Bike fit done and delighted

BMKN

Finally got a bike fit done today. Very pleased with the results. Never knew how bad my posture was cycling untill today. I was told I might as well of been riding a hybrid. Its opened my eyes to how small details make a big difference.

midonogh

I've spent loads of money on bikes over the years, but by far, far
the best money spent was €130 for a session with Aidan Hammond.

Borderfox

Went up to Bike Fit in Ballyboughal today and found it excellent, going out for a comparison spin tomorrow so will know more.

BMKN

Its well worth it. I had to go from a 100mm stem to a 130mm and dropp my top tube

martin.mcevoy

Was it a Retul fit or something else entirely?

Cee-Jay-Cee

BMKN wrote: »

I was told I might as well of been riding a hybrid. Its opened my eyes to how small details make a big difference.

Elaborate please.

furiousox

CJC999 wrote: »

Elaborate please.

Ok.
It's might as well have been, not might as well of been.

BMKN

CJC999 wrote: »

Elaborate please.

Because of my angle on my torso I had a 56degree angle and a hybrid is similar or something. Cant really remember exact degrees

Borderfox

martin.mcevoy wrote: »

Was it a Retul fit or something else entirely?

Mine was Retül, great experience and worked really well for me.

omri

midonogh wrote: »

I've spent loads of money on bikes over the years, but by far, far
the best money spent was €130 for a session with Aidan Hammond.

Done it with him recently and could not be happier.

C-Shore

Borderfox wrote: »

Went up to Bike Fit in Ballyboughal today and found it excellent, going out for a comparison spin tomorrow so will know more.

Is that the retul one? Is there a website?

furiousox

http://www.bikefitstudio.ie/

iwillhtfu

Borderfox wrote: »

Mine was Retül, great experience and worked really well for me.

How much did it cost Borderfox?

Borderfox

€180 for the fit and €25 for the Look Keo fit

Went out today on a circuit I did last week out and back 18k and after the bikefit I was three minutes faster and average speed went up from 25km to 29km.

Felt really comfortable for the whole ride so a result for me, before I was very fidgety on the bike and legs felt dead when out. Small steps for me with asthma

BailMeOut

I did the €50 basic fit at the Edge recently and the difference was huge. Just as important as the bike adjustments were the tips they gave me on how I should sit, hold my head and grip the handlebars. Well worth the money.

Lyaiera

BailMeOut wrote: »

I did the €50 basic fit at the Edge recently and the difference was huge. Just as important as the bike adjustments were the tips they gave me on how I should sit, hold my head and grip the handlebars. Well worth the money.

I bought my trusty hybrid in The Edge. They did a mini-fit on the spot, and even loaned me a bike carrier to take it home on the car. Strangely I just noticed my bike from their is a 52 not a 54 when I'm five foot eight. They obviously did a good job with it because I've never had an issue with the way I ride. They even advised me to go for a €100 cheaper bike as it was a better fit despite only spending €500 or so.

mp31

Borderfox wrote: »

€180 for the fit and €25 for the Look Keo fit

Went out today on a circuit I did last week out and back 18k and after the bikefit I was three minutes faster and average speed went up from 25km to 29km.

Felt really comfortable for the whole ride so a result for me, before I was very fidgety on the bike and legs felt dead when out. Small steps for me with asthma

Wow that's some increase in average speed - is all of that due to the fit or is some of that due to the weather e.g. more favourable wind for the second spin?

BMKN

That has to be just a once off either tail wind on way there and wind happend to died down. To go from 25-29 takes alot of effort I doubt it was the bike fit. But how u felt was. Id be interested to see the difference a few rides along the same route would make.

Borderfox

It's an out and back draggy circuit that I used, before the bikefit I couldn't get the power down and with the changes I can. Out for another spin tonight and feels much better to my old set up. Climbing better to in the saddle.

It's down in the time and in black and white as far as far as I can see.

