visited the LBS today: bike is too small :(

[lovelygamer]

I took my bike into the shop today for a tune-up and discussed bike fit with them. I can't seem to get the adjustment right. My butt starts killing me around mile 5 and one of my knees by mile 7.

Come to find out, she measured the crankshaft and says my bike is too short for me. I bought it like new but used and the lady was about an inch shorter than me.

She said the crank is 14.5 and she would suggest 16 for me. I know nothing about this but have been reading bike fit articles for a bit. They seem to discuss the height of the frame more than the crankshaft.

I also found out that they sell used bikes there. I am thinking about buying a road bike with the drops and gifting my current bike to a girl I mentor. Shes a preteen and about three or four inches shorter than I am.

One good thing about the LBS, I found a jersey there I think I might buy. It's on sale for 60$ and has the xxl ladies size. It even has a zip pocket on the rear along with the other pockets.

A little disapointed in the bike fit issue.

[Kathi]

I'm confused. You said she measured the crank and said the bike is too short. Is the frame too short or are the cranks too short?

The crank is only 1 thing a fitter will look at and it can be changed to a longer one, but what about the size of the frame? How does it fit? If there are major fit issues then definitely you'll want to see a good fitter and get a new bike. If the frame fits with minor adjustments then switching the crank is not a big deal.

How much will it cost to fit the bike vs buying a new one?

[goldfinch]

The measurements you are giving do not sound like crank size measurement but frame measurements.

[TsPoet]

The measurements you are giving do not sound like crank size measurement but frame measurements.

Yes, crank measurements are mm - ie 170 mm. They generally run 165, 170, 175 for DF bikes. It's extremely rare to hear about 145s, so I can't imagine that's what she meant.
I'm thinking frame size.
The height of the previous owner may have as much/more to do with leg and or torso length. (My SO rides a smaller bike than me, but he's 1" taller - he's all torso and I'm all leg).

[OakLeaf]

True, but the OP is complaining of butt and knees, which doesn't sound like a frame fit issue. Knee pain could very well be crank length. Butt is likely to be either saddle or conditioning. But frame size issues usually manifest in the upper body...

[lovelygamer]

When pick up my bike, I'll get them to clarify. I might just deal with it instead of refitting it, depends on the costs. I really want a road bike. I'll have to drive to the next town to see a second LBS.

When I get it back I'll measure the frame.

Ps I think both are too short.I'm 5'6.5 with a short waist. I think my inseam is longer than usual for my height-33" last time I checked.

[Sylvia]

14.5 (I'm presuming centimeter) cranks are pretty short and would likely only be found on a child's bike or recumbent unless the person had some physical restrictions. I'm 5' tall with a 25" inseam and have flexibility issues and I ride with cranks this short.

[goldfinch]

14.5 (I'm presuming centimeter) cranks are pretty short and would likely only be found on a child's bike or recumbent unless the person had some physical restrictions. I'm 5' tall with a 25" inseam and have flexibility issues and I ride with cranks this short.

Unlikely that a budget hybrid would have 145 cranks.

[Sylvia]

Unlikely that a budget hybrid would have 145 cranks.
For a full size hybrid, I agree, although the previous owner could have added them, if for example, a junior cyclist were using this bike. 145mm crank arms in 74/130BCD triples can be found fairly inexpensively.

[goldfinch]

For a full size hybrid, I agree, although the previous owner could have added them, if for example, a junior cyclist were using this bike. 145mm crank arms in 74/130BCD triples can be found fairly inexpensively.


Sure, it just seems odd given the kind of bike it is.

Either way, it will be interesting to hear the skinny from the bike shop.

[lovelygamer]

I"m kind of hoping when I pick it back up the other owner is there. Truthfully, I didn't much care for the lady that checked us in. I have lots of questions. I asked for a fit-and she pretty much blew me off. I'm going to ask again when I pick it up. Being that the bike is too short, the handlebars need to be raised and I don't do well at mechanical stuff. I can raise the seat.

Why do the LBS's seem to be so hard to deal with? As a new customer, they should be happy to be making my money. I think they probably already make tons being as they are the only shop in town.

Hoping to hear from them today.

[indysteel]

You didn't buy the bike you're currently riding at that shop, right? Well, that might explain part of her irritation. A lot of shops do offer formal fittings--regardless of where you bought the bike--for a fee. Otherwise, most shops only offer a gratuitous fittings for bikes purchased at that shop. That doesn't mean you can't ask this LBS for help with fit, but you might not get the warmest reception.

[Trek420]

Ask if someone there is certified/trained to do a fit. Not all shop owners or employees are certified and if they are not it may not be worth any price. Find a certified fitter nearby.

