Not All Bike Fits Are Created Equal
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- čas přidán 31. 07. 2024
- looking for a good bike fit? here's what to look out for if you're booking a bike fitter. check out James's shop HERE www.bicyclerichmond.co.uk/
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My bike fitter is Bike Fit Tuesdays...
Same. Learned a ton and have a very comfortable position because of it. I really latched on to the smooth pedal stroke and due to that I now feel my workout in all the major muscles of my leg vs just my quad being on fire. Step one was cleats all the way back. Step 2 put my seat to low and slowly work up until smooth. Note for people you will most likely think it's to low but it's not. Step 3 for me was slightly moving my saddle back 2cm I believe. My knee is well behind the axel not a metric I used just a note. Step 4 raised the handle bars slightly they were to low for me. Go for a 30 min ride note any discomfort or weird and make slight adjustments for there.
Kinda me too. Working for a bike retailer, the advice I give to customers are based on bike fit Tuesday’s
And me 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
Same here. All my bike fitting was done through watching James. Even got a new bike because I realized most of the discomfort was a result of being on a bike that’s too big for me
A few years back I very nearly purchased a Cervello RCA California from where James was previously employed, it was a 7.5k dreambike frameset which I desperately wanted & the thing that prevented me from buying it was James insistence that the geometry just didn't work for me during my fit... Always appreciated that he never tried to make the bike work just for the sake of a sale, even if he shattered my dreams at the time.
I have a better bike now 😗
Glad it’s working out for you! Chapeau!
Nothing controversial at all with James's words in today's vlog: It is honest and experience advice given. Another top vlog gents 👏
I did bike fits for over thirty years. I’ve been “trained” in using several different systems. Not one of those systems will work well for everybody. What I have found to work best, is creating my own methods which use some elements of all of the systems and a few things learned through study and personal experiences, but not necessarily relying on the technology or specific steps of any one of them.
Each client has a unique body with their own unique ranges of flexibility, strengths, weaknesses, issues and needs. Each fitting should be as unique as the client.
A good, knowledgeable, and experienced fitter can give you the same results with or without the motion capture software and fancy adjustable fitting bike. Those are just excellent tools for measuring the before and after.
Another thing to be wary of is when a fitter says that a fit will take 1 hour or two hours.
Some folks are done in an hour. Some take four. Folks, just treat it like a dental appointment and take an afternoon off work. We don’t really know how long it will take until we are actually in the studio and have at least done an interview, a physical assessment, and observed you riding your bike, and even then it might still take a little more or less time than expected.
I agree with everything the fit technician says in this video.
I’ve studied martial arts for decades and a philosophy of Bruce Lees when he was developing Jeet Kune Do was “Research your own experience. Absorb what is useful, reject what is useless, add what is essentially your own”. This is exactly what you have described in how you performed your job and I don’t doubt you were very successful at it. Of course the use of techniques from a variety of martial arts led to what we now know as Mixed Martial Arts MMA. Was very ahead of his time.
@@jasond3918 ppl
I cant find a single fitter here in the Netherlands that advertises open ended sessions. They all specify bookings for 1-2 hours at a fixed rate. You can of course get a follow up session a few weeks later fir adjustments if required - for an additional cost. Is this what you meant? I also haven't seen anywhere in the UK offering an initial consultation without specified booking time - even James company here charges an initial session by a 2 hour time frame.
so nice to see James, and how eager he is on this topic!
I have to say, this is the best cycling channel on CZcams. Others have good bits, but lack the consistency. Nice work.
absolutely TRUE ‼️
by far the best !
Terrific video, lots of good points here, especially for newbies. I have been cycling for 30 yrs plus, a local bike fitter set me up with terrific position on my bike and for years I cycled in comfort and pain free.
I purchased a new bike 4,years ago and part of the package was a bike fit using a Wattbike as part of the process, this was primarily used to fine tune the cleat position. Anyone familiar with Wattbikes would know there an on screen graph which reflects your pedal stroke.
After quite some time the fitter was happy with the cleat position despite the fact it was at a very extreme angle.
