I would like to step up my comfort on the bike in order to go further and spend more time on the saddle. Right now I can do 10h with some stopping and quite some pain in the last 2h. Friends are recommending I try 3D printed saddles. Is that the way to go?
Had a fit at another top-end London studio two weeks ago, my second fit now — new stem, bars, saddle, and the cleats moved quite a bit. ~£1k all in with parts so far. The fitter is still tweaking things here and there so I'm not writing it off yet, but I'm in a worse position now than when I walked in, which isn't doing much for my hopes:
- left foot goes numb right at the cleat from about an hour in, right toes from halfway (never had this before)
- rear-neck pain in the aero bars earlier than it used to happen
- most importantly, really bad saddle sores
Context: I ride 10-15 hours per week, in aero bars basically whenever I can, building toward long-distance stuff. What I want out of a fit is comfort at 10h+ (ideally much longer if possible), while nice and aero.
For reference, after the first fit and before this one I could ride 7–10h mostly in aero with manageable pain, then another 2–3h sitting upright stopping every 30 min or so to rest the bum. So right now it's about improving from that by riding 10h+ with no pain rather than manageable.
Two questions:
Has anyone actually been to Ben-efit Performance? The idea of an 8–10 hour fit really appeals, but I'd rather hear from someone who's been. £950 and a long waiting list, though at this point I've spent enough on fits that I just want it sorted by the best there is.
Would Phil Burt Innovation be the better call? I know it's Manchester, but at this point I'll travel for whatever actually works.
Had a fit at another top-end London studio two weeks ago, my second fit now — new stem, bars, saddle, and the cleats moved quite a bit. ~£1k all in with parts so far. The fitter is still tweaking things here and there so I'm not writing it off yet, but I'm in a worse position now than when I walked in, which isn't doing much for my hopes:
- left foot goes numb right at the cleat from about an hour in, right toes from halfway (never had this before)
- rear-neck pain in the aero bars earlier than it used to happen
- most importantly, really bad saddle sores
Context: I ride 10-15 hours per week, in aero bars basically whenever I can, building toward long-distance stuff. What I want out of a fit is comfort at 10h+ (ideally much longer if possible), while nice and aero.
For reference, after the first fit and before this one I could ride 7–10h mostly in aero with manageable pain, then another 2–3h sitting upright stopping every 30 min or so to rest the bum. So right now it's about improving from that by riding 10h+ with no pain rather than manageable.
Two questions:
Has anyone actually been to Ben-efit Performance? The idea of an 8–10 hour fit really appeals, but I'd rather hear from someone who's been. £950 and a long waiting list, though at this point I've spent enough on fits that I just want it sorted by the best there is.
Would Phil Burt Innovation be the better call? I know it's Manchester, but at this point I'll travel for whatever actually works.
Self coached, ex full time ice hockey player, now getting into ultra distance cycling. I've bagged a few 10-15+ hour rides (moving time) so far since I bought my first bike slightly more than a year ago.
Once the power meter came in (almost same time I got the bike) I tested at around 290W FTP at 83kg with a ramp test, then cycled with little to no focus on it over the course of the year. Tested again 3 weeks ago and got 310W FTP at approx the same weight with a 20' FTP test this time. Now I want to take it up a notch given my interest in ultras, hence the 335W and 76-78kg target by end of year with a particular focus on long distance cycling.
Problem is neither garmin/strava/trainingpeaks give me the insights I want, so I built my own dashboard instead. Goals at the top, plan vs actual, and key metrics I use. Screenshots attached, which means you now know everything about me ;) please be gentle. I'm thinking of adding gut training and HR decoupling as goals as well at some point, probably replacing one of the sleep tiles.
The main view - goals, today, this week (actual vs planned), and the coach note
Been using it daily for a month and enjoying the simplicity and straightforwardness of it way more than expected. Anyone else built their own thing or am I the only one spending weekends like this? Mainly wondering how it can be further improved?
The metrics I actually use, further down
Any tile opens into its own graph with date filters and forecast based on my training plan