I was ready to throw my first road bike into the bay. I took it to my LBS which was not where I bought it. He saw the bars were to wide for me. $30-35 later for new Dedo women specific bars and it felt like a new bike. That wasn't even a fit. He just saw me ride in.

The right LBS or LBS employee can do a lot with very little.


Why do the LBS's seem to be so hard to deal with? As a new customer, they should be happy to be making my money. I think they probably already make tons being as they are the only shop in town.

Sadly there's not a lot of money in the cycling industry. Some shops do very well such as my favorite Bay Area shop. But I think that has more to do with his capturing a high end bike market and good solid business practices such as a low inventory. It's a tiny space and he does not keep much on hand. Yet they can get anything you want or need quickly or that he needs to complete the job.

Most shops have a lot of bikes and inventory on the floor and yet do not get a lot of money back. They also have to compete with everything from online deals, box stores to Craigs and eBay. I don't think owners go into this industry for the money. It's more about the love of cycling and cyclists.

Cycling is a very customer service focused sport. As you can see if a bike and even parts of it are not fit to the rider you can hardly suffer through a few miles. I think this is why we must support our LBS, work with them and buy from them when we can. Without good LBS service it's not much fun.

[Kathi]

A fitting (not sizing) will cost in the neighborhood of $100-$250. Some shops charge for everything they do. One shop here charges $80 for cleat alignment.

The cost of going to a fit school for training is not inexpensive. The shop, or fitter has to recoup their expenses so they will not offer the service to everyone who walks in the door, especially if the bike was not bought from their shop.

My fitter will make changes on my Serotta for free, I bought the bike from him, but charges me a nominal fee to work on the bikes that I didn't buy from him.

Many shops will include a fitting if you buy a bike from them that is over a certain price range.

Shops often will make saddle adjustments, etc. but that is not a fitting.

Here's tons of information from the Master bike fitters Association http://masterbikefitters.com/how-to-buy-a-new-bike

[lovelygamer]

Thanks Ladies. I did buy the bike from a private user but I would have happily paid for the fitting service. The are charging 40$ for a tune-up which I don't feel is too much.

I'm not going to judge them after one visit. I know there are many factors that go into everything. Maybe they were exceptionally busy. I do recall seeing three college kids in the rear, turning wrenches.

I think I am just going to raise the handlebar and seat until I can figure something else out. I will speak to them about proper measurements for a road bike, in case the right one comes along.

[ny biker]

FWIW, you were there on a sunny Saturday in June, which means they were really busy. It's generally easier to get the attention of someone knowledgeable and have a good conversation with them if you're able to go in on a weekday.

[Trek420]

I think I am just going to raise the handlebar and seat until I can figure something else out.

I'd recommend that you raise one thing, ride, check it out, see how it feels, raise that again if needed, repeat. You might not want to move everything at once but see if you can isolate to one item.

But really finding a fitter or even having a good cyclist watch you ride is best. I could barely ride my mixte a mile without pain. All Knott did was change the angle of the bars a teensy tiny bit. Voila! Perfect fit.


I will speak to them about proper measurements for a road bike, in case the right one comes along.

Road, hybrid etc your fit is pretty much your fit. Find what fits you it's much the same regardless of the bike you have now or in the future.

[withm]

http://www.raleighusa.com/archive/2011-comfort/venture-40-11/

Go to the Raleigh website and look at the 3 different models of Venture they have. Figure out which one is yours, and let us know. It sounds like you have a 14" frame and may indeed need the next size up.

Bike fitting is an art, and a good fitting is well worth its price. But there is a lot you can do yourself to see if the bike is salvageable.

These comments apply mostly to road bikes with drop bars, and that's where all my experience is. But in general they are still applicable to a bike like yours. There is no exact science here. Following these guidelines should get your bike closer to a better fit. If that works, great. If it helps a little, but still have issues, then it's time to see a fitter and discuss if there is any point to spending more $ trying to make it fit, or starting over with a bike that is the right size in the first place. You'll still need to fit it to you, but the right size will be a lot easier to fit than the wrong size.

There is a lot that can be done to adjust the bike if it's just a little bit small, but there is a limit. You can raise the seat, move the seat forward or backward, and tilt it a bit (but you will want it to be nearly level). Generally if your knees hurt in front, the seat is too low. If they hurt in back, the seat is too high. The seat post should have a line etched into the tube; don't raise it any higher than that.

One of the rules of thumb to evaluate seat height is to place the bike in a doorway, or somewhere you can hold on to something to stay upright. With the pedal in the 6:00 position (all the way down), place your heel on the pedal. Your knee should be slightly bent, but not locked. You should be barely able to make contact with the pedal. This is not scientific, but will put you in the ball park for fine tuning later.

