Does your Bike Fit You?

I spoke to BJ Basham, a cycling coach out of Fairfax,VA, at length about this and I like his approach of tailoring thingsto the individual as opposed to one set of hard fast rules regarding bike fit. This submission summarizes his views.
Does your bike fit you or do you fit your bike? In other words, is your position on the bike based on the length of your limbs and range of motion about your joints and your riding style, or is it based on the equipment you have chosen or what came with your bike from the shop. Too often, I have found that the latter is the case. Many riders try to adapt the way they ride and the way they sit on a bike to the what the bike allows them to do, as opposed to adjusting the parts on the bike to allow them to ride in a position that is efficient, aerodynamic and allows them to avoid many overuse injuries related to long hours in the saddle. The other mistakes many riders make is worrying about the “look” of their bike or trying to match the position of their favorite pro.
The fact of the matter is that the human body is very adaptable and will learn to work in even the worst riding position over time. There have even been some very successful cyclists who have ridden in very unorthodox positions (check out old photos of Sean Kelly). Another fact is that the damage done by a bad riding position or misaligned pedal stroke may not be noticeable for quite a long time. How often have you noticed a pain in your knee or hips that only comes on when you put in some extra miles?
The goal of a good bike fit is to set the saddle, handle bars and cleats in a position that allows you to turn the pedals efficiently and with no damage to your joints or bones and to avoid undue fatigue. When your riding position fits you, your bones can carry more of the stress of applying power to the pedals and supporting your body, and your joints can work and track within their normal range of motion.
A precision bike fit is one that is based on the length of the bones and the position of the joints that are involved in the process of pedaling your bike. In order to get a precision bike fit, each segment of the limbs involved in the pedaling motion needs to be accurately measured. Short of using an x-ray machine, the best way of getting accurate measurements is by locating and marking anatomical landmarks that can be used to identify the position and shape of the rider’s bones and joints. Using these landmarks, the rider’s ideal position can be determined based on the size and shape of the bones and joints in the rider’s legs, hips, torso, shoulders, arms and feet, and how all these body parts can work together to pedal the bike.
Another challenge cyclists with more than one bike may face is how to make sure they are riding in the same position on whichever bike they choose to ride. It is important to avoid changing your riding position frequently because muscle memory is a very big component of a smooth and powerful pedal stroke. If your saddle height changes up and down and back an forth every time you ride, your muscles will be trying to pull up before your reach the bottom of the pedal stroke or push down while your foot is still on its way up. This lack of coordination can lead to injuries to the joints, muscles and other connective tissue as well as impaired performance. A good bike fit is one that can be transferred from one bike to the next while maintaining accuracy and precision. Remember that your position is your position no matter which bike you ride. What this means is that frame geometry should not have an affect on your riding position. Your butt should still be in the same place relative to your feet and hands.
The type of riding you are planning to do should also be considered when determining your riding position. The requirements of road, mountain and time trial/triathlon riding will result in a different riding position for each style. Aerodynamics, bike handling, sprinting and climbing requirements all have an affect on your riding position.
There are many good fitting systems that use different landmarks and biomechanical measurements and calculations in order to determine the riders ideal saddle, handle bar and cleat position. When shopping around for someone to fit your bike to you, the more precision there is, and the more factors that are included in determining your position, the better. I will admit that there are probably one or two gurus in the world that could look at you and tell you exactly what needs to be changed, but the rest of us need to do some measuring to get it right.
I would recommend that you look for a system that determines your ideal riding position independent of the bike or equipment being used and look for a bike fit professional who will take into consideration other factors including riding style, biomechanical imbalances, physical differences from one limb to the next and neuromuscular issues that may not be fixed by even the most precise setup.
Something to keep in mind if you are planning on having a professional bike fitting done is that the equipment that you currently have may not allow you to achieve your ideal riding position. The seat post or saddle may not allow for the amount of adjustment required or the top tube on your frame may not allow you to get to the ideal reach to the handlebars. The bike fitter will aim to get you in the best riding position, but it will be up to you to take their advice and make the recommended changes.
Also remember that it may take a bit of time for you to adapt to the new riding position. A period of low intensity riding should always be planned for after making any changes to your riding position, especially if the changes are big. Never change your position right before an important event.
Riders at every level have a good reason for having a precision bike fitting done. Riders who only get out once or twice a week will want to be sure they are getting all they can from the time they spend in the saddle and riders who compete or put in a lot of time on the road will want to be sure they are as riding as efficiently as possible while at the same time avoiding overuse injuries from even the slightest misalignment or imbalance.
Remember, your bike should fit you, not the other way around.

