When you get sized for a bike in a bike shop, most people generally think, “will I need a small, medium, or large frame?” But the reality is that there is much more to a bike fit than the size of a frame. Even if you have had your bike for a long time, you might not actually “fit” your bike.
Bikes come in all sizes and shapes, and are endless bike parts and cycling accessories that can be added or swapped to make bikes a better fit for you. When considering a bike that will actually fit you, most bike experts consider things like frame size, frame dimensions, saddle height, top tube and stem dimensions, knee and cleat position, handle bar size, crank length and body angle. While each of these things are important, they don’t cover a complete bike fit.
At Peak Cycles, we believe that there is much more to fitting a cyclist to his/her bicycle than just the physical dimensions of a bike. Each cyclist has a different history, experience, comfort level, and goal on the bike; each of these variables are important to the bike-fit process.
George Mullen runs our fit studio at Peak Cycles and, through his experience, he has learned that understanding the athlete’s needs are by far the most important component in the fit. With over fifteen years of fitting experience, over 3000 fits, certifications from Serotta Elements™ and Serotta Advanced Fit™ courses as well as Specialized™ Body Geometry fit school, George has learned that simple but significant questions like these drive a proper fit:
- What are your body’s dimensions? Are you long in the inseam or long in the torso?
- What is your injury history?
- What does your flexibility look like?
- What is your sustainable core strength like?
These questions help channel an understanding of your body type, experience, ability level, and past riding technique to inform a more complete fit using an eleven element functional movement screen. This 3-dimentional assessment covers things like:
- Detailed personal profile interview (cycling history, injuries, nagging pains, goals, etc.)
- Functional movement screen (in-depth body flexibility testing and assessment)
- Pre-fit assessment of your current riding position on your bike
- XYZ plane adjustments (X=horizontal/length reach adjustment, Y=vertical/height seat adjustment, Z=frontal area adjustment)
- Pedal/cleat adjustment(includes verus/valgus cleat shimming as necessary for pedaling alignment)
We also have a new Chamois fit system, which matches the right chamois size with the right bib size (again small, medium, and large doesn’t usually cut it). If you would like to learn more about how you can get a complete and proper bike fit, please stop into Peak Cycles and ask.
Peak Cycles - BikeParts.com Blog 
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