After just a few cycles in this position I started to experience right sided hip and thigh pain, something I had never encountered before and despite returning to my original cleat position and many physio sessions I am still in pain to this day.
Lessons learned. Don't let a machine dictate the bike fit. I should have kept my tried and tested set up. The bike fitter was a mechanic/salesman who done what a computer told him. I should have spoken up and still live with the pain of not doing so.
Again great video from Francis and James, this should be compulsory viewing for anyone going for a bike fit.
Love this channel! Keep up the great work - never enough videos on you and James collaborating
I had a Bikefit with James a few years ago and never regretted it. Also bought a replacement bike from him after my Specialized got nicked. Went from a Spec... 56 to a Trek 54 with narrower handlebars in 2015. Love the fit. I am 1.8m tall, pretty average shape so most fitting tools stick me on a 56.
These videos with James are so insightful. Thank you
this advice is spot on, I had an updated fit from someone last fall who others recommended to me, and it ended up being extremely cursory - I had the sense I maybe knew more about my fit and limitations than the fitter did, and they tried to upsell me things from the shop I simply didn't need. Take your time to find someone quality.
Having watched James in quite a few of Francis' videos, I have gained the impression that you are a really genuine and trustworthy person, and I would be happy to let you carry out a bike fit for me. I'm no racing snake, I'm probably a lot older than most of this channel's viewers, but I still deserve to sit as comfortably as possible on my bike. When you dismissed the millimetre merchants, that chimed with me as I also feel that a couple of mm of seat height or setback is probably irrelevant. And, yes, I *could* spend my time fiddling and adjusting for myself, but I'm impatient and would rather an expert did the hard work for me. So I will be looking for an appropriate date and making a booking.
Great to see a professional that takes pride in his work!
Love the comment about fretting over millimeters. The stack, reach, payback, saddle height, and even the saddles are different across my 3 road bikes. They all feel good. Given that each bike is a different brand and model, as are every component, the measurements are within millimeters the same, but not identical. It's all good in the end.
I went to see James yesterday, in summary I'm now very comfortable on the bike and the joy of cycling has come back!! Money well spent! Also the coffee is decent and plenty of refills too.
That already sounds like just the coffee is better than in most places... probably should visit once i'm in the uk... even if it's just for coffee :-P
@@WaechterDerNacht there are also some very very very nice bikes on display too.
@@jameslewis8633 Looking at nice bikes while drinking coffee sounds like a good plan for a rainy day on a uk holiday...
love watching these vids! could watch them all day! keep it up lads
Thank you for the education, as always, both of you... Francis for facilitating and James for the details.
Honest assessment of what you need to ask when you do find a fitter,. I went with James purely from your bike fit videos as I'd followed the advice as far as I could and needed professional help.
Thanks very much for the advice guys.
I've been lucky getting fitted (comfortable on the bike, no pain). I had wanted a 'proper' fit, but was warned off because of the reasons listed, especially, a lot of bike fitters are more focused on 'performance'. Slamming stems and all that.
Great advice
I SO MUCH love bike fit tuesday.
So thanks a lot for today episode!
James' "measure the fit bones, sell a saddle" face is priceless. That should have been the thumbnail. Cheers!
Having been a footwear designer/merchant for multiple decades, and knowing how James fits footwear, and listening to his reasoning of a total bike fit, leads me to believe he just may be the most well educated bike fitter in the world. Easily top 3. Wish he was closer [live in USA] so I could have him fit e and my bikes. LOVED this episode.
Dude! I love your videos!! Typical, I move from London (home) to Australia before I got into cycling! Keep up the good work bro!!
Well put James. Iv always been a big advocate for bike fit, so when my wife needed a new bike, I told her to get a fit, that recommends the bike.
We did the best research (not many fitters in NZ) we could, and choose a bike fitter in Auckland (name omitted). We flew up for a long weekend trip to choose her a bike. Neither of us are young anymore, and she specifically asked for a comfort fit, not race oriented.
Long and short of it she was sold a race oriented bike with a big drop. We ended up going through a big rigmarole and retuning the bike, so a local friend with some experience could select a bike for her. Essentially it was a disaster.
