Frame too large

[NickTB]

Following on from this thread it’s now clear that the frame is just too large for me. ( that’ll teach me to have a 2 minute ride before being swept away by looks) I’ve shortened the stem and tried every conceivable position on the saddle but all I’m getting is serious numbness around the perineum area. Before I advertise it for sale, is there anything I may have forgotten to do? The seat post is down as far as it can go
Cheers
Nick

 

[Milkfloat]

A bike too big is unlikely to manifest itself as a numb arse. Can you post some side on / behind photos with you on the bike, ideally with the foot/pedal nearest the camera at the bottom of the pedal stroke?

 

[NickTB]

I have some side on, one sec

 

[NickTB]

These were for an online assessment except the guy didn’t come back to me!

 

[vickster]

Have you tried a flipped stem?

saddle flat or slightly nose down?

It doesn't look too big

 

[Milkfloat]

IMO - Certainly not too big, in fact I would have the saddle up a touch assuming you are sitting centrally. In the first two photos your elbows look locked which will cause you shoulder pain, try and have them bent slightly like you have on the drops (3rd photo). Saddle comfort can be tricky, there is a certain amount of toughening your arse up and breaking a saddle, but there is also very much saddles that you will never find comfortable. I think I went though about 10 different ones before I got my Goldilocks one, my perfect saddle could be your worst nightmare. Before you start with trial and error on a saddle you can do try and narrow things down my measuring your sit bones. This can be done in a shop with a special gel cushion or you can sit on the soft stair carpet with your knees up high on some tinfoil and measure the dents. Ideally, you find a friend with a stack of saddles and test them out on your bike. Failing that a lot of shops have a demo fleet of saddles to try.

 

[NickTB]

Have you tried a flipped stem?

No?

 

[vickster]

No?

Try that to bring bars up and a little closer
with what length stem do you have bend in elbows?

 

[NickTB]

IMO - Certainly not too big, in fact I would have the saddle up a touch assuming you are sitting centrally. In the first two photos your elbows look locked which will cause you shoulder pain, try and have them bent slightly like you have on the drops (3rd photo). Saddle comfort can be tricky, there is a certain amount of toughening your arse up and breaking a saddle, but there is also very much saddles that you will never find comfortable. I think I went though about 10 different ones before I got my Goldilocks one, my perfect saddle could be your worst nightmare. Before you start with trial and error on a saddle you can do try and narrow things down my measuring your sit bones. This can be done in a shop with a special gel cushion or you can sit on the soft stair carpet with your knees up high on some tinfoil and measure the dents. Ideally, you find a friend with a stack of saddles and test them out on your bike. Failing that a lot of shops have a demo fleet of saddles to try.

I was convinced it was too big! Just feels so uncomfortable. I suppose coming from a really o for table saddle on my old bike this may be the issue

 

[NickTB]

Try that to bring bars up and a little closer
with what length stem do you have bend in elbows?

The stem in those pictures is 90. It came with a 130 which was way too long

 

[vickster]

The stem in those pictures is 90. It came with a 130 which was way too long

Try flipping it

have you tried other saddles too?

 

[CanucksTraveller]

The numbness is most likely to come from the saddle, it might be putting pressure on the wrong areas and it could also be at the wrong angle.
I'd try tilting the saddle forward (nose down) by a few degrees at a time, then I'd be trying a new saddle if that didn't work. Selle Italia gel cut outs tend to work well for men who are getting numbness (with the caveat that no saddle is ideal for everyone).

Bear in mind that road bikes can also feel uncomfortable if you're lacking in a bit of bike fitness just yet, time in the saddle improves that. When I have had a long break, the first few rides can sometimes feel like I'm stretching, and I'll get a bit of shoulder and neck pain, but it soon goes away.

The frame doesn't look to big for you at all.

 

[HLaB]

It doesn't look too big to me but you are perhaps sitting too upright with those locked out arms which may be putting too much weight through your rear. After cycling a bit you'll develop core strength which will distribute some weight through your arms and legs which might ease things but it could just be the saddle you don't get on with. Id agree with others about the arms though. Good luck

 

[figbat]

I’d recommend getting a saddle fit, if possible at an LBS. One element of this is spinal flexibility. If, like me, your lower back is relatively inflexible then as you lean forward your pelvis rotates forward, putting pressure on the perineal zone. There are saddles designed to address this, plus it’s worth knowing the width of your ‘sit bones’.

 

[NickTB]

Try flipping it

have you tried other saddles too?

No other saddles yet,