OK rough self bike fit?

[beany_bot]

Recently set up a zwift bike. Always paranoid about things like this was just wondering if this looks a good rough fit? This is take about half way through a 60min ride around 150w average. Felt OK I guess. Sometimes my right knee hurts a little (not today). But then again it hurts running also so don't think it's a fit issue. Would appriciate the view of wiser cyclists than me.

Many thanks.

 

[Smokin Joe]

Personally I'd try the saddle a slight bit lower, but position on the bike can never be an exact science so it's a case of experimenting till you find what suits.

 

[hatler]

And I was going to suggest exactly the opposite. With the crank in line with the seat tube and your heel on the pedal your leg should be almost straight.

Your second photo has the crank in that position, and the leg is bent, but that is with the ball of your foot on the pedal.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

The answer is in how it rides over the durations you do. If it rides fine for those durations, then it’s fine. Bike fit is always iterative. You adjust something a little, see if it’s better or worse, then repeat.

 

[beany_bot]

Sounds like I'm not miles off then. I must look "about right". And yes, should adjust small based on feel from this point out. If you notice my right foot comes down with a very toe up angle. That might lead me to lower ther saddle just a fraction. Thanks.

 

[Twilkes]

And I was going to suggest exactly the opposite. With the crank in line with the seat tube and your heel on the pedal your leg should be almost straight.

Your second photo has the crank in that position, and the leg is bent, but that is with the ball of your foot on the pedal.

So I'm not sure how you can apply the heel 'rule' if you're not seeing a picture of him with a straight leg with his heel on a pedal. It's also not something a professional bike fitter would ever do, so I'm not sure why these things keep being rolled out as gospel, there are too many variables in body proportions and flexibility. Even the Lemond percentage of inseam method is very flawed, I think when it was tested it it was found that it worked for fewer than 50% of test subjects so it's pretty awful even for a rule of thumb! (this was referred to on one of Dylan Johnson's videos)

The most sensible method I've come across is from Steve Hogg's page, essentially start somewhere in the middle and keep raising it 3mm until you can feel you're reaching/have an unevenness in your pedalling, and then drop it 6mm. There's something in there about the knee accelerating at the bottom of the downstroke, which I thought I could detect a little bit in the video, but barely at all, so OP's saddle is probably either where he needs it or maybe dropped slightly as Smokin Joe suggested.

https://www.stevehoggbikefitting.com/bikefit/2011/02/seat-height-how-hard-can-it-be/

https://www.stevehoggbikefitting.com/bikefit/2011/05/addendum-to-seat-height-how-hard-can-it-be-2/

 

[derrick]

Looks to be about right, time for a ride, probably need a tweak here and there. Setting up on a static bike is just the start.

 

[Smokin Joe]

The heel on the pedal method is an ancient bit of advice that in my opinion always sets the saddle to high. If you look at still pictures or video clips of professional riders almost all of them are seated lower than that.

 

[bikingdad90]

Saddle height and for/aft looks in the ball park.
Do you ever get any wrist pain or pain around your lats? The video shows straight arms with no bend and rocking which would suggest your reach is too far but your hoods are too high because your resting the palm of your hands on the bar instead of the hoods.

 

[Sittingduck]

Doesn't look terrible, how does it feel? Maybe slightly more flex in arms be ideal but I think that's splitting hairs.

 

[beany_bot]

As for reach it feels OK. I've lowered the saddle about 3-4mm. Lets see how that goes. Appriciate all the input!

 

[cyberknight]

if you believe in KOPs then by that piccie shouldnt the saddle go a bit back as your plumb line from knee to spindle looks as if its to far forward as if its goign to the front edge of the pedal rather than the middle of the pedal, this would unweight the arms too

 

[cyberknight]

...

 

[Twilkes]

if you believe in KOPs then by that piccie shouldnt the saddle go a bit back as your plumb line from knee to spindle looks as if its to far forward as if its goign to the front edge of the pedal rather than the middle of the pedal, this would unweight the arms too

Kops is another myth that needs to be put to bed - to paraphrase a fairly coarse explanation I once heard, a busty woman with a big head needs her saddle set further back to offset the extra weight above her waist, compared to her stick-thin friend with the same sized legs. Fore/aft is about balance, which differs depending on whole-body proportions and muscle strength and flexibility, particularly in the core.

Edit - a closer to home example maybe, I'm 6ft5 with 34" inside leg, on another forum another poster had the same inside leg so likely a similar saddle height, but was 5ft9. My saddle would have to be further behind the crank spindle than his as I have far more upper body to cantilever when I'm riding.

 

[roadrash]

OOH you dont want to do that.... this is a myth, oh no thats trotted out too often etc , ....
To the op ,there is no set rule.....there iv'e said it........ its no good anyone telling you what to do , only you know how your body feels , you obviously have a good idea of whats what, so any alterations , a little at a time and may i suggest only altering one thing at once then you can tell the difference of that one thing only .it really does not matter if someone says ...."ooh thats wrong...... if it works for you then its right, end of, good luck and i hope you get there in the end.