Fit question

Donald Specker said:

I'm a 6'2" long-femured, size 13 shoe, former basketball player who has

been

Quoted message said:

challenged getting my bike to feel right. The mechanics of pedaling just feel wrong. My bike is a
61 CM Fuji Team, and it has plenty of size as I can raise the seatpost to uncomfortably high
levels without exposing too much seatpost. I've been using cheap SPD pedals with good shoes and
recently noticed that my cleats could be moved back quite a bit from where they were positioned.
Would cleat position alone help me out, or would a bigger frame or different seat tube angle make
the mechanics better for

me?

Quoted message said:

I did test ride a 63 CM Cannondale, and it felt pretty natural. Perhaps

the

Quoted message said:

mechanics are different on a larger frame? However, I'd rather rule everything else out before
buying a new bike.

Cleats should be adjusted to get the ball of your foot over the pedal axis. Anything else is wrong.
Seat tube size is not the best indicator of fit. Also, be wary of comparing "frame sizes" between
different brands because they can be specified differently.

1) Long femur indicates you need a slack seat angle (or have the saddle well back) to get the knee
over pedal spindle.

2) Top tube length + stem length needs to be chosen to get a comfortable fit for YOUR style
of riding.

3) Ditto for handlebar height relative to saddle.

It's not clear what you don't like about your fit. Are you too cramped? Too bent over? Too upright?

If you feel like you're pedaling with your toes, rather than the ball of your foot, then your cleats
need adjusting.

Suggest you visit a LBS that knows how to do a fitting. Buying another bike without knowing what's
wrong with your current fit would be silly.

Art Harris

I feel cramped when riding. I'll move my cleats back to the limit, and see how that feels. If that
doesn't work, perhaps another pedal system would be the next variable to try, though I'm concerned
that some reportedly don't offer as much adjustment as SPD's.

Thanks.

"Arthur Harris" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Donald Specker said:

I'm a 6'2" long-femured, size 13 shoe, former basketball player who has

been

Quoted message said:

challenged getting my bike to feel right. The mechanics of pedaling

just

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

feel wrong. My bike is a 61 CM Fuji Team, and it has plenty of size as

I

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

can raise the seatpost to uncomfortably high levels without exposing too much seatpost. I've
been using cheap SPD pedals with good shoes and recently noticed that my cleats could be moved
back quite a bit from

where

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

they were positioned. Would cleat position alone help me out, or would

a

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

bigger frame or different seat tube angle make the mechanics better for

me?

Quoted message said:

I did test ride a 63 CM Cannondale, and it felt pretty natural. Perhaps

the

Quoted message said:

mechanics are different on a larger frame? However, I'd rather rule everything else out before
buying a new bike.

Cleats should be adjusted to get the ball of your foot over the pedal

axis.

Quoted message said:

Anything else is wrong. Seat tube size is not the best indicator of fit. Also, be wary of
comparing "frame sizes" between different brands because they can be specified differently.

1) Long femur indicates you need a slack seat angle (or have the saddle

well

Quoted message said:

back) to get the knee over pedal spindle.

2) Top tube length + stem length needs to be chosen to get a comfortable

fit

Quoted message said:

for YOUR style of riding.

3) Ditto for handlebar height relative to saddle.

It's not clear what you don't like about your fit. Are you too cramped?

Too

Quoted message said:

bent over? Too upright?

If you feel like you're pedaling with your toes, rather than the ball of your foot, then your
cleats need adjusting.

Suggest you visit a LBS that knows how to do a fitting. Buying another

bike

Quoted message said:

without knowing what's wrong with your current fit would be silly.

Art Harris

Donald Specker said:

I feel cramped when riding. I'll move my cleats back to the limit, and see how that feels. If that
doesn't work, perhaps another pedal system would be the next variable to try, though I'm concerned
that some reportedly don't offer as much adjustment as SPD's.

Before you buy anything, going to a good shop and getting fit is in order. When we say "fit" we
don't just mean straddling the bar, but getting set up on a moke-up bike that allows the fitter to
adjust all sorts of dimensions until you have the "right" position. Be sure to talk to the guy about
the kind of riding you want to do, because the proper fit depends on that as well. A time-trialer
will have one position, a road racer quite another, and a casual rider or tourist will have another
position entirely.

--

David L. Johnson

__o | Enron's slogan: Respect, Communication, Integrity, and _`\(,_ | Excellence. (_)/ (_) |

Quoted message said:

Donald Specker said:

I'm a 6'2" long-femured, size 13 shoe, former basketball player who has

been

Quoted message said:

challenged getting my bike to feel right.

-snip details of that-

Arthur Harris said:

Cleats should be adjusted to get the ball of your foot over the pedal axis. Anything else
is wrong.

I used to think that, but some riders of my acquaintance who are not crazy have had good results
with their foot slightly forward of that. I remain agnostic . Ball of foot on pedal is a great
place to start.

