Through the years, watching BFT and now your channel, I've made many fit changes to my bikes -- went down a size, lowered my saddle, added G8s, pulled in my reach... Even w/o traveling to London you've made my daily bike rides vastly better. Grazie Mille!
The more bike fitting videos you watch, the easier it is to spot that tons of people suffer from a bad fit. And given how expensive some bike parts are, it makes a ton of sense to get a fit first so that you don't have to replace half of the bike later on.
Another great one, I noticed the saddle height right away. Now she can finally ride without persistent saddle sores. The crank length was a big turning point too. Great content and results
Lmao. As soon as she said she always buys a shoe size bigger, I knew it was coming. James' reaction is priceless. If only she'd added "I only buy Specialized shoes because they're the best"
@@Bikefitjamesthat’s a good reply. We have still to find a good bike fitter in Scotland. I end up doing it for our club members at Mearns Cycling Club. 60 odd guys now.
@@CrazyAboutCycling might need to come and see you when I'm home in May. I'm keen on a new road rig but I'm not buying without a fit first this time around.
If one looks at Tadej Pogačar's and Chris Foome's bike fit it becomes clear: A saddle that is slightly low is better than a saddle that is slightly high. This was a great video! Thank you!
Very interesting. I did think maybe Alex was riding a saddle a touch too high, but then I knew she experienced knee pain with a lower setup. Interesting to hear that the crank length would be the cause of the knee pain in that situation.
Man, i sold an Allez sprint and bought a canyon endurace after one of your videos. 1,90m, long legs short torso. Best decision ever, had so much pain on Spz, the reach was way too long.
Thanks for these videos. I appreciate the time and effort that goes into making them and the more bike fit videos I watch the more curious I am to get one. Having said that I'm 49 and have ridden bikes my whole life and never gotten a bike fit. If I took any of my bikes to a bike fitter they would most probably think my setup is wrong if my main goal was to be more comfortable on the bike, but that's just the thing, if I want a comfy bike I'd probably buy an endurance bike, or hell I'd sell all my road bikes and buy a mountain bike. I'm a car guy too, and if a bike fitter had a go at my race car they'd most likely rip out my fixed bucket seat, raise the suspension, soften the dampers, replace my harness with a normal seatbelt and fit smaller wheels with taller tyres all for more comfort (at that point I might as well have left the car dead stock).
That was a great one.. was really clear to see the improvement just the way she looked on the jig bike. That gal can't look bad on a bike but she really looked a lot more comfortable after the right changes.
Thanks for that video! I see you recommend smaller bike sizes oftentimes. Or at least thats the conclusion i'm drawing from your videos. You say yourself that you ride a 52cm toptube canyon yourself. Wouldnt the stack height be way too low when going with these smaller sizes?
Well his pet thing is low saddle so that's going to be a smaller frame than most other bike fitters and fitting systems will recommend simply because they are assuming a saddle height range for, say, someone who is 5'11" that is much higher. He puts smaller cranks on to offset the crunched up feeling you'd have at the top of the stroke with the low saddle height. The downside is, of course that no one sells bikes like this so you can't buy one, but of course the upside for this guy is - he knows everyone coming into his store will have a saddle height he can say is too high and cranks that are too long and he'll convince you that your shoes don't fit. So, already you need a different frame, new shoes, new cranks. Kerching, kerching, kerching. It's easy money (not the least because everyone on a road bike is uncomfortable) e.g I had a pre bike fit, bought the bike they said, changed the bars and stem like they said, went back to have that fitted and it sucks - and I've got a L frame and 175mm cranks, so I'm screwed according to the theory of this bike fitter. Screwed by the bike fitter and the bike industry - getting fit first just meant I paid more for the bike and the bike fitter on top. The question is how many times you're prepared to get screwed over buying new bikes with someone putting their pet theory on saddle height, crank length or whatever else before you run out of money or just give up? IME if you end up with a comfortable bike you can pedal (because a comfortable bike you can't pedal is pretty easy - the low saddle does that) you'll be very lucky. Most people visiting a bike fitter get a different fit, a few different parts but they're still uncomfortable.
Thank you for highlighting this again. Because of my super-short legs, I had a mare even finding a bike to buy and as a result, I had chats with various bike people who said "meh, no demand for small bikes for women." :-)
I’m shopping around for my first bike, and as a woman, 158cm, I’m finding really hard not only to find a bike that is my size, but also finding it available. The majority of bike brands don’t cater to women, and it is so disappointing to see how sexist this is. “No demand for women’s bike” probably because they are already inaccessible? More women’s bikes + more demand?
