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Wobble Naught: How long until you felt great with it?

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erik99

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
Hey,

I was wondering how long others started to feel great with the fit. I saw a few blips in my search, but not alot of info.

I had a Wobble Naught fit done this week. It was a pretty radical change in position (way set back seat position, much shorter stem). On my initial trainer ride I was squirming in my seat. The next day I went out on the road and alot of the little pains I had before were suddenly gone (neck/shoulder pain and low back stiffness). I am still not sure about sitting so far behind the BB (my pedal stroke feels funny), but the pain relief I feel is enough for me to keep trying it.

Thanks,
Erik
 
#2 · (Edited)
I'm not familiar with that fit system, but I can answer in general terms.

I'm a gangly mass of all arms and legs, knees and elbows, with a very short torso. 34" pant inseam and shirt sleeve length, yet only 5'-9". I was always squirming around in the saddle, felt cramped in both the legs and arms and wanted to move the bars forward. I was also considering longer cranks, since the seatpost was already at the minimum insertion mark. And I felt unstable on the bike, especially in descents and turns.

Went for a fitting, I got a setback seatpost instead, and even then, the saddle is moved all the way back to the stops. In the 3 o'clock position, my knees are now behind my pedal spindle by a good amount, instead of over it as you hear recommmended.

In the front, we lowered and rotated the bars just a bit, mostly to adjust the angles, rather than change the position.

Together, this gave me the room I needed and moved my center of gravity back and down. Took care of comfort and stability all at once.

I feel fantastic on the bike, like it's an extension of my body now. I get better power from my legs, descents are fun instead of a challenge, and carving corners feels good instead of like I'm falling. And one thing I hadn't noticed before, I can breathe easier while riding too.

Even so, from force of habit, it took me a week or so to get used to the position, and a while longer to get used to throwing my leg over the saddle. (Edit: Now that I think about it, comfort-wise, it took only a few days. It took several weeks pedaling-wise because I now use slightly different muscle groups, or different parts of the same ones. It took some training to get them in shape.)

It's been four months now and in one pedal stroke I can tell you within a millimeter if I've put the seatpost back properly after removing it to lock up. I'm even thinking of taking the marking tape off it.

Hope your fit works as well for you.
 
#3 ·
my experience

I had a wobble naught done. I felt good about almost all the changes. They changed the stem from 100 to 120 (the computer said they really should go 130) I went for several rides. My back and neck hurt like never before and I was way too stretchedout to ride in the drops. After a week of trying i went back to the 100 stem and have no desire to change. But thats just me. For me comfort is a MAJOR issue.

Rant: the bike shop charged me a 25% restocking fee for the stem. Thats the last time they have seen me.
 
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#8 ·
I've been on bikes long enough

to know what feels right for me. Fit has come a loooong way since I started riding. Turns out that once I started to double check fit #'s vs formula fit #'s, I was very close to = of the formula #'s.

How soon after fit to get comfortable? I have been fooling around with a fit issue on my wunder bike for 3 years. The new bars and stem came today, Nitto standard bend and a 90 stem vs the 110 that was on the bike. I did the setup on the trainer, set the stem height first, then the bar angle, finally set the hoods and took some measurements. All of my bikes now have the same measurements(very close, less than a cm off in a variety of reach measurements). I was really starting to hate the feel of the wunderbike and thinking of selling the frame. At this point for this year it has a few new drivetrain parts plus the bars and stem. Got to get the new tape on and take it out for a test ride. It is hard to tell how positive the few changes I made will feel, really hoping they make a big difference. I honestly wonder how many of the issues I had were mental vs physical, as if I was expecting to not like the ride because the measurements were that different from the other bikes in my fleet. I guess the bottom line was no matter how often I rode that bike or fiddled with the bars and saddle etc, I did not feel mechanically efficient while riding.
 
#9 ·
It feels great to me

:D
erik99 said:
Hey,

I was wondering how long others started to feel great with the fit. I saw a few blips in my search, but not alot of info.

I had a Wobble Naught fit done this week. It was a pretty radical change in position (way set back seat position, much shorter stem). On my initial trainer ride I was squirming in my seat. The next day I went out on the road and alot of the little pains I had before were suddenly gone (neck/shoulder pain and low back stiffness). I am still not sure about sitting so far behind the BB (my pedal stroke feels funny), but the pain relief I feel is enough for me to keep trying it.

Thanks,
Erik
Click to expand...
I'm confused by your post, I was fit on my mountain bike a few years ago with the Wobble Naught Fit System and had to swap my set back seat post for a straight one. I actually sit forward of my BB, in more of a “TRI” position. Before my bike fitting I was experiencing pain in my knees and my back. After the fitting all the pain went away and I was riding with much more power to the pedals. I was so impressed with the Wobble Naught Fit System that I had a fitting before I purchased my new road bike late last year, The bike felt great from day one. If you don’t feel great on the bike I would go back to your LBS and let them know. Are you sure the person that did the fitting knows how to use the Wobble Naught System ?
 
