What Do You Stand to Gain by Improving Your Bike Fit and Pedalling Technique?

Created On: 23 May 2010

Part I: Getting your bike set up for your optimum riding position 

You may have heard other people in your club talking about getting "their bike fitted", or "optimising their bike position" or you may have read articles that advocate the merits of a "good bike fit" - but if you haven't already booked a session with a professional bike fitter, a reputable bike shop or a suitably qualified coach, then either you're not quite convinced yet or you are very confident that your bike is already optimally set up for your height and build, the type of racing that you do and your cycling technique. Even if you believe you are in the second category you may still benefit from reading on.

Some considerations before we get started:

Maybe you've already bought your bike and you have been riding it for months or even years and at this moment in time you are happy enough that you can get on and off okay without taking a tumble, you can reach all of the controls and the pedals and you finish your rides without complaining of back ache, sore knees, neck, hands or shoulders. Well that is a pretty good start….. but if that is the full extent to which your bike has been fitted then you may very well find that you can unleash more of your potential to generate power and better performance on your bike if you have your bike position analysed and adjusted to suit your anatomical proportions, improve your aerodynamic profile and learn how to improve your riding technique.

Having said that obviously it goes without saying that if you are uncomfortable on your bike or you can't reach the controls on your bike safely, then you really should seek some help with having your bike set up correctly before aches and pains develop into long term injuries, or you have an accident!

Before I go any further I should point something out - if you have already bought your bike and you know that something doesn't quite feel right, no matter how much you make adjustments then you should brace yourself for the possibility that you need to buy some replacement parts, or worst case scenario your bike fitting specialist might arrive at the conclusion that the bike is just too big or too small for you. If you took the time to research what size bike frame is approximately suitable for your height and anatomical proportions or you went to a reputable bike shop and they helped you select the right frame size, then there should be scope within the range of adjustments available on the bike to set it up optimally for you.

If you do get the wake up call that your bike just isn't right for you, all is not lost; you shouldn't have any trouble selling it on the second hand market provided you have taken good care of it.

Hopefully if you haven't bought your bike yet or if you are thinking of buying a new bike you have already begun to appreciate the importance of taking the time and effort to choose the frame size that will give you the best range of adjustments that will enable you to optimise your position on the bike.

What exactly are we trying to optimise?

When you ride your bike you probably want to achieve at least one of the following objectives, or more likely a combination of several;

• you want to go as fast as you can
• you want to be as efficient as possible (max speed for least effort)
• you want to be as comfortable as possible - without compromising on speed or efficiency

Several factors have a bearing on these objectives;

• your fitness and your capacity to generate power output
• the combined weight of you and your bike
• your combined aerodynamic profile (or drag coefficient)
• your body composition, range of movement and flexibility
• your skill and aptitude for selecting the right gears for the terrain you are riding on
• your bike handling skills
• your ability to ride well in a group, take shelter from the wind and conserve energy
• your position on the bike*
• your pedalling technique*

*having mentioned the first 7 factors the focus of this article is on the last two.

Someone that just enjoys recreational cycle touring might not be too concerned about the first objective - speed, but those of you that are competitive need to appreciate that the type of racing that you do and the duration of those races will also influence how your bike needs to be set up for optimal performance. An optimal bike position can differ significantly depending on whether you will be:

• time trialing (which essentially includes triathlon)
• road racing

For time trialing and triathlon your best performance will come from delivering a constant power output and in most cases** you are not allowed to draft (slipstream) the rider in front of you, so you need to be as aerodynamic as possible without comprising your power output.

By contrast the importance of your aerodynamic profile in road racing is outweighed by the need for agility and sharp handling so that you can accelerate and respond to breakaways and the changes of pace as the race tactics unfold. You need to be slightly more upright in position so that you can react quickly and safely to what the other riders are doing around you too.

