# What is that Bike Fit Rule Again?



## Wheelspeed (Nov 3, 2006)

There's a very general tip like "look down and the front hub axle should be under the handlebar" or something like that.

Is that it? Is it while resting on the hoods?

We're just mid-40's weekend warriors aiming for some social rides and exercise. Aiming to reach 50 mile leisurely rides for my g/f and I. She hasn't ridden enough to know what feels good yet, and my experience with trying to adjust her seat in various extreme ways showed me that she has no opinion of what feels good or not yet. So, I'm just looking for a very general starting point for stem length.


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## CougarTrek (May 5, 2008)

Much better to look at body angles and positioning.

Honestly I just don't get the "shouldn't see the hub" thing. If I move my head/eyes ever so slightly it vastly changes my perception of seeing the axle on a road bike. Plus there is tons of geometry that affects that, head tube angle, rake, trail, etc, etc.

Look at body angle coming out of the hips, she shouldn't be "laying down" or sitting straight upright, but rather at some "comfortable" angle. Also at the upper arm to body angle; too stretched would look like something say greater than 90*. Elbow position, are they slightly bent or locked straight out?

Those are better clues to work with. Then tweak where necessary (but only after some ride time. There will be some general achiness when changing position, so if you change something every time she hurts, she'll always hurt).

Honestly, it may be worth the $$ to have someone do a basic fit and look at the setup. A basic stem/seat-height/seat fore/aft fit should not cost that much (and honestly, should have been included with the bike purchase at a good shop, but not all are good about it unfortunately)


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## AllezCat (Jun 2, 2006)

WS, if you just bought the bikes or have a helpful local bike shop, ask for a general fit. There are no hard and fast rules to follow and fitting yourself on a bike (alone) is not easy. Buy something from the bike shop and ask if they would be willing to help with a general fit. Most places will be willing to spend 10 minutes or so giving you some pointers and habits that will improve fit. I do not suggest riding until something hurts and making an adjustment then. There are too many things that you can change that will not help the fit at all and may make things worse.


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## Wheelspeed (Nov 3, 2006)

Good points both. Thanks for the angle suggestion. That does seem more logical than looking for a disappearing hub.

Last year I took her out to test ride bikes and she picked a 2.3 from our local Trek dealer. The normal 'fitting' guy was out that day, so someone else did it. You're right, we should go back and get the proper fit that we're due with the purchase of the new bike. But being a mountain biker for 20 years, I like to do fits myself. I've learned it's difficult to fit someone else, especially when they don't know what they like or dislike yet!

Thanks again.


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