The Bike Fitting Mega-Thread

OK, I see I have my wires crossed. I was looking at the most recent post from Cory, and see you are replying to a totally different post.

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Thank you for the reply.
Following @KorbenDallas advice (And Thank you Landis btw), I adjusted the saddle height to 68cm (Prior was 68.5cm) and Iā€™m noticing a lot of improvement. I have started paying close atention to the pain: It appears as soon as I do a hard efforth such as a climb and it start deep inside my left leg, where the hamstring are born.

About being ā€œstiffā€ from my pelvis, probably.

Iā€™m thinking about lowering it to 67.5cm but Iā€™m scared that it is already too low. Hereā€™s the saddle. Itā€™s brand new. I have tried a lot of them, PRO as well as ISM and Specialized Power Comp.
IMG_7150

Hereā€™s how I look after adjusting the saddle height to 68cm and also, adjusted the handle bar angle so that they are not that low.

And hereā€™s the slow motion video.

i canā€™t thank you guys enough for your feedback and advice.

So last night was my first extended ride on the bike:

~75 minute Z2 ride, of which 60 or so were spent on the aerobars
Position felt really good, upper body didnā€™t develop any fatigue.
after about 50-55 minutes I noticed some pain/discomfort in my left leg, starting from my hip and going towards my knee, also my left foot was feeling some discomfort. A quick few moments off the saddle and the pain/discomfort went away.

Iā€™m guessing here:

Pain/discomfort is from compressing a nerve(s) in the perineum area.
Try angling the saddle nose down a degree or two? also possibly a leg length issue and maybe try a shim under the left foot?

Saddle is an ISM PS1.0, Iā€™m hesitant to blame the saddle since the issue is single sided, although not ready to rule it out either.

Thoughts? I spoke with my fitter and he didnā€™t notice a discernable drop of the left hip when pedaling so Iā€™m gonna start with nosing the saddle down over shimming the shoe.

  • Sure, easy adjustment to make with minimal risk overall. Do be aware that saddle angle downward can lead to more forward weight on the upper body. A small change is not a problem, but too for forward can give strain to shoulders, arms and such. But I think itā€™s definitely worth a test on your next ride.
  • I hesitate to offer anything here without a physical evaluation. That is a question best addressed by your fitter in person.
  • That makes sense to me.

Back on the foot pain deal. Still hitting me at about 2hour mark maybe a little more.

Iā€™ve got an appointment with my podiatrist to see whatā€™s up.

Up to the time mark, Iā€™m feeling pretty good with the G8s, then the right foot ball starts to hurt and that ends my ride.

Hump

I have a question concerning handlebar reach. I am talking about the reach of the handlebar itself, not the reach of the frame.

Does longer handlebar reach (on the same bike) mean that the distance to the brake hoods is further away or is it just the distance to the furthest point in the drops? In other words: is it possible that the position of the brake hoods stays at same distance even though the handlebar has a longer reach?

Background: I own two one-piece aero cockpits: one with 110mm stem length and one with 100mm. The 100mm version has 10mm more reach. Does this mean the position of the brake hoods is the same between both versions or will the 100mm version be sitting 10mm closer to the saddle???

Never paid close attention to handlebar reach, but this one got me thinkingā€¦

Itā€™s a ā€œit dependsā€ answer.

Assuming the two stems are the same rise and at the same height on the steerer tube and that the bar forward extension is the same and that the shifters are the same and on the same point of the curve on the drop, then yes the 10mm longer one will be 10 mm further away.

yes the 10mm longer one will be 10 mm further away.

With ā€œ10mm longer oneā€, you mean the one with 10mm more stem length will be further away or the one with 10mm more reach (when stem length is the same between the two)?

I may have misunderstood you. As well as a 10 mm longer stem are you saying that the bar forward extension, is 10mm longer too?

In theory they should be the same reach. However, it also depends were the measurement for stem and reach are taken on both cockpits. For example, Canyon one piece cockpits are notorious for having stems that have 1cm over what other stems with the same noted stem length have. E.g a 100mm stem Canyon H36 is more like a 110mm stem from other manufacturers. Canyon has this even in their FAQ.

no. the one with 100mm stem length has 1cm more reach than the 110mm one.
Sam rise, same height.

OK, then itā€™ll be similar but the depends will also be as @pnzr alludes to.

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Yes, I saw that 3t even gives two measuring points for reach. In front of the handlebar and middle of the handlebar.

Even if manufacturers would measure the same way, I thought the brake hood position would be similar as the brake hoods are typically not mounted on the furthest point of the drops but rather on a higher position. So, it would monly affect the hand position in the drops. Not the position on the top of the brake hoods.

This is worthwhile to review related to drop bars.

Sadly, as mentioned, not every company uses the same references. And as you will see in the doc, the actual drop bar curve can and does impact where the hoods land. Not all curves are the same and with the fact that most hoods attach somewhere from horizontal to upwards of 20* into the top part of the curve, that can all change the functional reach to the hoods (not to mention drops) even if all the claimed specs are the same.

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I have speedplay pedals and I have noticed that I have been feeling pain in the circled areas on longer rides:

My gut instinct is to move the cleats on my shoes inward? Are there soles I should consider getting?

I would think you would have to move them further outside, but Iā€™m not an expert soā€¦

If your feet are supinating (if you sit on a chair and leave them dangling and they look like this from the front / \ ) then you might have pain there because thereā€™s quite some pressure but theyā€™re not supported enough since the cleats are too far inwards. If that makes any sense?

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Iā€™d have a read of this first.

The lateral cleat position helps knee stability. Youā€™re looking to get the tibial tuberosity (the boney bit that sticks out below your knee cap) directly over your second toe at the top of the pedal stroke.

If youā€™ve not had a bike fit maybe both need optimising.

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I saw someone mention best bike advice website for a fitting. I went and tried it out and itā€™s pretty cool. I had gotten a fit from a local fitter and it wasnā€™t far from where he had me at(I was skeptical of his fit because my saddle is all the way forward-seems extreme. Anyway, Iā€™m curious how they incorporate cleat placement. Iā€™ve recently put my cleats all the way back because of some calve stiffness and issues with my feet. However just having measurements of where stuff is supposed to be doesnā€™t seem to incorporate that. Am I missing something?

As a side note I think this is something myvelofit Has on them. Make adjustments and record yourself to see the immediate impact

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  • If you are talking about the post-fit bike setup documentation, that varies with the system in use and fitter as well. Some systems include the cleat setup in the process and final documentation whiles others donā€™t.

  • I include the cleat setup in my own document that I have refined after using several different sheets and systems over the years.

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You are suggesting a functional change to Stance Width. It may work for you, but itā€™s not the first place I would look to adjust for what you describe.

Inner shoe issues with the foot are more commonly addressed with insoles and wedging (inside or outside of the shoe). The specific solution will vary, but using Varus wedges (thicker at your big toe, thinner at your little toe) would be the first thing I would try.