What a difference a full bike fitting at an LBS makes!
 

Hey guys,

I spent an hour this morning with my Escape RX 1 at an LBS that had a fitting expert, initially I was just looking for a more comfortable saddle, but while I was there we went over adjusting everything to suit me properly. He mounted my bike to a contraption in the store and broke out the protractors to examine every aspect of my position on the bike, and took into account the position I like to ride in.

As a result of all this, he suggested I flip the stem and move one spacer to the top of the stem, while adjusting the angle of my Ergon GP1 grips and bar ends. He then suggested a Selle Royal Lookin Moderate saddle as likely to fit me much better than my current saddle, threw it on my back, and moved it much further back than my cheap Serfa.

While I was there I also grabbed a cheap computer with cadence to help me practice keeping that in the right zone.

The difference was incredible, it felt like a brand new bike! As soon as I got home I took it out for a 5.7km ride and it felt great. No pain in my hands even without using the bar ends too much today, and no pain in my seat bones either. Plus, now that I was finally far enough back, it felt much easier to spin the pedals with my feet.

This is all by way of saying that I cannot recommend getting a full fitting done enough, it's improved my riding experience more than I ever could have anticipated.

Also, pics:

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=326860http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=326861http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=326862

+1 on bike fits; got rid of tightness in neck & shoulders, eliminated low back pain issues.

Plus you get style points for having your stem flipped :)

Yup.

I had a professional fitting when it was time to order a custom frame. In my case the adjustments were small, but helped a lot.

Now my only pain is due to fitness levels, not fit. It's unbelievable to me that I can ride 120 miles in one shot, with no pain other than muscle soreness.

While the style points are nice, the added comfort is even better!

Wow, that seat is so far back that I'm wondering if the frame is too small for you. If the fitter didn't say anything, then everything must be okay. Yes, getting a pro fit makes all the difference in a riding experience.

The issue is basically one of proportions. That frame is the largest that I can stand over, but because of the ~300lb Clyde proportions of my backside and legs, I need the seat that far back to have the proper angles to the pedals and handlebars. I actually discussed this very thing with the fitter and he agreed that the frame is the right size, it's my unusual proportions that require the seat so far back.

Riding it it after adjustment, I can feel that my legs finally don't feel scrunched up on the bike.

Is there any offset to the seatpost? It might not be any big thing, but if it were my bike, I'd be concerned about the seat holding up for the long term with it being pushed so far forward on the rails. A seatpost with more of an offset would allow the same stem-to-front-of-the-seat measurement, but have the seat attachment point further back on the rails.

Again, if the fitter isn't concerned, then I guess it isn't an issue. He's paid to know this stuff and is the expert.

+2 on a Pro Bike Fit! You never realize how far off you are until you've finally gotten one. I said the same thing, it's like a new bike! And you can't really know when you're in the shop getting fitted either, that realization doesn't come until you're like 5 miles out from the shop. Which is so gratifying that the fitters seem to have all those specific details mapped out regardless of the rider.

The fitter didn't seem to be concerned at all about it. Hypothetically speaking, I don't see why a composite seatpost shouldn't be able to hold up to it.

Honestly speaking, that set up is terrible. It may fit you but that saddle set up is a sign that the frame is too small for you. IMO the fitter just took your money. He should form the start have said the bike is too small. If you think the stand over height makes the bike correct in you case, then you should have looked into a different model. Sadly some people are just to eager to take your money even if it means doing the wrong thing.

If anything, the fitter should have put your safety as a concern. Those saddle rails are eventually going to break at 300 lbs. Ti, cromo or carbon, those rails are not designed to be attached like that. Many saddles come with a scale on the rails designed with safety in mind. Your 300 lbs falling onto the back wheel in motion is not going to be good. :eek:

This fitter is like the guy that does the smog knowing the engine light is on. Charges you to test it then says "you car won't pass with the engine light on". He could have said that from the start but too eager to take your money. :(

If this were my set up, I'd ditch it and seriously consider finding something much safer, for your own sake! ;)

For the record, the fitting expert did not charge me for the fitting and explicitly stated that the frame was the right size after measuring me (a comment he had no vested interest in making, as I had not bought the bike from that LBS).

I think the suggestion that I ditch the bike is a little extreme. Are you suggesting that not even an offset seatpost would be sufficient to make it safe? And that my only alternative is to get rid of a bike I bought 10 days ago?

So you are saying the fitter said your bike is OK the way it is? Your first post makes everything out to be peaches and cream. Label me stupid but there is something wrong. Label the engineers that designed that saddle stupid too. But please do label that fitter as great for setting you up for disaster. I say he doesn't mind setting himself up for a law suit of you didn't give all the details the original post.



I say take the bike back and exchange it for the right size. Look at your seat post clamp, it is set behind the center of the seat post tube, IT IS OFFSET!



