Okieslims

I'm having a bit of a problem with finding my correct fit. When I was ipmba certified they put me on a bike and had me sitting really high and clipping in. When I went to my LBS, they wanted to put me on something that allowed me to put my feet down easily while sitting on the saddle. Needless to say, I'm confused. I thought there was only one way to fit somebody to a bike. I also thought that fitting somebody properly meant that their leg was almost straight when they were in the saddle and the pedal was at the bottom of it's rotation. If thats the case, touching the ground comfortably with both feet while in the saddle isnt an option.

So who was right? My LBS or my IPMBA instructor? Thanks

probable556

Nope. Would you want the same fit on a XC bike and a DH bike? Depends on the rider and the terrain.

Okieslims

Yeah. I guess your right. Still we did a lot of different things with the ipmba training including going down a flight of stairs(10 steps) and it felt pretty good for everything we did. Seemed like a good set up for street and obstacles. Not sure what I need for a dirt set up. I'll talk it over with both my instructor and my LBS I guess.

MaxBrokeAway

yea...i prefer a shorter top tube length than most people my height..and i only like my feet to be an inch or so off the ground...its all preference buddy

Bike Lover

Even road bikes fits can be different depending on what you are looking for. There's a fit calculator, on the internet that will show 3 different settings, depending on what theory you want to follow. The best advice I've seen about this is; even if you get professionally fitted, don't be afraid to change things, in small increments, to find the perfect fit.

junkyard

Where is the calculator? I'd be interested in seeing it.

GV27

Your IPMBA instructor. Fitting someone so they can put their foot down while sitting is just plain dumb. I guess it's good for somebody who doesn't know how to ride a bike very well - that's how I initially fit my 4-year-old to his bike - but lousy for someone who does know how to ride. Exactly how high the seat should be is a matter for debate and depends on your physiology, what you're doing with the bike, etc. but is ALWAYS in relation to the pedals, not the ground!

Either the guy at the shop didn't know what he was doing, or they have trained him to do that so they don't get sued when somebody isn't good enough on the bike to hop off the saddle when stopping and falls over and gets hurt.

edit: just reread the OP - BOTH feet COMFORTABLY on the ground? You gotta be friggin' kidding me! That's a sure recipe for knee pain unless you're doing downhill or hucking or something like that where you're never sitting anyway......that's just an incredibly bad way to fit someone on a bike!

Bike Lover

Competitive Cyclist has it for road bikes. The mountain bike section just gives a range of distances for specific areas of the bike.

For roa, it has a "competitive fit", "Eddy fit", and "French fit". Each for a different theory of bike fitting. Still neat to play around with.