvis, hence the reason they make 10 models, which are meant to fit 10 different kinds of pelvis shape. 

With one symptom comes three suggestive solutions, however there's more than just these three.

The above example is just one of the many things a bike fitter should be able to observe, analyse and put forward reasonable adjustments during a fit session. 

On top of taking in the bike and body as a whole when bike fitting, we need to take into consideration the cyclist's current capability, training program and goals. And be realistic about it.

We can’t have high propulsion (body weight forward, handlebars low) setting on a road bike and expect the shoulders and neck to be pain free for 160km race, when your weekly ride distances are 40km at most. 

Vice versa we cannot expect a cyclist with 45km/h average on a rocket setting tri-bike to feel sore-free on a slow and steady 25km/h Sunday group ride. Yes, riding too slow on a fast setting bike will cause sores and pains too.

With all the explanations above, you would have correctly guessed that bike fitting is indeed individual and personal. There’s no single generalized formula or method that will work for every individual, and it is the job of a bike fitter analyse all the issues faced by customer and work out a balanced solution for them. Bike fitting is truly a balancing act.

To understand more about bike fitting, please visit: 
www.littlerockcycles.com 
www.Facebook.com/LittleRockCycles


For further information on pricing & contact, go here:
http://littlerockcycles.blogspot.com/2014/08/pricing-and-what-to-bring-along.html

Contact: 012-232-4868 Chuah (Watsapp/SMS or call) .

Google/Waze Location: Jalan Hujan Bukit
Located in: Taman OUG, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (nearby Bukit Jalil & Sri Petaling)

Thanks very much. Ride safe and have fun..!!

Customer Testimonials

2014-Oct-28: Post Melaka Century 150km ride review from my customer. He's 57 years old and such an impressive achievement..!! 

2014-Oct-6: Customer did his first and longest 200km ride few days after bike fitting..!! He was having a painful right foot before with 80-90km rides. We switched out his saddle as the old one was too narrow and he was rocking side to side. We did some cleat rotation adjustments and worked on his pedalling technique and problem solved:






































All the way from Seremban came a live-to-ride, ride-to-live seasoned rider who was previously capable of 200-250km per week until knee pain started 6 months back. After some discussion and measurements, we suspected foot-tilt-angle (FTA) was the main culprit which was silently destroying his knee as he was riding with a self-compensating knee position to achieve comfort and this eventually turned into a habit. We installed some wedges and spacers to straighten up his knee-to-pedal alignment. Following 3 weeks of riding he's pretty much back into his old form and knee pains are gone:








Customer who came for bike fit due to minor discomfort, however he gained more than just comfort after being taught proper weight distribution technique:





Arm and neck discomforts are commonly caused wrongly sized handlebar. Wider doesn't mean more stable, as the following is a case where i installed a narrower bar for a lady customer and she end up having better control of her bike:





Pedalling efficiency is the key to enjoy road biking:





Here's a junior 14yrs old cyclist who is just starting out and have a bike sized too big for him, suffering from backaches, arm soreness and muscle strain. We swapped out and dropped in a straight seat post to correct his leg angles, then reduced reach of stem, and finally worked on pedalling technique as well:

To understand more about bike fitting, please visit: 
www.littlerockcycles.com 
www.Facebook.com/LittleRockCycles


For further information on pricing & contact, go here:
http://littlerockcycles.blogspot.com/2014/08/pricing-and-what-to-bring-along.html

Contact: 012-232-4868 Chuah (Watsapp/SMS or call) .

Google/Waze Location: Jalan Hujan Bukit
Located in: Taman OUG, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (nearby Bukit Jalil & Sri Petaling)

Thanks very much. Ride safe and have fun..!!

LRC Tip: Oh-So-Confusing Handlebar Widths

From my experience in bike fitting, till date most issues related to arms and shoulders are directly affected by handlebar width. The effect is so great that 20mm width difference (basically 1-size up-or-down) can throw off a properly fitted posture, the strain on upper body and arms will not go away regardless how well a posture is fitted.

When a customer comes in, I would measure shoulder and handlebar widths first. If the handlebar width is not suitable for the rider, this information will be used as baseline to analyse customer’s feedback on discomfort for upper torso and arms for the rest of bike fitting session.

It is the bike fitter’s duty to inform customer on a suitable handlebar width, regardless whether the handlebar is to be supplied by bike fitter or sourced separately by customer.

