Yes, I've read and used the Rivendell fit method. That is what I started with.
I started out with "normal athletic shoes and platforms" but was having some problems so I switched to clipless. I'm quite happy with this setup. On May 22, 1:59 am, charlie <charles_v...@hotmail.com> wrote: > Hmmmm.......I assume you have read the Rivendell fit method. Fitting > ones self to the bicycle is not rocket science in fact its hardly > science at all. Just measure your pubic bone to floor height in bare > feet about the width you pedal at and adjust your saddle using Grants > method. For instance, I have a PBH measurement of 86.6 cm near as I > can tell. I put my saddle level at 76cm and ride with platform pedals > more toward the middle of my feet while wearing my normal sport shoes. > I don't use clip in pedals and you might consider changing yours along > with the "cycling shoes" to normal athletic shoes and platforms. I > set my bar height/distance to allow my back angle to be approximately > 45-50 degrees with my most used grip ( the hoods). I am not > particularly flexible in the hamstrings and have a slight bend in the > knee at the bottom of the pedal stroke when the cranks are lined up > with the seat tube. If I wear thinner or thicker soled shoes I will > sometimes change my saddle height but don't mess with the bar height. > My riding usually starts with 8-10 miles 2-4 times per week and > progresses to a maximum of 30-60 miles at the peak of the riding > season. Most rides are under 25 miles which works out to about 1.5 > hours of riding. Most of my aches and pains are due to trying too much > too soon or just plain riding too much. Saddle/crotch comfort is a big > problem unless I take care of my clothing choices (no thick seams but > instead breathable fabrics that don't bunch up). With a wide enough > platform pedal I rarely to never get foot discomfort. I wear classic > leather gloves (Rivendell) and use one layer of cloth tape. Nothing > fancy, just sensible and no uber high mileage to start or even later. > I have a self imposed limit of 60 miles maximum in one day. More than > four hours of any exercise seems pointless to me and doesn't really > contribute to good health IMHO. Racing or ultra long distance cycling > seems unhealthy. That's my two cents. > > On May 22, 12:11 am, Zaelia <caddic...@gmail.com> wrote: > > > > > > > > > Hi Matt: Thanks for your sympathy and information. With my recent > > "professional" bike fitting experience I'd have to say that I'm pretty > > skeptical of the whole thing too, now. The reason I went to one in > > the first place was because I had been playing around with the setup > > of my bike (riding and making adjustments as I went) and was still > > having issues. I thought going to someone who does this for a living > > would be helpful. I guess I can look on the bright side and say that > > it has been helpful. I've learned quite a bit, and I'm more determined > > to get over my fear of f*cking things up and trying things myself. > > That said, I'm going to be cautious. Only make one change at a time, > > and make small, incremental changes. Otherwise I might be forced to go > > back to a professional again, and I don't think I could go through > > that process again. > > > On May 21, 6:56 am, newenglandbike <matthiasbe...@gmail.com> wrote: > > > > Zaelia, sorry to hear about your troubles with getting the right bike > > > fit. > > > > That being said, please read the remainder of this message > > > understanding that it is rather biased :) I am extremely skeptical > > > of "professional" bike fitting. > > > > I think you're better off just getting the right leg extension (seat- > > > height), and then playing around with bar and saddle fore/aft postion > > > yourself until you're comfortable. The most important 'fitting' > > > session you can have is to ride a bike(!) carrying a 6mm wrench, and > > > adjust as necessary. In fact, always carry that wrench, because even > > > after years of riding, you may decide you want your saddle 1cm forward > > > or backward or your bars higher/lower. > > > > Stem length isn't something you can adjust easily without having > > > multiple stems (or an adjustable one), so best thing you can do is > > > leave your handlebars untaped until you have that settled. Of > > > course, as soon as you want to try different handlebars, your > > > preferred stem length goes out the window and you have to start over > > > again. > > > > For saddle height, the best advise I've seen is, roughly: sit on > > > seat, fully extend leg, heel over pedal, should just barely touch. > > > Or, measure 'PBH' rivendell-style, i.e. pulling up as hard as > > > possible, then subtract 10cm, set seat-height there. Ride bike, > > > adjust as necessary (5mm hex wrench, or whatever size your seat collar > > > bolt). > > > > Finally, keep in mind that bodies/minds change over time, so things > > > like desired saddle height and reach change over time for a given > > > individual. It is possible that changes will be more rapid and > > > pronounced if you are just getting into riding again after a long > > > break. Just take your time and ease into it, is the best advise I > > > can give. Start with short rides, but do them regularly. In my > > > humble opinion, doing 'big' rides before you have your fit/comfort > > > dialed-in is going to skew your understanding of your own fit/comfort > > > needs, and lead you down the wrong solution paths. > > > > -Matt -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. 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