This is one of my bikes that has a zero offset seat post. The clamp is pretty much centered over the set post. Your seat post is not! Your post already has offset and if you go with some super duper offset funky seat post, you will damage the frame at the seat tube and risk injury.

Again, call me stupid something is wrong.

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3824/9...42784872b9.jpg
zerooffset by gulpxtreme, on Flickr

My saddles tend to be back a ways, too. I have disproportionately long femurs. Just enough that a "normal" saddle position on an otherwise correct frame will put my knee in front of the pedal spindle. So yes, it happens.

The saddle definitely is at an extreme -- making the bike almost one of those laid-back models.

To the OP -- do you have knee issues?

Usually fitters look for something close to KOPS (Knee over pedal spindle) to check fit. In this case you're significantly off from that.

Shots of the saddle mounted without the bag, or better yet of you on the bike, would help. That's if you want input. But given how new the bike is and a saddle height that is reasonable, it might be worth asking about a trade up in size so the fit is less extreme.

having a bike that fits well is a great thing... but i'm going to go with the others... the saddle sitting that far back is not going to last long... if and when you hit a bump it's going to bend the rails... I've done it myself :-/

I was measured for KOPS at the fitting, but now I'm thinking I may not have been sitting far enough back on the seat when it was checked, so I'm going to double check today. I may end up moving the seat forward a touch and see how that treats me, but I think part of why it looks so extreme is that this saddle has really long rails that have a much longer straight section than most saddles I've seen.

Honestly, if the most likely point of failure is the rails bending then I'm not too concerned, but I am, frankly a little concerned at the possibility of a catastrophic failure of the seatpost.

So I went back to the LBS that did the fitting for me to check the seat position, and as it turns out I *had* been sitting too far forward on the seat when I was measured. The seat has been moved 1/2' forward and feels much better now when I'm riding.

It's a good thing I didn't do anything rash, like sell my 2 week old bike at a significant cash loss...

The rails should be stronger at that spot, so I don't know what the fuss is all about. On top of the fact that if the rails weren't supposed to be safe at that point they wouldn't be made usable or would at least have some sort of warning attached that the piece is meant to only be used in the middle of the range. Whether or not the frame is the right size, this seems like a relatively decent fix that is within the range of what is offered in terms of adjustment.

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=327513
http://fcdn.mtbr.com/attachments/beg...-rails_01a.jpg
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EKmMLknr4K...0/IMG_5134.JPG
http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2608/3...edaeb6c8_z.jpg

it happens... it is eve more likely if you put far back like that... yes there is an adjustment position for that but if you have even the smallest grasp of leavers you'll know you're putting a much more pressure on that rail sitting it back like that, even more so when you are talking clyd riders... one decent pothole or lip in the road with failure to take weight off the saddle WILL eventually end up in you needing a new saddle due to bent rails...


on a side note... there are some DH specific saddles with stronger rails... but not common

Sell Royal (OP's saddle) web site has a diagram showing the proper contact point of their saddles. :innocent:

Not to mention, If not used properly or installed properly, the warranty is void. That usually means they know it will break if installed in the wrong area because it was not designed to be used that way.

No, it's a good thing you didn't pay for that fitting if he was 1/2 inch off on his first guesstimate. :D

This thread makes me glad I refused the free fitting during the purchase of my last bike.:p

Reminds me of riding home from school one time on my bmx bike as a kid. I hopped a curb and I guess I sat down too fast before I was completely back on the ground and it snapped that cheap perfed plastic seat in half right across the middle where the biggest drill hole was. All I know is I was glad it didn't move enough to have the seat post halfway up my bung hole.

About a week after I got a new seat, I let some big goofy gorilla about twice my size ride my bike and he bent the seat post about 45-degrees back. I had to bend it back and hope it held for a few miles to get back home. My folks didn't want to buy another seat again, so I ended up taking the whole thing off and riding it without a seat for the next 6 months.

This one's chock full of lessons about the bike fit "gurus" and our attitudes toward them. Whoever wrote "if the fitter isn't concerned, then I guess it isn't an issue. He's paid to know this stuff and is the expert" has hopefully had a light turned on...

In all fairness, it wasn't necessarily the fitter's fault. Given my clyde proportions, he would not have been able to visually see the seat under my seat, so unless he's psychic he couldn't have visually known I was sitting a little too far forward on the seat compared to how I actually ride. Hell *I* didn't realize I'd been sitting too far forward on the seat until I was riding and noticed that as I rode I actually was sitting further forward than I do just putzing around at very low speeds.

The bottom line is, with his help I find the bike miles more comfortable to ride than I did guesstimating on my own or with the extremely lackadaisical fitting help I was receiving at the LBS I bought the bike from.

As it turns out, I am going to have to return this saddle though, it works really well on my seat bones but it is putting more pressure than I am comfortable with on my perineum and I really need a saddle with a cutout.