@@Everlak89 Hard to call business "sexist". Business doesn't "care" about anyone or anything - the purpose is to sell stuff and get money. If the demand is there then you can be sure that someone on the market will meet that with supply and generate revenue. The last part of your comment I am not sure about - maybe it's true and they just want to avoid the risk or market studies were done and the demand simply is not at a level where it would be worth it.
Well it doesn't say anything does it? I mean everything on the bike sold is wrong, the crank length, the bar width, the saddle etc etc - there's practically zero chance of buying a comfortable road bike - even if you had someone telling you what to buy you won't actually find a bike like that in a store.
@michael1 yeah sure but I would sill think that it could be valuabe for some people. I don't have an independent bike fitter close by and wanted to hat new bike and was hesitating to go outside canyons recommended size range now I'm happy that I went for XS and not S even though I'm 2 cm taller then recommended for XS. For me it would have halpful in the sense to show how much of manufacturers recommendations can be. And I'm mostly interested in the frame size because that's the most important tho get right in the beginning. Other parts can be optimized woe the line...
Great video James! Modern day bikes REALLY are a step back in design because they are heavier, less stiff, less aero, harder to work on, WAY more exy and near impossible to get your best bike fit on.
Come on over to the US for a bike fit tour James! We need help! What I’m having to do is watch enough of your videos to educate myself to receive a good bike fit in the bike industry controlled USA.
@@Bikefitjames going for a fit tomorrow and I just know they are going to size me on a bike rather than a jig. To be fair, they are trying to retro fit a largish bianchi I bought in the 80s back when they fitted you by having you stand over the top tube. I still recall the shop owner saying that the centimeter between my junk and the bar meant that it was a good fit.
@@geoffreyquaile4383 Men were all the same proportions back in the day as were all the bikes. Fitting my girlfriend on a touring bike back then was just impossible, bikes were only designed for men even worse than today.
Bike sizing really is a massive head scratcher. I've been looking at frame options and have found a fair number of frames that differ as little as 5-7mm in reach between sizes. One example ranges in reach between 369 and 393.5mm for XS-L for a supposed heights of 162mm to 186mm (mid range of suggestion), so a 6.6% reach range for a 14.8% height range. It is almost as bad as cranks that only vary 6% over the commercially available range despite leg length varying a few times as much between a -1 sigma female to a +1sigma male (statistics are pretty hard to come by).
Maybe I am just learning more from watching these, but incredible how obvious it was that her saddle was too highss soon as the pedaling image was shown. Angle and massive pointing of the toes.
Feel like this video hits closer to home. Long hours in the saddle, knowing that the bike is probably too big. Enduring different types of discomfort, but being able to tolerate it at the same time. I'll be getting a fit before my next purchase for sure.
@Bikefit James Can you make a video on fitting for climbing vs flat? I often find the bike is either too short on the flat, or too long on the climb. Is a long reach handlebar a solution? Then I can climb on the tops, and stretch out to the hoods on the flat.
You should do a bike fit tour around the country and show how much bike fitting is really needed and expose the importance of it! Bring the CADE folks too!
Excellent as always James. Been doing ‘bike fit’ here in Donegal for past 10 years. ALWAYS learning and appreciate your content. Personally notice just how many similarities I come across when folk turn up with a brand new bike in terms of changes needed!
Watching enough bike fitting videos and messing around with my position on the bike. I realized a earlier this year exactly what you said about saddle height and reach being based on your ability to sit at the back of the saddle. I usually start a bit low and gradually raise it till I start feeling myself moving forward on the saddle. Along with it perennial discomfort, upper back discomfort and more pressure on the hands. I just keep it right at the highest point before that occurs. Oddly though it can feel a touch low and a bit slower than being higher up. Knee discomfort sometimes under load as well. I think switching to the 165's I have might solve that problem after watching this.
James should pay attention to his desk en the use of his deskchair. They are both to low and he sits on the front of is his chair, not supporting his back. Just an advice from a physical therapist ;-)
I'm 5'2 with shorter torso longer legs and have a Canyon in size 2XS. I got the fit first and bought after. I was lucky to get a heavily discounted bike fit and the bike fitter recommended the 2XS, but I still wonder if I should have gotten the 3XS. I still get some lower back pain but not as much as on my previous bike which was way too big. I am glad I went for a Canyon bike though, I like having the smaller wheels. It would be odd to me if I was riding the same size wheels as my brother who is 6ft? I also went into a bike shop (I think it was Sigma) and they tried to fit me on one of their women's bikes but we couldn't get to a setup which was right for me.
