Bike Fit Online Calculator

[Keyser Soze]

Struggling with neck and shoulder pain, and always have (cycling on/off for 2 years). I've been for a full bike setup at cyclefit last year, and that hasn't helped. The pain is enough to make me consider giving up on cycling totally.

 

I wanted to know if anyone has their full bike setup measurements (from CRM or bikefit or whatever) to compare against this on-line calculator.

 

My thinking is that if it is indeed scientific then it should be easily reproducible online since the input (body measurements) are the same and are simple.

 

I appreciate that there must be an 'art' in addition to the science to get the fit perfect, and for that reason I would rather have the know-how myself to adjust the bike according to my needs. A bit sceptical of expert bike fittings - I think its a lot of trial and error (trial being a long ride).

[Audible Anarchy]

maybe your stem is too long? i.e.reaching too far? maybe seat is too high as well?

[Tiny K]

I use that calculator for my bike.... works 95% correct - there was a contradicting measurement - but other than that it was relatively good. Just tweaked it a little bit for my confort and it was 100%

[YUMEYA]

I had the same painful experience when ridding the incorrect size road bike. I had lots of pressure on my hands and my shoulders and neck would pain. I hated my road bike and decided never to ride it again till

I got the correct size frame.

I also started going to gym and focused on strengthening my core. After a few weeks I was asked by a friend to join him on a road ride, I was dreading going but went any way. Did two hours on the road bike

with no pressure on the hands, no shoulder pain and neck pain. My bike was set exactly as it was when I last road it. It has to be my core supporting by upper body and taking the pressure off my hands.

Still getting the correct size frame though.

 

O, I did try the correct size frame at the LBS before I started gym and there was no pressure or discomfort. So the correct size frame would have solved my problem but I experienced first hand how

a strong core can improve your cycling.

Edited September 6, 2011 by YUMEYA

[Keyser Soze]

I use that calculator for my bike.... works 95% correct - there was a contradicting measurement - but other than that it was relatively good. Just tweaked it a little bit for my confort and it was 100%

 

Cool, that's what I was looking for. I will give it a go, just to see how far off I am, since its the same setup I got from cyclefit

[Keyser Soze]

maybe your stem is too long? i.e.reaching too far? maybe seat is too high as well?

 

Yip. Think its too far down, so I'm not arching enough. The seat position is more dependent on where I want my feet on the pedals. So I don't want to mess with that too much. Convinced its the stem being too long, and too far.

[Keyser Soze]

I had the same painful experience when ridding the incorrect size road bike. I had lots of pressure on my hands and my shoulders and neck would pain. I hated my road bike and decided never to ride it again till

I got the correct size frame.

I also started going to gym and focused on strengthening my core. After a few weeks I was asked by a friend to join him on a road ride, I was dreading going but went any way. Did two hours on the road bike

with no pressure on the hands, no shoulder pain and neck pain. My bike was set exactly as it was when I last road it. It has to be my core supporting by upper body and taking the pressure off my hands.

Still getting the correct size frame though.

 

O, I did try the correct size frame at the LBS before I started gym and there was no pressure or discomfort. So the correct size frame would have solved my problem but I experienced first hand how

a strong core can improve your cycling.

 

I think you have a point.

 

I rode 60 on Saturday and almost didn't make it home. On Sunday I did the d2d half, and made a conscious effort to maintain a firmer posture, and there was improvement. So I will look into that. It was also bad since I haven't been to gym or on a ride for a few months, so doing 60 straight off might not have been the best idea. Still this is a problem that's been going on for nearly two years.

[Tankman]

The seat position is more dependent on where I want my feet on the pedals..

 

Not quite, moving your saddle forward/bacwards is not going to change your feet position on the pedals. You are using cleats I presume, your feet will remain in the same place. The angle at which your knee rotates will change, see what I mean?

 

What was meant, your saddle might be too low or too high (probably too high), which will increase pressure on your hands also. Combine that with a reach that is too far, long stem, hello pain. Once you have the correct height, moving it forward/back is the final tweaking.

[Minion]

Sometimes the effectiveness of a bike fit comes down to small details. My old bike fit measurements were within the range of values give by Competitive Cyclist, as are the new ones. The new ones, however, have eliminated a number of persistent, but painful niggles.

[Fitter]

Bike fit calculators rely on thumb-suck averages. Hardly anyone fits the average assumption. In addition these calculators ignore critical factors such as flexibility, symmetry (or asymmetry as is the more common) and riding experience or style. So they are just going to ball-park you in a sport that requires a whole lot more than ball-parking for long-term results.

 

Sore neck can be neck or shoulder or both and can be caused by a number of different issues.

 

Get to see a proper bike fitter - and yes, I see you went to Cyclefit. Perhaps you should go back so they can do the job properly.

[Zac.A]

I did a 100km ride with a stem that was 30mm too long and it hurt like a @#^%.

 

After changing it it was fine though, the measurements from the site will help you, but it won't be 100% to your liking, like TinyK said, you'll just have to tweak some things.

[Keyser Soze]

Bike fit calculators rely on thumb-suck averages. Hardly anyone fits the average assumption. In addition these calculators ignore critical factors such as flexibility, symmetry (or asymmetry as is the more common) and riding experience or style. So they are just going to ball-park you in a sport that requires a whole lot more than ball-parking for long-term results.

 

Sore neck can be neck or shoulder or both and can be caused by a number of different issues.

 

Get to see a proper bike fitter - and yes, I see you went to Cyclefit. Perhaps you should go back so they can do the job properly.

 

Plan B is going back to a pro fitter. Plan A is learning how to make those adjustments coz like most people are saying (yourself included) its a ballpark, and if many small adjustments are needed to get to the optimum position, then I'd rather do it myself.

 

I'll be experimenting with YouTube and a multitool this weekend.

[Zaskar09]

Just used the calculator and it matches my setup 99%, the only place it differs is at the stem length (Mine is 120mm as opposed to the calculator's 100mm). That being said, my stem might be too long as I'm also slighty uncomfortable after a long ride.

[YUMEYA]

I think you have a point.

 

I rode 60 on Saturday and almost didn't make it home. On Sunday I did the d2d half, and made a conscious effort to maintain a firmer posture, and there was improvement. So I will look into that. It was also bad since I haven't been to gym or on a ride for a few months, so doing 60 straight off might not have been the best idea. Still this is a problem that's been going on for nearly two years.

 

Look into it, I think the core is something we often overlook.

Let us know the out come.

[Frosty]

My (road) bike is setup perfectly for my measurements, except for one thing... I hardly ride the bike anymore, so when I do climb on it feels so uncomfortable. When I was riding 5 days a week it was okay with little or no stiffness after a ride. I've since shortened the stem from 120 (bike fit calculator) to 90 and it feels a little better.

[Keyser Soze]

Thanks for the responses.

 

I'll use the calculator for the ballpark, and then adjust each weekend and see how it goes. And yes, i'm back at the gym working those rhomboids, and my core, I think that will make a huge impact.

 

Doing a bit of running too, think it will help with core strength and 'secondary' cycling muscles as well.