Don't want the expense of a bike fit.

[mickle]

If you a can provide 1x picture of your bike - on level ground, side on, from far away but zoomed in.
And then with you on it - clipped in and 1x in the drops, 1x you in the hoods and 1x on the tops. 1 of image with your pedals at the top of the stroke and one with the camera-side pedal at the top of the stroke. Lean up against a wall or something. Or a turbo trainer if you can get it properly level.
I/we might be able to make a suggestion.

 

[katiewlx]

That's exactly what I was told just couldn't word it that simply

albeit it doesnt always work, my road bike in theory is setup like that, but its definitely a size too large for me on reach, I guess my arms just arent as long as my head sits atop on my body, yes I could try a shorter stem, but it would be easier to have the smaller frame, and then fit to match that..

but like I remember watching a GCN bike fit video with Manon, where she said your leg should be locked out at the bottom of the pedal stroke, and thats how you set your saddle height, if your knee is slightly bent you need to push he saddle higher...

yeah didnt follow that advice at all for sure. infact theyve just done a recent video about how theres so much contradictory advice, but I get the whole why need a bike fit thing, after all lots of pro cyclists actually dont get one as crazy as that seems, and so it comes back to the whole comfort thing, if cycling is causing you pain and youve tried moving your saddle around and it doesnt fix it, then maybe you do need a bit of proper analysis and a second opinion to sort it out, and almost certainly the problem will be actually youre on the wrong size frame and your body just cant adapt to fit it comfortably.

 

[Milzy]

I once had a pro bike fit and he put up my seat and set my cleats. £120 down the swanny.
The next time I shot a side video and showed it on a cycle forum and gathered all the bits of information from the knowledgable members. Didn’t cost me a penny.

 

[wafter]

albeit it doesnt always work, my road bike in theory is setup like that, but its definitely a size too large for me on reach, I guess my arms just arent as long as my head sits atop on my body, yes I could try a shorter stem, but it would be easier to have the smaller frame, and then fit to match that..

but like I remember watching a GCN bike fit video with Manon, where she said your leg should be locked out at the bottom of the pedal stroke, and thats how you set your saddle height, if your knee is slightly bent you need to push he saddle higher...

yeah didnt follow that advice at all for sure. infact theyve just done a recent video about how theres so much contradictory advice, but I get the whole why need a bike fit thing, after all lots of pro cyclists actually dont get one as crazy as that seems, and so it comes back to the whole comfort thing, if cycling is causing you pain and youve tried moving your saddle around and it doesnt fix it, then maybe you do need a bit of proper analysis and a second opinion to sort it out, and almost certainly the problem will be actually youre on the wrong size frame and your body just cant adapt to fit it comfortably.

Of course you can only change so much on a bike in the name of fit and can only go so far in accommodating a sub-optimal frame size; so yes - best to start with an appropriate frame!

Initial frame size selection is probably a good example of where the old, tried-and-tested adages (knee-over-pedal-spindle, putting the front axle behind the bar, being able to lift your hands off the bars whilst seated) have value as ways to gauge approximate fit before committing, with the knowledge that you have room for tweaking to get it perfect.

I think you may be misinterpreting the GCN video with fit - the general convention is leg slightly bent at the bottom of the pedal stroke under normal conditions, or leg "locked out" at the bottom of the stroke with the heel on the pedal.

Personally I've had good results with the latter and prefer it as "locked out" / fully straight is easier to define and less subjective than "slightly bent" especially in the absence of the ability to view your own stance from the side to assess this.

 

[Drago]

I once had a pro bike fit and he put up my seat and set my cleats. £120 down the swanny.

The omly good thing about my bike fit is that I didnt pay for it!

 

[PaulSB]

albeit it doesnt always work, my road bike in theory is setup like that, but its definitely a size too large for me on reach, I guess my arms just arent as long as my head sits atop on my body, yes I could try a shorter stem, but it would be easier to have the smaller frame, and then fit to match that..

but like I remember watching a GCN bike fit video with Manon, where she said your leg should be locked out at the bottom of the pedal stroke, and thats how you set your saddle height, if your knee is slightly bent you need to push he saddle higher...

yeah didnt follow that advice at all for sure. infact theyve just done a recent video about how theres so much contradictory advice, but I get the whole why need a bike fit thing, after all lots of pro cyclists actually dont get one as crazy as that seems, and so it comes back to the whole comfort thing, if cycling is causing you pain and youve tried moving your saddle around and it doesnt fix it, then maybe you do need a bit of proper analysis and a second opinion to sort it out, and almost certainly the problem will be actually youre on the wrong size frame and your body just cant adapt to fit it comfortably.

I know one guy who rides a size too small, the consequence is a dreadful riding style. He bounces to the extent the seat post flexes with each pedal stroke and he broke a post earlier this year. So while it's true people do buy the wrong size bike, a problem solved by having a fit before purchase, there are several other considerations before concluding after "moving the saddle around" that a bike is the wrong size.

Bar width, stem length, shifter position, bar height, cleat position, foot position, saddle height, saddle position and sitting position all have an influence.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

The next time I shot a side video and showed it on a cycle forum and gathered all the bits of information from the knowledgable members. Didn’t cost me a penny.

How @Milzy looks now