Bike Fit

[Kajjal]

If you have long standing injuries a professional bike can be very helpful as they can account for any problems or restrictions you may have.

Most people if they are patient and read up a bit can do a perfectly acceptable bike fit themselves and the experience of doing it is very useful as you then know what to adjust and what to look for.

 

[vickster]

If you have long standing injuries a professional bike can be very helpful as they can account for any problems or restrictions you may have.

Most people if they are patient and read up a bit can do a perfectly acceptable bike fit themselves and the experience of doing it is very useful as you then know what to adjust and what to look for.

The professional does need to understand the nature and implications of those injuries. Hence, IMO a fit done by a qualified practising Physio is advised, as opposed to a fitter who has done a Retul/Specialized etc course on how to use the branded hardware and software
Plenty such physios out there now with the popularity of cycling

 

[Slick]

I was just about to book a bike fit. This thread has just about made me change my mind. The thing is I don't have any discomfort. My cycling is commuting, leisure rides and sportives. I was hoping that a professional bike fit could advise on the optimum position, plus if I were to upgrade my bike in the near future, I didn't want a bike fitter to then say that I should ideally have a different size frame to my new bike. I would rather they said that with reference to my existing starter bike.

Don't be put off by anything you read here. I paid for a fit, admittedly it was the full price I paid, but the difference the guy made was immeasurable to me. I probably could have got some of the same tips if I posted a picture on here, but there is lots of fine adjustments to be made to lots of different items including the position of your cleats in your shoes. I can also phone the guy when it's time to buy a new bike, to get advice on what models would suit me.

 

[dim]

my advice is as follows (based on my on experience)

it's very difficult to determine if the bike fit is wrong, or if your body/muscles are not used to cycling .... when I started, I set up the bike according to the eddy bike fit calculator .... after 5km of cycling, I felt very uncomfortable/sore and the saddle caused lots of problems

persistance paid off and as I increased the distances and miles that I cycled, I started getting fitter, stronger and the saddle was fine

I'm now ready for audax rides but it's taken more than a year. So check out this calculator before you spend big money on a bike fit:
http://www.competitivecyclist.com/Store/catalog/fitCalculatorBike.jsp#type

I'd still love to get a Guru fit though

 

[JD42]

my advice is as follows (based on my on experience)

it's very difficult to determine if the bike fit is wrong, or if your body/muscles are not used to cycling .... when I started, I set up the bike according to the eddy bike fit calculator .... after 5km of cycling, I felt very uncomfortable/sore and the saddle caused lots of problems

persistance paid off and as I increased the distances and miles that I cycled, I started getting fitter, stronger and the saddle was fine

I'm now ready for audax rides but it's taken more than a year. So check out this calculator before you spend big money on a bike fit:
http://www.competitivecyclist.com/Store/catalog/fitCalculatorBike.jsp#type

I'd still love to get a Guru fit though

I am going in tomorrow ( sounds like a dentist appointment )

Really appreciate the alternative options posted by you all. It obviously works for some but not others. Will keep you updated as to the outcome and maybe that will help others thinking of doing the same thing.
Cheers

 

[dim]

I am going in tomorrow ( sounds like a dentist appointment )

Really appreciate the alternative options posted by you all. It obviously works for some but not others. Will keep you updated as to the outcome and maybe that will help others thinking of doing the same thing.
Cheers

good luck and I hope it works out well. I've read several posts on other forums where guys have had a proper bike fit (including cleats etc), and they speak very positively and say that the money was well spent

do me a favour .... once that they have set up your bike, compare the measurements to the Eddy bike fit:
http://www.competitivecyclist.com/Store/catalog/fitCalculatorBike.jsp#type

and post the results on this thread (I rate the Eddy bike fit highly, and have helped set up several bikes for mates of mine (people who had recently bought bikes and had not been on a bike since school days) .... it would be interesting to see how it compares

 

[JD42]

good luck and I hope it works out well. I've read several posts on other forums where guys have had a proper bike fit (including cleats etc), and they speak very positively and say that the money was well spent

do me a favour .... once that they have set up your bike, compare the measurements to the Eddy bike fit:
http://www.competitivecyclist.com/Store/catalog/fitCalculatorBike.jsp#type

and post the results on this thread (I rate the Eddy bike fit highly, and have helped set up several bikes for mates of mine (people who had recently bought bikes and had not been on a bike since school days) .... it would be interesting to see how it compares

Will do.

 

[dim]

Will do.

 

[smutchin]

it would be interesting to see how it compares

How it compares will surely depend on what kind of fit the OP goes for. I wouldn't be surprised if they gave him something more in line with what is described on that site as the 'French' fit, rather than the 'Eddy'.

