Originally Posted by 79pmooney

My huge fit breakthrough happened the spring of my second season of racing. I'd been riding a light bike with sew-ups and never considered fit. (Long before the internet and before "fit" was used as a verb applied to bicycles. The nmechanic at the bike shop I was working in encouraged me to buy the last year's bike in the basement, a Fuji Professional, at the employee discount. I did. But my good seat on, slid back because this was a 74 seat tube angle frame. Put the stem and all other adjustments in "normal" settings. Did my 45 mile training loop easy the next morning because this was a mid season change to a crank 5 mm longer. That easy ride matched my best time ever. Next time, 2 minutes came off. The times kept falling and I rode races at speeds I never believed possible for this body.

My experience may be extreme, but it also shows just how big a factor fit can be. I was riding the same seat wheels and tires. Same gears. The racing bike was maybe 2 pounds lighter, not enough to make any real difference on a course with just small hills.<snip>