#10 ·
I just had it done last week and my first short ride felt fine but during todays ride (4hrs saddle time) I had the worst pain behind the ball of my right foot. It was like hot foot but alot more painfull for me....now both feet are bothering me. I have never had bad foot pain like this before...even on 6+ hour rides. I don't think I will be riding again untill I check out my cleat placement. Right now they are both pushed back as far as they can go.
 
#11 ·
Bruce, you're a LONG-legged guy...

brucew said:
I'm a gangly mass of all arms and legs, knees and elbows, with a very short torso. 34" pant inseam and shirt sleeve length, yet only 5'-9".
.
Click to expand...
Dude! I'm seven inches taller than you and wear the same length pants, and when I buy a suit, they comment on MY leg length.
 
#14 ·
To answer some questions

I am a wobble naught fit specialist and to answer some questions here we go:

1. Wobble naught is the elimination of wobble. Naught is a mathematical term and meaens the elimination to zero, thus the elimination of zero or to take to zero wobble. We all know what wobble means...

2. It take 30 RIDES to before you are acclimated to the new position.

All riders who have had fits done by a specialist and are not happy with them should go back and talk to the specialist about the problem you are having, and then work out either a new fit or at least do a re measure and double check your measurements submitted int he system. There could be a slight error that caused your discomfort.
Also all specialist should be open to talking with their client and if not you should either e-mail Tom at wobblenaught and tell him about your bad experience or talk directly to the manager of the shop, and ask him to e-mail Tom. Tom (sorry owner of wobble naught) wants to grow this company and help cyclist. He would not have 28 national champions and two world champions and numerous other cyclists on his fits if they did not work. If anybody has questions abou the fit I would be happy to answer any questions, just e-mail me at jamie@charlottesvillefitstudio.com

Hope this helps
 
#16 ·
genji said:
IIt take 30 RIDES to before you are acclimated to the new position.
Click to expand...
Interesting... and, I suspect, quite accurate. My wife had a Wobble Naught fitting last autumn. She felt a distinct improvement in performance IMMEDIATELY! Like, riding home from the fitting she was kicking my ass on hills and flats like someone had spiked her Gatorade with HGH. She kept saying "I can't help it, it feels so much easier to go fast now!"

But 3 or 4 weeks later she was experiencing some discomfort, so she went back to the fitter to get a tweak. And 2 months after that, she went back for another tweak. I think the 4th time she went back the guy was obligated to charge her additional money.

So the initial sensation of an overt performance improvement was definitely overshadowed by the long term effects of getting acclimated -- or not -- to the fit.
 
#17 ·
How is she doing now? How much did her position change upon being fitted initially, and what changes have been made since?

Just curious...
 
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#18 ·
genji said:
I am a wobble naught fit specialist and to answer some questions here we go:

1. Wobble naught is the elimination of wobble. Naught is a mathematical term and meaens the elimination to zero, thus the elimination of zero or to take to zero wobble. We all know what wobble means...

2. It take 30 RIDES to before you are acclimated to the new position.

All riders who have had fits done by a specialist and are not happy with them should go back and talk to the specialist about the problem you are having, and then work out either a new fit or at least do a re measure and double check your measurements submitted int he system. There could be a slight error that caused your discomfort.
Also all specialist should be open to talking with their client and if not you should either e-mail Tom at wobblenaught and tell him about your bad experience or talk directly to the manager of the shop, and ask him to e-mail Tom. Tom (sorry owner of wobble naught) wants to grow this company and help cyclist. He would not have 28 national champions and two world champions and numerous other cyclists on his fits if they did not work. If anybody has questions abou the fit I would be happy to answer any questions, just e-mail me at jamie@charlottesvillefitstudio.com

Hope this helps
Click to expand...

Jamie,

I just read a post you placed in the Roadbike Review a year ago on the Wobblenaught system. I am about to buy a new bike with insurance proceeds following a bad bike-car accident. My last bike fit was a product of several years of off-the-cuff tweaking by me, but for the last couple of years, I had no discomfort. As I prepare to spend a fair amount of money on a new bike, however, I wonder if I shouldn’t go with a professional fit from the beginning, if for no other reason than to maximize the power I get for my effort on the bike. My LBS fits with a plumb bob, etc., - nothing too precise or scientific – so I have been considering the Wobblenaught system. The question I have is whether I should spend the money to travel to Tucson (from El Paso), the nearest Wobblenaught fitter, or simply do the online fitting. In the various forums I read about Wobblenaught users going back to their fitters periodically for adjustments. Is that important enough that I should avoid the online technique and work with a live body?
 
#19 ·
Go get a fit!

Go get a pro fit! take the time to get either the wobblenaught fit or a retul, fit both are very good. Your power will increase but the greatest advantage you will receive is the increase in comfort and thus power increase. So do either drive to to the wobble naught fitter or find a retul fit system in your area.

Hope this helps
Jamie
 
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