Hot answers tagged bike-fit
17
First, do you have cycling shorts w/ a chamois? If not, I would highly recommend them. As a note, they are your underwear (ex: do not wear undergarments and then put on the shorts).
Second, how did you choose your saddle? Was it fitted through some type of measurement system ala bontragers inform system or specializeds BG system? How much did you spend on ...
15
I can think of a few possible explanations:
If you're sitting too upright, vibrations from the road/trail (anything from pavement quality to serious potholes) will travel straight up your spine, causing your the gaps between your vertebrae to expand and contract. This can add up on a long ride. Ideally you want to be leaning forward enough that your back ...
14
If this is your first bike, go to your local bike store and have them fit you professionally. Then, ask if they have loaner bikes so that you can get a feel for the size of the bike before you invest. Some people prefer bikes on the smaller side and some prefer them a bit larger. You'll get a definite feel for this over time, but I wouldn't recommend ...
10
There is no single official accepted guidance. Typically the more you ride, the lower you will tolerate your bars, drops or straights. Pro cyclists have them as low as 10-15 cm below saddle, while amateurs tend to have them level or slightly higher than the saddle.
Don't worry that you cannot spend all your time in drops. Even pro cyclists prefer the more ...
10
While in the saddle, your feet should not touch the ground and your leg should be almost completely extended at the bottom of the pedal stroke. You ought to be able to straddle the top tube fairly easily with your feet flat on the ground.
Sheldon Brown's article on starting on a bicycle may help with getting accustomed to having the seat higher than you ...
10
This might not be a very good place to start from when sizing a bicycle. Your inseam measurement is from the top of the crotch (top inseam point) to the BOTTOM SIDE OF THE ANKLE (lowest inseam point). Your feet go all the way to the floor.
Inseam is specifically to determine what pants you wear. I might point out that pants and bicycles are made and ...
10
Talk to a doctor
The symptoms of waking up with tingly fingers make this sound consistent with carpal tunnel syndrome to my non-doctor opinion.
Basically, as I understand it, a little bit of that now and then isn't a problem, but too much over time causes damage which can be permanent and cause some major hand problems.
There's a bundle of nerves and ...
9
I see frame geometry having 3 primary affects
Fitting the rider; which you're already addressing and I won't talk about here... But a lot of geometry stuff comes down to making the other stuff work with fitting riders on the bikes. It's very important.
Fitting stuff on the bike
Handling characteristics.
Since you asked, I'm talking about your basic ...
9
The best answer to your question is simply "no." Unless you've ridden the exact geometry before, there's no great way to know if your body will enjoy the fit. Sure, there are MANY adjustments you can do to any bike to get it close, but nothing replaces taking the bike out for 20 miles to find out how your body will respond.
Now, with that said, if you ...
8
The thing that causes saddle sores is friction. Moisture contributes as well.
Cycling shorts are probably a good idea, but if you don't want to wear cycling shorts (I don't for commuting, but my longest commute is half the distance of yours), there's three key things:
A properly fitting saddle.
In particular, there's a lot of problems with people wanting ...
8
This is probably going to depend on a bit more than just your height or leg length (though I'm sure a rough idea can be gleaned). Your specific bike (geometry) and riding position will also affect crank length a bit.
Here are a few good links on the subject that go beyond my knowledge on the issue.
http://www.cptips.com/crnklth.htm
...
8
This goes against accepted wisdom, but I think test rides are overrated. Not useless, but overrated.
You're going to own the bike for a long time presumably. You're going to be able to play with the tire pressure, the handlebar position, the seat height and fore/aft, the seat itself, the pedals, the cranks. As you develop cycling muscles, your position on ...
7
You will want to be sitting in a postion that has your weight mostly on your sit bones.
You also want to make sure that with your saddle in the correct position, your knee is over the axle of the pedal when the crank is in the front-most part of it's circle. Too far off and it can put a strain on your knee. If the saddle can't be adjusted to allow this to ...
7
If you hadn't mentioned "tiny frame" and back pain, I'd agree with mgb about minor changes to your existing bike instead of getting a new one. It sounds like you need a bike that fits you and you have a bike that's too small. There might be a few things that could be adjusted to make a too-small bike work better, but it's likely you're better off getting a ...
7
IMO single most important factor of cycling joy is FIT!
This is a great tool and worth the effort:
http://www.competitivecyclist.com/za/CCY?PAGE=FIT_CALCULATOR_INTRO
I have used it myself and referred countless folks to it, all with great success! Good luck!
