Bike Fitting in Dublin

musette

I've been having a lot of lower back problems lately (sacro iliac joint especially) and figure spending a few euro on a proper bike fitting would be a better investment than having to fork out on physio bills.

I know that Cyclesuperstore.ie in Tallaght and irishfit.ie in Dun Laoghaire do a fitting service but does anyone knoe if there's one on the northside anywhere?

http://muse-ette.blogspot.com

blorg

I believe the Irishfit service is a lot more comprehensive than Cycle Superstore's- sounds like it would be worth making the trip over to the southside for. Wheelworx in Clondalkin are also reputed to do fitting.

furiousox

cycleways do it too and they're northside


http://www.cycleways.com/store/go/contact-us/

Dr_Colossus

Don't know how good Cycleways or CycleSuperStore would be, I thought their fitting was only to recommend the correct size frame and possible components when purchasing.
Regarding IrishFit, I can't speak for the bike set up but I got their gait analysis and injury prevention set up done and I found them to be very professional and thorough. Went into alot of detail with video analysis and then issues a written report a few days later after going through some more stuff. I went to IrishFit after hearing very good reviews on here about their bike setup analysis.

lukester

Don't know of anywhere northside, but from my experience IrishFit offer a comprehensive service, and the guy who does the fitting is a trained physio, so it'll be a fuller appraisal than just looking at fit on the bike. In my case he diagnosed a leg length discrepancy as the root cause of my issues (easily resolved), which a bike fit alone wouldn't show up.

Ryaner

Big thumbs up for IrishFit. Full review from me here but basically the guy pointed out quite a few things before I'd even sat on the bike. Noticed a bit of a jump in power the following week too and haven't had any issues since.

JacksonHeightsOwn

Ryaner wrote: »

Big thumbs up for IrishFit. Full review from me here but basically the guy pointed out quite a few things before I'd even sat on the bike. Noticed a bit of a jump in power the following week too and haven't had any issues since.

agreed

i was getting a pain in my knee, went to irishfit, we did the analysis, it took the guts of 2 hours,

we did some adjustments, all minor, but soemthign you wouldnt notice without the video analysis, and hey presto, my knee is perfect ever since

a good €70 spent i reckon

musette

Thanks all.

Just waiting for a call back to make an appointment with Irishfit.

http://muse-ette.blogspot.com

musette

Update:

I had my analysis in IrishFit tonight. It was very comprehensive, focusing as much on me as on the bike. The report will include not just bike measurements but also a program for me to follow to strengthen my back, hips, etc all of which should help with the back problems.

Turns out my saddle was a full 4cm too low and my stem, which I felt was too long, is actually too short.

I found Leo very helpful, knowledgeable and professional.

I know the proof of the pudding will be in the eating but it seems like €70 well spent, especially since a physio will charge €50 a pop at least to fix the problems this should prevent.

I've written a more comprenhesive post on my blog http://muse-ette.blogspot.com/

Thanks everyone for the recommendation.

furiousox

+1 for bikefit

I went earlier today and I found it very good.

Firstly Leo gives you a physio examination to check your range of motion etc
Turns out I have poor lower back strength and my overall flexibility isn't great, he recommended I try and get into some pilates classes to improve it.

After that it was on to the bike fitting, saddle height first which turned out to be at least 3cm too low, saddle fore and aft position was ok, crank length was also ok as was the handlebar width and height but my 100mm stem needs to be increased to a 110mm.
The saddle was also slightly off level (high at the front) which he adjusted.

All the information is calibrated using two cameras connected to a computer and then working out the ideal riding position via the software.
It also turns out my upper body sways slightly while pedalling and while my left knee is straight my right knee is moving out quite a bit.

All the info is collected and will be sent to me in a pdf file in a few days.

All in all very interesting and highly recommended, does away with all the guesswork!

zzzzzzzz

furiousox wrote: »

All the info is collected and will be sent to me in a pdf file in a few days.

short circuit

Quick question here on Irishfit ....

A lot of things on the bike can be adjusted on the spot ... saddle height, fore and aft position, cleat position ....

But how do Irishfit go about stem length ... do they have a few available to get you the right fit and then you can get one later on ... do they sell stems ... how does this work.

Looking to go in myself next week. I am 5ft9in with a 34in. inseam* ... so as you can imagine there is a lot of compromise in bike purchase and I went with a smaller frame that my inseam would suggest ... but this puts the handlebar way down and I still need a short stem.

