On bike fits
 

I've been riding road bikes for about 23 years. While my first bike wasn't a great fit, I've been careful with fittings with each subsequent bike, though I have adjusted my position through the years. My last bike was the first where I basically did the fit on my own. I was also riding the least I had in years after getting that bike. This year, back to more riding and a new, nice bike. I decided to get a new, professional fitting (lots of safety precautions) after having recommended professional fittings to several friends. The shop where I got my bike uses Retul.

Good news was the size was right; reach and stack were good. What surprised me was that they raised my seat almost an inch & a half and moved it back a little. I guess I had lowered it a little through the years (I had it at the same height as my last bike). Turns out my sit bones have some adjusting to do, but I can already see that I can put out more power with less perceived effort.

tldr, turns out a good bike fitting is, in fact, a good thing.

If it wasn't for a great bike fitter, I wouldn't be riding still... period.
Funny thing about the seat. I had mine slip about a degree nose down a didn't know it. After 6 months of riding, I went back for another fit (for some knee issues) and told him I was having some hand numbing issues. We found out my seat had moved nose down a bit (don't know how). He adjusted it and had me slide back in the seat a bit, and it changed so much for me. No more hand numbing issues and I feel so much more comfortable in the saddle.

I have a follow up in 3 weeks to check everything back out. It's feeling really nice - I have a little soreness as my muscles are working a little differently, but it most certainly feels better. This position (he also adjusted my cleats and added spacers to my pedals) has resolved some foot numbing I was getting as well.

I feel like it is related to the better fit, but I didn't feel particularly great on my 30 mile ride today but still set a climbing PR and averaged a higher power output than planned (and higher than it felt like I was doing). I suspect the new position really is quite a bit more efficient.

Before I got my first carbon bike I got a pro fit. I was then able to use the measurements to help pick a frame. After i got the bike I got a fit on the bike and all seemed OK. 4 years later I replaced it with a much more expensive bike that had the same frame dimensions and at first it felt great. I did a little experimenting and replaced the stem with one 2mm longer along with removing a 10mm spacer under. Finally I changed the cleat on my left shoe by moving it back just a little which improved my comfort.

My point is your fit changes and you need to try different things as your body ages and you fitness level changes.

Good luck with dialing in your fit.

Changing the saddle height an inch and a half for an experienced rider seems radical- hard to picture.

Hope to hear follow-up reports when you've got some miles into it.

It was a lot. I suspect what happened was I got lazy in adjusting my saddle over time. I had used one of my bikes for triathlon, and had moved the saddle a little lower and forward with aerobars. I suspect I didn't raise it back to it's original height, and used that as a metric for my new bike. I fiddled with my Ridley (the last bike) a fair amount. When I settled in, I thought the saddle seemed low, but I also reached my heaviest weight, and think I got lazy with the adjustments.

I was really surprised when we kept raising the saddle on the new bike (he was showing me the retul motion capture numbers as we went- it provides parameters on a variety of angles). Once we got close to where it is now, my muscle memory shot back to my very old, all steel fuji team from the late 90s and my Orbea Onyx when I initially had it set up for straight road riding. It felt right. That said, we are doing a follow up. The guy doing the fit did recommend I take it easy on the first several rides.

And I am definitely someone who is willing to acknowledge that just because I've done something a long time doesn't mean I'm doing it right.

Did you use Playtri, Mellow Johnny's, or the place in Roanoke for the fitting?

None of the above - Cadence in flower mound. Bought the bike at their McKinney store (turns out a woman I went to high school with and her husband are part owners). I'm impressed by them.

In the Fort, I really like Colonel's.

Thanks!

I've got ~450 miles on the new fit, and have set up the indoor bike (Peloton) with it as well. I am definitely more efficient, have less muscle pain, and my sit bones have adjusted. I'm kicking myself for not doing it sooner.