Hincapie's Bike Fit

[RADaines]

http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/pro-bike-george-hincapies-bmc-racemaster-slx01

Cyclingnews has a profile of George Hincapie's BMC. I am curious what the experienced fitters out there think. Does this bike actually fit him? He is using a 140 mm stem, has 800 mm of seat post showing, and the saddle looks as if it is pushed all the way back. George is a fairly big guy (6'3" I believe), but doesn't this bike come in a larger size? It just doesn't look right to me.

Bob

[TMB]

It's ridiculous.

I love the text " at almost 6'3" he requires a size 57"

I am 5'10" and I ride a 59 CTT with a 110 mm stem.

My bike fits.



BTW, their quote of 800 mm of seatpost is clearly wrong. That would be 31 inches.

[RADaines]

BTW, their quote of 800 mm of seatpost is clearly wrong. That would be 31 inches.

Correct, I didn't catch that! 800 mm would really be bizarre.

[xjoex]

http://cdn.media.cyclingnews.com/2010/01/21/1/_dsc5894_600.jpg

He is racing professionally on it which might dictate a different fit. Plus he has been doing this long enough he probably knows what works for him.

I still think he wines to much :)

-Joe

[ergott]

Looks like a typical pro fit to me. The stem is on the headset (or close to it) and a 140mm stem for a 6'3" guy is common.

[OtayBW]

Interesting that he's using the Racemaster (SLX01) which is part Al and part C (I think the DT and possibly ST are aluminum). I guess that he want more stiffness. Phonak rode the all-carbon Team Machine (SLR01) a few years ago, which is their top of the line.

[oldpotatoe]

http://cdn.media.cyclingnews.com/2010/01/21/1/_dsc5894_600.jpg

He is racing professionally on it which might dictate a different fit. Plus he has been doing this long enough he probably knows what works for him.

I still think he wines to much :)

-Joe

Maybe he would ride better if he drank less wine............

Oh, he wHines..got it.

[Z3c]

http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/pro-bike-george-hincapies-bmc-racemaster-slx01

Cyclingnews has a profile of George Hincapie's BMC. I am curious what the experienced fitters out there think. Does this bike actually fit him? He is using a 140 mm stem, has 800 mm of seat post showing, and the saddle looks as if it is pushed all the way back. George is a fairly big guy (6'3" I believe), but doesn't this bike come in a larger size? It just doesn't look right to me.

Bob

One of my favorite topics. Clearly it fits him; by what logic could you say it doesn't? Probably the same relative proportions he has always been riding. He is not a typical recreational cyclist, most of whom would not be comfortable on a bike set up like this. This is a great example of why bike fit is personal and not something that can be determined with a few formulas..

Scott

[Dave]

Looks fine to me. I'm sure that he chose the 58cm because the head tube length on the 61cm is 30mm taller and the bars wouldn't go low enough. The reach on the 61cm is 15mm greater, so he'd still need a 125mm stem.

As for the saddle being pushed all the way back, that's due to the steep 73.5 degree STA and not much setback on the post.

[zap]

I don't think BMC makes a 57. Based on that tall ht, it's a 58.

Anyhow, looks good to me. Fit riders that like to go fast typically have that sort of drop and correct length stem.

Remember, George doesn't have a gut for his quads to pound into.

[cmg]

looks like a lot of drop between the saddle and bars.

[RPS]

Correct, I didn't catch that! 800 mm would really be bizarre.
"Saddle height, from BB (c-t): 800mm"

[RPS]

Looks fine to me. I'm sure that he chose the 58cm because the head tube length on the 61cm is 30mm taller and the bars wouldn't go low enough. The reach on the 61cm is 15mm greater, so he'd still need a 125mm stem.

As for the saddle being pushed all the way back, that's due to the steep 73.5 degree STA and not much setback on the post.
I can't follow all the numbers. On the side panel it shows TT at 57 CM, which is not the right size based on the chart I found. The seat tube length doesn't match either. :confused:

The saddle tip to bars dimension of 625 is interesting. Shows how big he is for a pro.

[Dave]

It's hard to say if cycling news has all of the correct dimensions. At least the 190mm head tube length matches a 58cm model. That HTL is just what I would expect for such a taller rider, wanting a large saddle to bar drop.

The listed saddle height is 7cm more than mine and his head tube length is 6.5cm taller. He's got as much or more headset and spacer as I do, but his stem it a -10 rather than a -17 (like I use) so his saddle to bar drop should be around 11cm, perhaps a bit less. I'm only 5'-6.5" tall and use 11cm of drop (at age 56).

The saddle to bar distance of 62.5cm seems in line too.

[ThomasRZ]

Looks pretty normal to me and actually a little less extreme in saddle-to-bar drop than I've seen lots of pros use.

[labratmatt]

What's the setback on the BMC posts? Doesn't look to be very much.

