The quality of bike fit critique video has fallen badly. I'm surprised James Haycraft hasn't been more vocal about it.
Suggest we use this post (unless anybody has a better one) as a reference guide for taking your bike fit videos. If the more experienced fitters and critiquers can reply with any extra points or corrections I will adjust the OP. Perhaps we can get Dan to make it is a sticky.
1. Take the video in Landscape. This isn't instagram and you are not one of the Kardashians taking a mirror selfie.
2. Level your bike with the floor, and your camera with the bike. Easy way to do this is check the vertical height of the dropouts/qr skewer nuts - should be the same height above the floor.
3. Position the camera directly to the side and at a height roughly equivalent to your top tube. Hold the camera/phone parallel to the bike and roughly level with the centre of mass. We don't want a cockroach-eye-view.
4. Step back and frame the video to capture the whole of the rider + bike. We need to see, as a minimum, from your hands to your arse and the top of your head/back to the bottom of your pedal stroke. We need to be able to see your toes at bottom-dead-centre.
5. Wear race kit if you can, or no shirt if you are a nipple violation kind of a guy (or girl I guess). No baggy t-shirts or cargo shorts.
6. Wear your race helmet. We cannot judge how well you are holding your head without seeing how your helmet meets your back, or whether the tail of it is parting the clouds.
7. Pedal at a cadence you will ride at outside, and at an effort level or power that you are interested in racing at. Best to warm up for 10 minutes.
8. Try and hold your head in a position that at least resembles how you will ride outside. If you don't stare at your bottom bracket when you are racing, don't hold your head that way in this video. Imagine there is a road and look at it.
9. Think about the lighting. If it is too dark, or you are pedalling directly in front of a supernova, we will not be able to discern your position.
10. Give us enough footage to see what is going on. Two pedal strokes isn't enough, around 20 seconds is good.
11. If you are posting photos, show top and bottom of the pedal stroke. Videos are better, but if you need to post photos at least include the very top and bottom of your pedal stroke so that we can judge hip angle and leg extension.
12. Smile. In fact, don't smile. This isn't a game, this is aerodynamics.
Eric, Trent, James H, Jim, Dave Luscan, rruff etc anything to add?
No marks for the person who finds the photo I posted off angle, through a door frame, with flip flops and board shorts. I'd had a few craft ales.
Cheers, Rich.
Suggest we use this post (unless anybody has a better one) as a reference guide for taking your bike fit videos. If the more experienced fitters and critiquers can reply with any extra points or corrections I will adjust the OP. Perhaps we can get Dan to make it is a sticky.
1. Take the video in Landscape. This isn't instagram and you are not one of the Kardashians taking a mirror selfie.
2. Level your bike with the floor, and your camera with the bike. Easy way to do this is check the vertical height of the dropouts/qr skewer nuts - should be the same height above the floor.
3. Position the camera directly to the side and at a height roughly equivalent to your top tube. Hold the camera/phone parallel to the bike and roughly level with the centre of mass. We don't want a cockroach-eye-view.
4. Step back and frame the video to capture the whole of the rider + bike. We need to see, as a minimum, from your hands to your arse and the top of your head/back to the bottom of your pedal stroke. We need to be able to see your toes at bottom-dead-centre.
5. Wear race kit if you can, or no shirt if you are a nipple violation kind of a guy (or girl I guess). No baggy t-shirts or cargo shorts.
6. Wear your race helmet. We cannot judge how well you are holding your head without seeing how your helmet meets your back, or whether the tail of it is parting the clouds.
7. Pedal at a cadence you will ride at outside, and at an effort level or power that you are interested in racing at. Best to warm up for 10 minutes.
8. Try and hold your head in a position that at least resembles how you will ride outside. If you don't stare at your bottom bracket when you are racing, don't hold your head that way in this video. Imagine there is a road and look at it.
9. Think about the lighting. If it is too dark, or you are pedalling directly in front of a supernova, we will not be able to discern your position.
10. Give us enough footage to see what is going on. Two pedal strokes isn't enough, around 20 seconds is good.
11. If you are posting photos, show top and bottom of the pedal stroke. Videos are better, but if you need to post photos at least include the very top and bottom of your pedal stroke so that we can judge hip angle and leg extension.
12. Smile. In fact, don't smile. This isn't a game, this is aerodynamics.
Eric, Trent, James H, Jim, Dave Luscan, rruff etc anything to add?
No marks for the person who finds the photo I posted off angle, through a door frame, with flip flops and board shorts. I'd had a few craft ales.
Cheers, Rich.