NOW, here comes the confusing part for the customer. Time to pay great ATTENTION.

If your bike fitter says you’ll be fine with a 40cm handlebar, most probably you’ll end up NOT fine if you buy a handlebar on your own. Why? Main reason is different manufacturers designate handlebar widths differently.

It is important that we measure handlebar width based on ACTUAL DISTANCE between center-to-center (C-C) of the brake hoods. However, most manufacturers do not specify handlebar widths this way. Some do, but not all.

Here are a few examples: (samples from 2013-era)

Brand            Model                       Marking         Actual

Zipp              Service Course SL      40cm             40cm

3T                 Ergonova                  40cm             38cm

3T                 Rotundo                    40cm             40cm

FSA                K-Wing Compact       40cm             39cm


If you noticed, even 3T has different width designation for different models.

So what’s the safest way to protect your wallet when buying a handlebar?

Step 1: Do not guess. Bring a tape measure.

Step 2: Always refer to brake hoods center-to-center measurement.

Step 3: Buy from a local shop so you can measure it on the spot.

Step 4: Don’t be blinded by good deals. If the shop does not have the size you need, do NOT be tempted by handlebars of next size up/down. The handlebar goes onto your bike should be of correct width as recommended by bike fitter. If you’re in doubt, double check with bike fitter, make sure you get the right info from him/her.

*Disclaimer: I use brake hoods C-C as most riders spend most of their time there, if you're a drop rider, then measurement might take a different approach. I’m open to suggestions and opinions, but will not debate on this in comments section. However, contents of this article will be updated when reasonable suggestions are being put forward by readers.

To understand more about bike fitting, please visit: 
www.littlerockcycles.com 
www.Facebook.com/LittleRockCycles


For further information on pricing & contact, go here:
http://littlerockcycles.blogspot.com/2014/08/pricing-and-what-to-bring-along.html

Contact: 012-232-4868 Chuah (Watsapp/SMS or call) .

Google/Waze Location: Jalan Hujan Bukit
Located in: Taman OUG, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (nearby Bukit Jalil & Sri Petaling)

Thanks very much. Ride safe and have fun..!!

Pricing and What to Bring Along

Pricelist (click on photo to zoom in)

What to prepare before bike fit session:
1. Do not cycle or workout heavily 1-2 days before bike fitting. Muscles need to be fresh.  
2. Bring bicycle, cycling shoes and pants, towel, gloves and water bottle.
4. Sense of humour and calm nerves are a must, need patience to get the perfect fit.
5. Bring along your favourite music, coffee mug, etc, you get the idea, right?
6. Try not to schedule on a busy day as the session might take longer than it should.

Step-by-step process of LRC Bike Fitting session:

1. Review on customer's current dissatisfaction with their riding experience.
2. Record current bicycle dimensions.
3. Measure foot-tilt-angle (FTA), leg-length-difference (LLD), shoulder widths, etc.
4. Install sloping wedges and/or shims to shoes to compensate FTA and LLD.
5. Customer warms up on trainer.
6. Power output observed using power wattage meter linked to trainer.
7. Explanation on proper road biking posture and pedal stroke method. 
8. Riding habits and posture observed and corrected if improper.
9. Adjustments made to main contact points.
10. Knee alignment measured with laser guides.
11. Customer continues to ride and communicate on difficulties, discomfort, numbness, pain, etc. 
12. Further adjustments made until customer is satisfied with improvement.
13. Bike dimensions are recorded and compared to initial figures.
14. Recommendations are recorded and informed to customer.

What happens after LRC Bike Fitting session?

• Customer to cycle as per regular basis.
• Feedback to LRC-Chuah on any immediate pain/discomfort.
• 1-4 rides: Body taking in new muscle memory. Improvement might not be obvious.
• 5-8 rides: New (better) muscle memory set in and rider will gain improvement.
• Free follow-up update fitting within 3-months when rider improved and feels the current fit is outdated, e.g. cockpit feels cramp, saddle feels low.

To understand more about bike fitting, please visit: 
www.littlerockcycles.com 
www.Facebook.com/LittleRockBikeFit


Contact: 012-232-4868 Chuah (Watsapp/SMS or call) .

Google/Waze Location: Jalan Hujan Bukit
Located in: Taman OUG, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (nearby Bukit Jalil & Sri Petaling)

Thanks very much. Ride safe and have fun..!!