I bought a new used bike from Trek Travel. It is a bike that they took out of service after three years. It is a purple 2017 Trek Silque. I was looking for a new bike, because I knew the 2010 Madone was not the right bike for me. The Madone is a better fit than the 520 I bought back in the 1990's. Both the Silque and the Madone are WSD (Women's Specific Design), in contrast to the 520. They are both 47 cm frames. The Silque has built-in suspension, for a cushy ride, while the Madone is a racing bike. I think I am really going to like the Silque. I am not a racer. I will be putting the Madone up for sale in the spring, after giving it an overhaul and thorough checkout.
I took my new bike out for a spin on part of the Richland B&O trail a week or so ago. I rode about 20 miles, from Route 97 trailhead to North Lake Park and return. I knew right away the seat was too low. I adjusted it up some. The bike is lightweight, and I feel like I am flying! The electronic shifting works so dependably to change gears. It didn't take any time to get used to it, it is so much better than the mechanical shifting.
Since that ride, I have been having knee pain. At first it was muscle pain too, but that has mostly faded, and the knee pain is somewhat lessening, but it is still sore.
I suspected it would take me a long time to get the bike adjusted on my own. So I scheduled an appointment with Tom Wiseman in Akron for a professional bike fitting. Tom has background in bike mechanical repair, as well as bike racing and coaching. He's certified by a couple of different organizations for bike fitting.
His office is in his home in a residential neighborhood. I parked at the back of the house in front of the garage. He has a trainer set up for the client's personal bike, as well as a setup to measure pressure points and power output on a bike-fitting frame. He first spent some time listening to my stories about my riding experience, and took an overview of my health history to understand what body parts may have strengths and weaknesses. Then he asked about my goals for the fitting. I explained that I really want to be able to continue riding in multi-day events like PALM (Pedal Across Lower Michigan,) which I did two years ago, or my self-designed tour from Cincinnati to Toledo, or possibly other events, well into my 70's and possibly my 80's, without injuring myself. Since I have a history with my other bikes of bursitis in the shoulders, and it is coming back now, after previously healing through a series of physical therapy treatments, this is a real concern.
Since I've had a number of surgeries, including for bariatric gastric bypass, gall bladder removal, total hysterectomy (due to endometrial cancer a couple of years ago), hip replacement on both sides, and knee replacement on the left, and bunion surgery, my body has a lot of weaknesses! I told him "I don't go too fast, but I go pretty far" like the songwriter Melanie in her record "Brand New Key." So I want to be able to ride long distances, but I'm not concerned about competing for speed. Maybe in a few years I will feel confident enough to complete a "century" or a hundred-mile ride in a single day.
He explained that he usually first adjusts for "macro" adjustments before moving to the minor adjustments for more power and speed. So what did he do to my bike? He added pedal spacers to move my foot position out and better align my foot under my knee. He replaced the seat, and moved it up another inch and a half (3 centimeters, to be exact.) He replaced my handlebar stem with one that is higher, to allow me a more upright position that will put less strain on my shoulders. He discovered that the SPD cleats on my biking shoes had spacers in them. He moved the cleat to a position further back toward the mid-foot, which is where I had been riding on the side with knee replacement. We discussed how when your knee is replaced, the doctors and physical therapists are usually happy if you get most of your movement back. The movement can be limited by scar tissue, and the reason physical therapy may hurt is because you are constantly breaking up that scar tissue as it forms. When pedaling, you may need more movement to allow the foot to make it all the way around the circle. We discussed the possibility of replacing the Shimano cranks on my bike, which are the shortest they make for that particular chainring, with some shorter third-party cranks, to make it easier for me to get that left knee up around the top of the circle. I want to try out the other adjustments he's made first to see if I need to do this.
He took a look at the electronic shifter firmware update history, which he found was missing a few updates. So he updated them to the latest firmware, which should improve battery life. (I wasn't even aware this was possible!) He measured my feet for different shoes, as the Specialized shoes I am currently wearing are a little too narrow for my feet. I already knew that, but they were what was available at my local bike shop when I bought them. Even with the narrowness, they are much better than wearing tennis shoes with a flexible sole. He let me try on a pair of Lake shoes that fit my feet. They were heavenly! They were also a little bit spendy at $350. So I will put that on my Christmas wish list. Since he had made so many "macro" adjustments, doing the "micro" adjustments probably would not give much additional benefits, given my goals. So I didn't try out the super-sensitive fitting fixture. He wants me to follow up with him after I have had a chance to get some miles in.
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