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Old 04-14-21, 09:17 PM
  #22  
canklecat
Me duelen las nalgas
 
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Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Texas
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Bikes: Centurion Ironman, Trek 5900, Univega Via Carisma, Globe Carmel

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Nah, I do my own fitting based on excellent YouTube videos by a pro fitter who generously shares all of his tradecraft -- alas, to benefit from his measuring equipment I'd need to pay him for an in-person visit to get data on saddle pressure, pedal pressure, etc.

Occasionally I'll set up a video camera to check my fit on the indoor trainer, then another video check outdoors, setting up the camera on a guardrail or something to do several ride-bys to check my form approaching, from the side and riding away. It's been helpful in spotting minor fit issues such as saddle height, reach, neck angle, etc. But I can't check things like uneven pressure in the saddle and pedals -- for that I'd need a pro fitter.

My body comfort issues interfere with any effort at a fixed bike fit. I have chronic problems with neck spasms due to old injuries (car wreck busted up my C1 and C2 in my neck), and just gittin' old. Some days one bike feels great, the next day that same bike might feel like torture. So each bike is set up a bit differently to suit how my neck and body feel on any given day.

I usually choose a compromise in handlebar height/reach that favors comfort over maximum aero efficiency. My old school steel road bike has about a 1"-2" bar drop below saddle height. The carbon fiber racy bike is around 3"-4" bar drop below saddle height. I like a stem around 100-110mm long, so I choose handlebars to compensate for the desired reach and fit -- mostly compact drops like the FSA Omega Compact and Soma Hwy One. Depends on the reach to the hoods. With the old school aero hoods on my steel bike with downtube shifters, I can handle older drops with longer reach. With brifters, I prefer compact drops with shorter reach, since the brifter hoods are considerably longer than the old aero brake hoods.

My next project is converting all my bikes to 170 or, at most, 172.5 cranks. Technically I can handle 175 cranks (I'm 5'11" with 33" inseam and longish feet). That'll be easier on my knees and lower back/hips. Usually I don't have much problem there, but since resuming jogging a few months ago my knees and hips are a bit more sensitive to crank length now and I find myself avoiding my bikes with 175 cranks in favor of the 172.5 and 170.

If my various aches and pains settled down and I could be comfy and efficient riding just one bike setup indefinitely, I'd consider paying for a bike fit to set up my other bikes to be equally comfy. But even with routine physical therapy, my neck is what it is and ain't gonna get any better. I'm usually limited to rides up to 90 minutes, 2 hours max, before any bike becomes uncomfortable, regardless of setup.
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