So, excessive saddle height is often the culprit behind sores on the left. Is there something that more often than not points to saddle sores on the right? Thanks for the informative and entertaining videos.
You've often mentioned how riding in the same position as pros is a bad idea (Q factor for a 20 year old 60kg rider pedalling through a corner and all that), and talked about how a weaker cyclist would benefit more from a fit. Do you get many weaker cyclists through the door? I think it would be interesting to see a fit video for the middle aged heavier riders you'd brought up before, to understand the differences between fit requirements for them and your usual guests. Obviously the guests aren't typically pros, but they seem to put down a lot of miles and have decent flexibility and strength. Cheers
Interesting but it would have been nice to have a bit more insight into what you were doing and why. You did touch on each point but it was a little bit of a whirlwind - hard to fit in a short video and keep it flowing and easy watching I know. Having Alex, a familiar face we have seen in other You Tuber's videos helped pique interest.
If I hadn't fit first and bought later I'd have gotten a bike that was impossible to fit me! Because I'm 6'4" with long legs and a short torso, so I am tall enough to ride a 61 but my length is right for a 56! We just managed to get the 58 I bought fitting properly if I'd gone based off height I'd have been in a rough spot
Hi James. I often get my bib short pad stitches cut from the inside so it gets unraveled. (outside seems intact). It's always around pubic bone are and both right and left sides get this issue. Have you heard of this kind of thing happens and could it be related to bike fit? Maybe sizing issue with shorts since in my experience more stretchy fabric has less of this issue.
I’ve done a bike fit course but it was old fashioned and I’d love to be more up to date… a lot of what I was taught is contraindicated/corrected by these awesome videos and from the Cade media stuff…can anyone recommend anywhere? In Essex but could travel! Thanks in advance
canyon does not offer a 34 mm handlebars. And the aeroad can only use Canyon's integrated handlebar. so you are basically saying that it's impossible to get the right parts to implement the fit you gave her
Thanks James. Been watching for years on Frances’s channel. Quick question what do you recommend when buying kids bikes in terms of getting a fit. My son (9yrs old) is finishing up his second season of CX and we are looking to purchase our first new frame. There are even less options for kids frames that aren’t hybrid style bikes. Would you recommend a fit even though he will likely grow 2-3 inches every year over the next few years. I’m leaning towards buying the frame (sz 42-46) and then using the components to adjust fit as he grows. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Maybe a video on sizing kids too.
Only a woman could ride for so long in pain. Women are a lot harder than men. We start crying if we get cold toes then spend £100s buying all the most up to date kit to try and stop getting cold toes. 😂😂 Women just get on with it. Big respect to the sisterhood of women cyclists. 💪
Nah. I'd guess about 90% of cyclists ride an uncomfortable bike for their entire lives and most of them are men. I've had about 5 different bike fits and never had a comfortable bike. Even pros are infamous for having fit issues, saddle sores etc. You might imagine that they'd all have some expert or team PT on hand, but nope - bike fit is mostly snake oil and rainmaking.
For larger people riding bikes, is it just a given that they're going to feel pain and discomfort no matter what because they're heavier? Like without any knowledge I can see how just having more mass on a person can cause things like numb hands or painful wrists from the weight on them, or back in pain because it has to keep a heavier torso suspended, and most obviously something like a sore bum or numbness in that region again just because there's a lot more weight and pressure there. I've seen a lot of videos where fitters say something like riders should be able to balance without their hands touching the bars but just leaning over but when I've asked bigger riders to do this it's simply impossible unless sitting upright
James, on recommending the XXS canyon (which comes with 650b wheels). How/do you take this on account when suggesting sizing to smaller riders cus this then affects component/tyre choice?
@@Slop12-k2j your question should really be why are XXS bikes designed around such a wheel? There will be an optimisation element to running a smaller wheel for a smaller rider but I agree there isn’t enough choice for tyres
Hey James i was just wondering how long in your estimation it takes your clients to get used to their new fit? Do peoole often feel aches and pains as weird muscles imbalances even out etc ?
NOT just women... small men are also ignored. 5'4", short legs & arms... nightmare! The only off-the-peg frame I've found is Sonder Colibri. Have a look. Great videos, thanks.
Shoes... This is such a difficult topic to discuss because most people have been wearing shoes throughout their entire lives that have caused their foot bones to be compressed. When you start wearing wide toe box shoes those bones start to reform and widen. Her comment about buying larger shoes speaks to this. The larger size likely gives more room and makes the squishing effect be less pronounced. Cycling shoes are terrible for this problem, they are never shaped correctly for optimal foot spread. Lake is the only company I'm aware of that publishes the actual width of their cycling shoes and offers a wide option even though I'm not convinced the shape is exactly right.
