# CAAD 10-3 upgrades with budget



## lutzms (Aug 1, 2011)

I'm looking to have members chime in with what they think would be the best upgrades for my CAAD 10-3 Ultegra with about a 300 - 400 dollar budget. The areas I'm looking at are handlebars, stem, tires, cables (or if members think something else would be beneficial). 

When I bought my bike in August, the LBS did a fitting for me, and dialed it in to what they said would be ideal (I'm not very knowledgeable when it comes to fitting, I took their word on what they recommended). I love the frame, but the amount of shoulder, neck and arm pain I'm feeling after riding is crazy. The shop said my form looks good, but after about 20 miles on the bike I can barely move my neck and shoulders. When riding, my shoulders and arms feel cramped when I'm riding in the hoods. When riding in the drops it feels like I'm putting an extreme amount of pressure on my wrists, which are in turn absorbing all the impact from the road. 

The bike is stock except for the seat post and calipers (added a Thomson Elite post and Ultegra calipers). I'm not really sure what to look at as far as a stems and bars go -- any specific recommendations/sizes to look at would be great. I'm pretty sure I'm going to go with Yokozuna cables, as the stock cables have failed me too many times. I'm also looking at a set of Vittoria Rubino Pro 3 tires -- they seem to be a great value for my money. Saving some weight would be nice, but I'm mostly concerned about how uncomfortable I am during and after my rides. With this budget I figure I'm just as better off getting nice aluminum bars/stem as opposed to an entry level carbon setup, but again, I'd like to hear some opinions. Here are a few specs:

Frame size 63
My height: 6' 8"
Inseam: 38"
Shoulder Width: 44cm
Reach (measured from my armpit to fingers): 87cm
Weight: 215lbs


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## milkbaby (Aug 14, 2009)

Are you pretty new to cycling? If the LBS didn't realize that, they may have put you into a racer style fit that is getting your upper body low and narrow so you are more aerodynamic. However, that doesn't necessarily correspond to being comfortable if you are not the body type and don't have the cycling experience to be able to ride in that particular position. I'm not an expert, but I do see plenty of people in group rides that ride in all types of set ups and are comfortable for 50 to 100 mile rides.

Since you are putting a lot of pressure on your hands and your neck and arms hurt, maybe you are set up to put too much weight on your front end and hands? Then if you are craning your head up to see, then your neck could get sore too. The handlebars could be too low and/or too far out front, putting you in a low and/or arm stretched-out position, both which could put more pressure on your hands. Ideally you should be able to be balanced in a good fit position; what I've read is that you should be able to just lightly raise your hands off the bars at the hoods and still be balanced.

If your stem has an angle to it (not a 0 degree stem), and you are running it in the negative position, you can flip it to the positive rise position to bring your handlebars up a little and closer to you. If you mess with the stem, you'll have to make sure to have your headset set up properly again, scroll down to "Headset adjustment, threadless type" at this link: Park Tool Co. » ParkTool Blog » Threadless Headset Service

Or alternatively, go back to the LBS and explain your problems and get them to help you again with fitting. They should be able to think of some ideas and do the work on your bike if you are not mechnically inclined. Either way, you should be able to find a way to ride 20 miles without pain. Good luck!


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## oldandtired (Aug 2, 2011)

You should check your saddle position. If your saddle is too far forward it'll put more weight on your arms. And make sure it's not tilted forward. You'll be constantly pushing to keep yourself from sliding forward.


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## cyclusaddictus (Dec 8, 2011)

I bet your bike shop never had to fit someone your size before. There's no way you got a proper fit. I'd look for a shop that can do a professional fitting for you. That would include analyzing your body measurements, doing flexibility and range of motion testing, using motion analysis, a size-cycle, and so on. Take a look at this video, it tells the story. Watch a video on what a professional bike fitting is and how to find the best products for you! - YouTube


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