Fitting to Style & Ability
This guide should be used to enhance your understanding of bike-fitting principles. If you are experiencing pain on the bike, or searching for optimum performance, we highly recommend a professional bike-fit. We also recommend doing this before purchasing an expensive bike – as getting the right size and fit will always be the best performance upgrade available.
a. Importance of Cycling Styles
Lots of different people ride road-bikes. Each person has different capability and goals. Therefore, not every bike-fit should be the same. A person's body also changes over time, and their optimum bike-fit will also change.
Each cycling style has unique demands on your body and bike. By identifying your primary focus—be it comfort, endurance, speed, or climbing—you can tailor your bike fit to enhance your performance and overall experience.
Selecting components, such as frame or handlebar shape, will also affect your bike-fit and should be influenced by desired style. However, we try to focus on fitment in this chapter, and making what you have work best for you.
Nowadays, there are many apps and online services available that can analyse your individual body posture whilst you ride on an indoor trainer (or equivalent) at home. Whilst these services are enabling people to perform better, we feel that understanding the principles of bike-fitting is still essential. Having an understanding of why adjustments are being suggested, and the potential risks the adjustments can create, will allow you to better use the services or apps and the individual analysis they offer.
Before proceeding further with this chapter on Bike-Fitting, we recommend you check out our Fundamentals chapter about cycling styles and measuring your body. The post about bike-sizing in the Choosing the Perfect Bike chapter might also be useful!
Bike fitting is a dynamic process
Bike-fitting is not a once in a life-time task. Bodies and abilities change over time. As your flexibility or power increases from training (or decreases from less exercise), your optimum bike-fit also changes.
For example, recent studies show that small adjustments, such as raising or lowering your saddle 1-2cm can greatly affect your anaerobic power generation. As such, adjusting your bike-fit should be a dynamic process with regular assessment and fine-tuning. By considering flexibility, muscle strength, pedalling efficiency, and utilising proper fitting techniques, you can ensure that your road-bike is set-up to match your evolving abilities and keep you riding efficiently, comfortably, and injury-free for years.
b. Body-Posture & Joint Angles
Understanding and achieving the correct joint angles for each cycling style is vital for optimising comfort, power transfer, and injury prevention. Correct posture on the bike ensures balanced and efficient cycling. A poorly aligned setup can lead to discomfort, inefficient pedalling, or even long-term injuries.
Again, to fine-tune these angles, a professional bike-fitting service is highly recommended. Bike-fitters provide personalised advice and anaylsis to best achieve your cycling goals, and are highly-recommended before investing in a new bike.
If you use an app or online service to analyse your body posture and joint angles, make sure you look at different views (from left hand side, right hand side, front and back) as people often have imbalances between left and right sides of the body. You should be aware that they often encourage a more aggressive styles.
Here’s a breakdown of the importance of each joint angle and the main injury risks associated with improper alignment:
| Joint | Importance | Main Injury Risks |
|---|---|---|
| Ankle | - Plays a key role in pedaling efficiency by transmitting force to the pedals. - A neutral angle reduces stress on the lower leg muscles. |
- Excessive flexion or extension can lead to Achilles tendon strain or plantar fasciitis. - Poor ankle position may cause calf or shin pain and foot numbness. |
| Knee | - Critical for power transfer and long-term riding comfort. - Proper angle prevents overloading the knee joint. |
- Overextension can cause patellar tendinitis or IT band syndrome. - Excessive flexion can lead to anterior knee pain or quadriceps strain. |
| Hip | - Controls torso angle and determines aerodynamics vs comfort. - Affects lower back comfort, especially on long rides. |
- Insufficient hip flexion can lead to lower back strain or tightness in the hip flexors. - Overly aggressive hip angles may cause sciatic nerve compression or hip impingement. |
| Shoulder | - Supports upper body stability and affects weight distribution on the bike. - Balances comfort & control, especially important for technical descents or sprints. |
- Improper angles can lead to neck and shoulder pain or upper back fatigue. - Excessive forward lean may cause rounded shoulders or muscle fatigue. |
| Elbow | - Helps absorb road vibrations and allows dynamic positioning on the bike. - Slight bends help maintain a relaxed posture for better control. |
- Locked elbows increase pressure on the wrists and shoulders, leading to joint pain. - Over-bent elbows can cause tricep strain or instability during technical riding. |
| Wrist | - Key for maintaining grip and preventing numbness in the hands. - A neutral wrist angle reduces pressure on the median and ulnar nerves. |
- Excessive flexion or extension may lead to carpal tunnel syndrome or handlebar palsy. - Poor positioning can cause tingling, numbness, or weakness in the hands and fingers. |
Key Takeaways:
- Ankle & Knee: Focus on power and efficiency; improper alignment often leads to lower-body injuries.
- Hip: Balances comfort with aerodynamics; a critical area for preventing back pain and maximizing pedaling power.
- Shoulder, Elbow & Wrist: These upper body joints are vital for comfort, bike control, and injury prevention, particularly on longer or technical rides.
c. Angle Targets for Different Styles
Here is a detailed table for a road-bike fitting guide, showing target angles for various body-posture styles. These target angles can be fine-tuned for individual riders based on flexibility, core strength, and specific goals.
