Bike fit

NotAGolf

NotAGolf

NotAGolf

Soldato
Joined
22 Oct 2005
Posts
2,843
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Moving...
I've been riding my bike regularly for about a year now and am slowly increasing my speed and range. 95% of the time I'm completely comfortable, but on some of my longest and hardest rides I sometimes get a bit of pain on the front of my knee just below the kneecap/above my shin.

Seeing as I'm comfortable the vast majority of the time, I think this is just a weak part of my legs, but was wondering if perhaps my position on the bike isn't quite right resulting in unnecessary pressure in the wrong places. Does this ok to you guys? (excuse my pasty twiglets)

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I'm sure someone will have an opinion, but I'm not going to wade in with mine as I don't know what I'm looking at. However, I will say that if you screw your knees you're in trouble so look after them. Personally, I paid £110 for a bike fit and it has paid dividends. A lot of money, sure, but I've ridden 160 hours this calendar year, so in the grand scheme of things that's nothing.
 
I'd try tweaking your saddle up or down by a mm or two and see if you can discern any difference. I'd also consider putting your saddle forward a touch and see if that helps (although it's hard to work out exactly where it is at the moment given you're sat on it!).

Ultimately a pro bike fit is probably a good idea.
 
Pro fit is your best bet if you are spending decent time in the saddle. Everyone baulks at the expense, but everyone who does it says its worth it.

Only comment I have us that as a rule of thumb, looking at the first picture, your knee should be directly over the pedal axle of the front pedal when the cranks are horizontal. YMMV.
 
GAC said:
just out of interest how tall are you and what size is that bike as it looks small to me.
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I'm 6'2" and the bike is a 56cm frame. It's too small and I knew that at the time of buying, but I bought it anyway as it saved me £150 (it was last years model and they only had one size left).

I only planned on using it for commuting, I didn't realise I'd enjoy it so much, so in hindsight I really should've got the right size. Good excuse for an upgrade though when I eventually get the money together!
 
mpledge52 said:
I'm 6'2" and the bike is a 56cm frame. It's too small and I knew that at the time of buying, but I bought it anyway as it saved me £150 (it was last years model and they only had one size left).

I only planned on using it for commuting, I didn't realise I'd enjoy it so much, so in hindsight I really should've got the right size. Good excuse for an upgrade though when I eventually get the money together!
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yeah good excuse :p

im 6'3 so when i eventually get a road bike il be after a 61 or there abouts. thats if i can get some wheels that will support my fat arse.
 
mpledge52 said:
I'm 6'2" and the bike is a 56cm frame. It's too small and I knew that at the time of buying, but I bought it anyway as it saved me £150 (it was last years model and they only had one size left).

I only planned on using it for commuting, I didn't realise I'd enjoy it so much, so in hindsight I really should've got the right size. Good excuse for an upgrade though when I eventually get the money together!
Click to expand...

You don't have much elbow bend either, have you considered flipping your stem over to bring your bars up a bit more?
 
mpledge52 said:
I'm 6'2" and the bike is a 56cm frame. It's too small and I knew that at the time of buying, but I bought it anyway as it saved me £150 (it was last years model and they only had one size left).

I only planned on using it for commuting, I didn't realise I'd enjoy it so much, so in hindsight I really should've got the right size. Good excuse for an upgrade though when I eventually get the money together!
Click to expand...

I had a bike fit (not a full bike fit) and got a specialized in a 56cm as well, im 6'2 as well !
its because I am be "tall" but its my upper body and reach that I got a 56cm bike
 
ShiWarrior said:
I would say maybe a 58cm or possibly a 60cm
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yeah i was going off inside leg measurements but i think 61 is the upper limit, although i do have longish legs so will have to see what feels best when i get around to it.

although after what ribble said when i contacted them about the wheels that they have on their bikes i may just buy a set of custom wheels and convert my mtb over to a hybrid so to speak.
 
Don't fall into the trap of buying a bike off the size number they give you, most of them are pretty irrelevant A 58cm Trek will be different to a 58cm Specialized to a 58cm Scott and so on. This is due to what they call the frame geometry (i.e. the length and angle of all the different tubes). This is where a bike fit will be useful as a fitter can tell you what frame geometry will suit you.

Bizarrely most manufacturers size off the seat tube still when adjusting the length of the seat tube is probably the easiest thing to do on a bike (put the saddle up or down!). Far more important is the effective top tube length, the head tube length and the head/seat tube angles. These really determine the riding style of the bike and are most responsible for whether you are comfortable or not.
 
yeah. hence when added top the wheel issues i may just buy some parts and convert the mtb frame over as that fits me well enough.
 
Thanks for all the replies chaps. I did a fairly sedate 30 miler this morning with a mate and I moved the saddle forward about half an inch. Didn't feel too bad until I went up a big hill. It was hideous as it was almost entirely quads, I found it very hard to utilise my hamstrings.

As for flipping the stem over, I've never thought of it. To be honest I find my core/arm position quite comfy. My arms are fairly straight but they're not locked out and I can still tuck in quite nicely if needed.
 
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