BrickMick wrote:
Hi Dan,
I get it. I was looking at your "orthodoxy charts" with the colored band to find a starting point. What I was missing is the height of the different riders whose points are shown. Is there anything else I can provide of my morphology to get a starting point?
My crutch measures at 91cm.
Slowman wrote:
it's not quite like that. what you're asking for is a set of fit coordinates based solely on your height and a vague idea of your morphology. that's like asking me to write you out a script of things to say on your first date with a lady you admire. i can do that. but then we lose your capacity to inject what's powerful about you. cyrano as your bike fitter, that might not be the best approach.
if you want a very rough starting point, i guess i would suggest as follows:
start with a Pad X, to pad-center, of about 515mm. you may end up being 505mm, or 535mm, but i think 515mm would be a pretty good start.
after you've established a saddle height, place your pads, heightwise, so that they're about 14cm below the saddle, in the Y axis. just in elevation. they might end up 12cm or 16cm, but 14cm is a fairly good start i think.
your saddle fore/aft, place that so that when you sitting, pedaling, you feel that the cockpit distance - saddle to armrests - is about right. not stretched. not scrunched. do all this with the assumption that the point of your elbow sits just behind the rearward terminus of the pad.
when your elbow is probably situated on the pad, the extensions should be adjusted so that the shifters are in our hand. the elevation of the shifters should be such that your forearm isn't pivoting on either the front or the back of the pad, that is, your forearm should be resting square on the entire length of the pad.
if you start there, then you're going to need to make adjustments. i just don't know what adjustments. you may find that, while the cockpit distance is correct, the whole thing - saddle + aerobars - needs to shift back. or forward. pads may need to have more pedestaling, or less. and so on.
the only other thing: to get all of this to work, your saddle is going to need to be comfortable; you'll be sitting on parts of your body not typically used to suspend your weight; with your pelvis rotated forward. i find that this means the saddle will need to be pointing nose down a little, just, no so much that you're sliding forward. and, chamois cream, chamois cream, chamois cream.
Dan Empfield
aka Slowman