Bike fit / correct riding position

Better to see physio and address your body, and then get a bike for imo

I have a question. All else being equal, will bigger feet mean the saddle will need to be further forward, or further backward?

@Tonts; I have a similar issue after breaking left ankle many years ago. Right leg is bigger and stronger, right knee is creaky, and hamstring is tighter. I'd be interested in any info you may gather.

Cheers

Chas

PS, I've had a bike fit, it helped. Basically had to raise the bars to the point where my right knee could keep in a straight line at the top of the pedal stroke.

Your knees were striking the bars, so they raised the bars?

No; due to short hamstring and lack of flexibility, my right knee would push out sideways at the top of the stoke where thigh is closest to chest. Raising the bars meant shoulders higher so wider angle maintained between thigh and chest.

I was pedalling on a jig and the guy was shining a laser light down the centre of my knees so we could see when the motion was pure up and down rather than also going side to side.

My elbows poke out when I ride on the hoods. Wider bars needed?

Generally should be as wide as your shoulders.

If your posture is poor and you can't hold your elbows in then You need to work on your posture, shoulder alignment and proprioception.

Which bit of my shoulders though?

The pokey out bit.

More core might help too. You'll never have elbows out like EDS though ;)

Was hoping I'd just be told to buy stuff :(

Custom carbon handlebars, matched to your exact shoulder width. Go!

Isn't that quite an outdated approach?

I know, working on posture and awareness so you can hold a position is terribly outdated.

Sorry, should have been more specific. I meant:

Generally [bars] should be as wide as your shoulders.

Wading in with my size 12's here...

I had my saddle in a neutral position as far as the scale on the rails goes. Slammed it forward 15mm and immediately noticed a difference in power transfer through the pedals. I can now push on them - and my knee is above the pedal spindle at the 3 o'clock position. Previously it felt just like I was spinning the crank and a distinct lack of power and was a few cm behind the spindle. I think my Cannondale post has 2.5cm setback. Perhaps I could do with an inline? Should probably just pony up for a proper bike fit but have been messing around myself with fit for now.

On a quick googlesearch most manufacturers and shops tend to advise measuring the boney protuberance of the shoulders for bar width, (Arts Cyclery suggest adding 2cm to this).

As a general guide it seems to work. To resolve the elbows flaring it appears a modicum of self awareness and strength is required.

I've been feeling like i'm slightly over-reaching when on the hoods lately. Just quickly tried the competitivecyclist.com bike fit calculator thingie, and it turns out I've got my bike set up just right :-/
Considering i'm about a foot off being able to touch my toes, i guess this is just me being inflexible!
I've yet to get on my bike since swapping saddles and (i think) moving it forward a touch, so hopefully that will miraculously solve the situation and mean i -don't- have to start doing yoga after all.

static bike fit is pretty shit, as it completely fails to take into account your strength/flexibility

Or lack thereof!

Yeah, i was assuming it was very rudimentary. I wanted confirmation i was finally riding roughly the right size frame, which it looks like i am. I think i just need do the oft-recommended carrying allen keys around and tweaking things one by one.

I'd often thought my bikes were a tad long for me. The smaller sizes felt small in the leg, the larger sizes felt too long on the top tube.

I've been seriously considering getting a bike fit to work out if I needed to go custom, or pay more attention to geo charts, but then recently started stretching after every ride. I now feel like I could manage a longer stem for the first time, like, ever. I'm gonna hold off another year on the bike fit and see where this stretching lark gets me.

TLDR: I recommend a good post ride stretch for everyone.

I never used to bother stretching before or after excercise but I've noticed since my 30s came along its something I do need to do! Did a stupid, no stretches run in the cold up a cliff in Dorset a month or so ago and it totally nailed me. Couldn't bend down to pick up child (mine).

Just took bike for a spin and the 10-15mm of saddle movement has made a big difference.

I generally had the same feeling as you @Scrabble

Basically long limbs and a short torso. Always riding the shortest stem and with the seat as far forward as possible on larger bikes and way too cramped on smaller ones. Went on the Dave Yates frame building course a few years ago which means I now have a 'custom' frame which is 57cm ST and 54cm TT with a massive long head tube, makes a helluva difference. There's basically zero chance of finding that kind of geo of the peg but I'm sure a bit of bike-fit will help.

Yep, this is what I thought I needed, but the stretching has certainly started to get me somewhere nearer normal. The question I have now is, how close to "normal" can I get? It would make life a lot easier and cheaper if I could comfortably fit a 56cm sq frame with a 100mm plus stem.

I have 90mm stem on my size small Look 586. I sometimes knock my knees on the bars when giving it beans out the saddle during hill climbs. Should I get a 100mm or a 110mm to avoid the problem? It's the summer bike too so has to be good for 100km+ weekend rides. The fit has been good for two years with a 90mm.

I'm probably skinnier and more flexible than I've ever been.