Once the seat height is good, you may need to adjust the fore & aft position of seat. Here you want your feet on the pedals at 3 & 9:00. If you drop a plumb bob from your forward knee to the pedal, it should land on the forward part of the pedal spindle. Again - this is a starting point. You can slide the seat forward/backward to get this effect. Note that you may have to adjust the seat height and fore/aft position a couple of times. Everytime you change one thing, it affects other dimensions.

For the handlebars you can raise them a little to change the height. It loooks like you may have an adjustable stem which you can use to change the angle, and reach. These things combined MAY or may not make your bike fit better.

A proper fitting can easily run over $200. This might approach the price you paid for your "used but like new bike" and any subsequent changing of components may make it cost prohibitive for you.

If you google bike fitting you'll find lots of websites and you-tube videos on how to do this. It's much easier with help though, and just riding a couple days with someone who is a little more experienced and willing to stop every few miles to help you tweak your fit a bit may do wonders.

Try making small (1/8" at a time) adjustments, one at a time, and riding the bike for a few miles to see what effect it has. When you are all done, and the bike feels more comfortable, you can mark the seat tube with a sharpie pen (either black or silver) so you can always get back to that point.

If after all this, you decide the bike is just too small, you could see if the person who you bought it from would take it back, sell it yourself on Craig's List or similar venues, or trade it in at your bike shop for something that fits better. It may not make sense to spend $$$ on a bike that is just too small.

[lovelygamer]

I'm back. Guess what? My bike is 16". BTW, I paid $125 for it. The lady had ridden it ONCE.

I don't know how the LBS and I miss communicated Saturday but I checked the bike labeling and it's a Venture WSM 16". I guess the lady that rode it before me was just shorter than me and had shorter legs than me. We made some adjustments in the shop. I'm tried it out again and it seems okay. I'll take a longer ride when I get a chance.

I must have a freakish body. I do have a ten year old hip replacement. One leg is a bit higher than the other. I had someone else measure my inseam today and they got 29".

I had a long discussion about my cycling goals and interest in a road bike. The LBS showed me a Trek Lexa as one that might be in my price range (less than $800). It was really pretty, I'll attach a picture. So, I like her idea and I'm going to start saving for a new bike. She said I could get the full fitting on a trainer, etc. with a new bike purchase. She quoted the same price many of you did $80-100 to do that type of fitting alone.

Oh, and I got my first jersey. I'm pretty chubby in it because I'm in between their sizes. I still want to get a Canary sleeveless from TE.:D

Thanks for everything, guys and gals. Sorry for the confusion! You are great. There is so much to take in with all of this for a newbie.

[goldfinch]

Thanks for the report! It sounds like with adjustments your bike will do for now while you save up for something else. I paid $85 to a bike shop for a fitting a month or so after I got my hybrid. It was money well spent because I was so uncomfortable on my bike. When I bought my road bike some months later a fitting was thrown in for free.

[lovelygamer]

This morning, I had to raise my seat to max in order to get proper leg extension but it does seem to help. Going to try it on a longer ride this afternoon!

[Megustalaplaya]

The LBS showed me a Trek Lexa as one that might be in my price range (less than $800). It was really pretty, I'll attach a picture. So, I like her idea and I'm going to start saving for a new bike. She said I could get the full fitting on a trainer, etc. with a new bike purchase. She quoted the same price many of you did $80-100 to do that type of fitting alone

Hey! That is the bike I have! :D

[ny biker]

When you're getting a fitting for that road bike, or if you decide to have a full fitting done for any other bike, make sure to mention the leg-length discrepancy. They should be able to make adjustments for it.

[Trek420]

..... make sure to mention the leg-length discrepancy. They should be able to make adjustments for it.

Those can include shims in a pedal, custom orthotics or Smartfeet. There are several on board here with LLD who use Brooks saddles. The models with a spring make the LLD practically a non-issue.

[lovelygamer]

NY and Trek. Thank you. I did not know they had such options for LLD.

[Trek420]

Well, you know we like Brooks in our stable. :rolleyes: Now that I have one I think it's the way to go. But then I don't have any perceptible LLD. Knott does and the way it works for her is great. It might beat the cost of custom pedals, the other solutions etc.

[Trek420]

Couldn't find another reference to Brooks earlier in this thread, but perhaps I missed it. Do you mean that a Brooks is the way to go because it will mold to the hips, and accomodate the lld?

...

Anyone? (Sorry, threadjack. But could be relevant).

Brooks will accept asymmetry and just make things more comfortable. Any Brooks that fits you may mold to a hip, leg or one sides motion being different. The models with springs will accept asymmetry. I think it may be a way to go.

I don't think it's a threadjack at all. Subject is: what to do when the bike you already have might not fit.