Fit Your Bike to You
Why don’t more people ride bikes? There are dozens of reasons, however, the most common reason I hear is that riding a bike is too hard and/or uncomfortable. Many people will never ride a bike that fits them just right. A bike that is too big, too small or just not adjusted right can lead to some serious discomfort and possible injury. This can all be avoided with a simple fix.
There are people doing ultra-endurance races that last for weeks. Racers ride all through the night without stopping for multiple days in a row. They can do this without any injury, in part because their bikes fit them so well. By getting a professional bike fit from Mad Dog Cycles, you can have more fun on your bike and ride longer and faster. Yeah, it’s that simple.
Some people think that a bike fir is only for people who are consistently racing or getting records on Strava. Others think, “only a novice needs a fit because I already know how to set up my bike.” The truth is, everyone benefits from a bike fit. I have been working on bikes professionally for about three years and have been riding all my life. I have also ridden thousands of miles on my current bike with the same fit. That being said, I’m not a certified fit specialist and professional physical therapist like David Hunt, Mad Dog Cycles’ Certified Bike Fit Specialist. David has helped me make changes to my fit that have immensely improved my speed and comfort on the bike.
When it comes to cycling, my favorite type is bikepacking. I love bikepacking because it means strapping all my camping gear on my bike and seeing what the backcountry has to offer – all under my own power. That said, long days in the saddle can lead to some big problems if your bike doesn’t fit just right.
Last summer I decided to do my first solo, multi-day bikepacking trip. The plan was to start in Provo, Utah and ride 300 miles through the Uinta mountains and over the plains of Wyoming and end at Bear Lake on the Utah/Idaho border. It was ambitious for me, but I was optimistic. I loaded up all my camping gear, tons of food and water and headed out for what would become the longest day of riding I had ever experienced. I ended up riding on dirt roads and trails with my fully loaded bike for 97 miles and 12,000 feet of climbing over 15 hours.
When I rolled into camp I was destroyed. The next morning my right ankle hurt so bad I could hardly pedal. I ended up shifting most of my weight onto my left leg for the 70mi ride to Evanston, Wyoming. This small change gave me a nasty saddle sore. I eventually made it to Bear Lake, but not without my fair share of suffering and lesson learning. This experience convinced me to get a bike fit because I knew that something about my fit was causing me to injure myself during long rides.
Getting a bike fit is a really cool and educational experience. David uses all kinds or specialty instruments to measure your fit and explains it all throughout the process. He started by asking me about my riding and my riding goals. This helps him get an idea of how to set up my bike for my needs. He also asked me about my history with injuries (this is where I explained my ankle issue to him).
Once he gets an idea of how you ride and how you want to ride, he takes some flexibility measurements. This is where David’s professional experience as a physical therapist comes in. Here he bends your legs and so on to see where you are most flexible and where you are not. For example, I have tight hamstrings and that influences how high or low my handlebars can be.
I then hopped on my bike in the trainer and rode on it for a bit as David assessed how I ride. In this assessment he noticed my hips rocking back and forth.
This and other measurements he took proved that my saddle was in fact too high for me. He lowered it a bit, adjusted how far back my saddle was along with the angle of my handlebars and my problem was fixed!
After talking with him about my ankle he explained to me that my high saddle along with my flexible shoes and lack or clipless pedals caused me to develop this pain in my ankle. he also measured my handlebar width and told me not to go any wider than what I already had in order to avoid shoulder pain.
We talked about saddles and the physiology of sitting on one but luckily I already have one that works great for me. After the bike fit, I have had no problems with my ankle whatsoever and I have been getting faster too.
I thought I knew how to fit a bike to me, however, after meeting with David and seeing noticeable improvement/comfort , I strongly recommend that everyone get a bike fit. It will make you faster and more comfortable which equals more fun on your bike.