You're missing the key point they make on the site, which is that there is no single right answer to bike fitting. You can't reduce it to a single formula that is guaranteed to work for everyone.

 

[dim]

How it compares will surely depend on what kind of fit the OP goes for. I wouldn't be surprised if they gave him something more in line with what is described on that site as the 'French' fit, rather than the 'Eddy'.

You're missing the key point they make on the site, which is that there is no single right answer to bike fitting. You can't reduce it to a single formula that is guaranteed to work for everyone.

I know whats the key point, but a proper bike fit will get the bike very close to the optimum fit .... thats what many people have said who have had a professional bike fit and they say that the money was very well spent

I doubt that they would set the bike up to a French fit .... they will use the Eddy fit as its the most comfortable. Thats why many of the people who do offer proper bike fitting, offer a 2nd consultation at a cheaper price to fine tune the bike. Thats where they try a more aggressive fit

 

[smutchin]

I know whats the key point, but a proper bike fit will get the bike very close to the optimum fit

But how will the fitter know what is the optimum fit for the rider? It certainly won't be by entering numbers into a form on a website.

thats what many people have said who have had a professional bike fit and they say that the money was very well spent

Yes, I've had a professional bike fit and found it very beneficial, as mentioned upthread.

 

[Globalti]

I doubt that they would set the bike up to a French fit .... they will use the Eddy fit as its the most comfortable.

I'm intrigued - what's a "French fit" and an "Eddy fit"?

 

[Lozz360]

I'm intrigued - what's a "French fit" and an "Eddy fit"?

I've copied and pasted the following from another forum. Seems to explain it well.

"I'm just curious how other cyclists approach bicycle fit. competitivecyclist.com discusses three main schools of thought for bicycle fit: (1) competitive fit (2) eddy fit and (3) french fit.

To summarize briefly, the competitive fit puts the rider on the smallest possible bike and values aerodynamics over comfort. Saddle to bar drop can be as high as 10cm. At the opposite end of the spectrum is the french fit which puts the rider on the largest possible bike and values comfort over aerodynamics. Here, saddle to bar drop is usually less than 2-3cm. I think the eddy fit is a compromise between the two, but maybe I'm mistaken. From what little research I've managed to do, it seems as though LeMond and Hampsten both favor the eddy/french style, while the "majors" like Cannondale and Trek go the competitive route.

I'm young, flexible, and in decent shape--yet I still think the competitive fit might be too extreme for anything other than racing. I get the feeling that a more relaxed fit (lower, longer, and more stable) would actually benefit most riders. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be very popular these days. In fact, if you go to a bike shop and mention comfort and racing in the same sentence, you'll likely be directed to the Specialized Roubaix or Trek Pilot--bikes for "old" people. So what do you guys/ladies think? I'm curious to hear what other cyclists out there are doing (i.e. age, riding style, distances, etc.) and what you've learned over the years."

 

[S-Express]

I've copied and pasted the following from another forum. Seems to explain it well.

"I'm just curious how other cyclists approach bicycle fit. competitivecyclist.com discusses three main schools of thought for bicycle fit: (1) competitive fit (2) eddy fit and (3) french fit.

To summarize briefly, the competitive fit puts the rider on the smallest possible bike and values aerodynamics over comfort. Saddle to bar drop can be as high as 10cm. At the opposite end of the spectrum is the french fit which puts the rider on the largest possible bike and values comfort over aerodynamics. Here, saddle to bar drop is usually less than 2-3cm. I think the eddy fit is a compromise between the two, but maybe I'm mistaken. From what little research I've managed to do, it seems as though LeMond and Hampsten both favor the eddy/french style, while the "majors" like Cannondale and Trek go the competitive route.

I'm young, flexible, and in decent shape--yet I still think the competitive fit might be too extreme for anything other than racing. I get the feeling that a more relaxed fit (lower, longer, and more stable) would actually benefit most riders. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be very popular these days. In fact, if you go to a bike shop and mention comfort and racing in the same sentence, you'll likely be directed to the Specialized Roubaix or Trek Pilot--bikes for "old" people. So what do you guys/ladies think? I'm curious to hear what other cyclists out there are doing (i.e. age, riding style, distances, etc.) and what you've learned over the years."

Never read such a complete load of bollox, sorry.

 

[Globalti]

Sounds like somebody on a web forum invented that, like this "Mickle method".

All I can say is that when I bought my current Roubaix from Specialized in Harrogate the bloke asked me to touch my toes, which I did, with ease, then asked my age, which was 58 at that time. When I collected the bike I was horrified to see that they had set it up with the stem pointing upwards like a flippin' shoppiing bike. I said nothing, took it home and flipped the stem and reversed the shim to get it flat as required by an ageing hooligan.