# using TT bars give me sore nuts...



## jifdave (3 Apr 2014)

i dont mean to be crude but every time i spend any time on the clip ons i get sore crackers...

on rare occasions i've erm.... peeled the banana a little.... i havent rode a TT race yet but i need to find a solution before i do....

any advice?


----------



## Mr Haematocrit (3 Apr 2014)

jifdave said:


> i dont mean to be crude but every time i spend any time on the clip ons i get sore crackers....
> 
> any advice?



Stop sitting on the wrong end of the bike, the clip ons are for your hands.. hth


----------



## Hacienda71 (3 Apr 2014)

You are pitched further forward with tri bars on so you are on the nose aka rivet of the saddle and it isn't going to be comfortable, you can adjust the seat height and position a bit but if you are doing a 10 though it is only for half an hour or less. A lot of TT riders have seats specific to TTing with more padding on the nose of the saddle on their dedicated bikes.


----------



## montage (3 Apr 2014)

When tting you are pushing a bigger gear than normal, So you have a lot less weight on your banana. You may find you don't notice it at all for a 10. I would try and find a saddle with a wide padded nose for club tens, you can pick them up pretty cheap!


----------



## Sharky (3 Apr 2014)

Is your saddle comfortable when sitting up holding the hoods?
If it is, then because your whole body is rotated forward, the angle you are on the saddle might just need tweaking and the saddle nose tipped down a degree. But not too much that you start sliding forward.

Rotating forward and sitting more on the nose of the saddle, also makes the effective height of the saddle a little lower, so the saddle might need raising to compensate. All trial & error and it is good justification for your N+1 to get a decent position on a dedicated time trial bike without upsetting a comfortable position you have on your normal road bike.

Cheers
Keith


----------



## Mr Bunbury (4 Apr 2014)

As has been said:

Saddle forwards a bit
Saddle up a bit
Nose tilted down a bit
Possibly get a different saddle with more padding on the nose (doesn't have to be TT specific - quite a few people use MTB saddles for this purpose.)

If you can't quite justify n+1 but want to keep your current position, get a new saddle and seatpost, set one of your saddles up for road and one for TT and mark the insertion points on the posts with tape so you can swap them over quickly.

A lot of it is also getting used to it. With time you'll achieve better lower back flexibility so your weight is further back, and you'll learn to hold your position without putting so much weight on the saddle.


----------



## Joshua Plumtree (4 Apr 2014)

Are they clip-ons? You've obviously tightened the screw too much.


----------



## oldroadman (4 Apr 2014)

Don't forget that Sudacrem is your friend. Good as a lot of the expensive "chamois" creams on the market, relatively cheap. Slather plenty on to keep the unwanted friction zeroed.


----------



## PpPete (4 Apr 2014)

oldroadman said:


> Don't forget that Sudacrem is your friend. Good as a lot of the expensive "chamois" creams on the market, relatively cheap. Slather plenty on to keep the unwanted friction zeroed.


And once the friction is reduced you can carefully arrange one crown jewel on each side...


----------



## Cuchilo (4 Apr 2014)

There's a lot more to this TT'ing than I thought !


----------



## Hacienda71 (4 Apr 2014)

PpPete said:


> And once the friction is reduced you can carefully arrange one crown jewel on each side...


Nah, make sure you adjust to the left and this offsets the weight of the chain rings and mechs on the bike.....


----------



## Cuchilo (4 Apr 2014)

Hacienda71 said:


> Nah, make sure you adjust to the left and this offsets the weight of the chain rings and mechs on the bike.....


Is there any aero advantage in that ?


----------



## Ian H (4 Apr 2014)

You can rotate your whole body forward by moving the saddle forwards.


----------



## montage (5 Apr 2014)

Hacienda71 said:


> Nah, make sure you adjust to the left and this offsets the weight of the chain rings and mechs on the bike.....



Dear god no.... having your danglies trapped between thigh and saddle is not pleasant on any level!


----------



## Joshua Plumtree (5 Apr 2014)

Is this thread stiill cycling related?


----------



## eck (5 Apr 2014)

Back on topic...,All Most of the above, and also I found a slightly shorter stem made "things" more comfortable.


----------



## screenman (5 Apr 2014)

How about a proper bike fit.


----------



## Rob3rt (5 Apr 2014)

Ideally, you should find a position which is aero and powerful, then address your soreness, IMO!

My personal experience with "traditional" saddle shapes and riding in a TT position is that I find even a TT specific version with a wider nose and more padding to be uncomfortable, to put it politely, it is like being punched in the gooch for an hour at a time, as such I tried an Adamo saddle and will not go back!


