Is a Bike Fitter Enough?

[Ncayi]

Like "many" cyclists I have never had a professional bike fit. On my part mostly due to being stingy if I am being honest but GCN telling me I can do it on my own didn't help either. I have been riding for 2 years now in the same position with no issues, but at the back of my mind, I was flirting with the idea of getting one. I always felt that I was leaving some power and comfort on the table and felt a bike fit would help in this regard.

After suffering an injury (off the bike) and getting a professional assessment by a Biokineticist I am now rehabbing what he called patellar chondromalacia. This has led me to accept that I desperately need a bike fit. I have narrowed my bike fit options to Richard Baxter, Cycle Fit and North Cliff Cycles. 

Which brings me to the point of this thread.

Is a bike fitter enough or should I also consult with a podiatrist?

I have extremely flat feet, knocked knees and duck "feet" the trifactor of bad posture. On top of that, I was once told that I have a leg length discrepancy, extremely tight hamstrings.

 

[Lynskey]

Bike fit pffffft. Waste. Been to sports science institute and their fitment nearly broke me. Couple grand that was. Spent a day doing full test and adjust. I feel good. Mostly I feel confident some geyser hasn't told me what I am doing wrong. I do about 18000 a year. So that's my take.

[Dappere]

From my experience, a good bike fitter is their weight worth in gold. You need to take into consideration that you need to work with a bike fitter to get the best position on the bike for you. You might need to go back to the bike fitter for adjustments after riding the position they put you in to adjust. 

A good bike fitter will do their base consult to understand your body's constraints and fit you on a bike accordingly. Should they notice something they can't assist with, or need a specialist opinion - they should inform you of that and recommend someone to see. Like yourself, I have flat feet and the bike fitter I used recommended certain insoles and recommended a place where I can go. After I received the insoles, I had another session with the bike fitter to relook at my position with the insoles. 

I would say, go to a bike fitter and take it from there. 

[The Ouzo]

21 minutes ago, Ncayi said:

Like "many" cyclists I have never had a professional bike fit. On my part mostly due to being stingy if I am being honest but GCN telling me I can do it on my own didn't help either. I have been riding for 2 years now in the same position with no issues, but at the back of my mind, I was flirting with the idea of getting one. I always felt that I was leaving some power and comfort on the table and felt a bike fit would help in this regard.

After suffering an injury (off the bike) and getting a professional assessment by a Biokineticist I am now rehabbing what he called patellar chondromalacia. This has led me to accept that I desperately need a bike fit. I have narrowed my bike fit options to Richard Baxter, Cycle Fit and North Cliff Cycles. 

Which brings me to the point of this thread.

Is a bike fitter enough or should I also consult with a podiatrist?

I have extremely flat feet, knocked knees and duck "feet" the trifactor of bad posture. On top of that, I was once told that I have a leg length discrepancy, extremely tight hamstrings.

 

for a podiatrist go and visit Michael Els at Morningside Clinic

I also have flat feet, never thought I needed corrective soles for cycling, but I was there getting soles made for my daughter and was chatting to Michael, he knows his stuff, made me a set of narrow soles specific for cycling.

[Jbr]

I did my first bike fit not so long ago, only change was moving the saddle 1mm forward 😋

For people who do lots of hours without issues, I wouldn't recommend spending the money and making the time (it takes a while). If you do feel pain while riding then yes, let a professionnal have a look 

[Ncayi]

3 minutes ago, Dappere said:

From my experience, a good bike fitter is their weight worth in gold. You need to take into consideration that you need to work with a bike fitter to get the best position on the bike for you. You might need to go back to the bike fitter for adjustments after riding the position they put you in to adjust. 

A good bike fitter will do their base consult to understand your body's constraints and fit you on a bike accordingly. Should they notice something they can't assist with, or need a specialist opinion - they should inform you of that and recommend someone to see. Like yourself, I have flat feet and the bike fitter I used recommended certain insoles and recommended a place where I can go. After I received the insoles, I had another session with the bike fitter to relook at my position with the insoles. 

I would say, go to a bike fitter and take it from there. 

Thanks for the input, the process flow you suggest makes sense. I know Northcliff have the exact approach to bike fits, they don't reach into your pocket every time you need to tweak something in the fit. With that said it seems the "general consensus" on the hub is that Richard is in fact worth his weight in gold as you put it. I just need to get clarity on how frequently he may need to reach into my pocket.

[Bub Marley]

I’ll be honest with you, I find it very difficult to trust someone’s knowledge. Part of the problem is, I consider myself extremely knowledgeable with most cycling related stuff. I’m very stubborn and I believe that I have my fit dialled in 100% after years of riding. I don’t suffer any pain anywhere so that helps as well. So in my opinion, I wouldn’t waste my money on something that I don’t believe is going to make much if not any difference at all. However that Selle Italia machine at Cyclelab intrigues me. It’s made me consider maybe trying it out because at least this way it cuts out any human element. However I still haven’t done it yet. Maybe i will though.