@@Bikefitjames I need to do one of these, a bike fit that is. Also got the Sausage dog legs along with duck feet and T-Rex arms.I got my 1st direct drive indoor trainer and i cannot get comfortable on it.
That’s how I am built and what I ride, reach wise it works but I have very little seatpost exposed, which makes the rear end relatively uncomfortable. I’m changing for a bike with round 27.2 seatpost and bigger tyre clearance, the best fit would be a frame with 52-53 cm top tube and ~46 cm round seat tube.
@@Antoine_Frs My thoughts exactly. I like the look of the Spa Cycles Elan frame but with an effective top tube of 556mm and 565mm on the 50cm and 52cm frame I think it'll be far too long and such little seat post showing. I'm finding it hard to find a bike frame with such dimensions you list as I think it'll be perfect.
Apologies for a slight typo. 100% agree. *Wouldn't* buy trousers without measuring your waist first 🤦 When I did fit first on a bike purchase the bike felt right from the word go, and a fit just made it even better. A bike made to fit just didn't feel as good, as ultimately it wasn't right for me.
Through the years, watching BFT and now your channel, I've made many fit changes to my bikes -- went down a size, lowered my saddle, added G8s, pulled in my reach... Even w/o traveling to London you've made my daily bike rides vastly better. Grazie Mille!
The more bike fitting videos you watch, the easier it is to spot that tons of people suffer from a bad fit. And given how expensive some bike parts are, it makes a ton of sense to get a fit first so that you don't have to replace half of the bike later on.
The main problem is that you have to find from trial and error a good fitter, that's rare though
a lot of the guys I ride with that have had fits have positions that james would cringe at
James is awesome. These videos are great to watch, his knowledge seems endless
Another great one, I noticed the saddle height right away. Now she can finally ride without persistent saddle sores. The crank length was a big turning point too. Great content and results
Should be called "Bike Fit Wizard", great stuff again James.
Lmao. As soon as she said she always buys a shoe size bigger, I knew it was coming. James' reaction is priceless. If only she'd added "I only buy Specialized shoes because they're the best"
I loved your videos on the cade channel. I can’t believe it took RUclips this long to suggest you James. You got a new sub.
I like watching these but it'd be nice to get them in again to let us know how the changed have felt after a month.
It is coming….,,
@@Bikefitjamesthat’s a good reply.
We have still to find a good bike fitter in Scotland. I end up doing it for our club members at Mearns Cycling Club. 60 odd guys now.
@@CrazyAboutCycling might need to come and see you when I'm home in May. I'm keen on a new road rig but I'm not buying without a fit first this time around.
If one looks at Tadej Pogačar's and Chris Foome's bike fit it becomes clear: A saddle that is slightly low is better than a saddle that is slightly high.
This was a great video! Thank you!
And both riders use the cleat backward position, which is very importing.
Very interesting. I did think maybe Alex was riding a saddle a touch too high, but then I knew she experienced knee pain with a lower setup. Interesting to hear that the crank length would be the cause of the knee pain in that situation.
Applying force with excessive knee bend can put more stress on the knee joint.
Best video yet James. You're getting the hang of this fitting thing.🤣
Man, i sold an Allez sprint and bought a canyon endurace after one of your videos. 1,90m, long legs short torso. Best decision ever, had so much pain on Spz, the reach was way too long.
Thanks for these videos. I appreciate the time and effort that goes into making them and the more bike fit videos I watch the more curious I am to get one.
Having said that I'm 49 and have ridden bikes my whole life and never gotten a bike fit. If I took any of my bikes to a bike fitter they would most probably think my setup is wrong if my main goal was to be more comfortable on the bike, but that's just the thing, if I want a comfy bike I'd probably buy an endurance bike, or hell I'd sell all my road bikes and buy a mountain bike.
I'm a car guy too, and if a bike fitter had a go at my race car they'd most likely rip out my fixed bucket seat, raise the suspension, soften the dampers, replace my harness with a normal seatbelt and fit smaller wheels with taller tyres all for more comfort (at that point I might as well have left the car dead stock).
I’ve noticed the crispness of James shirts is directly proportional to the prettiness of his customers 😉.
It doesn't fit him, just like customers and their bikes
@@skinheadsoh please I pray you come and educate me!