-snip good advice-

Quoted message said:

Suggest you visit a LBS that knows how to do a fitting. Buying another bike without knowing what's
wrong with your current fit would be silly.

very good advice
--
Andrew Muzi www.yellowjersey.org Open every day since 1 April, 1971

"David L. Johnson" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Donald Specker said:

I feel cramped when riding. I'll move my cleats back to the limit, and see how that feels. If
that doesn't work, perhaps another pedal system would be the next variable to try, though I'm
concerned that some reportedly don't offer as much adjustment as SPD's.

Before you buy anything, going to a good shop and getting fit is in order. When we say "fit" we
don't just mean straddling the bar, but getting set up on a moke-up bike that allows the fitter to
adjust all sorts of dimensions until you have the "right" position. Be sure to talk to the guy
about the kind of riding you want to do, because the proper fit depends on that as well. A
time-trialer will have one position, a road racer quite another, and a casual rider or tourist
will have another position entirely.

Dear David,

If I don't ask, I'll never find out, so is "moke-up" a typo or an alternative spelling for "mock-up"
or an entirely different term that will expand my vocabulary?

Hoping for the last,

Carl Fogel

donald-<< I'm a 6'2" long-femured, size 13 shoe, former basketball player who has been challenged
getting my bike to feel right. >><BR><BR>

The only way is to see a fit person who can look at you on your bike, measure things like cleat
position, seat height, fore/aft, etc...ALL framesets are different, even on the same 'size'.

Peter Chisholm Vecchio's Bicicletteria 1833 Pearl St. Boulder, CO, 80302
(303)440-3535 vecchios.comvecchios.comOpen ↗ "Ruote convenzionali costruite eccezionalmente bene"

"Donald Specker" wrote

Quoted message said:

I feel cramped when riding. I'll move my cleats back to the limit, and see how that feels. If that
doesn't work, perhaps another pedal system would be the next variable to try, though I'm concerned
that some reportedly don't offer as much adjustment as SPD's.

Adjusting the cleats is worth a try. It impossible to make specific suggestions without seeing you
on the bike. That's the advantage of visiting a bike shop. They will put your bike in a trainer and
observe you pedaling.

There are many other fit adjustments such as saddle (height, fore/aft, tilt), stem (length and
rise), handlebar (height, reach, tilt), crank length, and brake lever position.

A good fitter will quickly spot problems. You may need to slide the saddle back and/or swap the stem
for a longer one. If you're new to to road bikes, it may take a while to get acclimated, but you
shouldn't settle for a poor fit.

Did you buy this bike from a bike shop, and did they set you up on it initially?

Art Harris

A Muzi said:

Arthur Harris said:

Cleats should be adjusted to get the ball of your foot over the pedal axis. Anything else
is wrong.

I used to think that, but some riders of my acquaintance who are not crazy have had good results
with their foot slightly forward of that. I remain agnostic . Ball of foot on pedal is a great
place to start.

I'm with Andrew. FWIW, I've found that a very rearward position on the cleats (balls of my feet well
forward from the pedal spindle) works best for me.

Mark Hickey Habanero Cycles habcycles.comhabcycles.comOpen ↗ Home of the $695 ti frame

Carl Fogel said:

If I don't ask, I'll never find out, so is "moke-up" a typo or an alternative spelling for
"mock-up" or an entirely different term that will expand my vocabulary?

Oops. Typo.

--

David L. Johnson

__o | The trouble with the rat race is that even if you win you're _`\(,_ | still a rat. --Lilly
Tomlin (_)/ (_) |

"David L. Johnson" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Carl Fogel said:

If I don't ask, I'll never find out, so is "moke-up" a typo or an alternative spelling for
"mock-up" or an entirely different term that will expand my vocabulary?

Oops. Typo.

Dear David.

Dran--I mean, darn!

Thanks,

Calr Fogr;

Mark Hickey <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

A Muzi said:

Arthur Harris said:

Cleats should be adjusted to get the ball of your foot over the pedal axis. Anything else is
wrong.

I used to think that, but some riders of my acquaintance who are not crazy have had good results
with their foot slightly forward of that. I remain agnostic . Ball of foot on pedal is a great
place to start.

I'm with Andrew. FWIW, I've found that a very rearward position on the cleats (balls of my feet
well forward from the pedal spindle) works best for me.

Yes, as long as it doesn't hurt, the further back the spindle could well be the better for most
people. Less needless muscle activity and you get some of the the aerodynamic advantage of
atrophied calves.

I prefer the spindle a fraction in front of the ball of the foot so i can do some advanced ankling.
However this develops thunderous calves and that can make it hard work to achieve a wind speed of
more than about 11mph.

Andrew Bradley

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

I feel cramped when riding.

Changing your frame for one with a longer top tube might help. You could also try wider h-bars and a
longer stem.
--------------
Alex