OK, that makes perfect sense, and it likely worth keeping if it addressed the issue.
Yes, feet hanging freely off the floor (Sorry that wasn’t stated more clearly. I edited the post above to hopefully help future readers).
It is a starting reference, but not necessarily an end all. I have handled cases where it is the right alignment, and others where it isn’t.
So, take the test as a grain of thought and starting point. The evaluation on the bike and the actual float test is the more important and practical reference.
Have a fit question, for my wife actually. I really wish she would take me up on getting a comprehensive bike fit, but she won’t so I’m stuck trying piecemeal solutions! lol
Anyhow, she indicates left foot discomfort when riding, I have spd cleats on, and got her the specialized insoles with max arch support. I believe I have the cleat set as far back as it can go. She has had plantar fasciitis and recently completed PT for resolve the issue but finds riding hurts the left arch. Not sure what to try, maybe a wedge insole? Like I said, I know enough about fitting to be dangerous, I can’t help but feel if she had a proper comprehensive fitting she’d find cycling more enjoyable.
I’ve recently started using PowerTap P1 pedals and cleats on my road bike. These have a 3-5mm stack height increase over my previous pedal/cleat combo (SPD-SL). Some articles have recommended that I might want to increase my saddle height a bit.
Do you guys agree? Is 3-5mm splitting hairs in the bike fitting universe? I have had a professional fit (last year) and I’ve been very happy since. Don’t want to change what ain’t broken, but I’m introducing a (hopefully insignificant) change.
Ive been back on my bike a couple of weeks (after an 8 year break) and have done very little with setup. I know I need to get a proper bike fit done, but any internet fitting advice is welcome if anything looks terrible. Needs to be marathon off the bike friendly
Oh and it’s a slow motion video, I’m not actually that slow
Looks mostly ok from a single video. It’s hard to tell from only a slow video, but your toe point at the bottom seems like it could be a bit of a “hitch” it almost looks like it’s one of those that’s acting to compensate for a saddle height that’s too high. But I don’t trust my call on that without more info and a regular speed video.
Are you having any issues with pain or discomfort?
Guys, I wonder, is there any good way to measure saddle stack height, as in rails to top? Because these planes are at an angle and also saddle top is usually curved, it can be hard to understand how much saddle height needs to be adjusted when changing saddles… Any advice? Ta
Something like that would be nice, but with the varied shape and seating position on saddles, I think it could be hard to do. The main thing to do is recognize that saddle heights do vary. Then make sure you know your saddle height with a given saddle before swapping.
Even with that, also recognize that because of the differences in saddles mentioned above, the functional height (even for the same rider and bike) may well vary from saddle to saddle. It’s good to have a starting point, but you may well have to adjust a few millimeters one way or the other.
It falls into the “fitting is more art than science” mentality. I would love hard and fast numbers for all things, but you need to adjust those starting points to suit each individual situation and hardware combo.
I am getting a new frame that is identical in geometry, make, model as my current frame but is steel rather than aluminum. It comes with 172.5mm cranks that I would prefer to use as my current 165mm crankset is beat up. Would it be recommended to get an entirely new fit or can I lower my saddle to make the difference and drop out enough stem spacers to make up this 7.5mm difference?
The saddle and stem drop to match the crank atm difference is a fine start.
One thing to remember is that even with the “equal” change, your effective pedal stroke length max to min will increase. In this case, it means your hip angle will close a bit more at the top of the stroke.
It may be fine, but pay attention to your lower back tension at the top of the stroke. If it feels too tight, you may want to bring the bars up a tad.
Can anyone recommend a bike fitter in the NorCal Bay Area? With all the indoor training time I’d like to revisit my fit. I’m not training for anything in particular but am thinking about trying some crits next season.
I’m in the East Bay but am willing to head anywhere in the Bay Area on the weekends.
I had a fit for a road (endurance style) bike a couple of years ago, and I’ve had a TT fit this year.
However, I’m getting into cyclocross now and I’m wondering if I can take the road numbers (400-410mm reach, 600-610mm) stack and apply them to a 'cross bike, or if that is going to put me in the wrong position. The geometry for a few 'cross bikes that I’ve seen tend to be more like a race bike than an endurance one (400 reach, 550 stack in an L).
Is it simple to transpose the fit, or should I really get another one? I was planning on getting an older eBay bike, so the cost of a fit is about half the value of the bike! I know almost nothing about fitting for 'cross or MTB.
