Fitting Questions and Suggestions

Instead of a video, you should take a photo from the side with your leg on the crankset side extended so that the crank arm is in line with the seatpost. Be sure to mark on your shorts (and visible in the photo) where your Hip bone protrusion is so that good angles can be drawn. It's best to be shirtless, otherwise wear a tight shirt so it's obvious where your upper torso is.

For example, here is the photo that I used to start really tweaking my fit:
http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/photos/show-album.asp?...

I'm not a fitter, just interested.  So this is a casual observation:  Yes, it does look like your seat is too high.  It also looks like the angle at your elbows is too obtuse -- closer to 90 degrees would be better, which you might be able to achieve by flattening your back a bit.  (Or, conversely, getting that 90 degree angle might result in flattening your back a little -- it looks pretty 'humped ' to me.)

I would say that you should lower the seat (well, you said you did that) and have another look, because that one change could create lots of other changes.

Hey Guys:

Thanks for the tips! Here's an updated pic of how my fitting is coming along, feels much better.

Again, I'm not an expert...

That looks much better to me.  And if it feels better, then you probably have the foundation of a good fit.

I recommend (meaning: this is what I do, and it works for me ) doing what breckview suggested -- draw the lines in as he did, and measure the angles.  Also measure exactly how high your seat is, note how many spacers you have on the front, etc..  Basically, write down anything that is adjustable, fit-wise, on the bike.  If you really do have a good foundation here, then you want to keep track of that information as a baseline.  Ride like that for a while, then you might try experimenting a bit if little things crop up.  I've noticed that little changes suggest themselves but only after a few weeks of riding, and often only after mile 80 or 90 of a century.

ETA:  Another good reason to write this all down occurred to me a few weeks ago.  I got my bike back from a shop (never to be visited again...) completely out of adjustment -- they didn't even bother to try to get the seat back the way it was; aero bars were out of whack, etc., etc...


Edited by Experior 2009-08-06 9:09 AM

Ok so first off, I'm not a pro bike fitter so keep in my that you usually get what you paid for. I've just always fitted my own bikes and I know what I prefer to ride.

If your fit feels good, there's no reason you must change it at all. If you do change things, do it in tiny increments (like < 5mm at a time). Generally change one thing at a time and take notes about how it felt on a real ride (not just a two minute test). And before you change anything, BE SURE to write all your existing adjustments down to a degree where you could completely disassemble the bike and reassemble it exactly the same down to 1-2mm. (It's not as easy as you'd think so be VERY SPECIFIC in your notes).

The angle of your upper torso to horizontal is ~17 degrees. That's about the same angle I'm riding on my road bike. (I'm riding my TT bike at less than 10 degrees.) It's hard to get road geometry that aggressive without reducing the hip angle too much.

Your hip angle (measured off a bisection of your thigh) appears to be 84 degrees which is a bit shallow (being < 90) but that's common on a road bike with clip-ons (mine's about the same on my road bike).

Your effective seat angle appears to be 76 degrees which is between the usual road vs tri and is fine.

Your knee angle appears to be 148 which is also fine. As I recall 140-155 is acceptable and IMO, it's largely a matter of preference.

Your Shoulder angle appears to be 100 which is considered "stretched out" but again is common on a road bike with clip-ons and I actually prefer it.

Honestly, your position is almost exactly like the one I'm riding on my road bike w/clip-ons. If you wanted to do anything, you could experiment with:

* lowering your armrests a bit by removing spacers which would lower your shoulder angle and torso angle.
* Sliding your seat forward would also lower your shoulder angle and increase your hip angle.
* Raising your seat would lower your shoulder angle and your torso angle. But it would also lower your hip angle and increase your knee angle.

At most, I think you're down to the "minor tweak" stage so I wouldn't change much unless it just felt obviously better.

Edited by breckview 2009-08-06 1:36 PM

beckview, did you just draw those lines w/ photoshop or something, then measure the angles?

Hey guys,

Thanks so much for the input. Specially breckview for getting the angles. I will definately jot everything down and i'm sure I'll be doing tweeks along the way. I went on a long 70 mile bike ride today and the positioning felt much better, but there might still be a few minor things to change.

Once again, thanks so much for all the input. This site rocks!

Take care,

FR