Doing my own bike fit?
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Moderators: k9car363, alicefoeller | Reply |
2012-08-24 8:03 AM |
Expert 1375 McAllen | Subject: Doing my own bike fit? I got some aero bars to clip on to my road bike. I know the tweaks should be relatively minor to my current fit--but need some pointers as to what to direct my attention to. I never got a professional bike fit--I did my own. I adjusted my saddle height 1cm at a time until my legs felt right; I can do a full leg extension by pushing my heel downward at 6 o'clock. I have no clue how to adjust the handlebar height; I usually ride on drops except when I drink water so my hip angle might be a bit too sharp. Might be. I don't really know, but it feels fine when I last rode 45mi.
Anyways, as I'm clipping on the aero bars I need to re-tweak my bike. What kind of adjustments should I be looking to make? |
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2012-08-24 8:14 AM in reply to: #4378164 |
Expert 2192 Greenville, SC | Subject: RE: Doing my own bike fit? you shouldn't really need to make any except adjusting the bars into a position you like, width/length, and length probably isn't that big a deal since you don't have shifters on the end. the bike, seat/stem, should already be set up correctly for you if its a bike you have been riding for a while now. |
2012-08-24 8:21 AM in reply to: #4378164 |
Expert 1375 McAllen | Subject: RE: Doing my own bike fit? Alright. Seat doesn't need to go forward any? |
2012-08-24 8:42 AM in reply to: #4378164 |
2012-08-24 9:15 AM in reply to: #4378164 |
Champion 9407 Montague Gold Mines, Nova Scotia | Subject: RE: Doing my own bike fit? For saddle height, I would check to make sure that your saddle height is in the 96-100% of greater trochanter height when measured from the floor while standing in cycling shoes. As to aerobars on a road bike, my personal preference is to make no changes to a road position with the addition of aerobars (ideally ITU style shorty bars). If an athlete has a good road position (comfortable in the drops and on the hoods) then it is usually possible to add shorty bars without making any changes. As a result, the athlete keeps their two road positions and adds a third position versus changing the fit so that only the aerobars are a viable option. Shane |
2012-08-24 9:22 AM in reply to: #4378229 |
Extreme Veteran 640 | Subject: RE: Doing my own bike fit? Trimi140 - 2012-08-24 8:42 AM I just about spit my drink into my computer just now. Thanks for that. |
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2012-08-24 9:56 AM in reply to: #4378188 |
Pro 5892 , New Hampshire | Subject: RE: Doing my own bike fit? odpaul7 - 2012-08-24 9:21 AM Alright. Seat doesn't need to go forward any? Ok, let's start from the beginning.... A pro bike fits is miles different than what you can achieve yourself... it's based upon years and years of experience, having the right tools available and know how to use them. After the interview, body measurements (metrics, core strength and flexibility, etc.), only then do you start putting a person on the bike. The first thing you do, is set the saddle position (height and fore/aft), everything else is built around this central point. This is why you should never move the saddle to accommodate aerobars (or handlebars for that matter), you would be moving the wrong part of the bike!!!! |
2012-08-24 12:23 PM in reply to: #4378294 |
Extreme Veteran 1260 Miami | Subject: RE: Doing my own bike fit? gsmacleod - 2012-08-24 10:15 AM For saddle height, I would check to make sure that your saddle height is in the 96-100% of greater trochanter height when measured from the floor while standing in cycling shoes. As to aerobars on a road bike, my personal preference is to make no changes to a road position with the addition of aerobars (ideally ITU style shorty bars). If an athlete has a good road position (comfortable in the drops and on the hoods) then it is usually possible to add shorty bars without making any changes. As a result, the athlete keeps their two road positions and adds a third position versus changing the fit so that only the aerobars are a viable option. Shane Shane, in regards to the bolded part, isn't it better to measure from the top of the trochanteric without wearing shoes and then just add the thickness of the cleats? Also, what is a good way to locate the ideal point to measure from? It is easy to see the point in a diagram of the human body but it is something else locating that exact ideal point on the body. I'm currently fitting my girlfriend to her first road bike in conjunction with analyzing some of her angles on Kinovea until she gets a good feel for what she needs and can communicate that to a fitter. Thanks in advance |
2012-08-24 12:30 PM in reply to: #4378788 |
