Don't want the expense of a bike fit.

[Drago]

I'd be very cautious of random people on the internet giving advice (that includes me). This is doubly so when we don't know some basics about you and your bike.

Probably also to take pro bike fits with a pinch of salt.

Arter all, the major systems all contradict themselves in detail when it comes to their perceived understanding of biomechanics. They cant all be right.

And as aforementioned, and as I discovered after my fit many years ago, having a hyper efficient riding position is pointless if it's so uncomfortable you cant stay in it long enough to benefit from the performance advantage. In my case my knackered elbow and shoulder couldn't stand it for long so I reverted to my own settings and consequently regained some time on my routes because I wasn't chuffing uncomfortable and could actually get on with riding.

Even pro racers have their own skepticism of the issue, and tales abound of named famous riders cranking the seat post out another half inch, etc, when everyone's back is turned.

Nothing, but nothing, is more important than comfort, and you can find that yourself by experimenting. No bike fit can tell you in more than the most broad of terms what is likely to be comfortable.

 

[gavroche]

Have you just started riding that duration or is it new to you?

To be fair, most of my rides are about 2 hours. I occasionally ride longer.

 

[katiewlx]

But we aren't random people. We are strangers!

a stranger is just a friend you havent met

 

[katiewlx]

I followed quite a bit of Bike fit James advice in the pas, which sorted out alot of my aches and pains on the bike
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAyEzQdQV9I



but it is surprising sometimes how we do adopt or adapt to riding positions which are completely unsuitable to us really, and only notice it when it starts to hurt.

 

[Sharky]

My OH would have a fit, if she knew how much they cost.

 

[biggs682]

Been riding since my early teens and never had a bike fit

 

[spokeweasel]

Can always try this free bike fit app when you have exhausted all the resources / advice given above.

Has Elite / Pro versions as well.

 

[Sharky]

Been riding since my early teens and never had a bike fit

Me too, I've never had a bike fit. Only ever had one person give me any advice.

On an evening ride,in about 1968 and I was caught by the Kirby/Mercury chain gang, going at speed down the East Lancs Road. Full of top riders and one of them , Doug Dailey rode along side and told me, "your saddle's too low".

Managed to stay with them for a few miles, before I slipped off the back.

 

[MichaelW2]

See
https://www.peterwhitecycles.com/fitting.php

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Been riding since my early teens and never had a bike fit

May be your next one will fit

 

[biggs682]

Me too, I've never had a bike fit. Only ever had one person give me any advice.

On an evening ride,in about 1968 and I was caught by the Kirby/Mercury chain gang, going at speed down the East Lancs Road. Full of top riders and one of them , Doug Dailey rode along side and told me, "your saddle's too low".

Managed to stay with them for a few miles, before I slipped off the back.

That's strange as when I passed a complete stranger out on a ride a few weeks back I told him exactly the same .

The only person who ever told me about bike fit was my late father who always said that if you can't see the front axle in your normal position looking through the bars then something is wrong and that's what I always try first

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Managed to stay with them for a few miles, before I slipped off the back.

Of the saddle

 

[Webbo2]

That's strange as when I passed a complete stranger out on a ride a few weeks back I told him exactly the same .

The only person who ever told me about bike fit was my late father who always said that if you can't see the front axle in your normal position looking through the bars then something is wrong and that's what I always try first

I was always told you shouldn’t be able to see your front axle because your handle bars block the view.

 

[Happy_Days]

I think (from what I've seen) having a bike fit may well be a waste of money. I don't have first-hand experience (never having tried one)

I’ve firsthand experience at both ends of the bike fit spectrum – useless and priceless. Fitters vary enormously in their know-how, so finding a good one is vital. My first bike fit was an expensive disappointment.

Pain kept ruining cycling for me, so – eventually – I bit the financial bullet and tried another fitter. The result was that I could cycle pain-free for the first time in years, in a position I could sustain comfortably for hours, and put more power through my pedals.

In choosing a fitter, I recommend asking about their expertise. Those with significant experience working with professional riders are worth seeking out, even if it means paying a little more or travelling a lot further to see them. That includes CycleFit in London and Phil Burt in Manchester, although they are pretty pricey these days.

Phil Burt also offers a remote bike fit, but I have no clue what it's like in practice: https://www.philburtinnovation.co.uk/bike-fit/remote-bike-fit

 

[biggs682]

I was always told you shouldn’t be able to see your front axle because your handle bars block the view.

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