Miles Ahead

Props to Miles Ahead Cyclery. I took my bike in for a quick look at my fit & they spent over an hour working with me. Now that's how you gain a customer.

First thing they noticed was my posture. Bend the elbows, chest out, butt back! Secondly they swapped in a 90mm stem instead of the 100mm I was riding (ITM). They adjusted the angle of my saddle, which was set up completely wrong because apparently the SMP saddles are leveled from nose to rear rather than in the middle. Changing where I ride in the saddle allowed the saddle to be moved forward while still keeping my knees in line with the pedals. The only thing they did that I disagree with is that they lowered my saddle. I see their logic, but I have it raised a bit so that I don't flex my achilles tendon on every stroke. I marked where they set it to, but I'll be raising it before riding it again. So all in all, they entirely changed the way the bike fits, and I think it'll be for the better.

I also got Specialized BG Gel gloves.

And I'm going crazy with padding my bar. In some places I'm using a double layer of bar phat covered by a 2.5mm DSP tape. I'm also using bar phat and padding on the hoods, which means they now look HUGE but I think will be amazingly comfortable. I've done the right, tomorrow I'll do the left. With all the cushioning & using two different wraps, it takes a good while to wrap those bars! I don't even want to think of how much weight all this is adding to my bike, but hey, feeling my fingers after (and on) long rides is worth it! And speaking of which, the funny sensation is still there but fading quite a bit. At this rate I'm guessing they'll be back to normal by tomorrow night. Let's hope...

And let's hope for NO rain on Friday so I can ride & try out my new setup.