Had bike fitting but not comfortable

[Lozz360]

The position of the saddle is the most important part of any bike fit. You can get loads of advice on this on YouTube. You can follow this advice and then a bike fitter will probably set your saddle even higher. This happened to me and other people I know who have had professional bike fits. Once your seat is in the optimum position, the height and reach of the handlebars are better set for your comfort (unless you have a recovering injury of course) which may take a bit of trial and error.

 

[Flick of the Elbow]

The specific shape of the bars, the angle of them in the stem, the model of brake levers and their position on the curve of the bars all make a noticeable difference to reach, it's not just about stem length and height.
I'm curious, how can a bike fit from years ago specify this ?

 

[BorderReiver]

So , did you?

If not then be sure to tell them everything when you go back.

I've never had a bike fit, I feel like I should but seem comfortable.

Why do you feel like you "should" have a bike fit if you are already comfortable on the bike?

 

[jonny jeez]

Why do you feel like you "should" have a bike fit if you are already comfortable on the bike?

Social pressure, conformity maybe.

Mostly just curiosity that I may be able to ride better after a fit.... or even more comfortably

 

[BorderReiver]

I've had one bike fit in my time, it was a total waste of an hour I could have spent riding and my position didn't change at all. I think there is a lot of spin on this subject and it is sold as an (expensive) cure all- have a bike fit and you will be faster! More comfortable! Irresistible to the opposite sex! (Okay, I made that last one up.) Unless you are having problems with injury and/or your current position is way, way out then I don't think a bike fit will make a lot of difference to 90% of riders. Most people would be better served by joining a club and talking to people who have actually been riding bikes for years.

 

[Kajjal]

The position of the saddle is the most important part of any bike fit. You can get loads of advice on this on YouTube. You can follow this advice and then a bike fitter will probably set your saddle even higher. This happened to me and other people I know who have had professional bike fits. Once your seat is in the optimum position, the height and reach of the handlebars are better set for your comfort (unless you have a recovering injury of course) which may take a bit of trial and error.

This is the best advice. Once you have sorted out the saddle position the rest is personal preference and what your body feels comfortable with. Setting the saddle a little too high will cause discomfort and potentially injuries. A little too low has no real affect at all.

My current road bike has shorter reach and drop bars which means I now ride comfortably in the hoods whenever I want. The previous bike was too stretched out for me.

 

[cyberknight]

Of course there are good bike fitters and some that just follow a formula/ computer to a set standard , sound like the latter in the OPs case.

 

[xxDarkRiderxx]

This might have been mentioned before but I think bike fit is more about getting a position on the bike that will produce more power output. It probably has nothing to with comfort. I have toyed with the idea many times of having one but realised my riding is all about being comfortable.

 

[ChrisV]

I got a bike in 2014 and the next year took it to the shop in Wishaw and got a fitting. As he'd kept my specs on record, I bought a new bike from him this year and he used the specs from my fitting. He adjusted it when I picked it up to make sure it fitted me, now.

The original bike had a standard stem on it which I swapped for a shorter one. When I got this one, he said that the position I adopted to ride the bike at the fitting was the correct position - however, I think that given the fact I am not fit, get an occasional sore back, I probably have been fitted for performance over comfort.

The current stem is 110 - would swapping it for 60mm be quite extreme, or would 90mm not see much difference? I don't know what length to try.

 

[vickster]

This might have been mentioned before but I think bike fit is more about getting a position on the bike that will produce more power output. It probably has nothing to with comfort. I have toyed with the idea many times of having one but realised my riding is all about being comfortable.

Comfort is why I have had the fits and making sure I don't aggravate existing joint issues. Nothing at all to do with performance, hence the last two being done by physios with expertise in treating crocked cyclists
Go to a high end bike shop for the fit which uses a computer programme, performance might be an objective for some, but IMO the fitter /assessor should be able to adapt what they do to the rider. I don't believe that this was the case with the Retul fit I had, also the guy lacked medical knowledge, which personally I require.

If you're not comfortable or are dealing with injuries or joint issues, imo best to use a practising physio who does bike fits

 

[KnackeredBike]

Bikes are ergonomic objects and like any ergonomic object something that may be "millimetre perfect" may not suit everyone. If it did we'd all be riding roadies, or hybrids, or recumbents, and there'd need to be dozens of different frame sizes.

Find something that you are comfortable riding, and enjoy it. There's no point having a "perfect position" if you end up on the sofa anyway because it isn't "your" bike.

 

[Slick]

I got a bike in 2014 and the next year took it to the shop in Wishaw and got a fitting. As he'd kept my specs on record, I bought a new bike from him this year and he used the specs from my fitting. He adjusted it when I picked it up to make sure it fitted me, now.

The original bike had a standard stem on it which I swapped for a shorter one. When I got this one, he said that the position I adopted to ride the bike at the fitting was the correct position - however, I think that given the fact I am not fit, get an occasional sore back, I probably have been fitted for performance over comfort.

The current stem is 110 - would swapping it for 60mm be quite extreme, or would 90mm not see much difference? I don't know what length to try.

I was advised that I needed a 90mm stem on one fit I had as opposed to the standard 110mm so I think it would be worth giving the 90mm a try. 60mm seems a bit extreme to me.

 

[cyberknight]

This might have been mentioned before but I think bike fit is more about getting a position on the bike that will produce more power output. It probably has nothing to with comfort. I have toyed with the idea many times of having one but realised my riding is all about being comfortable.

Comfort is why I have had the fits and making sure I don't aggravate existing joint issues. Nothing at all to do with performance, hence the last two being done by physios with expertise in treating crocked cyclists
Go to a high end bike shop for the fit which uses a computer programme, performance might be an objective for some, but IMO the fitter /assessor should be able to adapt what they do to the rider. I don't believe that this was the case with the Retul fit I had, also the guy lacked medical knowledge, which personally I require.

If you're not comfortable or are dealing with injuries or joint issues, imo best to use a practising physio who does bike fits

Different ends of the spectrum, a bike fitter whos doing his job properly will be finding out what you want to achieve and adjust your "fit " to suit your needs and ability , both are a bike fit and both are valid "fits"

 

[stumpy66]

Yeah 20mm might not seem much but made all the difference to me, my bike came with a 110 mm but felt too stretched out. Fine once I fitted a 90

 

[Pat "5mph"]

The current stem is 110 - would swapping it for 60mm be quite extreme, or would 90mm not see much difference? I don't know what length to try.

Hi Chris!
If it's not comfy it's not comfy, never mind the fitter.
Could you maybe get the shop to fit a 90 first?
Or get one online, swap it yourself?
Or try a bike same model as yours one size smaller?