I. Bicycle Fit
A. Road Bikes
1. Stand over height
a. There should be at least one inch clearance between the top tube and the rider when standing over the bicycle.
2. Saddle Position(s) and adjustments (use of level very helpful)
a. Neutral – Knee directly above pedal axle. Spreads pedaling force over greatest number of muscle groups, decreasing stress.
( Cleats may be slightly behind ball of foot on bigger shoes )
b. More Endurance- Saddle 1-2cm back, puts most of demands on the back of your legs- some of your strongest muscles. More efficient during down strokes and when pulling back. Favors low-cadence pedalers.
c. More Speed- Saddle 1cm forward. Puts weight forward for better sprinting. Favors high-cadence pedalers
3. Seat to Bar Reach is very dependent on personal preference. A more
aggressive rider may want more of a stretch. Length is subjective and change should be made by adjusting the length of the stem, not the saddle position.
B. Mountain Bike, Road Bikes (with sloping top tube) and City/Path Bikes
1. Stand over height
a. There should be at least two to three inches of clearance between the top tube and the rider when standing over the bicycle.
2. Saddle Position(s) and adjustments (use of level very helpful)
a. Neutral (see above )
b. More Endurance (see above)
c. More Speed ( see above )
3. Seat to Bar Reach is very dependent on personal preference. A more
aggressive rider may want more of a stretch. Length is subjective and change should be made by adjusting the length of the stem, not the saddle position.
As I mentioned before, these are general guidelines to get you started. If you would like a more precise analysis done on you and your bike fit, I would suggest contacting one of our two central Ohio Trek Bicycle Store of Columbus (Dublin & New Albany) or our Queen city location, Trek Bicycle Store of Cincinnati. At all three of our locally owned store's, we offer the computer driven measurement system from bikefitting.com .
Man has cycled for over a hundred years. At first the bicycle was seen only as a practical and cheap means of transport. Gradually and especially over the last few decades, bicycles have also become popular for sport, fitness or simply leisure.
New types of bicycles have been developed to reflect these requirements. Examples are hi-tech road bikes, hybrids, touring bikes and, particularly, mountain bikes.
But there is more to a modern bike than technical factors like gears and shifters. The shape (or "geometry") is vital, and rightly, because a bicycle should fit to perfection to get the best from your sport or leisure. And we're not just thinking of the frame geometry; the adjustment of handlebars and saddle is probably more important. Simply put, proper adjustment determines to a high degree the cyclist's comfort and performance.
So every cyclist looks for the optimal position on their bicycle which, until now, has been determined by a number of "rules of thumb" and instinctive feeling. While all very nice, these do not respond to the demands of a highly technical modern bicycle. For the job to be done correctly, a bicycle should fit as if made-to-measure.
Now, specialist bicycle shops have the precision tools and sophisticated computer software at their disposal for the perfect determination and adjustment of handlebars and saddle, namely the bikefitting.com Analysis System.
Bikefitting.com has four different measuring systems:
# Lite measurement
This analysis is especially meant for determining the proper frame size and the adjustment of saddle and handlebars for standard-of-the-pack bikes
# Standard measurement
The Standard analysis provides a more detailed drawing including all necessary sizes for adjusting the bike and with a proper frame geometry.
# Professional measurement
The most extensive analysis meant for the active cyclist and competition rider. Completely made to measure!
# Shoe Cleat Adjuster
Tool for a precise adjustment of the shoe cleats
No comments:
Post a Comment