BJ Basham is a USA-Cycling Expert coach and an experienced Wobble Naught bike fit professional. For any questions about coaching, bike fitting he can be reached at 703-803-4621 or by email at bj@powertrainingcoach.com

Iliotibial (IT) Band Syndrome In Cyclists

This is a submission from Paul Glodzik, DC
An injury that often plagues cyclists as well as long distance runners is IT band syndrome. The symptom most commonly reported is severe pain just above the lateral aspect (outside) of the knee. This usually occurs when there is a sudden increase in training volume or improper bike fit. To fully understand how this occurs I will need to explain the anatomy and the biomechanics of the knee. The IT band is a tough thickened piece of fascia that starts at the lateral aspect of the iliac crest of the hip and extends down to the patella (knee cap), tibia (shin bone) and biceps femoris tendon (part of the hamstrings). Fascia is a type of connective tissue that surrounds muscles and tendons and allows the muscles to glide over each other more easily.
The IT band functions to stabilize the lateral aspect of the knee. It was believed that the IT band would rub against the lateral condyle of the femur (outside edge of the thigh bone) or a bursa (fluid filled sac) and cause pain. Newer research has shown that this is not the case. Most individuals do not actually have a bursa at this location.(1) There is a highly vascular fat pad that is located beneath the IT band at this location. When the knee is flexed (bent) the tibia rotates internally (inward) if there is no compensating external rotation of the femur (hip bone) the IT band increases compressive forces on the lateral aspect of the knee. The increased compressive forces prevent blood flow from passing through the above mentioned fat pad. With the decreased blood flow inflammation occurs within the fat pad causing pain. The pain is usually at its highest intensity when the knee is flexed at 30 degrees.
IT band syndrome is usually treated conservatively with rest, ice, anti-inflammatories (try Bromelain it is a proteolytic enzyme that has the same effect as aspirin or ibuprofen without the side effects of gastric bleeding and increased stress on your liver), stretching and rehabilitative exercise. In a small percentage of patients that have recurrent IT band syndrome surgery is performed to release the posterior aspect of the band.
If you notice that you are starting to experience pain in your knee that is similar to this the best thing to do is to take time off your bike. Now I understand that is not something most cyclists want to hear. It however may be a necessary step to reduce the pain. To aid in the reduction of pain stretching and rehabilitative exercises need to be completed. A recent study on IT Band problems suggests this stretch. Start by standing on the right leg and place your left leg behind and across the right leg. Make sure that you are close to a wall for balance with the right side closer to the wall. Now lean your left hip away from the wall and reach toward the left foot. You should feel a stretch in the outside of your left leg and hip. It is also important to have proper therapy performed on the IT band. There are soft tissue techniques, such as ART (Active Release Techniques) and Graston Technique, which are designed to help break up any adhesions that are present in the IT band.
More important than stretching is dealing with the cause in most cases. The gluteus medius (one of the deep buttocks muscles) is usually very weak in patients that have this syndrome. The gluteus medius is one of the external rotators of the hip and the muscle that is most active when attempting to stabilize the pelvis on one leg.. When your hip is flexed to 90 degrees the gluteus medius helps externally rotate your femur (thigh bone). When you are at the top of your pedal stroke both your hip and knee are flexed. This means that the femur should be externally rotated with the tibia internally rotated. With a weakened gluteus medius the femur stays internally rotated. This causes the fat pad at the lateral aspect of the knee to be exposed to the increased compressive forces from the IT band. The gluteus medius can be strengthened by performing exercises on one leg. By performing these activities the majority of patients who suffer from IT band syndrome receive relief of their symptoms. A good exercise to strengthen your gluteus medius is a one leg step down. Start with your right leg on the edge of a step and the left leg off of it. Now begin to lower yourself onto your left foot (make sure to land on your heel and not the toes). This is accomplished by sitting back and bending your right knee until the left heel touches the ground. Once you have touched the ground push back up. Do not let your right knee collapsing inward. Make sure to keep your knee over your foot. If you have any questions contact painfree123@gmail.com.
1) Khaund, R and Flynn, S Iliotibial Band Syndrome: A Common Source of Knee Pain American Family Physician 2005 Apr 15;71(8):1545-50