* - finally realised why people thing I have the Simon Cowell pants thing going ... differnce being, my waist is that high ... :mad:

furiousox

short circuit wrote: »

Quick question here on Irishfit ....

A lot of things on the bike can be adjusted on the spot ... saddle height, fore and aft position, cleat position ....

But how do Irishfit go about stem length ... do they have a few available to get you the right fit and then you can get one later on ... do they sell stems ... how does this work.

Looking to go in myself next week. I am 5ft9in with a 34in. inseam* ... so as you can imagine there is a lot of compromise in bike purchase and I went with a smaller frame that my inseam would suggest ... but this puts the handlebar way down and I still need a short stem.

* - finally realised why people thing I have the Simon Cowell pants thing going ... differnce being, my waist is that high ... :mad:

Hi
Basically after all the saddle and bar measurements were taken and all the adjustments were made I assumed my normal riding position both upright and on the drops.
To put it very simply a plumb line was taken from my nose position straight down in relation to the stem.
I think if you're stem is too short. you are slightly 'bunched up' at the shoulders and if its too long you feel overstretched.
Turns out I was slightly bunched up on my 100mm stem so Leo recommended changing it for a 110.
Tha's a brief summary of how I remember the procedure, I don't want to be speaking on behalf of Leo and bikefit.
I would however highly recommended the service, its very thorough.

short circuit

Thanks furiousox

I am aiming to get there next week.

Having read your post, I think all this talk of short upper body = short stem ... I might have ended up with a shorter than recommended stem trying to fix my position. Last week, I was at the physio and he was like ... WTF ... look at all that tension in your shoulders .. you need to drop them a bit ....

So could be that I am all bunched up and not stretched properly on the bike.

furiousox wrote: »

Hi
Basically after all the saddle and bar measurements were taken and all the adjustments were made I assumed my normal riding position both upright and on the drops.
To put it very simply a plumb line was taken from my nose position straight down in relation to the stem.
I think if you're stem is too short. you are slightly 'bunched up' at the shoulders and if its too long you feel overstretched.
Turns out I was slightly bunched up on my 100mm stem so Leo recommended changing it for a 110.
Tha's a brief summary of how I remember the procedure, I don't want to be speaking on behalf of Leo and bikefit.
I would however highly recommended the service, its very thorough.

Lumen

short circuit wrote: »

But how do Irishfit go about stem length ... do they have a few available to get you the right fit and then you can get one later on ... do they sell stems ... how does this work.

This is a bit of an issue alright. When I went for my TT fit, I had spent a lot of time getting the length right already. That aspect is easier for TT bikes than road bikes, IMO - the wrong length feels wrong after the first few pedal strokes. So we just focused on saddle position and knee motion, including some playing around with orthotics. The whole process took two hours, and we weren't dawdling.

Leo has probably done enough of this that he can guess your correct stem length without fitting it there and then, but I still think he should get a few cheap stems in (or an ergostem, if they still exist) to complete the service.

At the end of the day, €70 for two hours with all the technology he has is pretty good value - the software he uses is pretty efficient. It's nothing you couldn't do with a bit of Googling, a friend, a video camera, a laptop, and some photo software, but it gets you there much quicker. And the physical assessment bit is really useful to eliminate any potential structural problems, asymmetries etc.

FWIW, Leo claims to know nothing about bikes, but I think he undersells himself.

Manone

I see there is a service offered by these guys, http://www.bikefittingireland.com/

Any one have any experience of using their services? I would be interested in finding out about the Specialised BG Fit done by cycleways. Is it as thorough as Irishfit?

Thanks

petethedrummer

A bike fitting session in 4 parts.......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNcQdqrz4JQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CucLJcN9Yo0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9U23msQ03Jo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHdnu1IRDz4

Ryder

Anyone done the wheelworx one? Any good?

souter

Did that recently. Nothing like as involved as described for Irish fit, i.e. set up on turbo, various standard drills, but then again I was itching to get out on the road and am pretty unfussy (or willfully ignorant, you choose) - the guy's comment was "You're really easy to fit, some people can take 40 mins". I was on the road in less than 5.

Mr Yunioshi

I went to http://www.bikefittingireland.com/
and recommend it as a very pleasant but thorough interactive process which certainly has sorted out a few issues for me.

It's hard to believe the improvement brought about by a few simple changes in geometry based on the many measurements taken.