Bike fitting

Lunty

Hi guys,

I have a pic & video of me here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lunty/3431219075/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lunty/3431 ... otostream/

...and was wondering if you could have a look and make any suggestions for the fit. In particular saddle height & position. I have pretty big feet (size 50) but not sure if they're still too far back based on the knee-plumbob guide I've read about.

Also pretty sure I need a longer stem but any points are very welcome.

Thanks in advance!

neeb

To my non-expert eyes the saddle position looks pretty good, or at least close enough so that you might only be making small adjustments of 5mm here and there based on comfort and feel after riding for a bit. The position is rather upright though - a longer stem would put you in a more efficient position, as long as it was comfortable. Just my impressions / gut reaction.

redddraggon

If you are comfortable with stem length/"uprightedness", far enough, but I'd try a longer negative degree stem.

rollin

I think you could raise the seat a little. Your knee seems too bent at the bottom.

You do look like you need a longer stem. If you can get flatter and stay comfortable

Have you tried any on the online fit calculators? Competitive Cyclist has a good one. That would put you into the right ball park. To be honest the frame looks a little cramped, maybe that's just the stem.

If you are already comfortable then ignore everything I've said

The money I spent on a good face to face fitting may have been the best money I every spent on cycling.

coldeverything

You look pretty comfortable on the trainer. How are you after a long ride. I only ask as I have been adjusting my position trying to get comfortable for rides that last about 5-6 hours. I find most bikes that fit ok are fine for a ride that is up to two hours long. Once you get past that position and fit is really important. I have a high rise stem just like the one in your pic but that is because I have no more height on the steerer tube available. It looks like you could move you stem higher even if you did opt for a longer stem. Have you tried this or was the stem set up by the bike shop (assuming it's a new bike).

Lunty

There's about another inch for the stem to go up the steering tube if necessary. Might experiment with it when I get a new stem.

Any suggestions for how much longer I should go for on the stem? The longest I can get? Or just a little bit (10mm?) longer than I already have? Haven't measured the one I have yet but it doesnt look more than 90mm.

Thanks!

neeb

Any suggestions for how much longer I should go for on the stem? The longest I can get? Or just a little bit (10mm?) longer than I already have? Haven't measured the one I have yet but it doesnt look more than 90mm.

It's a very difficult question to answer because it depends on the individual, flexibility, comfort etc. Do you feel when you are riding that you could stretch out more at the front? It will probably feel different on the road than on the trainer. Remember that decreasing height of the bars and increasing stem length will both increase the reach, but that with the same reach, different heights will also feel different. Your current stem has an extreme rise on it, so a straight or slight negative rise stem (which is more normal) of the same length (set at the same height on the steerer) will already feel "longer" (as well as lower).

While on the trainer at least, you could get an idea of how different length stems would feel by moving the saddle back and forward (after marking the current position). You DON'T want to adjust reach by adjusting the saddle position , but it would be a way of getting a rough idea of how it would feel to be more stretched out, as long as you can ignore any difference in "feel" caused by the wrong saddle position.