Bike fit usually looks at some or all of the following areas: seat height, seat fore/aft position, frame size, handlebar placement, and position of shoes on the pedals. We usually start in-store fits with seat height and fore/aft position in order to get your lower body properly aligned with the rear end of the bike. The basic idea is to put your hips and knees in the right spot relative to the bike in order to get efficient power transfer while maintaining comfort. Once your rear is set we move on to adjust how you hold on to the bars and then how your cleats are adjusted.

1. Where should I put that seat?

Set the seat height first. Raise the seat high enough that you have a slight bend in your knee at the bottom of the pedal stroke. Exactly how high ends up being a somewhat personal desicion. In my experience there is about a 1/2" range that should be considered "correct". Don't get the seat so high that your hips rock side-to-side as you pedal. Keep in mind that on most bikes you'll only be able to put the tips of your toes on the ground while sitting on the saddle.

2. Is that the right spot?

Adjust the fore/aft position (setback) of the seat to put your hips and knees in the right orientation to your bikes' bottom bracket. Most seats have 15-20mm of fore/aft adjustment. Position your legs so that the crankarms are positioned horizontally to the ground (9 o'clock /3 o'clock pedal position). Drop a plumb line (string with a weight at the end of it) from the front of your knee toward the ground (the weight should not touch the ground/floor). The line will pass through the pedal area at some point. Ideally, you want this line (a.k.a. your knee) to line up behind the centerline of the pedal axle. It can be a bit behind the axle, or right at the axle. Again, use your personal discretion. Keep in mind that the further behind the pedal that your knee lines up to the more you will use large muscles like your gluteus, and hamstring, while the further forward your knee is the less you will isolate these muscles. There is a compromise between using these large muscles and obtaining more power in your pedal stroke with having a smooth and fluid pedal stroke. Having your knee too far behind the pedal will give you more power but take away from your spin efficiency, while setting your seat too far forward will give you a pedal stroke as fast as fluttering bees wings but lacking any power. Also keep in mind that your knee should never fall in front of your pedal axle
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2a. Are you riding the correct size frame?

If you have to move the seat all the way forward or all the way backward to position your knee correctly, you might be on a frame that's too big or too small. Or maybe it's just not the ideal size. If you're in the process of buying a bike, try the next size up or down to see how that changes the way you feel on a bike. If you already own a bike, don't panic. I've owned several bikes where the proper saddle position was all the way back on the rails. Sometimes you'll buy a bike that's slightly smaller to give a shorter reach. Sometimes the next bigger size just feels too big for the type of riding that you're doing. Keep in mind that if you have to move the saddle all the way forward on the rails to get your knee in the right spot, your bike may be too big for you.

3. Where do you want your hands?

Once your hips and knees are correctly positioned you can figure out where you want your handlebars. It's largely up to you. Play around with your existing bar and stem to get where you want it to be. Set yourself up long and low racer style or la-de-dah commuter style. You are the final arbiter of what's right, based on what kind of riding you're doing and what your body can handle. Bars can be rotated up, down. Stems lengthened or shortened to move your bars forward or backward. Quill stems can be moved up or down in the head tube to adjust your position. Threadless stems come in all varieties of long/ short/ flat/ tall versions. If we don't have the right stem in stock for you we can order one. Keep in mind that you may need to re-cable the gears and brakes to accomodate big changes in your stem setup.




4. Where do those cleats go?

If you're fortunate enough to ride clipless shoes and pedals, you need to put the cleat in the right spot on the shoe. Most cleats have some built-in side-to-side 'float' to help compensate for the pedals locking your foot into one basic position. You still need to make sure that your foot is lined up properly in order to prevent injury. Most cleats will have some fore/aft and side-to-side adjustment. Mount the cleat so that it positions the ball of your foot over the centerline of the pedal axle. Also mount it so that your foot sits evenly on each side of the pedal. Click into the pedals and make sure that both feet are basically pointing forward and not skewed to the left or right.

5. You still have to pedal the bike.

Once you have the mechanical aspects of bike fit sorted out, it's important to be honest with yourself about your abilities and fitness level. Comfortable bike riding necessarily requires some physical fitness and flexibility. Strength and flexibility in your abdomen, lower back, and hamstrings are particularly important in cycling. Cycling utilizes your largest, most powerful muscles (Gluteus, hamstring, quad muscles), but in a very limited range of motion, making them shorter and tighter. Good abdominal and lower back strength is needed to counterbalance that leg strength and keep your upper body steady while riding. It's not uncommon for pain and/or tightness in your shoulders and neck to be the result of your lower back overcompensating for inflexible hamstrings. Regular stretching and abdominal strength work (sit-ups, Pilate's) is highly recommended for all cyclists, beginner to advanced. Many fit discussions I have with customers concerning back or shoulder pain are really discussions about lack of strength and flexibility, and how to change their bike fit to accomodate those limitations.

By Rob Nelson