[crembz]

Been reading up and subbed to leelikesbikes to try dial in my bike fit. I got a body geometry fit for my cx bike and have carried saddle height and fore/aft position over from that.

The rad and raad measurements used in Lee's system seem terribly short. I'm on a small frame already.

Are there any other systems/guidelines to dial the cockpit reach and grip-crank position on the low slack Geo's of modern times?

 

[nauc]

over thinking, imo

imo, plus or minus a tad

5-5.5 ft = small frame

5.5 -5.10 = med frame

5.10-6.1= large frame

6.2+ = x large frame

then go from there based on what feels right. stem length, bar width etc. gotta experiment and see what feels best to YOU

 

[crembz]

Appreciate the feedback. I'm 5'6" (168cm) and I know most modern med frames are on the large side for me.

I've been dealing with hand numbness so I was looking for a fitting system as a starting point for some guidelines before I start swapping bars and stems.

 

[scatterbrained]

If it helps any, I'm 5'7" and ride a sm Specialized Levo and a medium Trek Remedy. Both bikes actually measure out the same, but the Specialized has a 60mm stem and the Trek has a 40mm stem, that and the seat on the Specialized is a few mm further back due to the offset Specialized dropper.

 

[mack_turtle]

I wrote this after two months on Lee's schoool and some long phone conversations with him: https://www.cyclinghacks.com/mountain-bike-skills-coaching/

Regarding bike geo, he told me that the extra-long reach on modern bikes is just wrong in his opinion and is bad for riders. his logic is "I have not gotten taller, my arms and legs are the same length now as they were five years ago, so why would I want to put my hand further from my feet now?" If you look at bikes over the past decades, reach and stack have gotten longer, but stems have gotten shorter and riser bars have fallen out of fashion. so the fitting of bikes has not gotten quite as radical as it first appears, but it has not been proportional. bikes are just getting bigger all around. He recommends sizing down or picking a frame with more conservative geometry. It appears that he rides Specialized bikes and the bikes I have seen him riding do tend to have shorter reach than most of their contemporaries.

I'd take Lee's advice with a grain of salt, but I agree that some modern bikes have jumped the shark with the XXL reach and stack figures that they get. A bike that makes me feel "in" the bike rather than "on" the bike makes it hard to wrangle the bike because my hands and feet are too far apart for you to maximize the mechanics of rowing my handlebar to shift my weight over the terrain. Pushing the saddle forward but use of a super steep seat tube is dumb because it only helps when you are seated and pedaling, which is the opposite of what you're doing when the terrain gets difficult.

Personally, I bought my picked my most recent bike because it's "modern" in some ways, but still has a moderate reach, high BB, and short chainstays, which give me control over the bike, rather than being in the bike and hanging on for dear life and relying entirely on suspension and fat tires to keep the terrain from bucking me. I have ridden a few modern bikes and I can't manual or bunnyhop them to save my life because they're so huge. the suspension and long wheelbase would probably save me in the end, but I like that playful, poppy, big-BMX feel of a more compact bike than pushing a bobsled down the trail. YMMMV and all that.

 

[mack_turtle]

Been reading up and subbed to leelikesbikes to try dial in my bike fit. I got a body geometry fit for my cx bike and have carried saddle height and fore/aft position over from that.

using saddle height and offset from a good road/ cx bike fit is probably a good idea, but might not be as important as you think. I had a BG fit done and it was a huge waste of time. the fitter put my cleats all the way up under my toes so that my knees would be over my spindle. on a mountain bike! I rode it like that once and it was terrifying and very painful. I centered my cleats back to a rational spot and ignored the rest.

for most fittings, the fitter will put you on a stationary trainer and fit the bike for maximum efficiency based on that. that's great if you're on a time trial road bike but pretty useless when it comes to wrangling a mountain bike over technical terrain. that's why Lee's method focuses on the distance from the pedals to the grips, because that's what matters when you're not sitting, especially with the ubiquity of dropper posts these days. If Lee's calculator results do not suit you, at least take away that you can find a effective reach and effective stack and RAD that works for you and try to duplicate it on all the mountain bikes you ride.

 

[*OneSpeed*]

Appreciate the feedback. I'm 5'6" (168cm) and I know most modern med frames are on the large side for me.

I've been dealing with hand numbness so I was looking for a fitting system as a starting point for some guidelines before I start swapping bars and stems.

What bike are you riding? Post a picture of your current bike from the side.

Bike fit is unique to the individual IMO. Everyone has different proportions, Long/short legs, long short torso, or arms, etc. Not to mention personal preference, riding style, the geometry of the bike, the list goes on.

Are we talking about a XC race bike, and enduro bike? Because they will be set up differently. All of my bikes fit a little different and they're all comfortable.

There is no formula for "this is how your bike should fit". Stop searching for it.

Address the issues that are giving you discomfort. Too much pressure on the hands can come from handlebars too low, a stem that's too long, saddle tilted down at the front, or many other factors.

 

[wheelzqc]

I'll add; saddle too far forward (For pressure on hands).

RAD seemed to work ok for me, but you have to measure it properly.

 

[jeremy3220]

A mistake some make is buy a modern bike with a steep STA and size down then complain about hand pain.

 

[crembz]

I'll add; saddle too far forward (For pressure on hands).

RAD seemed to work ok for me, but you have to measure it properly.

So it seems I was measuring rad incorrectly. Measuring it again seems almost right on the recommendation.

Thanks for the rest of the feedback everyone. I've just had an eye surgery so taking some time to get back in front of the PC and respond.