@@Bikefitjameshaha pull out that stick mate
100%🤣
@@Bikefitjames haha pull the stick out mate
That was a great one.. was really clear to see the improvement just the way she looked on the jig bike. That gal can't look bad on a bike but she really looked a lot more comfortable after the right changes.
Thanks for that video!
I see you recommend smaller bike sizes oftentimes. Or at least thats the conclusion i'm drawing from your videos.
You say yourself that you ride a 52cm toptube canyon yourself.
Wouldnt the stack height be way too low when going with these smaller sizes?
Well his pet thing is low saddle so that's going to be a smaller frame than most other bike fitters and fitting systems will recommend simply because they are assuming a saddle height range for, say, someone who is 5'11" that is much higher. He puts smaller cranks on to offset the crunched up feeling you'd have at the top of the stroke with the low saddle height. The downside is, of course that no one sells bikes like this so you can't buy one, but of course the upside for this guy is - he knows everyone coming into his store will have a saddle height he can say is too high and cranks that are too long and he'll convince you that your shoes don't fit. So, already you need a different frame, new shoes, new cranks. Kerching, kerching, kerching. It's easy money (not the least because everyone on a road bike is uncomfortable)
e.g I had a pre bike fit, bought the bike they said, changed the bars and stem like they said, went back to have that fitted and it sucks - and I've got a L frame and 175mm cranks, so I'm screwed according to the theory of this bike fitter. Screwed by the bike fitter and the bike industry - getting fit first just meant I paid more for the bike and the bike fitter on top. The question is how many times you're prepared to get screwed over buying new bikes with someone putting their pet theory on saddle height, crank length or whatever else before you run out of money or just give up? IME if you end up with a comfortable bike you can pedal (because a comfortable bike you can't pedal is pretty easy - the low saddle does that) you'll be very lucky. Most people visiting a bike fitter get a different fit, a few different parts but they're still uncomfortable.
Thank you for highlighting this again. Because of my super-short legs, I had a mare even finding a bike to buy and as a result, I had chats with various bike people who said "meh, no demand for small bikes for women." :-)
I’m shopping around for my first bike, and as a woman, 158cm, I’m finding really hard not only to find a bike that is my size, but also finding it available. The majority of bike brands don’t cater to women, and it is so disappointing to see how sexist this is. “No demand for women’s bike” probably because they are already inaccessible? More women’s bikes + more demand?
@@Everlak89 Hard to call business "sexist". Business doesn't "care" about anyone or anything - the purpose is to sell stuff and get money. If the demand is there then you can be sure that someone on the market will meet that with supply and generate revenue. The last part of your comment I am not sure about - maybe it's true and they just want to avoid the risk or market studies were done and the demand simply is not at a level where it would be worth it.
Would be interesting to include what the canyon size calculator says VS your opinion
Well it doesn't say anything does it? I mean everything on the bike sold is wrong, the crank length, the bar width, the saddle etc etc - there's practically zero chance of buying a comfortable road bike - even if you had someone telling you what to buy you won't actually find a bike like that in a store.
@michael1 yeah sure but I would sill think that it could be valuabe for some people. I don't have an independent bike fitter close by and wanted to hat new bike and was hesitating to go outside canyons recommended size range now I'm happy that I went for XS and not S even though I'm 2 cm taller then recommended for XS. For me it would have halpful in the sense to show how much of manufacturers recommendations can be. And I'm mostly interested in the frame size because that's the most important tho get right in the beginning. Other parts can be optimized woe the line...
Thank you for this channel! I have to say everytime I learn a new thing and understand how it works.
Great video James!
Modern day bikes REALLY are a step back in design because they are heavier, less stiff, less aero, harder to work on, WAY more exy and near impossible to get your best bike fit on.
Come on over to the US for a bike fit tour James! We need help! What I’m having to do is watch enough of your videos to educate myself to receive a good bike fit in the bike industry controlled USA.
Come on over to the UK! There’s good bike fitting here!
@@Bikefitjames going for a fit tomorrow and I just know they are going to size me on a bike rather than a jig. To be fair, they are trying to retro fit a largish bianchi I bought in the 80s back when they fitted you by having you stand over the top tube. I still recall the shop owner saying that the centimeter between my junk and the bar meant that it was a good fit.
@@geoffreyquaile4383 Men were all the same proportions back in the day as were all the bikes. Fitting my girlfriend on a touring bike back then was just impossible, bikes were only designed for men even worse than today.
I almost want to fly in from California for a bike fit before I buy my bike. This was so amazing.
I’m afraid you wouldn’t be the first! Had a gent on Saturday do just this!