Practical Tip: Measure Ankle & Knee Angles when foot is in neutral position (larger angles indicate more flexion) and when pedal is at bottom (6 o’clock) of rotation.
| Joint | Comfort | Endurance | Aggressive | Climber | Time-Trial |
| Ankle Angle | 100°-110° (neutral flex) | 105°-115° (slight flex) | 110°-120° (flexed) | 105°-115° (slight flex) | 115°-125° (more flexed) |
| Knee Angle | 140°-150° (relaxed) | 145°-155° (balanced) | 150°-160° (extended) | 145°-155° (balanced) | 155°-165° (more extended) |
| Hip Angle | 40°-45° (upright) | 35°-40° (moderate lean) | 25°-35° (aero lean) | 30°-40° (moderate lean) | 15°-25° (low aero tuck) |
| Shoulder Angle | 90°-95° (upright relaxed) | 85°-90° (neutral lean) | 70°-80° (forward lean) | 80°-85° (neutral lean) | 60°-70° (forward tuck) |
| Elbow Angle | 150°-160° (straight relaxed) | 140°-150° (slight bend) | 120°-130° (active bend) | 130°-140° (slight bend) | 110°-120° (sharp bend) |
| Wrist Angle | 5°-15° (relaxed) | 0°-10° (neutral) | 0°-10° (neutral) | 0°-10° (neutral) | 0°-5° (slightly flexed) |
d. Self-Assessment for Bike-Fitting
Several factors should be honestly considered before beginning a bike-fit. We cannot all be 60kg super-athletes who can stay in optimum aerodynamic position for 3 hours and output 350W.
1. Flexibility and Range of Motion
As you increase your flexibility through training, especially in the hips and hamstrings, you might be able to handle a higher saddle position or lower handlebar postion. A higher saddle can promote a more extended pedal stroke, improving your efficiency, whilst a lower handlebar can increase aerodynamics. However, be cautious not to raise it too much, as overextension can cause discomfort or strain. Being honest about these factors will lower your risk or discomfort.
2. Muscle Strength and Endurance
Improved muscle strength and endurance will change your ability to anabolically generate energy in your legs. Allow adjustments to maximise these gains, being careful not to compromise comfort. With stronger leg muscles, a slightly higher saddle may improve pedalling efficiency and power generation, but it’s important to ensure that the adjustment doesn't lead to overstraining any particular muscle group (such as back muscles).
3. Dynamic Fitting Methods
Relying on static measurements alone might not be enough to find the perfect bike fit. Dynamic fitting methods, such as those provided by AI-powered platforms like MyVeloFit, analyse your riding mechanics from different angles and make suggestions to improve your bike-fit based on your actual pedaling dynamics. However, pre-knowledge of your style and abilities, as well as key bike-fitting issues, are essential to ensure that adjustments are tailored to your aims, rather than just your dimensions.
4. Incremental Adjustments
Bike-fitting is not an exact science that can be calculated. Fine-Tuning should be done by making one small change (typically 2-5mm) at a time and then testing the feel. It’s important to give your body time to adapt to each adjustment before making further changes. Small tweaks can significantly impact your comfort and performance over time. Multiple changes at once can lead to confusion about what is helping or hindering.
5. Pedalling Technique and Efficiency
Many factors can influence an efficient pedalling technique and this is individual to each cyclist. Joints work together to create power in different ways. The bottom of the pedal stroke should however always feature a slight bend in the knee and an appropriate foot angle, to allow you to engage the right muscles and improve power transfer. If your saddle is too high or too low, you might strain certain muscles, or not allow them to recover efficiently.
6. Left-Right Imbalances
Left-right imbalances such as one dominant (stronger) leg or longer leg, can significantly affect pedalling efficiency, comfort, and lead to discomfort. Imbalances are very common and may stem from natural asymmetry or past training/injuries. If imbalances are present, you can experience uneven pedal strokes, muscle strains or twisting due to trying to counter without adjusting fit for them. Idenitifying and addressing imbalances can be key to a comfort bike-fit and injury prevention. Saddle adjustments can help, as can cleat position, insoles and shims. Handlebar setup can also be fine-tuned to balance upper body imbalances.
7. Know Your Feet
Like the roots of a plant, the feet of a cyclist are paramount and often focused on much less than they should be. They are crucial for power-transfer and comfort. Foot shape and structure varies greatly, as does the set-up of shoes, cleats, insoles and pedals. Subtle differences in arch height, arch length, foot pronation or supination can all affect how your foot interacts with the pedals, and how much twist your knees and hips experience with each stroke. A bike-fit should always start with the feet. Identifying foot features can guide proper shoe selection, cleat positioning, and pedal alignment to ensure optimal power transfer and prevent discomfort or injury. People often create issues by not working with this features, trying to counter them and create problems further up the leg, especially because pedalling is a repetitive action.
e. Optimum Fit can Change
Again, it is important to state that a proper bike-fit is not a one and done session. Your body and ability will change over time. Being aware of goals and possible adjustments is crucial.
By having an understanding of bike-fitting principles and experimenting with small adjustments, you should be able to enjoy road-cycling for decades.
f. Consulting a Professional Bike Fitter
If you're unsure about making adjustments or experiencing pain, please consult with a professional bike fitter. A bike fitter is trained to assess your body’s unique needs and make tailored recommendations for you, ensuring you ride at your optimal comfort and performance levels.
A good bike-fitter should not be there to upsell you on gear or force you to buy a new bike. You should be paying them as a consultant to help you perform better and more comfortably on the bike.
Please consult the International Bike-Fitting Institute, which has a platform to help you find qualified and experienced bike-fitters in you area: https://www.ibfi-certification.com/find-a-fitter
If, like us, you are based in Germany, CyclingFitEurope offers fittings at various locations or virtually: https://bikefiteurope.com
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