Bike fitting

tankman10024 said:

I just got my first road bike, the guys at the shop tell me that i should get a fitting, to make sure that im properly positioned on the bike, and they can make the proper adjustments.

Now the fitting isnt cheap $80-150.

Any advice on this? has anyone done this? or is it just another way for the shop to get me to spend money

Thx
tankman

When you bought the bike, didn't they fit you for it then?

yeah but it was a simple quick fitting, not a full fitting, maybe there are different kinds of fittings

tankman

Bit of a con job if you ask me, especially if it's this special fitting is offered from the same LBS by the same sales guy.

Unless you are incapable of doing some measurements, then try out this online fitting calculator:

http://www.competitivecyclist.com/za/CCY?PAGE=FIT_CALCULATOR_INTRO

It's a good start. If you are finding major deviations or majorly uncomfortable, then consider getting a specialist fitter's service. I also think that for new riders, it's not a bad idea to do some riding first before talking to those specialist fitters. They may get you comfortable, but the more you know about your riding, the more you'll be able to discuss and get more out of them.

tankman10024 said:

yeah but it was a simple quick fitting, not a full fitting, maybe there are different kinds of fittings

tankman

Unless you start experiencing any soreness, I'd use the internet to find out the basics of bike fitting (eg. seat & bar height). If you really feel as though you're not producing as much power as you should be, or you have knee, back pain etc...then consider getting a proper fit done.[font=Helv]
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Walrus said:

When you bought the bike, didn't they fit you for it then?

Bikes should fit riders, not the other way round.

Any shop that sells a bike without ensuring it fits correctly is providing either exceptionally poor or a very cheap service.

If it's the same shop giving the advice that sold it to you, then I suggest you find a professional bike fit person instead as it sounds like the shop doesn't exactly have your interests at heart.

Having a correctly fitted bike is very important. Done well it will mean many years of trouble free cycling, instead of creating aches and pains after an hour or so in the saddle that prematurely dissuades you from riding regularly.

After a solid ride, you should feel fatigue from the effort but nothing should hurt, and no part of the musculature used in riding should ache or hurt more (or be fresher) than any other part.

tankman10024 said:

I just got my first road bike, the guys at the shop tell me that i should get a fitting, to make sure that im properly positioned on the bike, and they can make the proper adjustments.

Now the fitting isnt cheap $80-150.

Any advice on this? has anyone done this? or is it just another way for the shop to get me to spend money

Thx
tankman

It depends on how much you ride, for how long each ride, and how sensitive your body is to position. The longer and more frequent you plan on being on the bike the more a position related problem can cause harm. You can do most of the fitting yourself by researching here and on other sites. If you plan on doing regular longer distance endurance rides lasting for several hours or more, a fitting might be well worth it. Over time on longer endurance rides, a positional problem can lead to repetitive use injuries which can be very debilitating and take many months to correct and overcome.

I would expect a basic comprehensive fitting to run closer to the $80 range or even a little lower. For the sale, they should have put the bike on a trainer and had you pedal on it to determine seat height and fore aft position as well as reach to the bars. If they did this, then you should be good to go for some easy riding of up to an hour or so. Whenever the bike is adjusted or you are just starting out, you should take it slow and easy for a number of rides until you are sure the fitting is not causing pain. Also no matter how well the bike fits you, you will have some adjustment period to go through before your body is accustomed to riding a road bike. In other words there will be some pain at first no matter what, particularly your neck and but.

davidbod said:

In other words there will be some pain at first no matter what, particularly your neck and but.

There should NEVER EVER be neck pain. If there is then the bike fit is wrong for your current body.

The bike must be made to fit you, not the other way round. You can obviously work on improving flexibility which may mean the ability to ride in a different (more aero) position over time.