[Ncayi]

2 minutes ago, Jbr said:

I did my first bike fit not so long ago, only change was moving the saddle 1mm forward 😋

For people who do lots of hours without issues, I wouldn't recommend spending the money and making the time (it takes a while). If you do feel pain while riding then yes, let a professionnal have a look 

That was my stance initially because I did lots of mileage with no niggles. Till I kicked a bloody ball around at work for a few minutes and all hell broke loose. I used to be a basketball and football player till I had issues with my knees. 

So I need to dial my feet, so I don't re-aggravate what is a recovering injury. The bio said I can ride on the trainer, but I don't trust my fit anymore for some weird reason.

[Rowl]

Richard Baxter did my fit many moons ago, could feel the change and also helped that someone just looked at my pedaling style and gave some tips. If you spend R1.5k and it doesn't work for you or you're doing everything right, it is not a massive waste (money/value/everything is relative).

[Ncayi]

10 minutes ago, The Ouzo said:

for a podiatrist go and visit Michael Els at Morningside Clinic

I also have flat feet, never thought I needed corrective soles for cycling, but I was there getting soles made for my daughter and was chatting to Michael, he knows his stuff, made me a set of narrow soles specific for cycling.

Thanks for the recommendation. 

[The Ouzo]

Besides dialing in your position for comfort, a bike fit will also dial it in for those few extra watts.

I've going for my 3rd session with Richard on monday. First one a few years back, then I changed some parts on the bike and went for a follow up, but I've been getting some neck pain lately so going for another follow up.

He is not hugely pricey and I've always felt slightly better on the bike after having him tweak things.

 

Also as you get on in years your mobility changes, so its good to have a follow up every couple of years.

[ChrisF]

Long time cyclists most probably already have dialed in their bike fit, or they would be suffering some injuries.

 

Those of us that have been inactive for a decade or more, then get back to cycling will go through a period of adjustment.  Initially I enjoyed a nice upright position ... as soon as the distances increased I was having issues.

 

A GOOD bikefit took a lot of time evaluating my medical history, checking my flexibility etc, ....  The first setup made a BIG difference to my riding.  I doubled my distances, with zero discomfort.  Over the next 6 months I went back for small tweaks (these sessions were explained before the time, and at a minimal cost)

 

about 10 000km later I am very happy with having done the bike fit.

 

 

 

An extra thought .... it is possible your setup is close, and the injuries are unrelated.  Either way, do consider a few sessions with a biokineticist.  The benefits of core strength and related exercises are massive for your cycling, over and above the obvious  benefits of protecting the injuries.

[Dexter-morgan]

I have an injured knee that doesn't hyper extend like the other and Retule from complete cyclist did the analysis from both sides and did some adjustments, I have high bridges in my feet so they put inserts in my shoes (quite expensive) and the end of numb toes, so I suppose some value out of it.

Richard did a Bike-fit for my wife and got her much more comfortable on the bike

if you want to test something try "myvellofit", they have a free option.

[DieselnDust]

having a coach of bike fitter look at your general bike set up is a good check. Where specific physiological issues exist its is advisable to consult with professionals in that specific area.

Knock knees and flat feet may be related. Do your feet supinate as well? (Inward cant of the ankle)

Some of this can be corrected with orthotics but others may be a muscle development issue that will require assistance from a biokineticist or physiotherapist. I think the advice to have yourself checked by a bike fitter is the first step but it sounds to me like you need referral to a specialist

[Ncayi]

22 minutes ago, ChrisF said:

An extra thought .... it is possible your setup is close, and the injuries are unrelated.  Either way, do consider a few sessions with a biokineticist.  The benefits of core strength and related exercises are massive for your cycling, over and above the obvious  benefits of protecting the injuries.

My fit was quite close, not perfect but close enough. The injury occurred of the bike and has complicated issues on the bike. The bio also noted that I have weak hamstrings which may indicate that I mostly use my quads when cycling. I typically need a high saddle and short reach (I have the body of a T-rex)

 

25 minutes ago, Dexter-morgan said:

if you want to test something try "myvellofit", they have a free option.

It's a great platform. After using it confirmed that my fit was close.

 

24 minutes ago, DieselnDust said:

Knock knees and flat feet may be related. Do your feet supinate as well? (Inward cant of the ankle)

They roll inward (not sure if its supernate or pronate)

 

25 minutes ago, DieselnDust said:

Some of this can be corrected with orthotics but others may be a muscle development issue that will require assistance from a biokineticist or physiotherapist. I think the advice to have yourself checked by a bike fitter is the first step but it sounds to me like you need referral to a specialist

I saw a Bio and they gave me an exercise recovery plan which has helped significantly. I have a follow-up in a few weeks.

[Frosty]

I would recommend a bike fit to everyone I engage with, purely because what feels comfortable/normal isn't necessarily the best position on the bike. Comfort comes from being used to a certain position, or more power can be achieved by changing the position to slightly more aggressive without compromising comfort.

In my case, I've gone the DIY bike fit to put me into an approximate position, then had marginal changes during a Pro bike fit each time, and for the bikes I was riding at the time. As soon as one changes a bike, the setup inevitably changes too; even slight changes. My last bike fit in December had a change to the bars (reach and width), cleat position, and a slight reduction in saddle height. Doing a Rapha500 on the new fit wasn't the best time to ease into the new position, but it's now as comfortable as it was before the fit.