7
The idea here is that a frame is typically originally designed in a 56cm frame, or the equivalent median size for the "average size" rider.
When the frame design is tested and finalized, most manufacturers minimize the changes they make when creating the molds for additional sizes.
This can result in small sizes having a harsher ride than the median, and ...
6
There are several good systems. I'm a certified BG fitter, as well as certified with the retul system. You're familiar with the BG system, as you've already been through it.
Retul is a system which uses power measurement and body position sensors on a 3 dimensional wire frame (virtual) reproduction of your bike and body. It allows an experienced fit ...
6
There's quite a lot of discussion on the subject of fit, and some folks have considerably different ideas in this regard.
I use the old-school methods to get close, then try to "dial in" things according to what my body tells me.
Seat height should be such that you can easily pedal "circles" without rocking or stretching, nor by over-flexing the knee. It's ...
6
With a smaller frame, you will need an appropriately longer handlebar stem in order to retain the cockpit length. This will affect handling of the bike: it will feel more "lively", which can be good in some cases (tight turns, difficult terrain) or bad (less stable) - in most cases.
A smaller frame will be marginally less reliable, and more prone to break, ...
6
At 6'6" you're probably going to be looking at the top end of most manufacturers size ranges, road frames of 62cm and above are the range you'll be looking at.
I said "probably" though, you would do best getting yourself to a local shop that knows something about fitting people to frames. Being so far from the average height I'd not risk buying something ...
6
There are two lenghts on a bike that are crucial for bike fit:
Seat tube length, which tells you how much of your seatpost will be outside the frame;
Effective top tube length, which is the horizontal distance between the centerlines of seat tube and head tube. This tells about your reach to the handlebars, how much the bike will feel "long" or "short" to ...
6
Copied this from a saddle mfg website: How to measure your own sit bones
Of course the measure you really want is between the centres of your ischial tuberosities – the pointy lower parts of your pelvic bone on either side. Many bike dealers have a pad that you can sit on to measure this distance, but you can do it at home too.
Take a piece of aluminium ...
6
The "natural" riding position would be one with the following criteria:
Your knee never fully extends (locks out) when the crank is at "dead bottom center"; basically in line with the seat tube
You can sit mostly upright when on the flat part of bars. You have a comfortable slight bend in your elbow when on the hoods. You can reach the drops without your ...
6
If I understand the problem correctly, it sounds like you're sitting too far forward on this bike. Whether you're too tall for your frame or not is difficult to diagnose without at least pictures, but you might consider that this bike is simply too small for you. (If you're having trouble getting the handlebars far enough forward, that's a sign that this ...
6
Frame fit
Primarily, a bike fits if you can position pedals, saddle and handlebars relative to each other so that they match your body's proportions. Secondarily, when these contact have been set, other frame parameters should fall into place so that the riding characteristics are as desired. That includes e.g. toe clip overlap, stand over height, bottom ...
6
Bicycle size is determined first by frame size, which is top tube length, seat tube length, and some more minor geometries like head tube and seat tube angle. The primary determing factor for comfort on the bike is your reach measurement.
Although it is affected by various factors, like skeletal flexibility and the type of riding you do, ideal reach is ...
5
No you shouldn't be able to fully touch the ground from your seat. Maybe with your toes totally pointed you can get them both down but that's about it.
As for getting on an off the bike, practice will make it easier. If you've never been riding a properly fit bike then I would anticipate it feels odd.
You should be able to place both feet flat on the ...
5
A factor that is as important as the bike you purchase is the store you purchase it from. Do you feel comfortable talking to the mechanics about problems on your bike or asking for advice with changes to the bike? Do they offer a fitting service that includes measuring your body and putting you up on a trainer (as opposed to eye-balling it)?
A good bike ...
5
If there's one thing I've learned about bike fit over the years, it's that it's rather controversial. I was strictly "old school" since I started cycling seriously in the mid 70s.
Standard measurements for seat height, saddle fore-and-aft adjustment, knee-over-pedal adjustment, reach, etc. No high-tech goodies.
You used these "ball-park" measurements to ...
5
Others have mentioned good tips about position, but I thought I'd add a few things other than that which I find helpful to reduce lower back pain:
I stopped carrying any sort of bag on my back (no matter how seemingly light!) and switched a rack with panniers
I stretch after riding, focusing particularly on my lower back (obviously), but also my buttocks ...
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