Bike fit / correct riding position

Wowsers, two sizes too small?

So RE bike fit: Westie got a Selle SMP pro and slightly lowered the saddle. No more left hip irritation. I guess the right saddle (there is a saddles thread) may be a more subtle bikefit issue than "my parts of pleasure aren't sore".

So if you did your basic bikefit and are still sore the saddle is worth looking at, as some people online have noted that they can get sore hamstrings on the wrong saddle shape (too flat) and my hip is a bit so-so.

So he mentions (in that video above) it would be different for MTB, is there a similar MtB bike for video or can someone sum up the differences?

My mtb is perfect for me, but I want to illiminate the chance the a friend of mine's bad back is caused by his mountain bike?

Anyone seen this:

http://www.bikepro.com.au/diy-bike-fitting

I find my positioning all over the place, toe down in flat riding, heel down on hills, moving all over the seat.

Just been for a fit at Mosquito bikes. It was really good, unfortunately I found out my fixed bike is really too small for me

Caz, how are you finding your new bikes after the jump up in size? I had a quick fit at Mosquito this weekend and they've recommended a setup much longer than I've been riding so far.

I'm not sure I'm convinced...

Is it a case of just a longer stem? That's easily enough sorted?

I found there's a "magic reach number" in my case...something bike fitting sites can't give as they don't take headtubes into account. Whatever bike I am comfortable on it seems to be 57 cm from the tip of the saddle to the handlebar position.

Which on the 9 cm HT Gazelle Track is saddle setback just 4 cm, low position, 53 cc T and 8 cm stem on short reach Deda and on the Thorn XTC is a 5 cm setback, 55.5 cm TT, 6 cm stem, parallel bars with saddle, and medium reach 3ttt morpheus.

Now if only that magic number was easy to find just looking at a bike...reach/stack perhaps...

Caz, how are you finding your new bikes after the jump up in size? I had a quick fit at Mosquito this weekend and they've recommended a setup much longer than I've been riding so far.

I'm not sure I'm convinced...

I find it much more comfortable, less back pain and I feel less bunched-up when I'm riding. Just swapped from an 80 to 100 stem on my fixed bike in line with my fit (54 square frame as opposed to old 52), it feels loads better and much less cramped.

In other news.. if your other bikes are now too small they are just my size haha!

I found there's a "magic reach number" in my case

492mm for me .. thanks for asking

Also @Dom one of the first revelations at/after bike fit are how close I was to the handlebars and how it made things worse. On a same frame I went from inline and 90mm stem to 25mm layback and 120mm stem which resulted in more comfort. Reach is secondary though; first thing needs to be sorted is your leg/hip position to pedals.

That's good to hear, thanks man. I'll go with their recommendations. :)

I've been riding 54cm square with an 80-90mm stem across all my setups over the past couple of years (regardless of bar setup - drops, bullhorns, drops, hoods, etc). After the fit I've been recommended a frame with a 56.5cm ETT, a 100mm stem and a 10mm layback post.

I'm looking forward to getting it built up and seeing how much of a difference it makes.

Thanks for the feedback, Caz!

In other news.. if your other bikes are now too small they are just my size haha!

Unfortunately for you all my other bikes have recently been sold. :)

(With the exception of the Brooklyn which I'll keep foreva)

Good news for my wallet and my tiny flat!

Anybody have a bike fit at Cadence? £150 seems pretty reasonable.

http://www.cadenceperformance.com/retul-bike-fitting/

and don't just yell Scherrit, at me.

Retul fitting is a number crunching system. Ask the fitter how long they have done fittings and how many people they have worked with.

wow you must have really long arms! Also if its a 27.2 that you are after I have a Thomson layback I might get ride which has 16mm layback ..

In other news @scherrit in this month's Cyclist mag talking similar stuff as DJ about Retul:

1 Attachment

and don't just yell Scherrit, at me.

I've had a Retul fit - I didn't get it done at Cadence but it's the same system everywhere from what I understand. It was ok. You get to wear space age dots and look at your own stick man image riding an imaginary bike. It generates lots of impressive-looking numbers and graphs and angles, but I did still need to make changes later as it just wasn't quite right.

I've also used an Actual Human Bike Fitter (Denver Collins) which to be honest was much better than the Retul fit I had. He currently works at De Ver Cycles in Streatham and charges £195, which is more than Cadence but in the sameish area, and if I were to do it all over again, he's the man I'd go to see.

Is Scherrit a hobbit?

My 2 cents (I've just come back from the US- shoot me) is that we humans are a dynamic system - flexibility, fitness, age, attitude will all make a difference to how you sit on the bike.

I'm still experimenting with fit, specifically with where I need in terms of hip/pedal in order to be balanced on the bike.

Cheers DJ, bothwell. Ill look into Actual Human Bike Fitter.

My 2 cents (I've just come back from the US- shoot me) is that we humans are a dynamic system.

Bingo.

Yes, a very tall one.

He guy who did my Retul fit at cadence was actually quite good. He spent most of the time fitting me as an AHBF then used Retul to get the figures for my new bike.

I dont get @andyp 's jokes .. is it just me?

What's the most recognisable feature of a hobbit?

Is it their disproportionately enormous bikes?

Totally agree. I need enough setback or my lower back start to complain. You can't really sit down on full weight if setback isn't right and you hands will end up compensating, or in my case lower back.

I find it interesting how frame geometry can lead to the same reach with totally different positions.

The reach is the same on the slack angled tourer I have with saddle/bars parallel and the gazelle track with bars nearly 3 inches below the saddle, perhaps there's a "how low can go you go" rule with steeper seat tubes, as I don't see this work on the tourer.

So we have 57 (I think it's 54 actually) for 1.65m and 492 for... xxxm. Probably there's some tables for that sort of thing too, though they're not that meaningful if you deviate from the average ;)

I've just taken 0.5 degrees off the seat tube angle of my Path Racer in order to move my saddle position backward, for exactly the reasons you describe.