J Madone

Borderfox wrote: »

It's an out and back draggy circuit that I used, before the bikefit I couldn't get the power down and with the changes I can. Out for another spin tonight and feels much better to my old set up. Climbing better to in the saddle.

It's down in the time and in black and white as far as far as I can see.

Doubt if the bike fit would be the only factor, if you had a power meter it would be black and white. Glad to hear your happy with it all the same

.ak

Is there anywhere in Dublin city that does a cheap basic version of this? Around €50 mark?

Inquitus

I had a retul bike fit with http://www.bikefitstudio.ie/ and am impressed with the setup and the process. As it turned out I had mine pretty well dialled in and the only changes were a slight pushing back of my left cleat to align it with my right, and to increase the saddle height by 1.5cm or so. That said my arse had been getting sore on the bike, and since the fit I have had no issues, I put that down to the change in saddle height. I recently did the Tour of Omagh 3 Day Stage race and my arse felt fine for the duration. I have 2 identical frames which I bought recently, so this one fit will do me for years to come, and its nice to know I have it spot on.

mp31

.ak wrote: »

Is there anywhere in Dublin city that does a cheap basic version of this? Around €50 mark?

Even if this was available, will you get anything of value out of it?

IMO saving up for a proper fit is really the only way to go ... or DIY via google.

12 sprocket

Borderfox wrote: »

€180 for the fit and €25 for the Look Keo fit

Went out today on a circuit I did last week out and back 18k and after the bikefit I was three minutes faster and average speed went up from 25km to 29km.

Felt really comfortable for the whole ride so a result for me, before I was very fidgety on the bike and legs felt dead when out. Small steps for me with asthma

Its a miracle!!! or you could Check your garmin or whatever computer that you are using.. the numbers don't add up! from some calculations it appears that to make the improvements in speed claimed the improvement in time would be closer to 6 minutes than the 3 minutes that you mention.

Something doesn't quite add up???

BailMeOut

mp31 wrote: »

Even if this was available, will you get anything of value out of it?

for me yes. I did a €50 fit at the Edge (Cork) and the outcome and difference was huge. They took photos before and after so I could see how the tweaks changed my sitting position and angle of my back and legs and the process took about an hour.

Thargor

Would also be interested in a €50 fit in Dublin or Wicklow, I just need a rough guide, my back gets sore after 10k and I cant seem to get the saddle in a position to stop it, dont think Im getting all the power I should be out of my legs either.

Borderfox

Read both sets of figures back 0.7km longer on strava

16.97km 40.29 minutes average speed 25.1kmph
After fit
17.7km 36.34 average speed 29.1kmph

I checked the heart rate trace for both and it's average 160 with a high of 187

Saddle higher by 2cm
Forward by 1cm
Stem raised by 1cm
Bars rotated to lift hoods up
Cleats adjusted

12 sprocket

Borderfox wrote: »

Read both sets of figures back 0.7km longer on strava

16.97km 40.29 minutes average speed 25.1kmph
After fit
17.7km 36.34 average speed 29.1kmph

I checked the heart rate trace for both and it's average 160 with a high of 187

Saddle higher by 2cm
Forward by 1cm
Stem raised by 1cm
Bars rotated to lift hoods up
Cleats adjusted

Confusing to say the least, so it looks like it was a very unscientific probably unreliable comparison before and after your bikefit.

Inquitus

12 sprocket wrote: »

Confusing to say the least, so it looks like it was a very unscientific probably unreliable comparison before and after your bikefit.

A 25kph to 29kph increase in average speed would require a @ 40-50% increase in power, unlikely a bike fit could contribute that much one would think.

Cee-Jay-Cee

Inquitus wrote: »

A 25kph to 29kph increase in average speed would require a @ 40-50% increase in power, unlikely a bike fit could contribute that much one would think.

I agree. I do a 26km training loop and an increase of 1kmph in average speed takes a considerable amount of extra effort to achieve. 4kmph would be a mammoth increase!

