Better Cycling: The Importance Of A Bike Fit

Amy McPherson is a keen Aussie bike rider currently living in London. A talented writer who specialises in active travel, here she delves into the important issue of a correct bike fit

We’ve all been there, wanting and needing to ride, but for one reason or another, the available bike is not quite the right size. I bought my bike 8 years ago. It was on sale, and on top of that, the actual bike was the display model and the last one in the store so they offered me an additional discount.

The only issue was it was a 50cm frame, and I had needed 53cm. 

“That should be alright,” the sales guy said. “It’s better for it to be smaller than bigger anyway.”

Oblivious to his sales tactics and lured by the discount, I bought it. I was just starting to get serious with cycling and had no idea what I was getting myself into.

Until my back started to hurt during a training ride. It wasn’t just pain. It was in agony, so much so that I had to stop and walk.

Most riders know about bike fitting, where they look at every measurement of your body posture on the bike, from the angle of your knees, the reach of your arm to the tilt of your toes. And yet, so few actually invest in a bike fit session.

I get it, it’s expensive. That’s why I bought the bike with the discount in the first place, and yet, it is so important if you want a comfortable, pain-free ride.

“Even the smallest adjustment can make a difference,” said Richard Carrington, coach for London Dynamos Cycling Club, with whom I was being coached at the time. 

Richard had offered to give me a ‘quick fit’, with an app on his iPad that takes a video of me riding my bike on an indoor trainer and suggest required changes for better positioning and power output. We do a few takes, just to make sure that the measurements were taken correctly. The results were as expected … the bike is too small for me.

While we can’t do much about the size of the frame, there were small changes that could be made to make it easier on my back.

My saddle needed to be higher, and needed to shift further back. I needed a longer arm reach, which also meant adjusting the handle bars lower, or get a longer stem. 

After we’ve changed the mechanics, it was time for a test ride, and already, I felt better. It’s still not ideal, because I know that when I am able to ride on a bike that is actually my size on my travels, everything just aligns and I am able to ride faster and stronger. 

Still, it’s so much better than before.

Having a bike that is too small and doesn’t align correctly for you changes the balance of the ride and how the power is transferred from your body to the bike. 

So it just makes sense to get a proper fit!