Hmmmm.......I assume you have read the Rivendell fit method. Fitting ones self to the bicycle is not rocket science in fact its hardly science at all. Just measure your pubic bone to floor height in bare feet about the width you pedal at and adjust your saddle using Grants method. For instance, I have a PBH measurement of 86.6 cm near as I can tell. I put my saddle level at 76cm and ride with platform pedals more toward the middle of my feet while wearing my normal sport shoes. I don't use clip in pedals and you might consider changing yours along with the "cycling shoes" to normal athletic shoes and platforms. I set my bar height/distance to allow my back angle to be approximately 45-50 degrees with my most used grip ( the hoods). I am not particularly flexible in the hamstrings and have a slight bend in the knee at the bottom of the pedal stroke when the cranks are lined up with the seat tube. If I wear thinner or thicker soled shoes I will sometimes change my saddle height but don't mess with the bar height. My riding usually starts with 8-10 miles 2-4 times per week and progresses to a maximum of 30-60 miles at the peak of the riding season. Most rides are under 25 miles which works out to about 1.5 hours of riding. Most of my aches and pains are due to trying too much too soon or just plain riding too much. Saddle/crotch comfort is a big problem unless I take care of my clothing choices (no thick seams but instead breathable fabrics that don't bunch up). With a wide enough platform pedal I rarely to never get foot discomfort. I wear classic leather gloves (Rivendell) and use one layer of cloth tape. Nothing fancy, just sensible and no uber high mileage to start or even later. I have a self imposed limit of 60 miles maximum in one day. More than four hours of any exercise seems pointless to me and doesn't really contribute to good health IMHO. Racing or ultra long distance cycling seems unhealthy. That's my two cents.
On May 22, 12:11 am, Zaelia <[email protected]> wrote: > Hi Matt: Thanks for your sympathy and information. With my recent > "professional" bike fitting experience I'd have to say that I'm pretty > skeptical of the whole thing too, now. The reason I went to one in > the first place was because I had been playing around with the setup > of my bike (riding and making adjustments as I went) and was still > having issues. I thought going to someone who does this for a living > would be helpful. I guess I can look on the bright side and say that > it has been helpful. I've learned quite a bit, and I'm more determined > to get over my fear of f*cking things up and trying things myself. > That said, I'm going to be cautious. Only make one change at a time, > and make small, incremental changes. Otherwise I might be forced to go > back to a professional again, and I don't think I could go through > that process again. > > On May 21, 6:56 am, newenglandbike <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > > > > Zaelia, sorry to hear about your troubles with getting the right bike > > fit. > > > That being said, please read the remainder of this message > > understanding that it is rather biased :) I am extremely skeptical > > of "professional" bike fitting. > > > I think you're better off just getting the right leg extension (seat- > > height), and then playing around with bar and saddle fore/aft postion > > yourself until you're comfortable. The most important 'fitting' > > session you can have is to ride a bike(!) carrying a 6mm wrench, and > > adjust as necessary. In fact, always carry that wrench, because even > > after years of riding, you may decide you want your saddle 1cm forward > > or backward or your bars higher/lower. > > > Stem length isn't something you can adjust easily without having > > multiple stems (or an adjustable one), so best thing you can do is > > leave your handlebars untaped until you have that settled. Of > > course, as soon as you want to try different handlebars, your > > preferred stem length goes out the window and you have to start over > > again. > > > For saddle height, the best advise I've seen is, roughly: sit on > > seat, fully extend leg, heel over pedal, should just barely touch. > > Or, measure 'PBH' rivendell-style, i.e. pulling up as hard as > > possible, then subtract 10cm, set seat-height there. Ride bike, > > adjust as necessary (5mm hex wrench, or whatever size your seat collar > > bolt). > > > Finally, keep in mind that bodies/minds change over time, so things > > like desired saddle height and reach change over time for a given > > individual. It is possible that changes will be more rapid and > > pronounced if you are just getting into riding again after a long > > break. Just take your time and ease into it, is the best advise I > > can give. Start with short rides, but do them regularly. In my > > humble opinion, doing 'big' rides before you have your fit/comfort > > dialed-in is going to skew your understanding of your own fit/comfort > > needs, and lead you down the wrong solution paths. > > > -Matt -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
