Bike fit

[Andywinds]

When you get fitted for a bike do you have to have a bike in question. I've always felt that my bike was too small for me, and since fitting a compact bar feels even smaller. I picked up the compact bar as I wanted a shorter drop, I didn't think about the reach.
I've been looking at replacing the frame, or maybe just selling the bike and getting fitted in a shop for a new bike?

 

[martint235]

When you get fitted for a bike do you have to have a bike in question. I've always felt that my bike was too small for me, and since fitting a compact bar feels even smaller. I picked up the compact bar as I wanted a shorter drop, I didn't think about the reach.
I've been looking at replacing the frame, or maybe just selling the bike and getting fitted in a shop for a new bike?

Are you comfortable on the bike?

I'm fairly sure a proper bike fit can be done before you buy a bike but I've always just gone with what feels comfortable.

 

[MichaelW2]

Your non-fitting bike contains valuable information about what doesn't work for you. Before you sell, take some point-of-contact dimensions. To eliminate angles and help in comparisons, I use [X,Y] coordinates, with bottom bracket=[0,0].

 

[Mike!]

I had a bike fit done which confirmed my thoughts that the bike was a touch to big for me, he made some adjustments (shorter reach bars) which kept me going for a bit and did help. Eventually I went back to the same shop and brought a smaller bike though (did consider just changing the frame but I got a good deal on a 2015 bike in the sale).

If you can afford a new bike then why not get fitted up properly in the process

 

[Andywinds]

Thanks all. My lower back was injured recently and I was thinking that maybe the bike was the initial cause. I was getting lower pain after about 2 hours of being out. I am going to see how the next few weeks go and then make a decision. I think I need a shop rather than an online purchase now as I am not confident at all in looking at measurements.

 

[cyberknight]

What about a longer stem ?

 

[Andywinds]

I am running 115mm, I didn't think of that. The bike itself is a 56cm (probably irrelevant)

This is the one - http://www.wiggle.co.uk/easton-ea50-roadmtb-oversized-stem/

 

[cyberknight]

Without seeing you on the bike its hard to say as it could be a number of things from saddle being to high or to low that could be causing your back pain .
http://bikedynamics.co.uk/backpain.htm
If in doubt your best to go get a fit as there could be underlying issues that it would be hard for keyboard "experts " to resolve .
This is a good start point
http://www.jimlangley.net/crank/bikefit.html

 

[Ciar]

I had a bike fit recently on my ridgeback 2.0 i am 6ft with a 33 inside leg, I am still getting over the shock of how low my seat is and how i feel so squashed up on the bike now, but it seems to have removed the pain from my right knee, so going to see how it goes for a couple of weeks. FYI i ride flat bar which supposedly makes fitting different to a standard drop bar set up, no idea why as i don't ride road bikes ;-)

i would say take the bike if you have it.

 

[vickster]

Some fitting companies like Cyclefit use a jig rather than a bike on a turbo

 

[Kajjal]

I had a bike fit recently on my ridgeback 2.0 i am 6ft with a 33 inside leg, I am still getting over the shock of how low my seat is and how i feel so squashed up on the bike now, but it seems to have removed the pain from my right knee, so going to see how it goes for a couple of weeks. FYI i ride flat bar which supposedly makes fitting different to a standard drop bar set up, no idea why as i don't ride road bikes ;-)

i would say take the bike if you have it.

Having the saddle too high is a common cause of injury. Most start off with the saddle too low and keep raising it bit by bit until it is too high

 

[Kajjal]

For doing your own bike fit start with the saddle height and fore /aft position. The correct saddle height means leg slightly bent at the bottom without over reaching(foot pointed down) or your hips rocking on the saddle. KOPS will get saddle fore / aft roughly right so you can adjust to suit. This is purely to get the legs in the right position and not to adjust reach.

Then next think about how much saddle to bar drop and reach to the bars you want. This is personal preference with the aim you have balanced position which does not put too much pressure on the bars or saddle. Numb hands means too much weight on the bars for example. Simple changes are moving spacers up or down, or flipping the stem into the upright position which reduces reach while increasing bar height. The are stem calculators pn the web which show the effect of different stem lengths and rises.

 

[MichaelW2]

Peter White has one of the best online guides to bike fit.

 

[Ciar]

Having the saddle too high is a common cause of injury. Most start off with the saddle too low and keep raising it bit by bit until it is too high

I think that's how i ended up getting there

 

[Kajjal]

I think that's how i ended up getting there

I did exactly the same