The cost of flights etc would probably end up less than buying wrong and throwing parts at it.
Slightly easier for me as I flew in from Denmark to get a fit from James. Best money I have ever spend on my bicycling!
Bike sizing really is a massive head scratcher. I've been looking at frame options and have found a fair number of frames that differ as little as 5-7mm in reach between sizes. One example ranges in reach between 369 and 393.5mm for XS-L for a supposed heights of 162mm to 186mm (mid range of suggestion), so a 6.6% reach range for a 14.8% height range. It is almost as bad as cranks that only vary 6% over the commercially available range despite leg length varying a few times as much between a -1 sigma female to a +1sigma male (statistics are pretty hard to come by).
Maybe I am just learning more from watching these, but incredible how obvious it was that her saddle was too highss soon as the pedaling image was shown. Angle and massive pointing of the toes.
Moloko my favourite music band! former music band...:) but I still love their songs :)
Feel like this video hits closer to home. Long hours in the saddle, knowing that the bike is probably too big. Enduring different types of discomfort, but being able to tolerate it at the same time.
I'll be getting a fit before my next purchase for sure.
@Bikefit James Can you make a video on fitting for climbing vs flat? I often find the bike is either too short on the flat, or too long on the climb. Is a long reach handlebar a solution? Then I can climb on the tops, and stretch out to the hoods on the flat.
You should do a bike fit tour around the country and show how much bike fitting is really needed and expose the importance of it! Bring the CADE folks too!
5:16 I need that written down and signed
Excellent as always James. Been doing ‘bike fit’ here in Donegal for past 10 years. ALWAYS learning and appreciate your content. Personally notice just how many similarities I come across when folk turn up with a brand new bike in terms of changes needed!
Watching enough bike fitting videos and messing around with my position on the bike. I realized a earlier this year exactly what you said about saddle height and reach being based on your ability to sit at the back of the saddle. I usually start a bit low and gradually raise it till I start feeling myself moving forward on the saddle. Along with it perennial discomfort, upper back discomfort and more pressure on the hands. I just keep it right at the highest point before that occurs. Oddly though it can feel a touch low and a bit slower than being higher up. Knee discomfort sometimes under load as well. I think switching to the 165's I have might solve that problem after watching this.
Loved his advice, fit first by later. ❤✌🏾
This is a great video, should be an example of why anybody should give a good fit a try even if they think they are comfortable
Great video! James, come to London for a week. Half the influencers here have a saddle height of 2cm+ way too high! Nice insightful video.
After each video I learn more and understand how much a good bike fit is necessary to enjoy more my bike ride
James should pay attention to his desk en the use of his deskchair. They are both to low and he sits on the front of is his chair, not supporting his back. Just an advice from a physical therapist ;-)
James needs a deskfit
Oh he can handle those 5 minutes.
Lovely episode!
I reckon clip on some Lavalier microphones will improve the production value of your content.
One of your best , thank you!
As soon as Alex got back on her own bike, even front on, you could see how much her hips were rocking due to the saddle being too high.
I only needed the watch upto 1:06 🤣🤣🤣
Yes classic "saddle is too high & I have seen this before" look😂
im guessing narrower bars with shorter reach, maybe slightly lower saddle san better ventilated shows
I'm 5'2 with shorter torso longer legs and have a Canyon in size 2XS. I got the fit first and bought after. I was lucky to get a heavily discounted bike fit and the bike fitter recommended the 2XS, but I still wonder if I should have gotten the 3XS. I still get some lower back pain but not as much as on my previous bike which was way too big.
I am glad I went for a Canyon bike though, I like having the smaller wheels. It would be odd to me if I was riding the same size wheels as my brother who is 6ft? I also went into a bike shop (I think it was Sigma) and they tried to fit me on one of their women's bikes but we couldn't get to a setup which was right for me.
Alex!!! I feel like I’m going to see all my London friends in these videos at some point 😂😅
So, excessive saddle height is often the culprit behind sores on the left. Is there something that more often than not points to saddle sores on the right? Thanks for the informative and entertaining videos.
He said most people sacrifice their left leg. Some people probably sacrifice the other way.
It probably depends on if you're left or right handed/footed.
Great video James. Love your channel.
Thank you! Keep watching!
You've often mentioned how riding in the same position as pros is a bad idea (Q factor for a 20 year old 60kg rider pedalling through a corner and all that), and talked about how a weaker cyclist would benefit more from a fit. Do you get many weaker cyclists through the door?
