Finding the Perfect Fit

So here's the story. See if it sounds familiar.

You walk into your local bike shop looking to get your first road bike. The bike shop doesn't have a ton of selection, but the prices all look reasonable for what's in stock. The guy selling the bikes pretty much reads the tag to you, maybe explains the difference between frame materials and component levels, and suggests a particular bike based on what you're willing to.

The next part: size. The salesperson makes an adjustment to the seat to put you on the bike. Whaddya know? It's perfect! So you walk out of the store with your perfect bike and start your new road biking hobby.

Everything is perfect until you start talking with other bikers. They talk about bike fitting, custom frames, correct posture, etc. This mumbo jumbo starts getting to you. The bike suddenly doesn't feel right. Your knees start hurting. Your back gets sore on the climbs. You can't see out of the your rear view mirror. The bike is slowing down! Oh No!

Ok, so I'm 6'2" in shoes and somehow ended up with a 56cm Cannondale road bike. Not many people have noticed that the frame is too small for me, because, well, 56cm is really not that much different between 58 or 60cm to the human eye. But I went to the LBS around here and was told I'd definitely be a 58. The higher end shops (one in Cleveland, one in Golden, CO) said I was a 60 (actually, I'm a 10, but that's just my opinion). So I figured maybe it's time for a bike fit.

At bike shop #1, I was told that you get the bike first, then they make it fit. I think bike fitting at that shop involves pulling the closest bike off the shelf and adjusting the seat. Bike shop #2 charges $100 for a true fit, which involves measuring your body parts (Inseam, Torso, Forearm, Arm, Thigh, Lower Leg, Sternal Notch, Total Height, Distance between Testicles, and Ass droop). Then they plug that into some computer fit system that spews out the "perfect" fit of frame dimensions and bike setup.

One catch, if you paid $100 and didn't apply it towards the purchase of a bike at that shop, then you probably got ripped off. You can take those measurements yourself and search the internet for a fit calculator that will give you the same somewhat useful stuff.

I say "somewhat useful" because once you've got your computerized drawing of measurements, try finding a frame that actually has those dimensions. Unless you're planning to shell out the extra bucks for a custom frame, you're going to have to find a system of getting a reasonably close frame. Some frames, you'll get the seat tube length correct, but not the top tube. The angles might not match or the stays may be too short, etc. Frames are hard to match up because measuring ass droop is difficult. Sometimes, the bike companies make it difficult by using different terms in publishing their geometries.

The most important measurement (so I've been told) is the horizontal distance between the center of the seat post and the center of the headset. The virtual line is usually taken at the point where the stem attaches to the steering tube. In my case, the computer spit out 59cm for the virtual top tube c-c length. This is hard to find because the manufacturers like even numbers (58 or 60 seem to be popular choices).

So, after all that effort, we're back to sitting on bikes and seeing if they fit. Use the computers as a guideline and then sit on as many bikes as it takes until you're comfortable with one. You can always tinker with the stem length & angle, seat setback, and seat height to get the bike to fit if the frame is very close to your perfect dimensions. Try to have a mirror around because you want to see if you look good on the bike. Make sure the frame looks cool as well because nobody will be impressed with a perfect-fitting orange and pink bike. Eyes on the prize at all times.