Bianchi Pista: Stiff as fuck, how do I make it softer?

The title pretty much self-explantory, after selling the Peugeot fixie, I decided to upgrade and get a Bianchi Pista (first choice was the Charge Plug, but I can't seemed to find one in stock around London, evens Evans!), since I did not feel like building another one again,

I knew it gonna be quite stiff since the Pista is a proper track bike, but damn nothing prepared me how really stiff it is, since there's nothing I can do about the stiff frame, but does other compound such as wheels can able to make the ride less stiff? riding from Islington to Wimbledon on a newly built bike (even with plastic pedal) already gave me a very sore shoulder (thought breaking my previous record with just 43 minutes from Islington to Wimbledon on the Pista is a plus!).

and none of those saddle suspension shit please.

carbon bits might help - fork+seatpost

carbon bits might help - fork+seatpost

I would've thought steel would allowed a more forgiven ride? (obviously not those double butted heat treated kind).

maybe that is a problem to do with the top tube / stem length rather

maybe that is a problem to do with the top tube / stem length rather

hasn't thought of that, I got a spare short stem from an old MTB, I'll take it to the bike shop tomorrow since I don't have the allen key torque thingy to tighten the stem properly (or simply buy those torque allen key if I can afford one).

no one really cares about the torque.....juz don't over do it and u'll be fine

Hey Ed, I think that's spot on. Really take some time to position your stem, handlebars, post, and saddle. If you don't know how to fit your bike to you get some help.
Sore shoulder could be from obvious things like your bag or how you slept too.
Otherwise thinner rims tend to be less stiff I believe and can soften the ride quite a bit. Also don't under estimate vibration. Getting good bar tape/grips and/or gloves can stop your nerves and muscles in hands, arms, shoulders, and upper back from over working.

I'm 6'1 and the frame is 57, which I think is an idea height, The handlebar gonna get changed to either a riser or bullhorn (bullhorn's probably better for skid stop in confident) as currently it have those track dropbar which is fine, but not easy to use on road.

rat, the old MTB stem is too big, I'll try the handlebar first before getting a need stem, the tips of the stem, handle, post and saddle is great, and defintely save me some money in buying some carbon fibre seatpost, thanks for that, really.

I've never ridden a Bianchi Pista. I don't know how 'hard' or 'soft' the ride is.
You pays your money and you make the choice

Of course I'm aware of my choice, all I want is to simply make it a bit bearable that all, the option of adjusting stem and handlebar is a better one since I'm so used to the old Peugeot that's far too small for my height.

bullhorns can work - i switched to those for more reach options - brilliant.

Roxy's riht, it's probably as much to do with your position as the stiffness of the actual frame, try adjusting what you have (raising stem if poss, moving sadddle up/down, forwards/backwards,) before spending money.

specialized fatwrap also good.

Similar to what others have mentioned, try moving your saddle back 5-10mm, to take some weight of your hands, and possibly raise the stem 1 to 2 spacers (10-20mm).

And if it definitely feels harsh, let some air out of your tyres - they don't need to be rock hard.

Let some air out your tires ;)

There is an echo in here...

... echo in here...

... echo in here.

Awe, and there was me thinking I was a funny guy... I should take more time to peruse in future

It was just behind mine too... doh

someone (winston?) said a basic way of gauging saddle height is to sit on the saddle, and put your heel on the pedal. your leg should be fully extended when the crank is at the bottom of the stroke. This means that when your foot is on the pedal as it normally is while cycling, your knees remain bent and your hips aren't stressed. I tried this and found my saddle was a tiny bit too high, made a pleasant difference.

...On second thoughts this does not really explain shoulder pain!

I swapped out the track drops on my pista for risers fairly sharpish - they look nice but they're a bit uncomfortable for road use, especially after a longish ride. Bullhorns are a good idea. Oh, and if your MTB stem doesn't fit, it's probably a 1 1/8th inch stem (pista is 1inch threadless). You can easily get a shim to fit over the top of the steerer tube that will accomodate the wider stem.

Which shoulder are you getting pain in? What kind of backpack are you using? It may not be the bike at all! :)

Change the tyres - the Contis that come on it as standard are awful tyres.

I recently swapped saddles on my paddy wagon from the piece of crap WTB saddle. I stuck on a charge saddle and it yielded a somewhat more comfortable ride, although it feels a bit too wide atm. May try a narrow B17. This is a difficult subject though as saddle comfort is so subjective...

How about trying some 700c x 25's and letting some air out?

I had a similar problem with a really rigid road bike, improved things a bit by fitting a smaller diameter seatpost (with a shim). Don't pretend to completely understand the physics/engineering of this but apparently a smaller diameter tube transmits less vibration so provides a degree of damping, anyway it worked.

If you're going to buy a carbon seat-post anyway, consider buying a 25mm one with a shim instead of a 27.2mm one.

I'm going to try to get to CM tonight, if I manage to get home first and actually get there this time I'll bring a spare seat-post and shim I have and you're welcome to borrow them to try out if you like :)

someone (winston?) said a basic way of gauging saddle height is to sit on the saddle, and put your heel on the pedal. your leg should be fully extended when the crank is at the bottom of the stroke. This means that when your foot is on the pedal as it normally is while cycling, your knees remain bent and your hips aren't stressed.

I always thought it was heel on pedal, bottom of stroke, and leg is 'slightly' bent.