CramCycle

Inquitus wrote: »

A 25kph to 29kph increase in average speed would require a @ 40-50% increase in power, unlikely a bike fit could contribute that much one would think.

It would if you were just jumping up but the bike fit also helps transfer power more efficiently, stop bouncing around, less tiring pressure on your shoulders, all in all leading to a more sustainable, comfortable and if wanted, faster ride.

Same as borderfox, my times went up dramatically with no perceived extra effort, to the extent that training could not have accounted for the massive jump.

.ak

mp31 wrote: »

Even if this was available, will you get anything of value out of it?

IMO saving up for a proper fit is really the only way to go ... or DIY via google.

For someone like me who only cycles around 40-60km a week I would say yes it would. Even if just to check my seating position etc. The only thing I've ever tweaked is my seatpost.

12 sprocket

CramCycle wrote: »

It would if you were just jumping up but the bike fit also helps transfer power more efficiently, stop bouncing around, less tiring pressure on your shoulders, all in all leading to a more sustainable, comfortable and if wanted, faster ride.

Same as borderfox, my times went up dramatically with no perceived extra effort, to the extent that training could not have accounted for the massive jump.

two things to consider..
1 : the placebo effect,
2: the original bike setup that yourself and border fox had were so bad that all it would have taken to improve them would have been to speak with someone, ANYONE in a cycling club who would have been able to make improvements..

And if either of you are cycling for more than two days, there is something drastically wrong if you have been riding such a poor bike setup with all the information that is out there that there would be such dramatic improvements from tweaking the position. This is Especially so if you are members of Cycling clubs.

CramCycle

12 sprocket wrote: »

two things to consider..
1 : the placebo effect,

Quite possibly

2: the original bike setup that yourself and border fox had were so bad that all it would have taken to improve them would have been to speak with someone, ANYONE in a cycling club who would have been able to make improvements..

I didn't know it was bad, I got around plenty of audaxes on it, I was just going to start racing and though it may be beneficial. He pointed out all the faults with my set up that may be hard to see for the casual observer and even feel for the rider if he is used to it.

And if either of you are cycling for more than two days, there is something drastically wrong if you have been riding such a poor bike setup with all the information that is out there that there would be such dramatic improvements from tweaking the position. This is Especially so if you are members of Cycling clubs.

Why? I felt nothing wrong, I wasn't in pain, the distances I was doing were long so any tiredness was attributable to that. I had members of my club tell me the nose on my saddle was slanted but nothing other than that, most club riders won't notice the little issues other people unless they complain or are bouncing around the place. You are right in that a quick google will get most of the kinks out easily enough. I just didn't want to mess about. I went to a professional who done the job right, showed me where the errors were and talked me through the adjustments and most importantly for me, done it quickly. He even adjusted a few things that I hadn't seen on google that were beneficial.

A huge difference could be attributable to the unnoticed but the presumably more comfortable position meant I didn't freewheel as much as I used too, climbing was certainly easier, even thought the position he recommended was counter intuitive to me at the time.

Borderfox

I approached this as scientific as I could, I am a returning cyclist at 43, I raced until I was 25. I wanted to make sure I was setup as well as I could be on the bike. Did a bit of research and I could appreciate the dynamic element with the Retul method

Could be a bit of a placebo but the difference is so much in both the power and how it feels

Thargor

Has anyone sucesfully done it themselves with just Google? Which did you use?

BoardsMember

Regarding "general" comfort, is the length of the top tube one of the primary things of importance when trying out bikes for comfort, before buying? I know there is a lot to frame geometry, and so many different types/shapes/ratios, and then fine tuning the setup for the personal fit, but if I was to find a bike that I find comfortable from the reach/distance to handlebars, is that the right thing to look out for? And if I find something that I like, do I then take note of the top tube length?

