Is there a good web site or book that can enable someone to do a proper bike fit by themselves? I live a fair ways from any large city with a good LBS with a trained bike fitter. Thanks.

I have had better luck with this system than any "professional bike fit" that I have paid for in the past.

https://www.peterwhitecycles.com/fitting.htm

+1 on Peter White's write-up.

I've had great results from the above mentioned site and the one at: https://davesbikeblog.blogspot.com/20...le-height.html

You must consider that all of this is here to help you get in the range of fit and is not the be-all-end-all guide to fitting. This site, however, has gotten me the closest to what I consider a good fit for me, which again, may be different for someone else who may find it too low or high.

This one isn't bad. Used it myself. But think I really need a good fitter to help with some other stuff.


https://www.competitivecyclist.com/za...LCULATOR_INTRO

If you really want good fitting you must go to a professional. What you would like to achieve? Set saddle height is one thing, but setting total positioning can not be done remotely/over an automatic system.
Another option, is to ask an experienced cyclist to look on you while you ride. Again, saddle height can be easily solved but total positioning probably not.

I was always self fit using Peter White's suggestions as well as any other wisdom found on the internet. I only ever had one problem - a soreness above my knees that was solved by running shorter crank arms. I changed to 172.5 and that problem was solved. Quite by chance a friend who works at an LBS offered to fit me for free, after he had returned from a fit class offered by one of his bike vendors. The fit wasn't super technical with computers and stuff, just some measurements and flexibility testing. What I came away with was a much more comfortable ride, some added power and gained knowledge. My saddle was too high, my stem was too long and I wasn't using nearly enough bar drop for my level of flexibility. With this information I'll be getting a new -smaller - frame that allows for more bar drop and going back to have it fit as well.

While you may be able to self-fit your bike to within a certain degree of comfort it is super helpful to have someone more experienced and even trained in fit to really dial it in. While I used to think pay-for-fit was mostly voodoo I am now sold.

my $.02

All of these "systems" get you somewhere in the ballpark, but you probably have to tweak your fit a cm here and a few mm there based on your own unique body characteristics and goals.

Realize that for optimum performance you may have to sacrifice some comfort, and vice-versa. This is especially true for your bar-saddle drop. What works best for a cat I/II racer may not be ideal for a weekend century/club rider.

Which is the same for any "professional" fitting; also realizing that they are using just another formula created by yet another person's beliefs on fit.

Fit Kit, Retul, or whatever are just systems based on created formulas. Once the bike is adjusted to whatever formula, having a fitter on hand can help to make tweaks as you describe the issues, because any formula doesn't account for a tight tendon, or former back surgery, a bakers cyst, or just general preferences, etc.

I'd be pissed to find that I paid someone else to just put the numbers into cc's fit calculator.

Links to all sorts of bicycle fit information:

https://www.cyclemetrics.com/Pages/Fi..._fit_links.htm

I've had good success with setting my bike up myself in a position I like, then trying it. If I don't completely like it I make a tweak until I do. Takes about three rides and costs $0.

Still don't understand why people pay for bike fits.

Bike fitting is important, but you forgot another important fitting - the cleats! You might think - what the ... is he talking about, but don't be mistaken here. Proper cleats setting is critical.

I am on the fence about pro fitting. I just did the competitive cyclist thing and I'm dead in between their 'competitive' and 'eddy' fit on the two road bikes I've set up purely based on feel. I think if anything, direct input from another rider [that knows about these things], while riding, would be the most helpful.

I'm the kind of person that will pay for a 2nd pair of knowledgable eyes once in awhile. But, I change components and ride goals often enough to do my own fits. It helps to know the recommended angle ranges but after that you have to listen to your body and define your goals. Once you're dialed in you will probably notice a 1-2mm change in height of the nose of your saddle. GL

+1

I got a BG Fit last week and that was the first place the fitter started the cleat position. I learned a lot of things during my 3hr fit and I regret not getting it sooner.

I did it with A LOT of trial and error but I found out so many things on the way. It took me about 3 years tho'. I did every imaginable thing until I actually lowered my seat about an inch. The whole time I wasn't actually riding on my sit bones but more towards the peroneal area which was forced with my saddle being too high. It also caused me to have more weight at the front part of the bike because the point of saddle contact was not on the right part of the sit bones so the balance line was not that good no matter what I did with for and aft.

Now it's a lot more comfortable down there and sore back and knee pain is practically gone. I am also more powerful because of the better muscle alignment and improved bike balance.

edit: Once I was sitting properly, I found out that having more bend in the leg/knee when it's at the bottom of the stroke is better because it allowed me to pedal more efficiently by changing the stroke direction angle from strictly down to down/front, kind of like pulling or pushing (I can't really tell which one). Now I have power in the stroke at about 80% of the circle which is so much better.

IMO:
Knee over pedal stroke (KOPS)
Front hub blocked out when on hoods
Ball of foot on pedal while leg fully extended

There's a few tricks, after that just adjust here and there. I went to a round cycle path and did a few laps after every adjustment.

Wow! Thanks for all the information everyone. There appears to be a lot of info out there; more than I thought there was. I don' t think my "fit" is way off, but since I have never been fitted by someone who knows what they're doing, there is probably a lot of room for improvement. I just turned sixty and, as a birthday present for myself, signed up to do the Markleeville "Death Ride." So any small tweaks I can do to make myself more efficient and/or more comfortable will be helpful! These suggestions and links are very much appreciated. Thanks, again.

For a ride like that, I'd recommend comfort as your highest priority. That probably means your saddle will wind up a bit lower and farther back than KOPS would tell you.

FWIW, I think the premise of KOPS is flawed - you don't see recumbent rider's knees exploding from pedaling a crankset that's above and in front of the knees. Does KOPS work? IMO, kinda. Just like all "fit systems" that use measurements, it gets you "kinda" right. Which is why I love that Peter White fit page - it explains what position changes actually DO instead of using psuedo-science to say "THIS is where you belong, damnit!!!".

See post #17.

Yea, it took me a long time to do it myself, but now I know how to do it. I could have paid to have it done, but then I wouldn't understand it, which was what I wanted to do, understand it myself. What's the point you were trying to make?

The sad thing is that everyone that posted on this thread could claim to be a "professional bike fitter" and start charging for their service.

It took you three years. You are making assertions about your pedal stroke (which can be measured), and your knee pain is "practically gone". If it feels like you are riding better, that's fine. But you can really find out if that's the case.

We had a guy in the other day who said many of the same things. When we put the bike on the computer and he rode it, it was more like 40%...the stroke looked like a figure 8. But it felt good....until we fixed it. One of those "ah hah" moments.

Not everyone wants to take three years to get a setup with which they are reasonably comfortable.

No, it's pretty simple in that the ones that really do it have been trained to do so. And can show you. And will have people out there that can act as a referral. Which is how we get most of our business....customers being sent by other customers who can now ride pain free and with less effort.