My Bike Fit Was All Wrong! 6 Years of Bike Fit Mistakes…

○ Watch me get a full bike fit here – https://youtu.be/EnGSLC9FtNI
○ Geometry measurements before and after here – https://tinyurl.com/geometry-comparison
○ How to use bike insights to compare bike geometry – https://tinyurl.com/bike-insights

From riding the wrong size bike for three years to thinking saddle sores were just “part of the deal,” this is the story of how I gradually discovered bike fit… the hard way.

In this video, I’ll take you through the biggest mistakes I made (yes, including trying to copy the pros), how my position changed over time, and how I went from overreaching giraffe to comfortably aero.

You’ll meet my old Giant Defy, my new Elves Vanyar, and of course, our friend Dave — who still thinks slamming the stem makes you faster.

If your neck hurts just thinking about cycling, this one’s for you.

My Website

Homepage

PS. When I provide a link here to gear or equipment I sometimes get a kickback from it. I am not a professionally trained bike mechanic… always check with a professional in the relevant field 👍

6 years ago, I bought my first road bike. The only problem, the bike was too big. I didn’t know that, of course. I just assumed that sore neck, numb hands, and constant saddle soreness were part of the package. I’m sharing my pain. My position was way off. At least my saddle was high enough that I could see over small vans. Now, 3 years later, I had my first proper bike fit, and suddenly everything made more sense. I dropped a frame size, adjusted my setup, and instantly felt more comfortable. And I could actually ride hard without feeling like I was folding myself into a yoga pose. I’ll also show you all my measurements and position visually from when I first started and picked up the road bike to where I am now. It’s a vast difference. I’ve made a lot of mistakes, eight big ones, over the years, and I want to share them with you. Mistake number one, and it’s a classic, was buying a bike that was too big for me. It’s probably the most common mistake people make when they start road cycling. I was excited. I didn’t really know better and I just assumed a size medium was well a medium. Easy, right? Except bike sizing makes absolutely no sense. Is a 54 the same as a medium. Is a medium the same across brands? Of course not. That would be too logical. So when someone like Dave who is new to cycling sees a size 54 and thinks ah perfect from what he’s read he could be wildly off just like I was. My giant defy was a medium but what is that really? A similar Cannondale for example with size 54 may seem similar but if you look at the numbers the actual geometry of the frame it’s not even close. That’s where bike insights come in. Now it’s a site that shows proper frame geometry. Do check it out. It’s really really helpful. Now, because of mistake number one, I ended up making mistake number two, and that was actually riding the bike that was too big for me for three whole years. And once you start looking at the footage and my position, it’s painfully obvious. First up, I basically lost my neck. Now, the reach was too long, so my shoulders were hunched forward. And from the side, it looked like I was trying to impersonate a turtle. Another dead giveaway. I was constantly reaching for the hoods. It’s one of the easiest signs that your cockpit is too long or the shifters are too far away from you. My arms are also locked out. There’s no bend at the elbow, no flexibility, just stiff straight limbs trying to hang on. But unless you see yourself from the side view or an external perspective, it’s actually hard to spot. But once I had my bike fit, all of this got corrected. And we’ll dive into that shortly. Mistake number three was not fitting the bike to my needs. Now, the cycling content I was watching was mainly racing, tour to France riders, crit races, guys folded in half doing 60 km an hour. It starts to feel like that’s the standard. And that’s why I love people like Bike Fit James because he constantly reminds people that if you’re not a pro, you do not need a fit like a pro. Your setup should reflect your goals and your riding style. I even tried the whole slam your stem experiment in a video, dropped it right down, looked fast, and instantly regretted it. The one thing that actually matters most for people, comfort. If you’re more comfortable, you will ride longer. You’ll want to ride more often. You’re likely to get less injured. That’s who Dave and the average cyclist should aim to be. Mistake number four was assuming that millimeters don’t matter. When I first started looking into bike fit, I thought meaningful changes had to be big. like I needed to drop my saddle a full cm to notice anything or switching from a 100 mil stem to a 90 mil stem. Surely that won’t make much of a difference. Very wrong. During my bike fit remain ran me through an exercise adjusting my saddle height 3 mm at a time. The difference was immediate. Now, not always dramatic, don’t get me wrong, but it’s definitely there. We always try and find the perfect position. But I tell you what, if you put it really high and really know that will show you your extremes and that will also show you how these little increments can get you to the correct position or at least a lot closer. Anyway, now we did the same for reach, cleat position, crank length each time. Small tweaks made big changes. When you put them all together, it transforms how the