I think it would be interesting to see a fit video for the middle aged heavier riders you'd brought up before, to understand the differences between fit requirements for them and your usual guests. Obviously the guests aren't typically pros, but they seem to put down a lot of miles and have decent flexibility and strength. Cheers
It is coming! Stay tuned!
Interesting but it would have been nice to have a bit more insight into what you were doing and why. You did touch on each point but it was a little bit of a whirlwind - hard to fit in a short video and keep it flowing and easy watching I know. Having Alex, a familiar face we have seen in other You Tuber's videos helped pique interest.
If I hadn't fit first and bought later I'd have gotten a bike that was impossible to fit me! Because I'm 6'4" with long legs and a short torso, so I am tall enough to ride a 61 but my length is right for a 56! We just managed to get the 58 I bought fitting properly if I'd gone based off height I'd have been in a rough spot
Hi James. I often get my bib short pad stitches cut from the inside so it gets unraveled. (outside seems intact). It's always around pubic bone are and both right and left sides get this issue.
Have you heard of this kind of thing happens and could it be related to bike fit? Maybe sizing issue with shorts since in my experience more stretchy fabric has less of this issue.
I’ve done a bike fit course but it was old fashioned and I’d love to be more up to date… a lot of what I was taught is contraindicated/corrected by these awesome videos and from the Cade media stuff…can anyone recommend anywhere? In Essex but could travel!
Thanks in advance
canyon does not offer a 34 mm handlebars. And the aeroad can only use Canyon's integrated handlebar.
so you are basically saying that it's impossible to get the right parts to implement the fit you gave her
Oh look an expert!
Thanks James. Been watching for years on Frances’s channel. Quick question what do you recommend when buying kids bikes in terms of getting a fit. My son (9yrs old) is finishing up his second season of CX and we are looking to purchase our first new frame. There are even less options for kids frames that aren’t hybrid style bikes. Would you recommend a fit even though he will likely grow 2-3 inches every year over the next few years. I’m leaning towards buying the frame (sz 42-46) and then using the components to adjust fit as he grows. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Maybe a video on sizing kids too.
Only a woman could ride for so long in pain. Women are a lot harder than men. We start crying if we get cold toes then spend £100s buying all the most up to date kit to try and stop getting cold toes. 😂😂 Women just get on with it. Big respect to the sisterhood of women cyclists. 💪
Nah. I'd guess about 90% of cyclists ride an uncomfortable bike for their entire lives and most of them are men. I've had about 5 different bike fits and never had a comfortable bike. Even pros are infamous for having fit issues, saddle sores etc. You might imagine that they'd all have some expert or team PT on hand, but nope - bike fit is mostly snake oil and rainmaking.
man..... i love these videos hahahahaha i was guessing why she had the knee pain and when you said why, i yelled: YOU SEEEEEE... HER CRANKS hahahaha
Great stuff, as usual.
Best part is to watch this and look for a bike fitter in your country and they say bring your bike lol. Damn!
For larger people riding bikes, is it just a given that they're going to feel pain and discomfort no matter what because they're heavier? Like without any knowledge I can see how just having more mass on a person can cause things like numb hands or painful wrists from the weight on them, or back in pain because it has to keep a heavier torso suspended, and most obviously something like a sore bum or numbness in that region again just because there's a lot more weight and pressure there. I've seen a lot of videos where fitters say something like riders should be able to balance without their hands touching the bars but just leaning over but when I've asked bigger riders to do this it's simply impossible unless sitting upright
James, on recommending the XXS canyon (which comes with 650b wheels). How/do you take this on account when suggesting sizing to smaller riders cus this then affects component/tyre choice?
@@Slop12-k2j your question should really be why are XXS bikes designed around such a wheel? There will be an optimisation element to running a smaller wheel for a smaller rider but I agree there isn’t enough choice for tyres
@@Bikefitjames Do you think they shouldn't be designed around the smaller wheel, then? :D
1:36 and Im guessing, saddle too high, cleats too far forward and width of handlebar too wide too!
Mega that was very interesting 👌
Hey James i was just wondering how long in your estimation it takes your clients to get used to their new fit? Do peoole often feel aches and pains as weird muscles imbalances even out etc ?
I hope Francis is able to convince his Newcastle buddy Ben Chapman to come down to Richmond to see you. He _needs_ a bike fit intervention (imo).
I wish you were here in America, in driving distance away from me lol
She’s great, what a brilliant lady
NOT just women... small men are also ignored. 5'4", short legs & arms... nightmare! The only off-the-peg frame I've found is Sonder Colibri. Have a look. Great videos, thanks.
welcome you James. tell me please, what angle should be between hands and body?
