Hi, thanks for having me! First time reader, first time poster. An honor to be on your show!
So here’s my question for you geeks. I have been playing around with by bike position and am running into a small problem. I have long femurs and most fits that I have done say that I am better off having my saddle back. More power, ect. I started to notice that I “felt more powerful” when I sat to the front of my saddle. (I Have always ridden a standard road position)
In playing around with different fits I have found that most people and places dont take foot length into consideration. I have very long feet (I wear a tight size 47 specialized shoe) for my 6’ frame, and an arch length that is shorter than my toe length (brannock) that places my cleats in a different place than most. I find that by going by some sort of “standard” position my heel wont come even close to the pedal when I try to set the proper saddle height.
I could go on for hours. Anyone have a good fit system that takes foot length into account? I am getting a new bike this year from a sponsor (QR) and would like to really dial in my fit this year instead of just sitin & rippin. Thinking that a better position will be better for making the jump to IM length this year as well.
Hi, thanks for having me! First time reader, first time poster. An honor to be on your show!
So here’s my question for you geeks. I have been playing around with by bike position and am running into a small problem. I have long femurs and most fits that I have done say that I am better off having my saddle back. More power, ect. I started to notice that I “felt more powerful” when I sat to the front of my saddle. (I Have always ridden a standard road position)
In playing around with different fits I have found that most people and places dont take foot length into consideration. I have very long feet (I wear a tight size 47 specialized shoe) for my 6’ frame, and an arch length that is shorter than my toe length (brannock) that places my cleats in a different place than most. I find that by going by some sort of “standard” position my heel wont come even close to the pedal when I try to set the proper saddle height.
I could go on for hours. Anyone have a good fit system that takes foot length into account? I am getting a new bike this year from a sponsor (QR) and would like to really dial in my fit this year instead of just sitin & rippin. Thinking that a better position will be better for making the jump to IM length this year as well.
It sounds like you’re making it overly complicated. Mount your cleat where you believe it should be based on your shoe (assuming that you’re certain your placement is correct). Find a shop (or do it yourself if necessary) and film yourself pedalling on a trainer (this way you know your exact ankle position at the bottom of your pedal stroke). Measure your knee angle and adjust your seat height until you reach the proper angle between your upper and lower leg.
If you believe that your anatomy (i.e. feet that require special cleat placement) places you outside the set of conventional bike-fitting rule-of-thumbs (pedalling backwards with your heels on the pedals to determine saddle height) don’t apply all bike-fitting rule-of-thumbs to your fit.
BTW - I’m 6’ and I wear a size 46 shoe - are you saying I have big feet? : )
Foot length is a critcal concern in bike fit as well as pedal/shoe selection.
The difference in a customer’s pedal/shoe setup cansmetimes equate to an entire frame size. Some pedal/shoe combinations have only 6-9mm distance from pedal axle to footbed (metatarsile) while others can be as much as 22mm. That is over a centimeter difference and a centimeter is a frame size.
Also, foot length is a huge factor, not only in bike fit, but also in shoe and pedal selection and setup. Another facter is “q” factor, the width of the person’s feet and the width of their hips.
We look at all of these facotrs when selecting a bike and setting it up.
For you size 13’ers on short chainstays who didn’t realize this, try this: Slide your cleat forward on your shoe, put your bike in the 11 tooth cog and pedal. Holy Mackeral! You never saw that happen before! Your heel hits the derailleur!
Amazing…
And for you narrow hip people: Lots of ITB problems and problems with your medial collateral ligament? Hmmm- how did I know that…? You can fix that with your feet (or at least help it).
Look at your pedal stroke from the front in the mirror. It looks like your’re riding a mule.
Do you have a good system that I could use? I could go to some shops around here but I don’t want to spend money on someone who doesn’t have a clue.
I never have been able to get into a good aero position and be comfortable. Road bike with chopped aero bars have done OK for shorter races but I dont think my body would last for IM in that postition.
Website? Download? Anything that I can apply to me and my bike?