bike fit--art vs. science (long)
Sorry, this is really long. But I want to share my experience having two professional fittings done on the same road bike (an ’05 Specialized Sequoia Comp). The specific problem I was trying to solve was that I wasn’t confident using the brakes from the hoods, and I couldn’t even reach the brakes from the drops (I have stubby fingers and fairly small hands.) I’ve got auxiliary brake levers on the top of the handlebars, which I use most often. I probably spend over 95% of my time on the top of the bars, just so I can have access to the brakes.
My LBS is owned by a woman who has a great reputation as a fitter, but my observations of fit sessions there had left me with the impression that they were tilted toward the “how does that feel?” end of the spectrum. I don’t know how it’s supposed to feel, and I’m an engineer (by training anyway), so I wanted something more “scientific.”
So last fall, I went to a shop that uses the Serotta Fit Kit system. It was over an hour away, but a friend had had a fitting there and was satisfied with the results. Rather than using my bike, I was fitted to the “Size Cycle” and analyzed by a fancy computer system, the “Computrainer Pro”. Then the measurements from the “Size Cycle” were supposedly incorporated into changes in my bike’s saddle height, stem length, bar height, etc. I also paid extra for a cleat alignment. The fitter never put me on my bike to make sure everything seemed right, and I was never observed riding the bike.
I got the bike home and felt the handlebars—38cm Salsa Pocos--were waaaay too narrow. I still couldn’t use the brakes from the hoods or the drops, and there wasn’t even enough real estate on the bar to comfortably fit the auxiliary brake levers. I found that after the fitting, I didn’t want to ride my road bike because the bars were so narrow; I think I only rode it a couple of times last fall. I called the fitter to talk about it, but he just said I had to ride it more. I didn’t want to ride it more—it wasn’t comfortable, and really didn’t even feel safe.
So last month I decided to try to solve my brake reach and drop discomfort problems by getting a different handlebar, a 40cm Bontrager Fit VR . This is a women’s bar (zencentury has them on her bike) with a very short reach and drop. When I went to the LBS (with the good fitter) to check the positioning of the hoods on the new bars before having them taped, a shop employee commented that my arms were much too straight and that my fit was way off. I decided to bite the bullet and have another fitting done, this time the “artistic” way.
Well. What a difference.
First I just pedaled the bike on the trainer. I complained that something seemed to be wrong with the trainer because it was very jerky, and I couldn’t pedal smoothly. She ignored me:p, and said that my left leg appeared to be a bit shorter than my right, so she repositioned my right cleat to make up for the difference. I told her that it felt like I was pedaling with my toes, so she moved the cleats back and tweaked them a bit, and angled the left cleat because my knee wasn’t tracking properly. She also moved the saddle back a tad, lowered it, and changed its angle. Voila! I could pedal perfectly smoothly now—the problem wasn’t the trainer, it was me!
She also changed the stem and its angle (went from 75mm to 110mm with a higher rise), and experimented with the tilt of the bars and the position of the hoods on the bars. I went back a few days later (after the brake cables were attached on the new handlebars) and rode it for about 20 minutes, with her observing.
On Sunday I did a 38 mile ride, and it felt (mostly) great. I never used the brakes on the top of the bars, and spent most of my time on the hoods. I may need to lower the bars a tad, and my right knee seemed like it was moving around a bit, but overall I had no aches or pains (which is remarkable since I haven’t ridden my road bike since last fall.) I know that the second fitter would never tell me to keep riding it if there was any discomfort; she wants to know right away and fix it.
Maybe the Serotta Fit Kit system works better when one is ordering a custom bike instead of using the measurements to retrofit an existing bike. At this point, I’m sold on the non-scientific method of fitting.:)
Bike zfit... Are ve Science
Wow!i'm glad that you are feeling better on your bike!As someone who also does bike fits, I can tell you there is a lot of variety in how one completes one. let me give you an example... about 18 years ago an older gentleman showed me how to do* a bike fit with a plumb bob and by sight. I didn't question him because he was a national caliber rider and was always helping people with their fit on the bike.(all of this based from the shop that I worked at ) Later my shop bought the FIT KIT... I had one of the shop guys fit me again, and believe it or not, everything that was previously set was right on the money. I realize many of you may disagree, but the bottom line is that people have been doing this for many years BEFORE all of the systems that are out there today. While I think many of them are good, it still relies on the person doing the fit .. how they can adapt numbers/fittings to different people... we need to be able to work with the information that a system can give us, BUT the ultimate fit is being able to adapt that to each of us. Simply taking a class or two, doesn't quarantee that someone can do that.
FYI.... for future people with handlebar issues... not only does a bar that is too narrow compromise the handling of the bike, it also does not allow your lungs to fully open as well.
Have a great ride everyone!
