5 Staples of a Good Bike Fit - Part 5 of 5 by FlexionBikeFit

A posture you can hold long-term comes before aerodynamics. 

What I love doing in my triathlon fits, is assessing a rider’s ability to hold a good position that is pain free for a long time. Riding a TT position is very unnatural for many reasons. Remember this is about more than flexibility in your posterior chain. The brain’s job is to constantly assess threats. Bringing your head forward and down on an unstable bike can trigger threat reflexes and unless you’ve learned to adapt to those, your brain may trigger pain and fatigue to get you to hop off the bike and stay safe.

During a bike fit, I want to assess your flexibility and balance, but also how well you can hold your gaze in a supraversion position (upward gaze) while not straining your neck. What this might entail from a bike adjustment is the use of a different stem, elbow pad spacers or wedges. We set the saddle coordinates, relative to the body bracket and gravity BEFORE we worry about the pads or bars.

Once we have achieved a bike fit that supports your goals, flexibility, and limitations, we need to refine your breathing, posture control, and pedal stroke. In some cases, I actually work on rider cueing before we adjust the bike. Some bike fit adjustments simply mask a rider’s technique. Riding a bike is all about repeatability and longevity. Joint angles dictate muscle activation and joint safety, but the body/bottom bracket/gravity relationship is key for a good bike fit and optimal performance and the brain/body/bike relationship keeps me excited to come to work every day and learn more.

I take pride in providing riders of all ages and skill levels with a customized bike fit in my home-based bike studio, complete with a wide range of top-quality saddles, shoes, bars, stems, and insoles. Having completed over 250 bike fits in 2021, I have worked with beginner riders that have not yet experienced being clipped in, right up to those competing in World Championships in Europe riding custom insoles. The brain/body/bike relationship is still the same. 

If you are looking to increase your comfort, confirm your current position or make marginal gains, visit yegbikefit.com and book a session at the studio. I offer sizing sessions for new bike purchases, triathlon bike fits and smaller services of saddles sessions of foot/pedal interface sessions.