----------



## Brightski (5 Apr 2014)

Never really had nad trouble whilst riding TTs 
Maybe tip your saddle at the front a bit..


----------



## gds58 (5 Apr 2014)

Brightski said:


> Never really had nad trouble whilst riding TTs
> Maybe tip your saddle at the front a bit..


Yes I agree, how on earth did we all manage (and now for that matter!) with doing all those time trials without crucifiying ourselves? maybe we just had a good position on the bike, anything's possible I suppose! and how do those pros manage to ride a 50k TT without completely de-skinning their undercarriage. It could always be down to having a good position/set-up on the bike you just never know!


----------



## jifdave (7 Apr 2014)

gds58 said:


> Yes I agree, how on earth did we all manage (and now for that matter!) with doing all those time trials without crucifiying ourselves? maybe we just had a good position on the bike, anything's possible I suppose! and how do those pros manage to ride a 50k TT without completely de-skinning their undercarriage. It could always be down to having a good position/set-up on the bike you just never know!


And I would assume you got there by asking questions or people giving advice....
Welcome to the future old timer ;-)


----------



## frank9755 (8 Apr 2014)

You need to fundamentally change your position to use aerobars in comfort. Most likely you'll need the saddle moved forward and the bars to be lower. Normally when you move the saddle forward, you would also put it slightly higher, but if you are getting pain there it may already be too high so you may need to drop it down slightly. In fact, dropping your saddle just a couple of mm may well be the quick fix to enable you to ride in more comfort to sort out the rest of your position.


----------



## fimm (9 Apr 2014)

If you can afford to throw money at the problem, +1 for an Adamo saddle (but they're not cheap!). They do take a little getting used to.


----------



## jifdave (10 Apr 2014)

i tilted it a little forward and it felt much much better. thanks for the advice fellas


----------



## Cuchilo (10 Apr 2014)

When you say "it " ?
I was thinking of getting a new seat post for my defy as the tri bars have the Arione nudging me up the wrongun . I'm sat right on the end of the seat to get a nice position but its not nice as you can understand from the above .
After reading this post i'm not sure if getting "nudged" is better than not getting "nudged "


----------



## jifdave (10 Apr 2014)

i found before sitting on the nose my dangleys and sausage couldnt find a place to hide, since rotating the seat forward(nose down) they now hang better off the front


----------



## Cuchilo (10 Apr 2014)

Hmmm maybe i'll leave the defy as it is then . It was tweaked for me by someone that rides TT's and he did say I will be sitting on the nose , but he was working with what I had so maybe not ideal . Saying that I am tackle injury free .... Its just the nudging I don't like !


----------



## Rob3rt (11 Apr 2014)

It is PROBABLY a case of very bad position. Without a proper pic, no-one can really give advice. Front and side on pics, cranks vertical and cranks horizontal.

No offence and I might be making an incorrect assumption but I have seen quite a few people from this forum whack some aero bars on their bike (I have also received a few PM's on the subject) and the general theme is that they assume awful positions on the bike. This is not a criticism of them, getting a good TT position is very difficult IME (I struggle with it to this day, I tweak almost weekly), merely an observation.


----------



## Bartek Basinski (17 Apr 2014)

I agree with screenman. What about a proper bike fit or a custom bicycle. You can get the best for your money and be positioned on the saddle as you should.


----------



## gds58 (22 Apr 2014)

jifdave said:


> And I would assume you got there by asking questions or people giving advice....
> Welcome to the future old timer ;-)


Not really sure that I like your tone! But nonetheless I may well be an 'old timer' as you put it but I may well have more TT experience than most on here put together (see 'Time Trial PB's' thread and you'll see what I mean) but it still gets down to the fact that the best and quickest way to achieve what you want is to have a proper professional bike fit such as the Specialized BG fit system which takes account of your own individual 'Body Geometry' (BG) and your own flexibility etc and is tailored to the type of riding you intend to do such as road race, sportive, time trial etc etc. Generally between £140 and £200 but the best three hours and money you will ever spend on your cycling. Here's a link to some information about it: http://www.specializedconceptstore.co.uk/body-geometry-fit/ this may well solve all your problems AND significantly improve your performances as well. We do them where I work but this is probably not local to you so a little research might be needed.
Hope this will help in your quest for comfort!

Graham


----------



## oldroadman (23 Apr 2014)

Good advice. Position and fit is vital (no sniggering about bishops and actresses, please) to get the best of both, comfort and output. Although the word comfort and TT are not very compatible. As in, if it stops hurting, go harder. Which is why pro riders don't care for TTs and only serious GC riders or specialists end up near the top of the finishing list! For most it's a necessary chore that has to be done in stage races.


----------

