Dialing in the ADV 1.1, getting the Forte out of storage

I got a bike fitting at Pedal PT for my new Co-Op ADV 1.1 two weeks ago. We didn't end up changing much: The seat needed very small adjustments forward and up, but everything else was in a good place.

The one thing I left a little uncertain about was the stem: The bike shipped with a 100mm stem, and I still felt, even with the seat moved forward a bit and the bars turned up, that I was more stretched out over the bike than I like to be. I could feel a little tightness in my shoulders and neck, and I could feel myself periodically having to re-seat myself on the saddle to compensate for drifting forward to get onto the hoods the way I wanted to be.

The PT at the fitting said he felt like I could either wait around to get used to drop bars again, or I could go ahead and try a shorter stem. So late last week I took a  measurement and decided I was about 20mm shy of where I wanted to be on the hoods and changed out the 100mm stem for an 80mm.

I've read/heard from some fitters that pulling things in like that can actually make shoulder and neck stuff worse, so I paid pretty close attention to how I was feeling on a 25-mile ride, and it all felt great. I did notice a little scooting around the saddle, still, but my fitter had noticed a slight tilt back when he fitted me that we decided to keep in place while I got settled. 

I straightened the saddle tilt out before my 15-mile ride this morning, and I think that was the last missing piece: I did the whole 15 miles on the hoods without feeling the need to shift my hands around, I didn't feel my neck or shoulders at all, and I didn't find myself repositioning on the saddle. I also broke 9 PRs on Strava for that ride.

So that's sort of the end of the beginning, I think: The bike feels pretty dialed in.

My 25-mile ride on Sunday felt like a small frontier into getting ready for Reach the Beach in May: I was able to do that and then walk around and have a normal Sunday afternoon, didn't really feel a heavy impact the next day, and was able to do 15 miles before work  and just keep on moving into my day today.

I also really like having a single-purpose bike. It's got the stuff I need to go out on the Springwater Corridor, not the stuff I'd need to commute or go shopping with it.

Yesterday I also got my Zizzo Forte out of storage. When I last rode it I was having problems with a creaking stem. I worked down the headset in search of the source, then landed on the stem hinge (the Forte is a folder). That took a half-turn of the adjustment screw and the creaking went away. Some time this week I will stick a MIK plate on the rack so it's milk-crate ready and I'll be able to use it for local errands when I'd rather pump than cruise on the Globe Haul.