46.7 degrees
@@Bikefitjames oh!
I wanted to know the angle between the body and arms
The barometric pressure on the seat? Are we measuring the gaseous expulsions of the test subject? That seems unnecessarily personal and embarrassing.
My left leg is 1" shorter than my right one......why? I broke my hip back in 2007, and I've been riding the bike again with that measurement.
good stuff james.
So to be clear what was/can be done about the reach feeling too long towards the end when she tried the actual bike on the trainer?
Get a handlebar with a shorter reach and of the correct width ?
Cleats need to be set back, and saddle set to forward with the correct saddle height.
getting a fit saves you money and pain and time. I wish I had realized that earlier.
How tall is she? What is her inseam, please? If you said it, I missed it, sorry. As others have said, please give us a follow-up video.
Knew from the look on James face, he knew what the problems were going to be.
hey james thought u were going with the boys in india?
Did you decrease the left arch support since she was feeling it more?
Nope 😉
Interesting. Do you mind diving into the rationale as to why.
She was pronating
very informative...A+
Shoes... This is such a difficult topic to discuss because most people have been wearing shoes throughout their entire lives that have caused their foot bones to be compressed. When you start wearing wide toe box shoes those bones start to reform and widen. Her comment about buying larger shoes speaks to this. The larger size likely gives more room and makes the squishing effect be less pronounced. Cycling shoes are terrible for this problem, they are never shaped correctly for optimal foot spread. Lake is the only company I'm aware of that publishes the actual width of their cycling shoes and offers a wide option even though I'm not convinced the shape is exactly right.
0:08 💯😘
Wow!! the dude is like a magician, but its science & a bit of biology 😀 How long did that bike fit take?
Three hours is the length of a standard session
@@Bikefitjames I need to do one of these, a bike fit that is. Also got the Sausage dog legs along with duck feet and T-Rex arms.I got my 1st direct drive indoor trainer and i cannot get comfortable on it.
Who's she? She's sponsored by Canyon but i never heard of her before. Lovely french accent.
So a 5'8 rider with short legs and a long torso should be on a bike with an effective reach of about 53/4?
That’s how I am built and what I ride, reach wise it works but I have very little seatpost exposed, which makes the rear end relatively uncomfortable. I’m changing for a bike with round 27.2 seatpost and bigger tyre clearance, the best fit would be a frame with 52-53 cm top tube and ~46 cm round seat tube.
@@Antoine_Frs My thoughts exactly. I like the look of the Spa Cycles Elan frame but with an effective top tube of 556mm and 565mm on the 50cm and 52cm frame I think it'll be far too long and such little seat post showing. I'm finding it hard to find a bike frame with such dimensions you list as I think it'll be perfect.
I'd buy a Time Alpe d'Huez if I had more budget.
9:54 she already looks more symmetrical pedaling!
That was actually interesting
if i could reduce my crank size (>人
Breaking the 4th wall, ha. Cheers.
So interesting and a lovely lady. 👍🏼
My wife used to do this mileage and more and was told you get used to the pain.
Rubbish advice! She should come and see us!
@@Bikefitjames it was but old school cyclists who believed it. Suffering somehow made the riding sweeter!!
@@markrushton1516Maybe you could tell them to make cycling sweeter by removing the saddle 😂
Very interesting
What do a bike fit cost and where do you stay?
Check the links in the description of the video
Serious question here, is James a bike fitter or is he a wizard?
This chaps v engaging, but ai could surely replace him
Always fit first. You wouldn't buy trousers without measuring your waist first.
I can’t tell whether you agree or disagree with my ideas
Apologies for a slight typo. 100% agree. *Wouldn't* buy trousers without measuring your waist first 🤦
When I did fit first on a bike purchase the bike felt right from the word go, and a fit just made it even better. A bike made to fit just didn't feel as good, as ultimately it wasn't right for me.
Fit first and buy a custom bike! Off the shelf geometries are rarely optimal for a serious rider.
Nice to see a cyclist wearing a laced shoe 🎉
Please stabilise the camera I feel a bit sick
You need a professional bikefit hahahaaaaa
Same. Holy shit hold the damn thing still and stop zooming in and out the whole time.
Please go home
12:03 Some Bikes Are Bigger Than Others
A 53cm top tube is an “extra small?” That is ridiculous Canyon….
Girls are way harder, saw a gal once on a rusty tour bike, with full gear just casually riding 150km a day in Autumn through Europe....
Cool
"fit first buy later" - just meant I spent £4k for another uncomfortable bike.