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I recently suffered a partial tear of my hamstring in a horrible dancing accident. I finally was able to get back on the bike and found that the legs weakend condition and reduced flexibility meant my once perfect saddle height was no longer. I have since lowered my saddle slightly and brought it forward that has reduced the strain on my one hamstring. The whole ordeal got me thinking. My physical geometries stayed exactly the same, but the change in flexibility and strength made huge differences in the way my bike needed to fit.
Most fit "systems" seem to place the empirical focus on a skeletal fit, leaving the muscular fit to subjective decisions of comfort. How important is it to fit the riders muscular strengths and weaknesses? Is there a more scientific way of integrating muscular information into bike setup?
Bingo cjeder. You score a direct hit, center mass, target dead center, laser guided. You are absolutely right. This is why simply pluggin dimensions into an equation or "fit computer" does not work. I just finished sizing a nice man from New York named Mr. Becker who had a substantial (1.9cm.) leg length discrepancy. The inseam measurement protocols do not allow for that. We have to make the correct adjustment based on the joint angles when we get the customer on the bike. Your example is unusual (the dancing injury, do you know Patrick Swazy?) but we see things like that occasionally. That is why putting the customer on the bike here in the store and confirming the fit is super important.
Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com
you gotta give up the story on the "horrible dancing accident".
I was at a friends wedding. Needless to say I had already had a few and somebody requested a lover boy song. Some girl grabed me by the tie and we hit the dance floor, or as some may say, we triped the light fantastic. Momentarily thinking I was the king of soul I went for the full on rock and roll splits. Viola, torn hamstring! To my credit, I did finsh the song on one leg
"Most fit "systems" seem to place the empirical focus on a skeletal fit, leaving the muscular fit to subjective decisions of comfort."
So true. Take two people with the same measurements. If one has more flexibility than the other, the riding position could be very different.
BTW, a partial torn hamstring is a SOB. I did mine in once. I stretched every day but it was almost a year before my full flexibility returned.
I don't have any experience with fitting another person but I do have experience being fit on a bike. My fitter took great pains to asses my flexibility, previous injuries, body assymetries, athelticism, etc. All of this before we even got me on my bike.
To add to this I know that Tom Demerley and Dan Empfield have also made mention abou the need to asses physical fitness and flexibility when fitting.
So it may be true that many fot systems do not consider flexibility... not all of them do
If you are in the Metro NY area I could refer you to my fitter if you would like