2 Wheels Good

I did the cleat fitting with them yesterday, have had a bit of knee pain lately so fingers crossed it will resolve it for the ROK. They've a good setup there. Very tempted to do a full bikefit with them.

LemonAid

Got the Retul fit done too out at bikefitstudio.ie and I also got it done years ago from some guy in wicklow but didnt really feel great from that guy as it was so basic and still had discomfort but the retul one was very impressive and i feel a lot better on the bike now.no knee pain which was bad before Retul fixed me.I see the pro teams use this system too and for €180 (only about €20 more than static fits) i thought it was the bees knees.

2 Wheels Good

2 Wheels Good wrote: »

I did the cleat fitting with them yesterday, have had a bit of knee pain lately so fingers crossed it will resolve it for the ROK. They've a good setup there. Very tempted to do a full bikefit with them.

I did the ROK on Saturday with no major side effects. The cleat fitting made a huge difference. I'd a bit of tenderness due to it being my first proper spin out with the new setup but nothing major. I'd highly recommend it for anyone, even those with a good bike setup. As it's the main connection with the bike it's important to get it right!

flatface

I've spent loads of money on bikes over the years, but by far, far
the best money spent was €130 for a session with Aidan Hammond.

omri wrote: »

Done it with him recently and could not be happier.

Is the shorter session enough or did you feel you would benefit from the extra hour for €160?

diomed

I brought two bikes for a bike fitting with Aidan Hammond in Kilmacanogue (near Bray) this morning. This was probably the best money I've spent cycling.

First he assesses you: flexibility, legs, hips, core, height, stand-over size, arm reach. I'm probably understating the physical assessment as he does a lot.
You cycle your bike in the trainer and he adjusts. He records you on video. You wear tape with markers.
It was nice to see the video. His software shows your body angles on screen, calculating the angles using the markers you wear, on screen on the left "before", on screen on the right "after" bike adjustments.
My leg movement was ok shown against a red laser line, although I tended to be "heel in" slightly. My cleats did not need adjusting.

He fitted a longer stem on my "good" bike", and adjusted the brake/gear levers up a bit, and saddle height higher. He noted my seatpost/saddle combination would be better slightly further back, but my saddle didn't allow more adjustment. I'll get a seatpost with a bit of layback to get into the ideal position (for me).

I was too cramped before. In the "after" video you could see the improvement.

Thargor

How much does he charge?

diomed

Thargor wrote: »

How much does he charge?

http://www.bikefittingireland.com/about_your_bike_fit_10.html

C-Shore

diomed wrote: »

I brought two bikes for a bike fitting with Aidan Hammond in Kilmacanogue (near Bray) this morning. This was probably the best money I've spent cycling.

First he assesses you: flexibility, legs, hips, core, height, stand-over size, arm reach. I'm probably understating the physical assessment as he does a lot.
You cycle your bike in the trainer and he adjusts. He records you on video. You wear tape with markers.
It was nice to see the video. His software shows your body angles on screen, calculating the angles using the markers you wear, on screen on the left "before", on screen on the right "after" bike adjustments.
My leg movement was ok shown against a red laser line, although I tended to be "heel in" slightly. My cleats did not need adjusting.

He fitted a longer stem on my "good" bike", and adjusted the brake/gear levers up a bit, and saddle height higher. He noted my seatpost/saddle combination would be better slightly further back, but my saddle didn't allow more adjustment. I'll get a seatpost with a bit of layback to get into the ideal position (for me).

I was too cramped before. In the "after" video you could see the improvement.

Does his stuff do the sideways measurement as well? Like the way they do it on http://www.bikefitstudio.ie?

I don't know which one to go for. That report that bike fit studio seem to do covers everything. Have you gone to both?

CramCycle

C-Shore wrote: »

Does his stuff do the sideways measurement as well? Like the way they do it on http://www.bikefitstudio.ie?

I don't know which one to go for. That report that bike fit studio seem to do covers everything. Have you gone to both?

When I went he done analysis from the side and the back