bike fit

Ryder

Know this topic gets done here a bit but wanted some experienced opinions....
adjusted my fit based on feel, saddle height to achieve an almost straight knee and knee position over the spindle at 3 o'clock. Is it worth spending 80e (120e) for 2 bikes to get professionally fit or is all the fine tuning angles just for optimising power?

JacksonHeightsOwn

Ryder wrote: »

Know this topic gets done here a bit but wanted some experienced opinions....
adjusted my fit based on feel, saddle height to achieve an almost straight knee and knee position over the spindle at 3 o'clock. Is it worth spending 80e (120e) for 2 bikes to get professionally fit or is all the fine tuning angles just for optimising power?

as a complete novice posting, i got my bike done through irishfit

the attention to detail is pretty staggering, the guy certainly gets more more power out of your position

HOWEVER

my saddle was highered by about 3cm (amongst other adjustments), and ive had to drop it down about half of that distance as my back was absolutely crippling me on any rides over 50km

i heard bikefittingireland is **** hot at it, but i found irishfit good as well

i had slight knee pain that definetly reduced after seeing irishfit,

short circuit

I went to Irish fit in October and spent 80 euro. The attention to detail and the knowledge is pretty good ... and the software they use is pretty nifty.

But would I get it done now that I am over the curiosity ... probably not.

Reasons below:-
1. Multiple schools of thought on the fit and Irishfit is doing their interpretation. Whether it will suit you or not is debatable
2. You can get pretty close to Irishfit by putting your numbers into the fit calculator on www.competitivecyclist.com and atleast it gives you 3 sets of option and the philosophy behind it. I did this before I went to Irishfit and dialed in my position ... my handlebars, saddle height and distance from BB all changed slightly. At irishfit, they didn't move much from there
3. I was diagnosed with a slight imbalance in leg length and sold an insert to go into the shoe ... after using it for 4 months now, all I have noticed is additional pressure on one leg and a very very tight ITB. So that is gone as of last weekend.
4. I know of atleast 1 other person on boards whose saddle height was adjusted greatly without any warning of increasing slowly to that height and their knee went kaboom on the Wicklow 200 - may or may not be related

So from my side, recommendation would be to read as much as possible online and dial in a position based on your body comfort making small changes ... its not really that difficult .. easier on the body and wallet ... unless you are trying to get every last ounce of power from your body transferred to your pedals.

Ryder

Appreciate that, thanks. Am more inclined to go with the diy comfort fit as I outlined initially.....have had some knee pain on and off if I push big gears so was curious about the fit. Irishfit put me off when saying I had to do 2 bikes seperately.....not convinced its worth 120, and am always wary of being sold inserts/orthoses

Lumen

I used IrishFit.

It's really no better than spending eleventy million hours surfing the web (which I'd done anyway) then recording yourself on the bike and checking the angles in a frame by frame playback (which I hadn't, but they did for me). It is, however, much more convenient if you are reasonably close to their premises.

JacksonHeightsOwn

another thing with Irishfit, which is kinda odd

the guy that did mine doesn't actually cycle a bike, which after doing it i found quite odd,

so perhaps thats why they're inclined to raise your saddle too much as they simply dont realise the effects on the body as your muscles adjust to the new height

mind you, thats just a theory of mine

Cadex

Hi. As somone who has some stupid back problems and enjoys long spins, I am very keen that I am not aggravating them by a poor fit. I had a bike fitted in Cycle Superstore and they gave me a set of printouts which showed all the 'appropriate' measurements. I've kept these and then over time made some adjustments and recorded the changes. As I have a Land's End to John O'Groats planned for this year I thought I'd get my good bike checked by Irishfit. After the changes I had some troubles but it appears to be mostly ok. As I said, I kept my measurements and can adjust back and forth until it is 'optimised'. I must say that although they seemed pretty professional, I would have to say that my faith was shaken by the fact that the guy 'conversationally' said he didn't cycle and though 'that cycling was just boring'. This basically suggests that he is following the manual wth the software but has little understanding of what his actions will have. I think I'd be more inclined to follow the advice of people who actually cycle in future.

If the headings that I used to keep track of the fit are any good to anybody, I'll send them on. They came from the original fit with the guys in Cycle Superstore.

Ryder

just as a follow up to all of this.......got a bikefit done in irishfit last week. Put me up on the turbo and used a computer to generate 'ideal' body angles. Didnt change all that much in the end......but also got a full physio and biomechanical assessment and they were able to explain some of the problems that id been having.

