Welcome to the forum
Ride position issue? Calf niggles of late.
I am left wondering of late if my ride position is as good as I think it is.
Having bought a road bike in May, I have been managing 3x rides a week. About 9hrs in total @ 17.? mph. Two of these rides are with the club.
Some out of the saddle riding on the steepest bits as I have an old niggling quad muscle issue on my L leg that the NHS can't solve / detect, so I tend to avoid riding the hardest sections seated, but that was until recently as some acupuncture sessions seem to be helping (?) the L leg manage longer and harder rides.
In the last 5 rides, I have been feeling a slight twinge in the upper-outer part of my calf muscle, nothing too much and last night's 3hr ride I felt something similar, albeit briefly, on my R calf as well as on my L side, which is a worry! This morning, my L calf is slightly sore - woe is me!
I have a neutral flat foot position and I'm clipped in using Crank Bros' Candy pedals. These have lots of float.
The bike is a basic Trek 1.5, size 54, my inside leg being 840mm (measured correctly) and I'm 5ft 10.5.
985mm to the top part of the nose of the saddle and mid rail position for said saddle.
Own hair and teeth & I can tie my ow shoe laces - really quite a catch, eh?!
Does any of this set alarm bells a' ringing with anyone as the last thing I want is another training injury?
Tchuss
Having bought a road bike in May, I have been managing 3x rides a week. About 9hrs in total @ 17.? mph. Two of these rides are with the club.
Some out of the saddle riding on the steepest bits as I have an old niggling quad muscle issue on my L leg that the NHS can't solve / detect, so I tend to avoid riding the hardest sections seated, but that was until recently as some acupuncture sessions seem to be helping (?) the L leg manage longer and harder rides.
In the last 5 rides, I have been feeling a slight twinge in the upper-outer part of my calf muscle, nothing too much and last night's 3hr ride I felt something similar, albeit briefly, on my R calf as well as on my L side, which is a worry! This morning, my L calf is slightly sore - woe is me!
I have a neutral flat foot position and I'm clipped in using Crank Bros' Candy pedals. These have lots of float.
The bike is a basic Trek 1.5, size 54, my inside leg being 840mm (measured correctly) and I'm 5ft 10.5.
985mm to the top part of the nose of the saddle and mid rail position for said saddle.
Own hair and teeth & I can tie my ow shoe laces - really quite a catch, eh?!
Does any of this set alarm bells a' ringing with anyone as the last thing I want is another training injury?
Tchuss
Comments
good luck
Bought a 54 on Fleebay and liked it better!
I oft' get a slight ache in the front deltoids and that suggests if anything the stem may be a tad too long but that in turn suggests (?) the frame may well be okay.
The calfs were getting a harder work out in the out-of-the-saddle riding than ever they do in the seated, so I think the emphasis is not in the calf direction.
My cleats are way-back on the shoes as far as they will go.
I have never worked my tiny calfs, never needed to nor with my footfall do I really use them,ergo: if is something else.
My riding is a little more non-stop of late. Riding with a club means recovery in the peloton, so my personal training rides are now up from 2hrs to 3hrs, and that's since the end of the Paralympics.
This might be part of the problem, longer rides with no stopping or free-wheeling / recovery.
I do some stretching but I'm as tight as a Scotsman's wallet - always have been.
I'm considering a professional bike fit, even if the bike will likely be replaced in 2013, best to make sure I do no more damage!
One comment I did get: "I had this (or sound like this) after changing my saddle. After struggling for a few months, including work based Physio, I went back to Adrian Timmis who sorted it in 10 minutes (Adrian is a in the W Midlands)
I was seated further back on new saddle and therefore my foot was having to stretch forward at bottom of pedal stroke. Seat was moved forward 15mm(ish) and pain had gone after about 3 rides.
Make sure the front of your knee joint (NOT kneecap) is directly over pedal spindle. Adrian does this with lazers but with care an be done with a plumb line and a helpfull WAG"
sounds like you are doing it standing up too much
try the seated position more often
recumbent works for some , but not to my taste
burning calfs can also be due to too much aggression
try a gentler approach
your bike will respond much more
and your marriage will impove
agony uncle
CP
If you read the article, it's the seated riding that is causing this, not the out-of-the-saddle.
Plus the extra time in the saddle.
I'm not aggressive as I have a quad muscle issue(tear?) that won't allow me to be aggressive, although I am being more pro active of late as I have been undergoing some acupuncture to help - or at least that's the intention. Three sessions so far - so good, but it's very early days.
The seat on the rails sounds very good advice and make logical sense.
I await the professional view from the bike fitting-man and go from there.
Not married - but many thanks for the offer!
xx
Afraid I can not read , not required in my line of work
visiting a pro always helps
good luck !
CP