In retrospect, I think the store owner was pushing the bike fit guy to offload a bike they didn't want in stock anymore.
Now I'm in a really pickle, as I need a new bike and fear the same may happen to me. If you can recommend anyone in New Zealand or Australia for a bike fit and new bike James, it would be hugely appreciated.
Hey Fraser, I live in Australia, manage a bike shop but completely unrelated to that can very much suggest Aaron from Fusion Peak in Manly (Northern Suburbs Sydney). I know Aaron personally but since then moved to Melbourne and haven't met anyone as good as him yet. My wife and I both had fits with him as did many friends and he is great.
Excellent - it took me years to work out some of the issues you point out in this video.
"We won't mention any names, because it would be unfair to specialized"
It's not even the dig at this specific brand that got me, but the extremely smooth delivery of this plot-twist was absolutely amazing!
I had a fit with James a good 4 or 5 years ago when he was at his old gaff. I was new to road cycling and he sorted me out (my saddle was, of course, too high - amongst a few other things). And, when it wasn't quite right first time, he did indeed get me in for free to tweak a couple of bits. It's been quite a while since then, probably due another one now that I'm more flexible and more comfy on the bike!
My best bike fit was 22 years ago on my very 1st bike. It was done by a well know fella named Paul Swift. He dialed me right in. After that, complete disaster with bike fitters. Tried the Retul thing, no good. Tried a few fitters that were well known in the area, no good. I finally found a guy with a jig. He got me close, but still not great. He put a 4mm shim on my shoe and sold me 155mm saddle I did not need. Over the course of 2 years, I lowered my saddle by 10mm. Went to a 145 saddle, took out the 4mm shim and voila! No more saddle sores. No lower back pain. No more pain/tightness behind the right knee. Unless you have a bike fitter like James near you, it's not that easy to get right on the bike. It takes a while. Lots of tweaking in small increments to allow the body to adjust. Bike fit is what you feel. Not what the Retul system says you should be.
Oh my gosh, James described my first bike fitter -- the plumb bob, the angle measuring tool, the cleat placement ... Within a month or two I was fiddling with my fit to try to mitigate a variety of issues. Eventually, I found my way to a much more accomplished fitter who was amazed I could ride long-term with the set-up I had. The first fitter had lots of experience. It just was not what I needed.
James, kudos on delivering great content with just the right amount of attitude to get me to pay attention, but with enough humility to keep me from tuning out. Always learning something useful from you. Never had a fit, but never had a real problem. Sometimes a 5 hour ride will leave me a bit sore, but I figure that’s normal. I do tinker with setback, bars, seat, etc. If it hurts, change it. But, perhaps it’s time for a proper fit, after this virus get a little more sorted.
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it! Then again, who knows how many watts we could unlock for you 😉
Nice - the green & black Sarto frame in the video thumbnail is mine - just waiting for a groupset with 165mm cranks!
I couldn't agree more with what James said.
I have had two fits, the first one the fitter moved my cleats all the way forwards and told my my fit was good because the tracking system said so. It never felt right
The second fit with a different fitter was night and day. He made changes based on me and he made tweaks based on how I was feeling and not by the numbers. I felt so much better in the saddle after the second fit.
One other key point to look for in a fitter, which is something James always says. Find someone who fits the rider and their needs and not the bike. The good fitter was focused entirely on making it more comfortable and eliminating pain that any power or speed gains.
best bit of this videos is the recommendation at the end 👌🏽
Well...If I flew myself and my bike .....Thanks Francis and James..I had a very reputable shop fit my road bike for me and it was great ! But..I'm not a racer , or ..really competitive at all. I'm just an old guy , learning the hard way , all the things I don't know . Comfort is key to me , and the heights the fitting gave me were a starting point for my other bikes ? I'm on my gravel bike most of the time and it's fast , comfortable , and fun as hell !........ Peace
I’m really looking forward to taking my recumbent to James for a fit to see how he deals with it. Because realistically I don’t think there’s anyone experienced in that kind of fitting.
How do you get back pain when you're basically lying in bed😂
@@Goodman-4525 because I have a chronic pain condition 🤣 Tbf it’s usually my neck.
