This week I had a professional bike fit with Dave Luscan of DL Multisport. He operates out of the back corner of Outpost, a great bike shop in the Westover Hills neighborhood of Richmond. A bike fit, if you’re unfamiliar, is where a specialist helps find the ideal setup for your bike to maximize what you want out of riding. In my case, I worked with Dave on his special fit bike - a highly adjustable stationary bike that allowed him to make real time adjustments to various positions while I pedaled: saddle height and setback, bar height and position, and (I had to hop off for this one) crank arm length. He could adjust the resistance remotely as I pedaled, too.
I have a bike with which I’ve largely been happy since I got it in September, and I don't have any particular pain or discomfort while I ride. But I do feel like it’s perhaps a bit cramped, and I do want to know how to set up my bike for my riding style and preferences as I continue to tweak my bike, let alone as I consider building or buying other bikes down the road.
I provided Dave with info about how I like to ride, and then we started somewhat from my current bike's measurements transferred to the fit bike. He compared it, aptly, to an appointment with the eye doctor: lots of adjustments, each followed by "how does that feel?". He set up the seat position and crank arms to optimize healthy, efficient pedaling, and then worked on the front end toward what he called "finding a comfortable chair" - positioning the rest of my body for the long-term comfort I want out of the kind of rides I enjoy.
At the end of the fit session, I had a set of measurements to take with me so I can use them in the future, and some minor adjustments (what was possible with my current setup) to my bike to bring it closer in line with my ideal fit. I would need some component changes to get closer to ideal, but even the simple saddle height and setback adjustments have me riding faster in the 1.5 days since, breaking several personal records on Strava segments without consciously trying to do so. This is anecdotal of course, but it does feel like I'm positioned better for more efficient power delivery to the pedals, so I can put more effort into pedaling without feeling as much strain on my joints.
This wasn't cheap, of course, and Dave does offer some other, simplified fit options, but for a nerd like me that wants the numbers to work from when I'm adjusting, building, or buying a bike, this was totally worth it.