So 2 thumbs up, very happy with the assessment and sorry i didnt go earlier in the season

alfalad

Anyone tried these guys?

http://www.bikefittingireland.com/

TinyExplosions

short circuit wrote: »

4. I know of atleast 1 other person on boards whose saddle height was adjusted greatly without any warning of increasing slowly to that height and their knee went kaboom on the Wicklow 200 - may or may not be related

To be fair, they did say that the change was a lot, and to test it first and if it was wrong halve the distance from where it was to where they recommended it to be... problem was that the WW200 was too close to allow me to dial it in properly, as well as me having an eye on the Marmotte, so I don't blame them for my poorly knee!

Cadex

Just to follow up on earlier post. I was checked again and another person (a cyclist and coach) and he changed my settings again - back towards what I had had before Irishfit. Although I still get days where my back can be bad, they are less now than before so I am happier. Essentially, there appears to be 3 main methods, 2 based on your measurements (Hamley & Thomas, LeMond) and the other (Holmes) based on your angles (how straight your leg is e.g.) on the bike. Irishfit use the latter. For what it's worth their system brought my saddle up and I found my back complained more. When I brought it back down (based on the measurements method), my back pain decreased. If you read up on the different methods, you'll see there is a balance between stressing the knees (too low) and stressing the back (too high) as well as of course various levels of making you more efficient. For me, I'm not efficient if my back is upset so I have to go for the lower end. I'm doing a lot of distance these days and long days in the saddle mean that comfort is important. I've kept all the different measuremens so I can change things around but in my opinion, the last one was most effective and I was disappointed by Irishfit. There's a bit on this in this week's Cycling Weekly mag.

Junior

alfalad wrote: »

Anyone tried these guys?

http://www.bikefittingireland.com/

Barry from Worldwidecycles reccommended them to me, Aidan Hammond is the guy behind it, he works with Michelle who's a muscular therapist..

Here's what they sent in an email to me ..

The bikefitting system is one that combines a number of measuring tools that measure bone lengths and combines this with a software database of over 200,000 cyclists to provide your ideal position i.e. saddle height / position, stem length and height. It has proven to help people suffering pain and aches or who just feel uncomfortable or are unsure whether they are getting the most out of their position.

Aidan is a trained coach and has raced and worked in the industry for years so he combines the computer data with feedback on injuries, flexibility, aims of the rider such as sportifs to racing or time trialing to get the optimum position for the rider. With the array of equipment on the market these days he can also advise on what stems, bars etc maybe more suited to the bike and usually can point you in the direction of a bike shop that will stock these items. As Aidan has worked in the industry for so many years he knows what is on the market.

I am a trained muscular therapist and if there is a need for insoles or advice on cleats due to pronation or back problems etc I can assist there.
The session is normally 1 1/2 hours long and is only available in the evening at 7.30 or the weekend. You need to bring your bike, cycling shorts and cycling shoes.

The session costs 100 euro and if insoles if necessary are 45 euro


I'm doing some more riding to get back into shape first before I go looking at handing over 100 quid.

alfalad

Junior wrote: »

Barry from Worldwidecycles reccommended them to me, Aidan Hammond is the guy behind it, he works with Michelle who's a muscular therapist..

Here's what they sent in an email to me ..

The bikefitting system is one that combines a number of measuring tools that measure bone lengths and combines this with a software database of over 200,000 cyclists to provide your ideal position i.e. saddle height / position, stem length and height. It has proven to help people suffering pain and aches or who just feel uncomfortable or are unsure whether they are getting the most out of their position.

Aidan is a trained coach and has raced and worked in the industry for years so he combines the computer data with feedback on injuries, flexibility, aims of the rider such as sportifs to racing or time trialing to get the optimum position for the rider. With the array of equipment on the market these days he can also advise on what stems, bars etc maybe more suited to the bike and usually can point you in the direction of a bike shop that will stock these items. As Aidan has worked in the industry for so many years he knows what is on the market.

I am a trained muscular therapist and if there is a need for insoles or advice on cleats due to pronation or back problems etc I can assist there.
The session is normally 1 1/2 hours long and is only available in the evening at 7.30 or the weekend. You need to bring your bike, cycling shorts and cycling shoes.

The session costs 100 euro and if insoles if necessary are 45 euro


I'm doing some more riding to get back into shape first before I go looking at handing over 100 quid.

