Why is bike fit important

The process involves taking measurements of an individual and applying those specific measurements to match a person to the correctly sized bike frame. M ost competent fitters will perform both bike sizing and bike fitting and will understand the relationship between the two.

Although there may be a few other processes that some fitters use, most professional bike fits will have the following: An interview, an assessment, adjustments of the 3 main contact points, testing, and a report. Before you sign up for your first fit, we strongly recommend contacting a fitter to discuss your goals and type of riding.

This is also significant if you have an injury recent or past that may need the attention of a physical therapy-based fitter. Here are some examples of what they may ask:. There are fitters who may ask more detailed or follow up questions based on their training and comfort.

These are some of the basic ones that every fitter should ask. This varies significantly across the spectrum from fitter to fitter. If you receive a fit from a medical professional fitter, they will likely perform an off-bike structural assessment or flexibility assessment as part of the fit.

This is not a requirement of a bike fit. Unfortunately, there are many fitters who are not qualified to assess your flexibility by grabbing your leg and checking its range of motion. If a fitter does incorporate off-bike assessments, they should explain to you the purpose and how it affects the fit. The qualified ones will be forthcoming and assure you are completely comfortable during the process.

For those who do not perform an off-bike physical assessment, they will likely start their assessment process by observing your pedaling motion and body movement during the warm-up phase of the fit. Unfortunately for many riders, you are keenly aware of the presence of your bike including discomfort or pain in the three contact points : feet, hands, and rear end.

Regardless of your goal, style of riding, or reason for getting a fit, you can expect a competent fitter will aptly examine and potentially adjust all 3 main contact points. As Jessica mentioned earlier, every fit should focus on these contact points and the relationship between them. Unfortunately, there are countless stories of riders who invested significantly into professional fits that ignored one of these three areas or only barely scraped the surface.

Mark set a goal to complete in a mile, 3-day ride across Florida. Unfortunately, after every ride, he experienced significant knee pain—the longer the ride, the worse the pain.

In the end, he ended up solving the issue by visiting a BikeFit Pro who extensively focused on his feet and fitting him for Cleat Wedges. The low-tech alternative is to have a friend ride behind you and provide feedback. The key, after making adjustments, is to give the body time to adapt.

We just need to use our knowledge to set up injured riders correctly. Cycling injuries — broken collarbones, ankle fractures — can permanently alter your riding position. After a crash, you need to work to regain previous condition — muscle mass or range of movement. In the meantime, your position may need to change to accommodate your current physical condition.

Remember, the body is remarkably adaptable. What we need to do is accommodate their lack of range of movement. Parameters such as pedal float, crank length, saddle height and stance width can all be manipulated. For women, a key time for having a fresh bike-fit is after childbirth. Expectant mothers often change their position during pregnancy, raising the handlebars to accommodate a growing bump. But what about postpartum? What worked in the past might not work for you any more.

The next task is strengthening. Expert advice will help you identify which parameters to manipulate — float, crank length, stance width, height or layback. Saddle height is affected by flexibility, too: more flexible riders can extend more fully, whereas those with tight hamstrings require a lower saddle and shorter reach. Similarly, stronger riders are able to stabilise themselves in a long and low position without pain. Tilting your saddle just a couple millimetres down allows you to tilt your pelvis and moving it upwards and forwards allows you to get the most power.

After that, we address hand position. Maison du Velo's bike fitter, Paul Drake took some guinea pigs through their bike fit paces Company director Adrian Blacker, 54, is a time triallist who rides every distance, from 10 miles to 12 hours, racing up to three times a week through the summer.

He rides daily and is disciplined about core strengthening and stretching. Adrian is flexible and keeps himself in very good condition but, even so, his saddle was too high, by 15mm. Use one of these two broad-stroke methods to get in the general range of proper seat height:. The new way: When you sit comfortably in the saddle, you should be able to easily reach the tops and brake hoods on a road bike, or the grips on a mountain bike. Your elbows should be slightly bent, not locked.

And the lean of your torso should be supported by your core in a comfortable position. Pro tip: Check your seat position first. The clamp connecting the saddle to the seatpost should be relatively centered in the saddle rails, not slammed all the way forward or back. The seat itself should be level or, at most, angled a few degrees down in front never up. Set Your Cleats: For road or mountain cleats, lightly! Set the cleat on the shoe and install all the bolts, just finger tight.

Then, set up position:. Tighten the cleats. Clip in and ride around until you get your natural pedal stroke. Nope, of course not! If anything changes with your body, or if it has just been a few years, it is a good idea to go get an updated bike fit.

What is Bike Fit? What Should I Wear? How Long Will it Take? What Are the Elements of a Bike Fit? Visit your local Liv retailer to learn about their bike fit services.

Happy riding! More to love. How to Choose the Right Saddle. How to Adjust Your Suspension on the Trail. How to Adjust a Dropper Post. How to Fix a Flat Tire Tubeless. How to Fix a Flat with a Tube. Top Five Bike Maintenance Tips.