@@Goodman-4525, good one. 🤣😂
👏👏😆 James : " it's like judging a mechanic on the spanners he uses"... well said👌
the sign of an expert is someone who could earn a tonne of money swapping parts but only changes parts if they have to , looking forward to getting a bike fit soon
Had a shoe fit at james shop he's the only person I would trust with anything bit fit related ended up being a 400 mile round trip would do it again no question
I started Zwift and it's been amazing for figuring out my bike fit. And even moreso for cleat positioning. It's so easy to get off your bike and fiddle with stuff when you're indoors. Outside, you're more likely to just finish your ride rather than mess around with your positioning. Especially if friends are waiting on you.
I agree about a trainer being perfect for that, but even outside it's perfectly ok, but ffs just go ride alone if you want or expect to make little fit adjustments. Stopping once or twice to change saddle positions might be ok in a group ride (depends on the type of the group ride), but you're always under some pressure when you're not on your own.
Good to know I've avoided all red flags!!
True and deadly honest. I had two bike fittings, both were a crap. Watching James's videos, advices, trying to understand what how my body reacts, filming myself - I made better settings than those fitters did. James rulez !!!
You just described my entire bike fit experience!
I watched this through my fingers!!
I’m booked with James in a few weeks. Every video I watch feels with me equal parts of excitement and sympathy for James, who will be hearing me say one bike fit “alarm bell” after another! 😄
How did you get on after your fit with James? Was it worth it?
@@ElrocStone 100% yes. Dramatic changes but so much more comfortable on the bike.
@@SteveBMor I may have to save up and take a trip to the UK. Cheers!
@@ElrocStone make sure you save up enough for his recommendations to be implemented
We changed a fair amount on my bike and it wasn’t cheap!
@@SteveBMor I had a feeling that would be the case, the shoes alone will be expensive as I have fairly wonky feet :) I will be ready, cheers!
Olde style setup - I’ve always started with saddle height/ layback based on my comfortable leg extension and expanded from there.
My biggest comment on ‘bike fit’ is to look at the intended riding style etc. I remember training for the Century ride around LakeTaupo in NZ with a bloke who was verrrry focussed. He looked at my setup (Specialized Allez, bars maybe a couple of cm below saddle height) and immediately said he thought the saddle should be higher/ bars lower ie typical elite road race position… 😝 My setup has my back at around 45’ which is a compromise between comfort and……comfort. No desire to ride with my bum in the air, chin on the stem.
There is a place for mm in saddle height. When you run the same setback and saddle and crank length and pedal on a number of bikes I can definitely tell a difference of a mm or two.
Do you wear the same shorts on every ride as well? Older shorts might have a more compressed pad or a winter bibtight might be 2mm thicker. There's comes a point where those millimetres just aren't worth thinking about.
@@RoscoLovell yep basic assos all similar age. Yes shorts can change it.
did you take in account the changes in bike geometrie ? pretty sure the guy knows what hes talking about. . .
@@philippehamel1870 setback is setback. If you don’t believe it have a look at the fitting jig ;-).
I’ve never had a professional fit but I’m so curious to try it. I feel like I’m pretty good at identifying problems within my own fit from tinkering over the years. No pains, numbness, slipping around or fatigue over long distances…. It would be fun to get an expert opinion on how close I’ve optimized my fit. I have no doubt someone like you could you could take one look at me and make it even better or bring something to my attention I never thought of. Love the videos 👍
If you have no issues, I would do everything in my power to NOT get a bike fit. All you will do is create a problem where there previously was none.
Top content as always Francis 👍
My bike fitter also works as a physio therapist. Works out very well. He also keeps conversations with his clients. By now, he’s more like a position coach, I report to him how I feel just like how I talk to my cycling coach about training
For me from experience start with the shoes. Correct size and as important correct width. I only know of Lake that gives you a good choice of widths. The rest then falls into place with a good fitter.