Champion 9407 Montague Gold Mines, Nova Scotia | Subject: RE: Doing my own bike fit? Cuetoy - 2012-08-24 2:23 PM Shane, in regards to the bolded part, isn't it better to measure from the top of the trochanteric without wearing shoes and then just add the thickness of the cleats? Also, what is a good way to locate the ideal point to measure from? It is easy to see the point in a diagram of the human body but it is something else locating that exact ideal point on the body. I'm currently fitting my girlfriend to her first road bike in conjunction with analyzing some of her angles on Kinovea until she gets a good feel for what she needs and can communicate that to a fitter. Thanks in advance Honestly, it doesn't really matter all that much. 96-100% is a huge range (for example, for me it is just under 4cm). However, the literature indicates that in this range is where cyclists will be most efficient in their pedal stroke so find a comfortable height in the range and you should be good to go. Even precisely finding the exact height of the greater trochanter isn't critical; off by a cm or 2 isn't going to change the saddle height much. Shane |
2012-08-24 12:40 PM in reply to: #4378799 |
Extreme Veteran 1260 Miami | Subject: RE: Doing my own bike fit? /QUOTE] Honestly, it doesn't really matter all that much. 96-100% is a huge range (for example, for me it is just under 4cm). However, the literature indicates that in this range is where cyclists will be most efficient in their pedal stroke so find a comfortable height in the range and you should be good to go. Even precisely finding the exact height of the greater trochanter isn't critical; off by a cm or 2 isn't going to change the saddle height much. Shane Thanks for the feedback... |
2012-08-24 11:55 PM in reply to: #4378229 |
Veteran 550 austin, Texas | Subject: RE: Doing my own bike fit? Trimi140 - 2012-08-24 8:42 AM Lol. |
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2012-08-24 11:57 PM in reply to: #4378164 |
Expert 1375 McAllen | Subject: RE: Doing my own bike fit? Hey guys thanks a bunch for the information! I had no idea what the troch-whatever was and did some research. I really appreciate y'alls input And the meme. That was pretty great :p |
2012-09-19 12:10 PM in reply to: #4379684 |
Regular 58 Boston | Subject: RE: Doing my own bike fit? You can also take a look at using our (free) iphone app and guide for doing your bike fit- all the files are at the bottom of my post! T1_coach |
2012-09-19 12:36 PM in reply to: #4378164 |
Elite 3498 Laguna Beach | Subject: RE: Doing my own bike fit? Doing your own bike fit is an excellent idea. A couple caveats though: Do some reading on the subject. Read Dan Empfield's article on triathlon bike fit and survey the literature about road bike fit. Secondly, a good reason to do your own fit is to learn to trust your insights. If it feels wrong, it likely is wrong. Now, that said, there are exceptons to that: Fit and position isn't entirely about comfort. You have to condition yourself to sit on the bike correctly. That takes time and work. You have to do core training, lots of riding, etc. Thirdly, remember that you cannot guess at aero, and that while lower is almost always more aero, more aero is not always faster. Don't fall into the trap of "I lowered my position to go faster". If you key on reasonable comfort and power output by feel you'll be surprised how close you get. I've done fittings and positionings on clients who fit themselves and they were nearly spot on. The only thing missing was a second setof eyes to make a few small changes, usually to thing they weren't able to see themselves. Keep reading. Keep researching. Keep questioning. Keep experimenting and keep learning. You're absolutely on the right track. Edited by Tom Demerly. 2012-09-19 12:38 PM |
2012-09-19 1:09 PM in reply to: #4418671 |
Coach 9167 Stairway to Seven | Subject: RE: Doing my own bike fit? T1_Coach - 2012-09-19 11:10 AM You can also take a look at using our (free) iphone app and guide for doing your bike fit- all the files are at the bottom of my post! T1_coach I'll vouch for this app...great stuff! |
2012-09-19 3:04 PM in reply to: #4378164 |
7 | Subject: RE: Doing my own bike fit? You may want to consider changing your seat post to something like the Profile Design Fast Forward seat post. You can achieve a steeper effective seat tube angle. When I was riding my road bike with clip-ons, this made it much more comfortable in the aero position. |
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2012-09-19 3:45 PM in reply to: #4419084 |
Regular 58 Boston | Subject: RE: Doing my own bike fit? There are two seperate things to consider: 1) how long is your cockpit- ie the saddle nose to aerobar horizontal distance 2) what is your "effective seat tube angle" You should probably set yourself with a shortish cockpit to start out with, and maybe use your bikes organic seat tube angle. THis is a great place for a new rider to start. The point of these "Fast forward" seat posts is that they let you steepen up your effective seat tube angle- Probably not necessary in the beginning. The trick to setting up road bikes with aerobars is to use INSANELY short aerobars to keep the cockpit lenght from getting really long. Insane amounts more details in the files in my sigs. |