I've had a lot of issues with my knee over the last year which really came to a head a couple of weeks ago after doing a cycling holiday. Think the main issues are flexibility, flat feet causing pronation and strength of certain muscles so I need to work on that myself but in a month or so if I'm still not happy I might give them a shot.

jwshooter

im getting a bike fit done by irishfit this afternoon .

jwshooter

jwshooter wrote: »

im getting a bike fit done by irishfit this afternoon .




i found leo to be a very well informed guy .

the strength and flexibility test was interesting .i know where i suffer from tightness and lack of flexibility .he picked up on it early on .
he gave me some exercises to do and will e mail more .

the bike fit was also very well done and not rushed .i was 40mm to low in the saddle not forward enough and to far away from the leavers.

i should say i made some changes myself a few weeks ago after a phone call and conversation with leo .i flipped the stem ,moved the saddle forward and dropped it .i have done the tour de crue,mt leinster,carlow 150,pluss a good few training spins ,with this set up and thought i was okish .

leo ,turned the bars clockwise to rise them and also raised the bars by 10mm ,this i liked and gives me a nice feel .
the saddle i will rise slowly over the next few weeks and i will start training the core ,stretching and get a few rubs .

the video showed i was putting all the power into the peddles with good vertical strokes .

i know ever cripple has there own way of walking ,i do thing i will not get up to the full 40mm on the saddle but i will see over the coming weeks.

80 euro for a 1.5hrs i thought it was good value ..

Wicklowrider

chrisbonnie wrote: »

my saddle was highered by about 3cm

Hiring your saddle by 3 cm in one go is pure heresy. If someone told you to do it they are clueless.

I've posted on other threads asking what qualifies these guys to do fittings? Be careful.
There is a least one highest level qualified coach and experienced racer out there who is doing fittings - why not go to someone like that?

Just read post above mentioning Aidan Hammond - he is the coach I was thinking of.

Lumen

Wicklowrider wrote: »

Hiring your saddle by 3 cm is pure heresy. Whoever old you to do it is clueless.

No, it doesn't work like that. IrishFit only raise the saddle to find out what height it should be to get the angles correct, they don't suggest you change that much in one go.

JacksonHeightsOwn

i wont lie

i kept the position i was given by irishfit for a good six months, but it never worked out for me

i just watched some video on youtube and went from that, and im grand now

i wouldnt go to irishfit again myself, a bit of a waste of money

jwshooter

i done 60k yes eve in the new position ,a good hilly route ,i moved the saddle up by 2cm .

i felt snug on the bike ,i hope to get in some good ks this weekend.

lafors

Just a bit of a review on my bike fitting @ bikefittingireland....

Had my bike fit on saturday morning with Michelle & Paul both are very friendly which is a good start!
Firstly they asked a lot of questions i.e. find out what type of cyclist you are/what your goals are, any pains/aches from cycling, etc.
Checked flexibility in my case its awful
Then on to measurement, found that my right shoulder/arm is dropped in comparison to left. As soon as they said it I noticed I was doing it the wife said after I've always been like that!
Right foot bigger than my left...freak
Nothing major though which is good.

On to the bike next, start off by filming me on my bike as it was when I arrived.
Then went through multiple adjustments, mainly saddle in my case, until we were happy.
My saddle was far too low, also my stem is too short. I'll have to adjust my saddle bit by bit to get it to the right height and improve my flexibility so I can get my leg over it
Took some more video when set correctly. When compared side by side there was a big difference, which I could definitely feel myself when on the turbo.

All in all, I'd definitely recommend them, very professional and helpful.

cdaly_

lafors wrote: »

I'll have to adjust my saddle bit by bit to get it to the right height and improve my flexibility so I can get my leg over it

If leg over the back is difficult, try swinging your leg forward and over the crossbar instead.

1. Stand a bit behind the saddle.
2. Hold saddle in right hand.
3. Swing right leg up so your foot crosses just behind the stem.
4. Pull bike back towards you as your leg descends.
5. Untangle yourself from the bike and get up off the ground and try again...

d4r3n

Has anyone any experiences with http://www.winningsolutions.ie/ or http://www.fit4bike.com/ ?

Lumen

d4r3n wrote: »

Has anyone any experiences with http://www.winningsolutions.ie/ or http://www.fit4bike.com/ ?

Thanks. I'd been idling wondering for a while who Winning Solutions were (they sponsor Orwell Wheelers club) but couldn't be arsed to type in the URL.