I may be a little extreme on this topic, but I think the only way to fit a bike today is with what I would call a "dynamic fitting" with a power meter. The critical issue to get right is the position of your hip joints relative to the crank and your torso relative to your hips. This determines your leg angle in the crucial part of the pedal stroke during which you are generating 90+% of your power (the downstroke) and the angle between your torso and thigh at the top of the stroke. Get those angles right and you're assured you can comfortably apply power to the cranks. Then, have the bike shop check the center of gravity. This will affect handling if too much of the weight is on the front or rear wheel. You can tweak the bars and stem height, but if you don't get the right angles for applying power then it's a non-starter.

So where should the CG be? I have read that the ideal weight distribution should be 40% front, 60% rear. Is that what you are talking about? A one dimensional weight distribution can be easily measured by a bathroom scale. Otherwise a true CG measurement in a 2 dimensional space would be a lot harder to measure without some fancy equipments.

sogood said:

So where should the CG be? I have read that the ideal weight distribution should be 40% front, 60% rear. Is that what you are talking about? A one dimensional weight distribution can be easily measured by a bathroom scale. Otherwise a true CG measurement in a 2 dimensional space would be a lot harder to measure without some fancy equipments.

Yes, I'm talking about simply measuring weight at each wheel in the riding position (obviously it tips the weight slightly more forward when you go into the drops). My weight distribution on my professionally fitted road bike (on the hoods) is ~58%R/42%F. It's not that there is a "right" or "wrong" CG. It's that CG will affect how the bike handles and is a fact one should have at hand in looking at fit on different frames. I would prefer the more centered CG with all other things being equal.

A proper fitting is dramatic. I paid ~$160 for my Wobblenaught fit I think. It would have been free had I bought the bike form the LBS that fit me, but I bought it at a very small shop that had the brand I wanted. I think that store (95% my fault) as well sold me a bike thats a size to large, but thats another issue).as someone else noted, the fit is both for comfort (and I am super comfortable and very aero as well) but equally about the hip angle, placment of sit bones, etc. to allow you to generate the most power on the bike.

To show how dramtic a chnage it was for me, I now find myself almost always on my sitbones and on the back of the saddle, whereas before I was always fidgeting around on the saddle pushing myself back. I tried to chnage all that myself and always made no improvements. The seats actually much further back and tilted down in front now-exact oppsite of what youd think!!

It has so dramatically changed what muscles I use that my first 5 or 6 rides were like starting over again!! Everytime the road took any sort of an uphill, it felt like I was using muscles I had never used before. Luckily and intentionally I did my fit when I only had 200 or 300 miles in after a long time off so I could easily make the adaptation.

Since the fit in August I have only made a small change (raised my saddle 2mm) because I keep mashing through the bottom of the stroke. The 2mm made a big difference and I also think my ave cadence is back up a few rpm as well.

Sorry-a bit long winded. My points being dont fit your self. Use the onlline fits to find a bike that will fit you, but if your serious about your cycling, do a fit. And this comes form a guy whod much rather spend the $160 on some more bike cloths, gadgets, but I am a believer now.

Ray

Alex Simmons said:

There should NEVER EVER be neck pain. If there is then the bike fit is wrong for your current body.

The bike must be made to fit you, not the other way round. You can obviously work on improving flexibility which may mean the ability to ride in a different (more aero) position over time.

Your on the right track here, but if you were to take a rider who has never been on a road bike and fitted them perfectly, then have them ride for an hour, they will be in pain. This isn't pain from a wrong position, this is pain from muscles supporting your body in a way that they do not usualy do on a regular basis. If you were to never have pain, then you would have to go through several bikes as you build up to being able to ride without this initial pain. The first bike would be some kind of hybrid with an extreme upright position, then onto another and another progressively flattening out your back and increasing your hip angle.

That is why no matter what you do, after any major positioning change or when just starting out you need to take it easy. When just starting out you need to build up your muscles to be able to withstand a general road bike position. After a major position change again you need to take it easy to make sure your not experiencing pain due to the position change.

Alex Simmons said:

There should NEVER EVER be neck pain.

