Bike fit / correct riding position

If you back you should really go down and shorten reach (as mentioned above). Unless the fitter is suggesting otherwise.

Shifting weight back can have a big difference to how you balance. I think my fit has rotated forward incrementally between setting up bikes. When I started a re-fit from scratch I lowered and backward-adjusted my saddle, raised stack and shortened reach my bike handling was easier (riding and steering no-hands went from feeling tricky to natural) any the hand-numbness disappeared on all but 5hr+ rides.

Asian sitbones.

I'd like to ask (if anyone would care to comment) how most folk on here set their saddle fore and aft?
The majority of frames in the Fixed / Road fixed area tend to be track geometry. None of them are using seatposts with massive setback and some even use in line seatposts. Are most of these bikes genuinely used for short, fast and furious town riding? Doesn't seem so. If not, are most people not finding that they have a huge 'weight forward' bias?
I use quite a steep seat tube and a lot of setback. I am comfortably using quads AND glutes and can manage an all day ride without pain but I am somewhat conditioned to that. I'm slightly forward of KOPS and my balance is definitely forward of where most fitters say it should be. Curious to know if other fixed riders have been 'fitted' or just go with what they feel comfortable with....

I don’t ride fixed regularly any more, but when I did (and whenever I do now) I replicate exactly the same fit as I ride on my road bike. Saddle position relative to bottom bracket,saddle nose to bars and saddle to bar drop.

If you have a fit that works for you, there’s no reason to change it depending on whether you are riding geared or not.

Probably a stupid question that’s been asked in many formats many times but....

A 120mm -17deg stem will mean reach is slightly longer than a 120mm -10deg stem correct?

Lower = further?

Would a 110mm -17deg be more like the 120mm -10deg?

Or should I go and re-learn GCSE maths?

https://www.bikegeocalc.com/ to make your life easier

Took me a minute to work it out but... 🤯

Thank you!

Here's a question for the hive mind...

I'm looking at Fairlight Straels. My previous bike fit (now a while ago) came up with these measurements as best for me:

Saddle height (BB centre to centre of saddle): 770mm
Saddle fore/aft (saddle nose in relation to BB centre): 85mm aft
Reach (saddle nose to bar centre): 560mm
Effective reach (saddle nose to hood centre): 700mm
Drop (saddle top to bar centre): 75mm (although you have dropped two spacers since)

I'm currently riding a frame with 575 stack, 390 reach, with a 110mm stem to match the above set up.

Fairlight are suggesting the 56t or the 58r frames for me (see below). The 56t might be a little tall and leave no room for adjustment, whereas the 58r needs an 80mm stem. Will the 80mm stem cause super twitchy handling? I think I've only ever ridden 100/110mm stems in the past.

I'm also probably missing something, but the 58r frame has a reach of 402mm, so I'd assumed a 100mm stem would work...

Thanks!

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too much focus on reach which changes with your core strength and other biomechanics IMO

sort your setback properly, these minute diff in reach wont matter much

@amey I don't quite get what you mean by "sort setback"? Thought that was more fixed than other elements that as you say could be impacted by core strength?

just go with what they feel comfortable with....

This. I should get a fit but I only have issues when I change something (shoes/frames/saddles/massively increase mileage) and have always ironed things out ok.

Moar here comparing existing bike with both Strael options... I can’t really get my head round it

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sorry I mean the stack and reach figures you have posted esp 56T Fairlight, are not dramatic or bad, it will be fine

what about seat angle diff and where you sit in relation to that? How far forward or back is your saddle on rails? inline or layback post?

so my saddle measurement is: "fore/aft (saddle nose in relation to BB centre): 85mm aft". I think it's roughly there at the moment.

currently riding with a post with 25mm setback, but I always just measure from nose of saddle to bar centre (aiming for 560mm).

Why not 56r. Seems most similar? Remember to factor in upper headset/conical spacer heights.

Can't see the genesis on here but this shows the visual different between the Straels
https://bikeinsights.com/compare?geometries=5c1bffc6fbbd4f00174c4980%2C5c1bffc6fbbd4f00174c497f%2C

Thanks that’s a useful tool

So, on measuring my current bike, I have 20mm of spacers. So the 56T Strael is only 5mm taller in terms of Reach, which isn't really a problem I guess. Now the next thing is to work out a headset that doesn't add another chunk as @jupiz says. The options from Fairlight are FSA Orbit (looks huge on top of the HT), Hope or CK (can't afford). Or can I just get a machined third party top for the headset for max slammage?

Your Genesis is definitely a closer fit to the 56 Fairlight, any road bike which requires a 80mm stem to make it 'fit' probably isn't a solution - unless you have a particularly short torso / arms. And yes 80mm will make it Twitchy AF - it already has fairly aggressive angles for an all road frame.

Does anybody know of an outfit that specialises in shoe fitting in the Midlands or the north please?

I have found a few places that do footbeds alongside a bike fit but I’ve never felt truly comfortable in any of the shoes I’ve owned and it seems pointless putting a footbed in the wrong shoe.

Adrian Timmis has always been well regarded, but no experience myself.

http://www.cadencesport.co.uk/

Thanks - that did actually come up but I assumed it was the Crystal Palace establishment.

Yo yo oracle, wanted to pick your collective brains about something.

EDIT: To clarify, I have ridden this bike thousands of miles since August and have only in the last couple weeks been having this problem. Hence the shoe or saddle question. Thanks

I recently went on a long ride, realised I was getting some lower back pain I wasn't used to...about half an hour later I realised my saddle was loose. Which made sense. Put the saddle back as it was (or so I thought)

Have also changed shoes and potentially therefore cleat position, feels fine.

Anyway, the back pain was quite severe today on a short ride, what is most likely to be causing that? Cleats/shoes/saddle?

Physiological weakness, poor core, poor form, genetic issues, biek fit, under training, over training, poor lifting technique damaging your back, lack of sleep....

Perfect thanks. Edited original post.