Addressing Bike Fit For the Century or Charity Event Rider

This Diverge is ready for big miles both on and off road this spring.

Planning on riding a long event this spring or summer? Maybe the longest event you've ever done? 

This can be incredibly overwhelming, for along with figuring out how to train for (what seems like) a huge undertaking, you’ll have to solve nutritional and clothing challenges, as well as carve out family and work time. And let's not even get into the packing challenges for a longer trip! On top of all this, you may have gone on a few rides on that old bike hanging in the garage, and are realizing it’s turned into some sort of medieval torture machine when the rides go over an hour or so. 

I’ll just get this out of the way up front. I see hundreds of people like you in my fitting studio, and will absolutely suggest you spend three hours with a qualified fitter solving your pain points. The upfront expense is minimal when you cost out the time and mental space saved, as well as the improved ability to train more without pain.

I do, however, see recurring, easy to solve issues that will at least get you to a place of being able to train and start to distill the harder to solve problems. Let’s cover four of those.

Shoes

The Bont Vaypor is PRETTY

Cycling shoes can range from tennis shoes (this is so popular that the VeloSamba is a fun option for commuting and short rides) to full on racing shoes from makers like Bont and Specialized (both of these lines I’m excited to sell in my studio). There are many materials and price points, but the most important thing in my mind is fit. 

Closure systems can range from BOA dials to old-fashioned laces, and you’ll find devotees of both. The key is to have good contact with the foot, kind of molding or wrapping sensation, with no distinct pressure points. It’s also important to “lock in” the ankle, while the rest of the foot is cradled and supported. 

Many people get the shoe length correct after a bit of struggle with the conversion to Euro sizing, but totally miss the boat on getting width and foot volume right. You may need a “Wide” or “Narrow” model. Tracing your feet and measuring the length and width can solve lots of issues that will only get worse as the miles rack up. 

Shoes should not hurt!

Saddle Selection

The Specialized Power Mirror Pro. 3-D printed and VERY comfy for the right rider.

Quite possibly the only thing I geek out on more than shoes and supporting feet in general is saddle selection. I carry over 50 saddles in my studio and its’s only a fraction of what’s available on the market.

I do have a few preferences or suggestions to start with. 

A saddle that's too soft feels nice in the bike shop, but often will start to cause issues with chafing and instability as the rides get longer than a couple of hours. This is especially the case when riders start riding their mountain bike for long distances. Look for a saddle that's firm to the touch, especially in the sit bone areas.

There are two distinct profiles of saddles that fit most pelvis shapes, with a bunch of hybrids and outlier shapes for special cases. 

I usually start riders on a “flat” profile saddle like the Specialized Power, and then we progress into more curved shapes like the Specialized Romin or SMP line. This gives us some guidance of what might be best. I look for positive descriptions, like “this saddle is supportive”, or “my sit bones feel connected”. If a saddle is described as “okay”, I will keep looking. Don’t settle for something that bothers you here.

Another helpful tool can be a device or tracing that helps find the width of the sit bones. This can be done on a fancy imaging machine, like one in a bike fit studio, or a video like this works well at home. Her idea about the tinfoil on the carpeted stairs is smart!

Sit bone width is a “30,000 foot view” type of thing, however, so it’s best to use it to help point you towards what might work. While there is a lot of gray area here, if your sit bones measure less than 110 mm, then go for a narrow saddle, and if your sit bones measure more than 140 mm, look towards saddles in the 160 plus range. 

The most popular width sold is 155 mm, with 143 right there. 80 percent of riders fit in this range.

Again, don’t settle for a saddle that bothers you. There is always a solution.

What a great saddle pressure map looks like

Shorts

Shorts are an integral part of the system of comfort, and an important one to get right. There are all kinds of designs out there, some with dizzying price points.

I personally do very long tours with an under short liner type of chamois and a mountain bike over short, but some of this is driven by my need to pack things in pockets, and I’ve tested this system multiple times.

For most novice riders, moving to a bib style short with a chamois pad is a huge upgrade. While there are shorts that fit decently, the bibs typically fit better due to no waistband. Female riders should look into the “drop short” options, which allow you to pull the short down while peeing, without needing to take off a jersey or other upper body clothing. Historically, this was always a big roadblock for women and bibs, and it's awesome to see it solved.

I think appropriate chamois design, fit, and thickness of pad are the most important drivers when selecting a garment. While it's tempting to pick the thickest pad you can find, I would argue it's more important to find a dense pad that won’t shift around between your skin and the saddle, while still spreading the pressure out over the saddle.

Consider a more upright torso position

New Roubaix, anyone?

If you pulled the old racing bike down off the hooks in the garage, you might wonder why the position you rode in 20 years ago doesn't feel so great anymore. A common complaint is some type of back pain, especially thoracic tension or neck pain from craning the head to see up the road.

It can be a little tricky to diagnose the solution to this challenge on the internet, but typically raising the bars with more spacers or a higher angle stem to create more “stack” in the cockpit is helpful, and also relieves numbness or tingling in the hands that many riders suffer from.

There’s also a whole genre of “Endurance” road bikes aimed at these events. Bikes like the Trek Domane, the Specialized Roubaix, and the Giant Defy to name three big brands, are all designed with more cockpit height or “stack”. If you are looking for a new or gently used bike, there are lots of fantastic options out there!

In Closing

While these four things seem fairly simple, they are often the “low hanging fruit” that can instantly improve your experience and allow you to complete that goal event feeling great. Make sure these bases are covered, contact us with questions, and enjoy your training and big ride this year!