I'm comfortable on my bike. I ride around 100km /wk and don't get any pain other than the expected saddle discomfort on really long rides. But never had a bike fit but have, from time to time considered one, to validate my position or possibly optimise it. I've generally been put off by lack of knowledge or trust in fitter and the the fact that my own positional evolution has resulted in contravention of "standards" . So it's interesting to hear my pedal spindle position and knee/pedal spindle are not incorrect and my suspicion of fitters [generally] is probably justified. A good overview of the process and industry. Thank-you.
Dan Bilzerian is doing phenomenal bike videos!
I've been to a bikefitter 1,5 years ago to determine my bikesize. He recommended a couple of bikes (all XL as I'm 1m91 tall). My red flags went off when I received my bike a couple of months later. It was huge in comparison with my previous bike. For the first time I had complains that I didn't have before: numb feet and hands, lower back pain ... I returned so he could make some adjustments, but unfortunately there were no improvements whatsoever. My feet were killing me and I even had to re-adjust the cleats on my shoes. I mailed him afterwards to share my thoughts, but he was still convinced he recommended me the right size and did a good fit.
In the meantime I sold my bike and wasted a lot of money. I'd love to make an appointment at James' shop someday, but it would be great if you know trustworthy bike fitters in Belgium that you could recommend. :)
I'm gonna start saving and fly over to get a fit off James!
‘I don’t want to slag off, any brands, so I won’t mention Specialised’, genius.
I’m really hoping one day i’ll fly from Turkey to do fit with James. Everybody has dream bike in their mind, mine is dream fit with James. Cheers mate!
Finally a good video. I actually had a bike fitter very highly regarded by the IBFI and spend 3 hours being fat shamed (I’m 14st 4), my mobility was ridiculed ( herniated L5S1 as well as an old ACL replacement) as well as my choice of lunch. He didn’t really figure out by going to a fitter I was trying to invest in being fitter. Next time I’m down close to James I know I’ll try and squeeze in a good,informed and fair bike fit.
Ridiculous to insult you like that when you just want to enjoy a bike ride with a good fit. That’s another test for a bike fitter - are they a decent human.
I’m really sorry to hear this Craig - there’s a reason I didn’t mention the IBFI in this video though. We’d be delighted to have you down
Great video! So true.
Millimeter precision is actually very important. The key is to find the optimal setup at the peak of the bell curve, knowing that a ride may wish for a slightly different saddle height or reach at the beginning of a ride or at the end of the ride. In other words, it's okay if a bike doesn't fit perfectly during the first few miles of warmup as long as it does the rest of the ride. I'm a former stats professor and have developed my own tooling that maintains the need for even sub-millimeter precision. Great videos and impressive work!
Slow down there, Quick. ;-)
The bike fitter that checks all the boxes that I wanted to see around here in Paris is fully booked for at least the next 6 months 😅
I live in Switzerland. Never heard of bike fitting at all before i have seen it on Francis‘ channel.
James & Francis, is the Garmin cycling dynamics info (power phase, platform center offset, right/left balance, etc.), available with their dual-sided power meter pedals, useful in bike fitting? Or are the numbers not very accurate and somewhat meaningless? I’ve yet to find a good discussion of what an acceptable or optimal range of numbers should be.
Great insight!
i had a bike fit and the result ended in a medium bike, not taking in account the amount of travel (MTB fit) so the higher the travel the more the bike will collaps. the Medium size felt like a small in flight mode...so the statict numbers and flight numbers or for sure different...i dont think road-bikes have that problem or hardtails. But full sus bikes is different..how do you guys tackle this issue.
Hi Francis, could James make a special addition in bike fit tuesday about the best cycling shoe/ clipless pedal for the city bike courriers? Frequent unclipping and walkability being the main focus? Thanks a lot.
I got screwed over / scammed by the Specialized bike fit in Japan (Reutul or whatever). The entire process was just about trying to sell me stuff and all the "fitter" did was keep lowering my saddle when I complained of discomfort. Left me with a position that lead to tendonitis within a few weeks and off the bike all summer. When I asked to return to the shop they told me not to come and just email them my issues.
Before they even put me on the bike they tried to sell me a specialized saddle, handebars and custom insoles. Told me I also needed long axle pedals after I got on the bike.