A lot of new riders crunch their shoulders up around their ears. No fitting is going to correct this. The new rider also needs to learn how to relax.

tankman10024 said:

I just got my first road bike, the guys at the shop tell me that i should get a fitting, to make sure that im properly positioned on the bike, and they can make the proper adjustments.

Now the fitting isnt cheap $80-150.

Any advice on this? has anyone done this? or is it just another way for the shop to get me to spend money

Thx
tankman

As has already been suggested, ride the bike first. Read about fitment. Many of us have a few decades of riding under our lycra belts, without ever having been fitted by anything other than observation. That's not to say that we wouldn't benefit from a fitting service - it's just to say, if you don't know what's good and what's bad, you are unlikely to get the best out of the money you put down.
There is plenty of information out there to get you started. Ride and read.

What is being said is not as shocking as perhaps what is being left out. Am I to understand the bike shop did not do a bike fitting when you tested or at worst, bought the bike? The shop should at least get the fundamental points right, like the seat height, etc.

I had a basic fitting done when I purchased my bike and it served as a good starting point. After a few months of riding, training, and developing a riding style, I started to develop some discomfort.

So I had a more thorough fitting done, by someone who occasionally visits this forum no less. That, and some adjustments to my training, have led to substantial relief from discomfort I previously experienced.

My understanding is that most injuries related to cycling are of a repetitive nature, not acute. I opted to get refit to try and prevent that from happening, so far, so good.

I'd suggest you do the fitting.

Lucy_Aspenwind said:

... My understanding is that most injuries related to cycling are of a repetitive nature, not acute. ...

'cept those pesky broken collar bones, broken wrists, road rash.....🙂 Of course those often result from "repetitively" entering cat 5 crits....

Seriously I agree with the folks that advocate a professional fit, especially in response to recurring pain. But I also think the posters who advocate a basic general fit based on the original shop (the original poster did mention a basic fit) online resources or books like Lemond's or Phinney's or Burke's will reduce the likelihood of the most common injuries resulting from saddles much too high or low, excessive drop, poorly aligned cleats, etc. The original poster also mentioned being new to cycling which generally means it takes a while to figure out what you want from the sport. A recreational sport rider will look for a different fit than a touring cyclist or a serious racer. A time trialist or triathalete will fit differently than a road racer. As long as the basics are covered and you're not experiencing undue discomfort it pays to ride for a while before getting a custom and perhaps innappropriate fit.

-Dave

daveryanwyoming said:

'cept those pesky broken collar bones, broken wrists, road rash.....🙂 Of course those often result from "repetitively" entering cat 5 crits....
-Dave

Ha....funny but probably quite true! [img]cyclingforums.combiggrin.gifOpen ↗[/img]

Imagine what would happen if I take up track racing? [img]cyclingforums.comrolleyes.gifOpen ↗[/img]

About books - Andy Pruitt's "Complete Medical Guide for Cyclists" is a terrific resource for any rider.

Lucy_Aspenwind said:

...Imagine what would happen if I take up track racing? [img]cyclingforums.comrolleyes.gifOpen ↗[/img]...

Ahhh, not to worry, it's only cost me a broken wrist, a broken elbow (still have the pins and wires in that one) and a spot of road rash or two. Still a decade after my last race I'm still going in circles on the track from time to time, riding some pursuits and some flying 2's just 'cause it's a lot of fun. Mass start events can be kinda hectic in the lower categories, but even with those two or three memorable wrecks I raced a lot of years and stayed upright in countless races. If you limit yourself to kilos and pursuits it can be incredibly safe with no dogs, cars, slick descents or other cyclists to take you down.

I had a fitting done when I bought my bike and I trusted them to know what they were doing.

Trouble is, it was totally wrong only I was too much of a newbie to realize it. I injured my leg quite badly, and I think it still affects me to this day (sometimes).

I suggest you do some searches on the web for fittings and try them out yourself. If it doesn't feel right, take it to someone who knows what they are doing. I would only go to someone who has been recommended - I still think a lot of so called fitters are clueless.