Bike fitting - any tips on how to do this yourself?

A Greedy Algorithm

I purchased a Specialized Allez road bike second hand a while back and have took it out for a few rides since. This is my first road bike and the bike itself is like new.

The problem is with the fitting or my position on the bike when riding. I am about 6 foot tall and the frame is a 56cm. I want to start going on longer rides and maybe even join the local club this summer.

The problem is after a few miles on the bike the palms of my hands start to hurt, as if I'm leaning to hard on the hoods. I've searched online and it seems to be linked to an incorrect position on the bike which i have tried to rectify by adjusting the seat/handlebar height and angles but it still persists.

Does anyone have any advice? I went to the local bike shop to try and get a fitting but they weren't much help!

bazermc

I have a book on bike maitance and set up. I has two pages on setting saddle height etc. I will take photo and post it up.

unichall

If you have a smartphone their are some apps that give advice on bike fit. I've never used them so i can't comment on the success but some of the reviews are good. If you are intent on doing it yourself it prob can't be a bad place to start

I Googled mobile app bike fit and it return a few promising looking results

A Greedy Algorithm

bazermc wrote: »

I have a book on bike maitance and set up. I has two pages on setting saddle height etc. I will take photo and post it up.

That would be great, thank you!

bazermc

A Greedy Algorithm wrote: »

That would be great, thank you!

Here you go. Hope you can read it.

A Greedy Algorithm

bazermc wrote: »

Here you go. Hope you can read it.

Yep i can read them perfectly. I have searched online (mostly online forums) but came across conflicting information so i ended up getting confused. Ill have a read of this and see how it feels, thank you very much i really appreciate it!

bazermc

Cool there is a calculation you can do by measuring your inside leg. You can see my measurement written on the page. You can just ignore. I am 6 foot 6!!!

lismuse

If your hands are sore from too much weight bearing on them try moving the saddle backwards a few mm at a time until the problem goes. You might find that you need to fit a shorter stem . If you are using clip in pedals try moving the cleats more to the rear of your shoes. When you have that sorted adjust your bars up or down until you ride comfortably in the drops, for short periods at first until your back and hamstrings adapt.
Effective saddle height will increase as you move the saddle rearward so watch for that.
Hope this helps.

jinkypolly

lismuse wrote: »

If your hands are sore from too much weight bearing on them try moving the saddle backwards a few mm at a time until the problem goes. You might find that you need to fit a shorter stem . If you are using clip in pedals try moving the cleats more to the rear of your shoes. When you have that sorted adjust your bars up or down until you ride comfortably in the drops, for short periods at first until your back and hamstrings adapt.
Effective saddle height will increase as you move the saddle rearward so watch for that.
Hope this helps.

Moving the saddle backwards will make the problem worse. The saddle should be moved forwards and therefore put more of the weight load through your arse. Doing regular core exercises will also help.

lismuse

I`m afraid you have that wrong but it is understandable as it is a common misconception. When cycling you have 3 contact points between bike and body... backside, pedals and hands. The weight on your hands is decided by how far forward your pedal contact is in relation to the rest of your body, the greater the lateral distance between your backside and pedals will result in less weight on your hands ! Since your pedal contact point can only be altered by the amount that your cleats will move fore and aft (unless you change your crank length) the only other way is to move the saddle rearward. Some people dont realise that pedals are weight bearing.
Try this.... stand with your back to a wall , now bend your knees and crouch down. You will notice that you tend to fall forward and will need to support yourself with your hands to avoid falling .This is because the wall is stopping your backside from moving rearward and your center of gravity moves ahead of your feet as you crouch. Now stand away from the wall and crouch down . You will not need to use your hands to support your weight as your backside can now move rearward and you will remain in balance .
As I mentioned earlier a longer crank length will also help but crank length should be chosen by your ability to spin it comfortably and efficiently rather than a way to relieve hand discomfort.
Good bike fit is a blend of frame size (top tube length being the most important)saddle position, stem length, bar width...height and drop, crank length and tread and also cleat placement.
Hope this clears up a few things for some.

laraghrider

Here are two useful links to a basic fitting.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VYhyppWTDc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrZBjOloChg

smacl

A Greedy Algorithm wrote: »

The problem is after a few miles on the bike the palms of my hands start to hurt, as if I'm leaning to hard on the hoods.