I would have run but it was the closest place at a 4 hour drive each way. The next closest one I will visit this year is a 6 hour drive.
...finished watching, they did literally every 'red flag'
Francis/James, I could not thank you enough for all this info Really great.
Two question, I live in Brazil and have made already several bike fit along the years, is it most of the time possible to find a comfortable position in the bike no matter the strength you have to keep certain posture? and the second one is, all the fits I had were straight over my bike, I have never done one that goes first to an adjustable bike and then the measures are transferred to my bike, as James does, does it impact significantly the results. I am asking those questions, not only because of this video but also due to a video that I watched recently from proveofsweat channel. It was amazing her expression after the fit with James, really emotional, as she said the new position felt “familiar” I have never experienced that felling after a fit, it was always an adaptation process. Tks again and sorry for the long text.
Had two 2 fits in Ireland both slightly helpful but didn't find the systemic issue with my lower back. Flying to London Saturday hopeful the Bicycle crew can fix me.
Great video with some interesting comments! One thing I would say is that you emphasise about the experience of the bike fitter quite a bit, but I feel it must be considered that every bike fitter started at the same level and has to build up and gain that experience and knowledge somehow. Don’t just disregard someone because they only have a handful of fits under their belt, as long as they are qualified and done their share of shadowing of experienced fitters, they can do just as good a job!
I couldn’t agree more, problem is, this industry is more focused on selling stuff than improving education. This why every fitter who works for me goes through a six month vetting process by me personally to ensure they’re up to standard
great video. keep up the awesome work your doing. Quick question...Is there a saddle that can be used for bid shorts and regular clothing? thanks
Buying my tickets soon!
What i would like to know, is how it is with transferability of these result to e.g. an XC or an Enduro MTB... Do the basic things stay more or less the same? How can you figure out how e.g. reach changes if you're swapping from 44cm to 76 cm handle bars?
My bike fitter is great. Ticks all the right boxes. Doesn't rely on tech but takes advantage of it. Here is the nub, I no longer get numb down there(I'm a chap) but I do get one sided pain eminating from right where I sit and it usually only comes after an "effort", then it ends up at my ankle. Standing makes it go.
Here another development. Now I'm Zwifting on shitty days the numbness has returned.
My fiterr says it is the static position.
Can't afford another bike fit. So I'm stuck between a rock and an equally uncomfortable place.
And before anybody says it, the result is the same in a flatter profile saddle and one with a slight kick at the back and both have pressure release.
Heeelllppp!
ive watched enough of BFT over the last year, pulled the trigger and just booked a session at Bicycle even if its 200 miles away
Thank you for your booking! We look forward to seeing you soon!
there should be a link to this video on every bike forum out there…..
Hi is there any way to sort out ‘reach’ at home ? Is there any two points on the body that you can Measure to find out what reach you should have ?
I'm only here for Bike Fit James. The rest of Francis channel is bonus content :p
Francis and James, whats your opinion on the idmatch digital bike fitting system? Is it any better than the "old" analog systems if the fitter is rather weak?
This literally came out the day I went for my bike fit. Wish it was a day earlier.
Dear Francis, I just wanted to let you know that I clicked on and watch this video because of the expression on homie’s face. Dope thumbnail!
seriously... who stills needs a bike fit after bingwatching bike fit tuesdays anyways?
I remember my bike fit at Evans cycles.
Evans : How tall are you?
Me: I am 6 foot
Evans: You need a 56 (proceeds to put a random size large bike on trainer) try that out see how it feels
Me: Feels OK I suppose (never rode a road bike before at this moment in time didnt know what to expect really)
Evans: Well that's excellent we have this in stock did you want to pay card or finance?
You can set up bike fits like the bespoke tailors do. Announce you are coming to ny book a ton of appointments and you get a little vacation as a bonus.
I’ve been fitted on numerous bikes by the same shop and I always feel the exact same. I can never get comfortable on a saddle… after 5 miles of being on the saddle I want to get off and walk. Developing knee pain. I often feel over stretched. But the biggest gripe is the constant saddle issues, been thru 10-15 different saddles and never comfortable. I always catch myself sliding more towards the nose.
