Portis

This forum (road bike forum) seems to be afflicted with an overwhelming presence of bike fit'itis. Members cuss and discuss every angle of bike fitting with laser guided accuracy as if they are talking about redesigning the space shuttle.

Road bike fit must be a very exact and specific science. That is the only conclusion one can reach by reading the countless threads, that repeatedly over dissect the subject of bike fit. Those who haven't spent thousands of hours humped over the handlebars of a road bike will likely be inclined to believe these things as absolute truths.

I am not one of those people. I believe the subject of bike fit to be one of mainly superstition and myth with little evidence to support the need for such obsessive discussion of having the perfect sized bike for your body. I believe that a variety of frame sizes can be utilized successfully by most riders.

Something that is very seldom mentioned is the fact that the body can adjust and become accustomed to many different environments. That is how our bodies can be conditioned to run marathons, perform gymnastics, and ride bike frames of varying sizes. So often, we read a post where someone takes a road bike out on a maiden voyage and comes on these forums to report that they have neck pain, or back pain etc.

Then everyone piles on telling them how to adjust their bike or that they have the wrong sized frame etc. Meanwhile the real issue is that the riders body hasn't become accustomed to the bike. Even if the bike is a size that is different, from what would conventionally be recommended here, a rider can still easily become accustomed to it. So much so, that a "proper" fitting bike might feel wrong after riding the "wrong" bike for a long time.

The facts are that any rider can ride *just about* any bike and get comfortable on it. While that is not a popular notion, I believe it to be true.

(* Within reason. I'm talking about riding a frame size in either direction. IOW, if a 58 cm is recommended, you could ride a 60 or 56.)

GuitarWizard

Ok

Portis

Next.

GuitarWizard

Hi

fmw

I agree with you in terms of frame size. It isn't that mystical. I've gotten good fit from a range of frame sizes personally. But I think the distance between the saddle and the pedal, as an example, is pretty important. It is adjustable, to be sure, but important and certainly a part of bike fit. The rest of the dimensions are more flexible. For the most part, they don't have much to do with right and wrong but with what makes the rider comfortable.

Some people have done a great job marketing fitting services. It takes a marketing job to convince a cyclist that he needs an all afternoon $300 fitting session. It takes more than a marketing job to convince me of it, however. I would never let anybody else fit a bike to me. For the most part, I agree with you.

ImprezaDrvr

I paid $45 for a fit in November and it's been worth far more than that to me, as it broke me of some bad habits. I've tweaked a lot since then on my own. The fit got my pointed in the right direction and since then I've thought about it less. I agree with your commentary about frame size, but I would say that fit is tremendously important and should be paid attention to in the context of the goals a rider has in front of him or her. It's there that I see the problems. Riders want to do centuries and set their bikes up for crits or short road races.

But the point about the body getting conditioned to different positions is huge and often overlooked. People want to look a certain way on the bike regardless of what it does to hamper their goals. It's such an individual thing that I can't see how anyone will get a good fit from the internet. Everyone, myself included, has had their experiences with fit and will lean toward suggesting that others do as they did.

CN: don't overthink fit, but don't underestimate fit's importance either.

mingsta

You should sell this idea to the big players, they'd save a fortune in manufacturing from making one-size-fits all bikes. The wider cycling community may not thank you for you "innovation" though

Velo Vol 

I suppose you can condition your body to run a marathon in steel-toed boots. But that doesn't mean you won't be a lot more confortable doing so in properly-sized running shoes.

bbattle

Anyone here like pie?

I like pie.

mingsta

Actually, I was just kidding. What you say has pretty much been put in to practise by the advent of compact sizing, where many road bikes used to be manufactured in 1cm to 2cm size increments, there's often a bigger jump between compact frame sizes.

No one's going to die if they're top tube/head tube is 1 or 2 cm too long/short, but personally if I'm spending a load of wedge on a bike I'd rather get a very good match on the frame size so that I don't have to adjust with a shedload of spacers or funny stems.

My friend's just purchased a Giant TCR Hybrid, its a lovely bike, bought at a bargain price, but he was bang in between S and M. He went for an M and aesthetically you can see that its a tiny bit wrong as there's maybe 2-3cm too little seatpost showing and he's going to have to fit a 9cm stem to get the right reach. Nothing terminal at all, but I personally wouldn't put up with that.

ericgu

I've had a couple of bike fits with Erik Moen, and by far the most useful adjustments were not those made to the bike by those I made to my body through stretching and exercises based on his advice.

Mentor58

One could make the argument (as has been posted here before IIRC) that is one of the reasons that manufacturers jumped on the compact frame bandwagon with such vigor. It's not the potential savings of a few oz of weight, or the fact that the frame MIGHT be just a tich stiffer than a more traditional geometery, but because with a small handfull of frames you can fit most riders.

There are really only 3 things that factor into a bike fit, where is your butt, where are your feet, where are your hands. It's the relationship between those three items, along with riding style, flexibilty, personal pref. that determine if it's right or not. I know when I'm getting a bike dialed in there is just a nagging feeling of 'nope, that's not it yet', but when I get things where my body wants them to be, the feeling is 'Oh Yea, that's it'.

With you +/- one size either way, you can fit from a 'fast racing competitive' position, to a more classic position, to a more upright position good for touring / brevet riding. For me, as long as the saddle height is right (I can tell that one pretty quick) and i'm not feeling like I'm falling as I go for the hoods or drops I'm usually happy.

Steve W.
Who has been amazed at times what a tweak here and a twist there can do for his comfort

texascyclist

I will have to disagree with that. There is nothing about a compact frame that allows for a manufacturer to get away with supplying fewer frames. Regardless where the top tube is welded, the measurement from the center of the seat tube to center of steerer is absolutely the most important measurement on a frame. You can get by with a frame that is +2cm or -2cm from your correct size by swapping stems, etc. However, your handling absolutely will not be optimum. That means that you will either have a more difficult time keeping the bike pointed where you want during normal riding and free handed or on the other side you will not have the responsiveness you desire.

alanbikehouston

Actually, it takes a pretty good fitting to get someone within one size of their "optimum" size. Thirty years ago, most guys of 5'8" to 5'10" were riding bikes in the size 58 to size 60 range, and that was their "correct" size if they were riding for recreation, fitness, commuting, and touring, and NOT for time trials.

Today, guys of that same size are often riding bikes in the size 53 to size 56 range. A nice low position, IF they are using the bike for time trialing. Waaay to small for commuting, touring, and recreational riding. The "fad" of riding "mini" bikes is putting guys on bikes that are two or three sizes too small. A major reason so many of those bikes are hanging from the ceiling of a garage, instead of being enjoyed out on the road.

H1449-6

Tru dat.