The right bike for you..?

After going through the physical part of the pre-ride assessment, it all too often becomes evident that the bike is just not the right bike for the rider's current physical condition.

It may well be the right size and the right type (road versus mountain for example), but the frame geometry is just not right.

In the past few years more and more manufacturers have addressed this with different geometry bikes.

One such example is Trek who offer for example the Madone in more than one geometry. 

The two images below from Trek's Site show how the 'H1' is created for the rider with a greater ability to rotate the pelvis and maintain stability through stronger core muscles.

The 'H2' for example comes with a higher head tube to facilitate less stress on the riders lower back and neck, allowing a more upright view of the road ahead.

This is a great way to offer similar ride characteristics to riders with differing needs. Another way of achieving the same goal is to offer two similar bikes with subtly different geometry.

For example Giant offer the Defy Advanced and the TCR Advanced at similar price points, but the two differ in stack and reach geometry for example.

The Defy has a 'Stack' of 58.5cm and 'Reach' of 38.1cm compared with the TCR having a lower 'Stack' of 56.6cm and a longer 'Reach' of 39.1cm (based on size m/l 53.5) making it a longer and lower frame.

It would follow that a less physically flexible cyclist would benefit from the geometry of the Defy, but things are not always that simple.

These two simple examples from large manufacturers show there can be much more to selecting the right bike than the size.

To help cyclists through this we carry out a history and physical examination before getting on the bike to help in understanding the needs of the cyclist.

I can 'touch my toes' does that make the 'H1' or the TCR better for me?

In some cases yes, but not always. 
One of the key factors in understanding movement is looking at where the body it comes from. 
For example very long hamstrings and a tight, stiff lower back will not make the reach to the handle bars on a bike any easier for the cyclist.

Using 'the Physio Bike Fit' process, we can assess which bike in your favoured brand is the most likely to help you to obtain your goals.

We can do this before you purchase your bike using the Waterford Fitmaster helping your choice and selection of bike, the Fitmaster is highly adjustable to mimic the geometry of available frames.

As part of the process we can also offer live Saddle Pressure Monitoring with over 35 different shapes of saddle in the studio to help you find your fit.

Any questions please ask

Contact us here

Happy Miles

Stack and Reach - How does it help me?

While not all bike sizes are equal or even equally named, certain measurements can be used as a constant.

In the two examples below, the size 'M' is a '50' in the upper and '54' in the lower table.

SIZE	HEAD ANGLE	SEAT ANGLE	TOP TUBE	REACH	HEAD TUBE	STACK	CHAIN STAY	WHEEL BASE	STANDOVER HEIGHT
cm	Degrees	Degrees	cm	cm	cm	cm	cm	cm	cm
XS (43.0)	70.5	75.0	51.5	36.6	13.5	53.0	42.0	99.8	67.5
S (46.5)	72.0	74.5	52.5	37.2	15.0	55.0	42.0	99.0	70.2
M (50.0)	72.0	74.0	54.0	37.7	17.0	56.7	42.0	100.0	73.0

SIZE	HEAD ANGLE	SEAT ANGLE	TOP TUBE	REACH	HEAD TUBE	STACK	CHAIN STAY	WHEEL BASE	STANDOVER HEIGHT
cm	Degrees	Degrees	cm	cm	cm	cm	cm	cm	cm
S (50.0)	73.0	75.0/78.0	51.3	40.2	11.0	51.0	40.5	98.2	76.2
M (52.0)	73.0	75.0/78.0	52.9	41.7	13.0	53.0	40.5	100.1	78.5
L (54.0)	73.0	75.0/78.0	54.6	43.0	15.0	54.9	40.5	101.9	80.5

While this does not show us much, the more 'eagle eyed' will have perhaps spotted the upper table is road bike geometry and the lower is TT bike, the 'Stack' and 'Reach' columns will help a great deal.

Keeping with the size 'M', the 'Stack' and 'Reach' numbers are;

Top Table 56.7cm Stack and 37.7cm Reach

Lower Table 53.0cm Stack and 41.7cm Reach

Looking at these numbers shows a much more obvious difference.

So where are 'Stack' and 'Reach' measured from?

The frame 'stack' is the vertical distance from the centre of the bottom bracket to the top of the head tube on the bike frame.

The frame 'reach' is the horizontal distance from the centre of the bottom bracket to the top of the head tube on the bike frame (see above image)

With our current example the 'M' size bike from the first table will be taller with a shorter distance to the bars than the second 'M' which will be lower with a greater distance to the bars.

How does this help you?

Well, simply with these numbers and the seat and head tube angles we can use the studio 'Fitmaster' to replicate the geometry of a given bike to check that it will fit you.

The seat tube angle is a key component to this as it will define where the saddle can be placed in space and show the limitations of adjust ability for a given frame size.

The more vertical (closer to 90) angles in the lower table will allow the Hip angle of the Cyclist to open more facilitating an easier TT position than the less vertical Road bike angles.

From another perspective, a 'long and low' bike will not be comfortable or suitable for the Cyclist with flexibility issues...

As all our Bike Fits follow 'The Physio Bike Fit process' we can help you find the right bike and the right size bike for you.

Any further questions please get in touch and ask away.

Stay safe and Happy Miles

fit me up