Retul Fit post fit problem - help/advice needed

evsy

Hi

As a birthday present my dad paid for me to have a retul bike fit on monday last week.
The only thing they changed was my seat height - raising it by 2.1 cm.

When i was in the fitting the difference felt strange but they said that was natural because i had been riding for the past few months with the seat at totally the wrong height.

Anyway, i have been out every other day since the fitting and it just doesnt feel right.
I feel almost like im stretching, although im not rocking. My ankle feels like its at a 45 degree angle when the pedal is at its lowest point.
But the biggest concern is that my crotch feels like its being crushed.
I also find that when i am out of saddle and i go to sit back down i almost have to lift my arse up slightly to get back on the seat.

I was concerned so i went back on saturday and they did a quick recheck and came back with exactly the same data.
They insist that the saddle is the perfect height according to the Retul Fit system. And encouraged me to persevere.

So my question is should i follow their advice and keep the seat at the same height? is it just a matter of getting used to the new position? Or should i try lowering it by a few mm until it feels more comfortable?

I would be really grateful for any opinions and advice.

Evsy

wvanry

to suddenly go up 21mm I think is looking for trouble. I would suggest go back to original height and add 5mm each week - just my 2p though

Grill

Easy, saddles too high. Retul is only as good as the person giving it and even then you'll need to adjust to make it right for you. Were you having any problems before? If not I'd go back to that position.

Wily-Quixote

get your money back. Your saddle is now too high.

Alexvs

As said it's only an aid to the person carrying out the fit. I've had 2 now on 2 different bikes and both times came out feeling better. The Retul system got them into a working window (measurements/angles) with position and then they used their judgement to make sure I was right by walking around the bike and giving their opinion. It's also a 2 way thing where you should be free to give feedback and not just accept what they say. On my first fit I did have to return as the fitter wasn't 100% happy he'd done all he could so went away and did a sportive then returned to give my feedback and made further adjustments as I also felt it could be improved.

If you're not happy you should go back as it's a lot of money to handover not to be happy. As for your ankle, the saddle is clearly too high if you're having to drag it at the bottom like that.

evsy

Thanks for the replies

Grill wrote:

Easy, saddles too high. Retul is only as good as the person giving it and even then you'll need to adjust to make it right for you. Were you having any problems before? If not I'd go back to that position.

I have only had the bike 2 months and the shop i got it from set it all up for me. but after about 3 weeks i started to get pain in lower back and at base of knee. hence why dad paid for the retul fit.

im going to ring them again and see if they can get me back in.

as said in first post, during the original fitting it actually felt fine. i was giving them feedback and it didnt feel like i was stretching, just felt strange.
but as soon as i went out on the road i noticed the stretching.
kept telling myself that it was just the new position, as they told me when i went back to them.
and looking at the pictures they gave me with my report and my foot doesnt actually look that angled, just feels it when out on the road.

will definitely get back to them.
im tempted to actually drop the seat by a few mm before i go and see how it feels, and also see if they alter it again.

thanks again for the replies.

evsy

slowbike

When I wanted to lower my bars I was told by two experienced riders to do it a couple mm at a time. Me thinking I knew better decided to drop it 5mm - blimey ... that's a difference - so put it back how it was, then took out the spacers as advised by the experienced riders!

The saddle may well be the "right" height now - but you need time to adjust - as has been suggested above - do it in stages - but just watch out for any new pains ...

Grill

Could be saddle height, but it's just as likely that you're reacting as you increase mileage and intensity. Best bet is as Slowbike says. Raise your saddle 2-3 mm at a time from its initial position to see if A) it's more comfortable and eliminates/reduces pain.

slowbike

Grill wrote:

Best bet is as Slowbike says. Raise your saddle 2-3 mm at a time from its initial position to see if A) it's more comfortable and eliminates/reduces pain.

Well - wvanry suggested it first ... I just happen to agree ...

redvision

I'm in a similar boat, had a retul fit on weds & they raised seat by 2"!
Like you I have struggled to adjust on the first couple of rides, no pain but do feel stretched. However after speaking again with them i'm persevering, although may drop seat by an inch & then raise by a mm or 2 every couple of rides.