[Tobias]

In part it may look smaller due to an optical illusion. The back of the bike appears farther from the camera, the slightly sloping top tube exposes a lot of seat post, and the seatstays connected down on the seat tube gives it a low-slung squatty look. Combined these may be making the bike look smaller than it actually is.

[OtayBW]

What's the setback on the BMC posts? Doesn't look to be very much.
The stock post on that bike is a standard Easton EA70. (25mm)?

[tv_vt]

It's interesting to me that Hincapie, at 6'3", uses 175 cranks. Seems like he could easily use 177.5s or longer. Cancellara is also 6-3 and uses 175s. Boonen is the only tall guy I know of who uses 177.5 cranks.

T

[palincss]

I still think he wines to much :)


You mean, he's a boozer? Or did you mean "whines"?

[totally_fixxate]

The stock post on that bike is a standard Easton EA70. (25mm)?

http://www.bikerumor.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/bmc-team-machine-interbike09-01.jpg

[OtayBW]

http://www.bikerumor.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/bmc-team-machine-interbike09-01.jpg
You're not much for words, I see. The EA70 was specced on several of the BMC '09 models. The EC70 is currently specced on the '10 Promachine (SLC01) and a BMC SP is specced on the Racemaster and TeamMachine.

[labratmatt]

You're not much for words, I see. The EA70 was specced on several of the BMC '09 models. The EC70 is currently specced on the '10 Promachine (SLC01) and a BMC SP is specced on the Racemaster and TeamMachine.

Yup, not an EA70. That BMC post doesn't look like it has a lot of setback. Maybe 20mm?

[pavemnt]

He's ridden what, 400,000 miles or so? And it's how he makes his living. Seems like he should be given the benefit of the doubt.

(And not that it matters, but I'm 6'2", ride a 57 or 58 with a 130 stem, and a 82cm bb-to-saddle height. My friend has very little lower back flexibility, and has to run his bars at about saddle level. Seems to me that it's all relative to the rider's physiology, and what they're trying to accomplish.)

[Marcusaurelius]

It looks like a typical pro bike to me. The one thing that I have trouble with are the tall (long) head tube's on a lot of new bikes. It makes it more than a little difficult to get the bars low enough to be comfortable.

[learlove]

I would think George knows how to set up his bike. He hasd been racing them since he was a kid and has been a pro for 16 years now. I'm willing to bet he has more lifetime miles than everyone on this board combined.

[Ti Designs]

We may have stumbled onto something here. I'll call it a remote fitting by jury. We can offer it to any long time pro that doesn't pay the so called protection money...

[duke]

I am betting George has his bike set up just the way he wants it. He probably has a fairly good idea what works for him, also.
duke

[benb]

I'm guessing I could hop on his bike and ride it and be pretty comfy. It is not that far off my fit, though I have a larger frame and less seat tube & stem. I'm about an inch shorter then he is and 2-3lbs heavier at the moment. But he must have the extra inch in his upper body, I actually have my seat a few mm higher. A difference in pedals might account for that though.

Taller people have longer arms, so the drop isn't as severe as it looks. When I got my Serotta they raised the bars compared to my previous fit as part of the mantra.. the bike was never right till I got a second opinion that dropped the bars a significant amount, and now it's much better.

I might think his bike would ride weird with the seat slammed back so much, but the huge drop takes care of that by shifting the riders body weight forward.

[false_Aest]

Can we lock this thread?

I'm going across the hall now.

[Tobias]

I am betting George has his bike set up just the way he wants it. He probably has a fairly good idea what works for him, also.
duke
I'm not a pro and you can say the same thing about me.

[Z3c]

[QUOTE=false_Aest]Can we lock this thread?


Amen!

[Moontrane]

It's interesting to me that Hincapie, at 6'3", uses 175 cranks. Seems like he could easily use 177.5s or longer. Cancellara is also 6-3 and uses 175s. Boonen is the only tall guy I know of who uses 177.5 cranks.

T

That made me look up his height. Cancellara's website lists him at 6’1”, and his favorite drink the Miguel Indurain.

[soulspinner]

This bike looks like a race bike 2 me . Contador runs 9.5cm of drop, less than I did when I raced(ok it was a couple decades ago) and so each body is different but surely George knows what all his position numbers are to the half millimeter.

[fogrider]

pros like their frames as small as possible and use long stems and seatpost. that seat on the post does not look too far back at all. I would say that we all need to lower our handlebars and raise our seats...we might go faster!

[jscottyk]

OK, THREE pages of Hincapie and fit on his latest bike. Lot's of words and only one reference to a picture of GH's bike. NO reference to pictures of him riding it (http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/santos-tour-down-under-upt/stage-1/photos/101341) it.

[fiamme red]

OK, THREE pages of Hincapie and fit on his latest bike. Lot's of words and only one reference to a picture of GH's bike. NO reference to pictures of him riding it (http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/santos-tour-down-under-upt/stage-1/photos/101341) it.As usual, his Oakleys are ugly.

[rugbysecondrow]

I think he missed a spot shaving.

[fiamme red]

Those varicose veins are hard to look at.