Hahahahaa ! Awesome conclusion ! Keep up the great work !
I guess something that disappointed me after a decent bike fit that resulted in improved handling and less pain was not getting a print out or record of dimensions.
After careful measurements on fit bike and carefully matching on my bike, I was expecting a copy of measurements & angles.
Fitter said when I asked for them “I got them in case you want to buy a bike.” I didn’t think to ask if having my data was a reasonable expectation before the fit.
This really soured the experience for me.
I obviously measured and documented everything myself when I got home.
you could literally just measure the bike yourself....
I might just do that James 💯
James: My apologies if this is too basic a question. I'm very new to road cycling. You've encouraged viewers to get a fit _before_ buying a bike, and this makes a ton of sense. I'm currently shopping for my first non-junk bike, and wondering if I should get a fit before even choosing the model/brand of bike, or if I should go in to the fit session with a particular bike model in mind. Thoughts?
James is like the mate everyone wished they had. Excellent advice by the way! I've had a bike fit and luckily the guy was brilliant and I went for him as he was closer to me and also had appointments available quickly (which was handy as the bike I was looking at had just come in stock and I wanted to pounce and make sure it was right for me before buying, and before it disappeared). It makes me cringe up when I see people buying expensive race bikes without getting fitted first, it's like asking for problems!
Really useful
What's your opinion on 3D printing custom parts for a better fit? e.g. Shims, brackets, molds, etc.
What is James's view on using LEOMO sensors for bike fitting? Thanks
I had my cleats set under the ball. Since I started riding with flats again, I find my feet have moved even further back, not forward.
Serious question: how often do you just change the position of a client (saddle height, set back, cleat position, reach) without that client needing to spend money on shoes, insoles, etc. except perhaps a new stem? Is there room in the business for a basic bronze level fit to get some ball parks better?
Not taking anything away from bike fitters here, but I have a theory that I would love to see made into an experiment, essentially a bike jig that’s adjustable from the handlebars, and let the user choose their own preference. My theory is that most people would generally gravitate to a self selected comfier position based purely on feel. Would be great to see a bike fitter like James then see how close the person got to an “ideal” fit.
Hah! I had Mary's video pop up on my homepage as well! First video i saw on my recommended feed from her.
Does anyone know what model saddle was on the jig?
Apols for stupid question. When you've had a bike fit on a jig like this how is that translated to your own bike? Always wondered...
At 6:10 does he mean the ball of the foot should be a little bit farther back than the spindle or the other way around?
In the UK, bike fitters have replaced plumbers and even though everything lines up, it leaks.
James, you seem to have a penchant for wrist watches. Why don't you do an episode or two on your watch collection. Your watches seem to match your wrist size well.
Dave Moulten tried to alert bike fit consumers years ago on his blog that KOP was only a metric useful to a frame builder and a rider back when road bikes had standard level top tubes, and a basic geometry as the starting point; to see if you were sitting on the right sized frame back when they were sized in centimeter increments.
I'm currently saving towards my first road bike. Before I buy one I'll be booking in with James for a fit and driving down from Manchester. These videos are brilliant.
Currently in this predicament, been looking into places in Manchester for the last two years before i buy a new bike. Might have to bite the bullet and go south
@@tskezz11 I've come across 1 or 2 in Manchester via social media but before watching these videos I didn't know what a bike fit was. I could sit and listen to James talk about fits all day.
Recommend Crimson performance in Manchester. They sorted out a load of my shoulder problems
@@FrisaacFit Is that under Rapha? I had been looking at that, went down once as well to speak to them. But going off some of the tips in this video its put me off slightly, the rig was pushed up against the wall so they would only be viewing one side of me and going off chatting to them it was very much pushing me in the direction of custom inner soles will solve my problems. All sounded good at the time but this has made me think twice.
I have been considering phil burt innovation
@@tskezz11 yeah it was but this was before they were downstairs. Were doing a temporary one above Rapha on your bike or doing out in the Lake District.
Very much did a full 360 of me, filming from multiple sides etc. Cannot give him enough credit for working with me and my bike