An increasing number of bicycle dealers are now offering “professional fit” services”, and with fees ranging from $30-$400+, it is useful to have some facts before making an appointment — if an appointment is really what you need.
1. The majority of “Bicycle Fit Professionals” have attended a total of only 3-7 days training. Ask for credentials, references, and use the Internet search-engines for unbiased data.
2. Systematic protocol is flawed. Humans are too unique and complex for patent assessments and and/or outcome data. If an adjustment causes discomfort, it is wrong for your body.
3. Video analysis is two-dimensional, regardless of how many cameras are used. 3D motion analysis is subject to LED placement variability. These tools are good at recording angles. Creating optimal fit is the responsibility of you and your technician.
4. Saddle Height is not static. To demonstrate, bend forward and try to touch the floor. Do it again. Try repeating the exercise when it is cold, hot, at the end of a hard ride, before an easy ride, etc. It will never be identical because our activities and climate are always changing. Remember this when prescribed the “magic number”.
5. Good bike fit does not hurt! If you continue to have pain anywhere that is not a function of fatigue, your fit can be improved
6. Shoes should be comfortable. Do not believe that they will “break-in”. They must not be loose, either. A good fit technician can modify shoe-fit with cordwiner and podiatry tooling.
7. Assessment procedures based on physical therapy techniques are not reliable for outcome data. There is an inherent flaw to every test due to bone and ligament variability. So if you are told you have: “X”, “Y”, or “Z”, get it confirmed by a doctor before announcing it to the world.
8. It is not hard to find a comfortable saddle. It is very hard to find someone willing to put your bike on a stand and let you try a number of makes and models. Do not expect it to break-in. It is your fitter’s responsibility to determine proper sizing.
9. Sit-bone measurement devices have no utility when determining correct saddle-size. Saddle comfort is a product of pressure distribution and pelvic stability. The correct saddle for you will have a nose-width, taper, and terminal shape consistent with pubis, rami, ischial-tuberosities, and functional pelvic angle.
10. You are the true authority on bike fit for your body. The most accurate union for you and your bike resides inside YOU! The nervous system components, proprioception (feedback mechanism for body movement); vestibular sense (balance in relation to movement and gravity); and kinesthesia (joint position) are sufficient to the task, but are primarily “touchy-feely”. They are great at determining what is better and worse on a bike, but are unable to sample different options due to the nature of cycling.
Our problem is that riding a bicycle is unnatural. We are designed to function in upright, bipedal motions. Cycling requires a conversion to quadruped function, constrained in a fixed, symmetrical position, making circles with our feet, suspended by saddle and handlebars. Our data for negotiating life is built from the knowledge, experience, and practice of events. Learning involves practice; practice increases knowledge, and time creates experience.
Peace
Chris