May seem obvious, but the easiest way to stop your hands taking impact is by making sure your elbows are bent as you cycle. Additionally, get used to different positions including the drops and tops in addition to the hoods. Personally, I only really got why road bikes are good for long distances after I got equally happy using all the possible hand positions.

Bloggsie

also some good quality bar tape & gloves can help.

torydiver

jinkypolly wrote: »

Moving the saddle backwards will make the problem worse. The saddle should be moved forwards and therefore put more of the weight load through your arse. Doing regular core exercises will also help.

As stated, a common misconception,
Moving saddle forward Will load your hands and arms,
Bike fit is generally a compromise,
Balance between being aero and comfort,
No point in being in a very aero position if your body cannot sustain it, ,
There are many variables individual to each person including core strength, flexibility, general fitness etc,
I also believe bike fit is dynamic, changes as your flexibility and core strength changes.
Would advocate a proper bike fit,
There are bits that you can do for yourself regarding fit, bit it's difficult to be objective,
You can really benefit from a good bike fitter watching you pedaling.
Tell fitter what you hope to achieve in your cycling and take it from there,
You will generally only see positive reviews from floks on here who have been for proper bike fit,
Hth..

jinkypolly

lismuse wrote: »

I`m afraid you have that wrong but it is understandable as it is a common misconception.

torydiver wrote: »

As stated, a common misconception,
Moving saddle forward Will load your hands and arms,

Ok that might be the science of it but to the OP, I had the exact same problem as you with regards to palms of the hands hurting, I resolved this by moving the saddle forward (no other changes) and the pain went away.

Wicklowrider

I found this very good

http://www.competitivecyclist.com/Store/catalog/fitCalculatorBike.jsp

It will definitely get you close.

SMacX

A Greedy Algorithm wrote: »

I purchased a Specialized Allez road bike second hand a while back and have took it out for a few rides since. This is my first road bike and the bike itself is like new.

The problem is with the fitting or my position on the bike when riding. I am about 6 foot tall and the frame is a 56cm. I want to start going on longer rides and maybe even join the local club this summer.

The problem is after a few miles on the bike the palms of my hands start to hurt, as if I'm leaning to hard on the hoods. I've searched online and it seems to be linked to an incorrect position on the bike which i have tried to rectify by adjusting the seat/handlebar height and angles but it still persists.

Does anyone have any advice? I went to the local bike shop to try and get a fitting but they weren't much help!

You went to the wrong LBS!

Get you to a decent one, you might pay €30-€40 for the fit as it takes time to do it with someone in the shop. That might include having to get a new stem. It is worth it.

There are some general tips and tricks:

1. Push your saddle tight into your armpit and extend you hand down to the bottom bracket, your middle finger should just touch the centre of the axle.
2. Place your elbow on the tip of the saddle and extend your hand to the stem/handlebars. For an aggressive position, your fingers should touch the middle of the top of the steerer. For more relaxed position, your fingers should touch closer to the handlebars.
3. When sitting in the saddle, place your heel (wearing the shoes you will be cycling in) on the pedal when it is fully at 6 o'clock. You knee should be straight, not locked straight.
4. Your handlebars should be roughly the same width as your shoulders.
5. When sitting on the saddle, in the position you will be most likely spending most time i.e on the brake hoods, you should not be able to see the axle of the front wheel when you look down.
6. This one is my own personal setup, my handlebars are set so that they are level from the top of the par through to the brake, so that the straight part before it starts to bend and just before the brake hoods appear on the handle bar is aligned.
7. Brake levers are always straight, i.e. not twisted in or out
8. For some, slam the stem is the order of the day, for most people beginning, you have to get used to lowering your upper body. Make sure that there is not a huge drop from the saddle to the stem. Hopefully there are a few spacers between the stem and the top of the headtube. Changing this should be done in a bikeshop. If you make a mistake, it will be costly and potentially dangerous.
9. Make sure that the bar tape you are using gets changed for a more padded one, they go flat from use
10. Try to avoid gripping the bars too hard and change your hand position regularly.
11. Slightly advance one, clip into your pedals while sitting on the saddle. Get someone to run a plumb line down from just behind your knee to the pedal. It should come to a rest lined up with the knuckle of your big toe. If you have any problems with knee pain behind or in front of the knee adjust your cleats slightly forward for behind the knee pain and slightly backward for in front of the knee pain.