Remember that the retul fit gives you your optimum position. If you have had significant changes made then it's only natural it will take time for the body to adjust.

zardoz

When I had my retul fit my saddle was raise 26mm and setback 25mm. The advice I was given was easy to moderate rides of no more than 1.5-2 hours for 3 weeks to allow the body to adapt to the new riding position and then build up gradually after that. It did feel very strange to start with and I was undoubtably using muscles in a different way so it was good advice and it did take about 2 weeks before I was really comfortable on the bike but reaped the benefits after that.

Grill

redvision wrote:

Remember that the retul fit gives you your optimum position. If you have had significant changes made then it's only natural it will take time for the body to adjust.

That's the problem, as what's optimal for me isn't what the software says it should be.

hatch87

It took me a couple of weeks, it certainly hurt my hamstrings but they're use to it now. You say you are riding everyday, might be worth every other day to give the previously unused muscles a rest. If you think about it, with a saddle too low, you would have been over using you quads and under using the hamstrings. If set up correctly it should be evened out but your quads currently will be a lot stronger and making the hamstrings keep up with no rest will hurt

mamba80

hatch87 wrote:

It took me a couple of weeks, it certainly hurt my hamstrings but they're use to it now. You say you are riding everyday, might be worth every other day to give the previously unused muscles a rest. If you think about it, with a saddle too low, you would have been over using you quads and under using the hamstrings. If set up correctly it should be evened out but your quads currently will be a lot stronger and making the hamstrings keep up with no rest will hurt

The OP did say every other day!
i think you should listen to your body, its a massive increase in one go, but i suggest you lower by say 5mm from the new height and if that feels too high go down say 3mm and so on, rather than starting back to your original position, which you d like to think was far too low.
Maybe you should go back to the fitter as well and ask on what basis he sees fit for a 21mm increase? your crotch is being crushed as your over reaching at the bottom of the stroke.

PhunkyPhil

I think bike fits are a strange concept. I had one when my Venge was built but wasn't too happy with the stem length so I change it and am a lot hapier now.

I am the same height as my brother and we have the same size frame and cranks length but his BG Fit has his seat a lot heigher than mine. I tried putting mine up but felt streched so have put it where I feel comfortable.

I wouldn't read to much into their "science" and just get things setup how you feel right.

wandsworth

Grill wrote:

redvision wrote:

Remember that the retul fit gives you your optimum position. If you have had significant changes made then it's only natural it will take time for the body to adjust.

That's the problem, as what's optimal for me isn't what the software says it should be.

It's not just software. The Retul system just measures a bunch of variables, and provides data to the fitter, who interprets that data based on their experience and what you have told them about your needs (performance vs comfort, flexibility, etc).

I had a Retul fit a few weeks ago. They made a number of adjustments, including putting the saddle up by a fair amount (I forget how much). It felt a bit awkward at first, but I went with it, and now it feels great.

Grill

wandsworth wrote:

Grill wrote:

redvision wrote:

Remember that the retul fit gives you your optimum position. If you have had significant changes made then it's only natural it will take time for the body to adjust.

That's the problem, as what's optimal for me isn't what the software says it should be.

It's not just software. The Retul system just measures a bunch of variables, and provides data to the fitter, who interprets that data based on their experience and what you have told them about your needs (performance vs comfort, flexibility, etc).

I had a Retul fit a few weeks ago. They made a number of adjustments, including putting the saddle up by a fair amount (I forget how much). It felt a bit awkward at first, but I went with it, and now it feels great.

That just reinforces what I said in my initial reply. I've had a Retul fit from one of the more experienced and praised fitters and my current position bears almost no resemblance (TT). If the fitter has the experience they should need Retul.

samsbike

There are a couple of things you can do to check your own seat height.

The quick one is to rest your heels (when wearing your cycle shoes with the cranks at the lowest position in line with seat tube. They should just reach. This will then give a slight bend in the knee when pedalling.

A second check is to work out your pubic bone height and subract 10 - and that roughly should be where your seat is (+/- 0.5cm). There are probably a few more things.

I raised my seat about 1.5cm last week after advice from a fitter. It felt very strange but am getting used to it. I have now raised it a couple of mm.

From my reading on the web it takes around 2-3 weeks to get re-adjusted.

However, do the above and if you have concerns go back to the fitter.

Wily-Quixote

One guy's opinion:

https://www.stevehoggbikefitting.com/bi ... can-it-be/