What if there was a way to get faster on your bike without doping or training, that would increase your enjoyment and decrease your chance of injury? At it’s best, a good bike fit can send you in that direction. This post will go over some of the key considerations in a good bike fit.

Enter Annalisa Fish:

Bike fitters come from many different backgrounds and learn from many different schools of thought. There are no fit programs that are necessarily better than the other. Rather, I think it is best to draw from many different perspectives to meet the needs of the client. This is how I run my physical therapy practice and this is how I perform a bike fit.

I am a physical therapist. I have been trained in biomechanics and work daily with those that suffer from both acute and chronic musculoskeletal injury, I frequently recommend cycling as a safe mode of exercise for a variety of patients/clients because of the reduced stress and impact on the musculoskeletal system. But the bike must fit you and you must fit the bike.
The bike must fit. This is a huge barrier for those that are just starting in the cycling world. If your bike is uncomfortable, you’re likely not going to ride it. Or you’ll end up with pain of some sort and unable to ride. Looking at general frame size and placing some focus on the three points of contact: saddle, pedals and handlebars is a good starting place.

To a certain extent, I help the bike fit you. There are many variables on a bike including the stem, bars, saddle, seatpost, crank length, etc. We can change these parts to what could potentially be a comfortable position for the rider but they won’t necessarily fit the rider goals. This is where the physical therapist in me comes in. Quite often the rider needs to fit the position. I can help identify “impairments” in the body that an individual needs to address to compete or participate in their specific discipline of cycling. This may be weakness in the core (deep stabilizers of the spine), tightness in the hamstrings, the instability in the cervical spine, the leg length discrepancy and so on. All these impairments can affect performance and optimal positioning.

Take for instance a criterium specialist. This individual is looking to achieve a position that provides the best handling for optimal cornering and positioning in a crowded peloton. An upright, comfortable, shortened position does not bode well for these goals. Rather this person should be relatively low, stable and comfortable in the drops to navigate such conditions. Another example is a time trialist. This type of rider is looking for a powerful, aerodynamic position. To successfully get into this position and produce power, the rider needs to have good hamstring length, stability in their shoulders and cervical spine as well good hip mobility. Working on these impairments off the bike can in turn, help improve performance on it.

Important to a fit is looking at both the static and dynamic position. A static fit is a great starting point but is not a completely accurate depiction of the rider. A fitter needs to look at the way the rider pedals the bike, as the position can drastically change under a load. The ankling pattern changes, the pelvis can rock, the arms can extend, and so on. I use motion analysis software to dissect the rider’s position as he or she starts to pedal under a load.

While cycling is a low impact sport, it is a repetitive one and thus chronic injuries can arise. If you have any pain at all on the bike it can likely turn into a bigger issue in the future. With a cadence of 90 revolutions per minute, that mild knee pain can turn into something more chronic after a 3 hour ride and 16,200 revolutions.

Fitting a bike is a work in progress. The body is changing and adapting with your training and progression in the cycling season. Take the time to address some of the minor pain and discomfort that you may have; your body and your performance will certainly benefit.

Annalisa Fish is the founder of ENDURANCE Cycling Studio and Physical
Therapy, in Bozeman, MT