*Phew* Too much????

A Greedy Algorithm

SMacX wrote: »

You went to the wrong LBS!

Get you to a decent one, you might pay €30-€40 for the fit as it takes time to do it with someone in the shop. That might include having to get a new stem. It is worth it.

There are some general tips and tricks:

1. Push your saddle tight into your armpit and extend you hand down to the bottom bracket, your middle finger should just touch the centre of the axle.
2. Place your elbow on the tip of the saddle and extend your hand to the stem/handlebars. For an aggressive position, your fingers should touch the middle of the top of the steerer. For more relaxed position, your fingers should touch closer to the handlebars.
3. When sitting in the saddle, place your heel (wearing the shoes you will be cycling in) on the pedal when it is fully at 6 o'clock. You knee should be straight, not locked straight.
4. Your handlebars should be roughly the same width as your shoulders.
5. When sitting on the saddle, in the position you will be most likely spending most time i.e on the brake hoods, you should not be able to see the axle of the front wheel when you look down.
6. This one is my own personal setup, my handlebars are set so that they are level from the top of the par through to the brake, so that the straight part before it starts to bend and just before the brake hoods appear on the handle bar is aligned.
7. Brake levers are always straight, i.e. not twisted in or out
8. For some, slam the stem is the order of the day, for most people beginning, you have to get used to lowering your upper body. Make sure that there is not a huge drop from the saddle to the stem. Hopefully there are a few spacers between the stem and the top of the headtube. Changing this should be done in a bikeshop. If you make a mistake, it will be costly and potentially dangerous.
9. Make sure that the bar tape you are using gets changed for a more padded one, they go flat from use
10. Try to avoid gripping the bars too hard and change your hand position regularly.

*Phew* Too much????

I had intended on paying for a proper fitting at the bike shop, but he just checked my position on the bike and said it was OK, and 'turned' the handlebars around to make them tilt upwards (this was 10 euros). They looked very busy that day so maybe they didn't have the time.

Regarding the stem - i adjusted it as far up as it could go as i thought maybe this would help take pressure away from my palms by allowing me not to 'reach' as much, the stem doesn't go up very far though only a few centimeters.

Anyway, thanks for your advice i am very grateful . I am going to attempt to set up my bike correctly this evening using the suggestions in the thread, hopefully it will help me get going!

TonyStark

A Greedy Algorithm wrote: »

I purchased a Specialized Allez road bike second hand a while back and have took it out for a few rides since. This is my first road bike and the bike itself is like new.

The problem is with the fitting or my position on the bike when riding. I am about 6 foot tall and the frame is a 56cm. I want to start going on longer rides and maybe even join the local club this summer.

The problem is after a few miles on the bike the palms of my hands start to hurt, as if I'm leaning to hard on the hoods. I've searched online and it seems to be linked to an incorrect position on the bike which i have tried to rectify by adjusting the seat/handlebar height and angles but it still persists.

Does anyone have any advice? I went to the local bike shop to try and get a fitting but they weren't much help!

Saddle maybe a bit too far forward? Move it back a little. Nothing beats a pro bike fit. :-)

pab01

I've noticed that when on my bike and with the cranks horizontal dropping a plumb bob from knee shows knee is a few cm in front of pedal axel. I can't take saddle back much more so was wondering if anyone can suggest if moving cleats forwards/backwards would be easy solution?

Wicklowrider

pab01 wrote: »

I've noticed that when on my bike and with the cranks horizontal dropping a plumb bob from knee shows knee is a few cm in front of pedal axel. I can't take saddle back much more so was wondering if anyone can suggest if moving cleats forwards/backwards would be easy solution?

Do you have an inline post?.If so you may need a setback post with a setback of aprx 1.5- 2 cm. If you aren't sure google images for both types. If you have a setback post and still can't get back then it sounds like frame geometry is wrong for you

givusapush

pab01 wrote: »

I've noticed that when on my bike and with the cranks horizontal dropping a plumb bob from knee shows knee is a few cm in front of pedal axel. I can't take saddle back much more so was wondering if anyone can suggest if moving cleats forwards/backwards would be easy solution?

Pab its better to drop the plumb bob from bottom bony piece of kneecap and also cleats should line up with the balls of your foot.