bike feels. Mistake number five was assuming you can change one thing on the bike without it affecting everything else. like dropping your saddle height 2 cmters and thinking that’s it, job done. My position’s fine. Now, let’s take the saddle position as an example. Now, because of the seat tube angle on most road bikes, adjusting the saddle height doesn’t just move the saddle up or down. It also shifts it backwards and forwards. Let’s visualize this. Two parallel lines. You can see as you raise the saddle, it moves further away from the bars, increasing your reach. Suddenly, your reach is different. Your hip angle changes. and you’re wondering why it all feels very different again when all you’ve done is change your saddle height. Mistake six, cleat position. Now, I focused on the four and a half, which is basically how far forward or backwards the cleat is on your shoe. That part seemed actually pretty straightforward, but what took me longer to figure out and adjust was the angle of the cleats to match my feet. That’s where things got tricky. Now, most people’s feet don’t point perfectly forward, especially mine. Your knee, hips, and patients will start complaining if they are wrong. Now, both feet need individual attention, but if it’s wrong, it throws everything else out. And it actually made a massive difference on my on my knees. It’s these micro adjustments, especially on things like cleats, that make a huge difference once you get it right. Mistake number seven, having a reach so long it would give Pete a crouch a run for his money. This was probably the biggest source of discomfort for me over the years. Reaching too far for the bars meant I was in a permanent shrug. shoulders hunched, neck sort of tense, and after an hour or two of cycling, I would ache like clockwork. From the side, it’s obvious my neck had basically completely disappeared. Pretty solid clue that your reach is too long. Now, my arms were nearly locked out, too. So, no relaxed bend at the elbow, which is what you’re looking for. Just full extension, like I was bracing for impact. Mistake number eight, probably the biggest of them all, was that saddle height being too high for years now. It’s such a common mistake amongst new cyclists. And honestly, it’s an easy one to make. Made a horrible mistake. Here are my five practical ways to spot that something basically could be off. And if you spot one of these, you can then go and adjust and do a deep dive. First up, knee pain. If your knees hurt, there’s a good chance your saddle height is wrong. Too low and your knee angle tightens up, which can lead to hip impment. Too high and your knee is overextending with every pedal stroke. Next, I look at my pedal stroke. I want a smooth circular motion with constant power throughout the stroke. Now, if your power delivery feels more like a rugby ball with high power points, something could be off. Now, excessive hip movement is also a major red flag. If your hips are swaying like this and you feel like you’re doing the salsa on the bike, you’re probably reaching again at the bottom of the pedal stroke. You not only waste your energy, but it also absolutely ruins your stability when you’re rocking. can also cause saddle soreness, which is another sign your saddle’s too high. Now, cadence was one that really surprised me. Now, I never realized how much saddle height affects your cadence. Set the saddle too high and try holding 150 W, your cadence will drop. Let’s say 80, for example. Too low for the saddle and again, the stroke’s inefficient. Get it just right and suddenly 90 to 95 RPM feels smooth and natural at 150 W. I used to think you just needed to pedal faster to increase cadence. Turns out I needed to fix my position first. I could maintain that really smooth, faster pedal stroke, which is way more efficient over a longer period of time. Now, if one of these shows up, do that deep dive look at Bikefit James and specific bike fit videos on how to investigate. So, what has changed in terms of measurements over the 6 years? So, I started out on the 2015 Giant Defy medium and endurance bike. And now I’m on the L’s Vanar 6 years later, which is a racier, more aggressive machine that makes a Defy look like it should probably come with a cup holder. But I’m more comfy on the Vanar. And here is how. The saddle height dropped from 776 mm to 755 mm. 21 mm reduction in height that bought immediate relief from overextension. The lever reach also shortened significantly from 837 millimeters to 802 millimeters. And the bar reach came in from 699 mil to 668 mm. That’s over 30 mm less reach, less stretch overall, which is probably why I can see my neck again in the sideon videos. The handlebar width also narrowed. I was riding 40s and I went down to a 38. I also went from a 172.5 millimeter crank arm to a 170 mil, which helped with open up the hips because at the top of the pedal stroke, my knee wasn’t as high. A dramatic and probably an unexpected change was the bar drop up from 69 mil to 115 mil. And that sounds like a move towards a more aggressive race focus position that wouldn’t be as comfortable. And my new position is more arrow and it’s more comfortable. Who knew? You just have to look at your position as a whole package and work within your physical boundaries. Now, my full bike fit video where I actually go through the full fit on the day will give you even more knowledge. So, you can go ahead and watch that next. I shall see you