**in Elite triathlon drafting is allowed and then it is more akin to road racing.

So with all of the above considered when we talk about optimising your bike set up, or your position on the bike we are looking for the right balance of power output, aerodynamics, handling and last but not least comfort. If you are not comfortable, it is somewhat inevitable that you won't be able to sustain your best power output, or stay in your most aerodynamic position.

There are many options available to help you optimise your bike set up and your position on the bike:

There are three preliminary ways of finding out which frame size will be suitable for you. Taking one of these steps should help ensure that you buy a bike that has the required range of adjustments in order to set the bike up for your optimum riding position.

You can seek the advice of a qualified cycling coach or triathlon coach, who will use their experience and knowledge of anatomy and cycling positional geometry to determine what size frame you require. They may use your existing bike or one of their bikes for the purpose of evaluation and they might even whip out a goniometer to measure the angles at your hips and knees as part of the process!

You can book a fitting session at a reputable bike shop where they are equipped with a bike fitting test jig. This type of service will usually provide you with a printed report detailing the frame geometry you require. This process will involve adjusting the geometry of the test jig until you are in a theoretical anatomically correct position for cycling, the fitter will be looking at your joint angles, your body position and reach to the pedals to optimise your position.

You can also arrive at the same conclusions about what basic range of bike geometry you require using tried and tested anatomical measurements and formulae for translating those into suitable frame geometry. You can find lots of guidance on the Internet but you might like to start by looking at the bike fitting calculators on the Competitive Cyclist website

Each of these methods are reasonably priced or indeed free of charge and using the information they provide as the basis for selecting the right size frame should provide you with a good foundation for moving on to the next step - setting your bike up for your optimum riding position. These next steps are expert fitting services ranging in price from £60-200 in the UK, and whilst they each take a slightly different approach they will provide you with the satisfaction of knowing that your bike has been optimised for you giving you the peace of mind that you can concentrate on your training without wondering whether or not you could go faster if you change your bike set up.

Optimisation can by definition mean compromise - very few of us are anatomically perfect, quite a few of us have anatomical imbalances or old injuries that affect our range of motion and some of us just aren't as flexible as others. So if you want to achieve your optimum position on the bike, it is worth bearing in mind that an experienced fitter will be fully aware of these considerations and you might find that your optimum position doesn't look as aerodynamic as you thought it would be. There is little point in trying to adopt your most aerodynamic and low profile position on the bike if it means that you can't develop any power at the pedals, or you can't breathe deeply enough to sustain your best effort. For instance if you are carrying a bit of extra weight, you might have to compromise on your bike position if your excess bulk means that you haven't got room to lift your knees or you find it hard to breathe in an aerodynamic position on the bike.

A dynamic bike fitting session will incorporate real time performance measurement while you ride your bike fitted into a sophisticated turbo trainer such as the CompuTrainer system, or real time analysis of your drag coefficient while you ride your bike in a wind tunnel as part of the iterative process of adjusting and refining your position. This is a very reassuring way of determining whether or not the positional adjustments are actually having a positive or detrimental effect on either your power output and/or your drag coefficient.

The Retül bike fitting system uses a sophisticated 3D video motion sensor system combined with a physical therapist's evaluation of your joint mobility and your flexibility to analyse your position on the bike. This is a particularly sound approach to take if you know you have a history of injuries, anatomical imbalances, limited range of motion or poor flexibility.

In part II of this article, which will be published next week, I will go on to explain the relationship between your position on the bike and your riding technique and pedalling efficiency.

About the Author: Steve Casson

Steve Casson is a British Triathlon Federation Level 3 Coach and a GB Age Group Triathlete. At the beginning of 2009 Steve set up a triathlon performance coaching studio in Northampton to fulfil a vision of providing a range of 1-2-1 technical coaching sessions and performance testing services to complement his interactive coaching support package.

During 2009 Cassonz Performance Coaching helped a wide range of triathletes from Novices to Age Group World Championship medallists achieve their goals.

Find out more at www.cassonz.com

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