Bike sizing

Size matters. Once you’ve decided which type of bike you want. and a budget. the next most important thing is size. Sounds very obvious but it’s often not given the consideration it deserves. This is most importantly relative to the frame, as other parts of the bike such as stem and handlebars can be tailored to your personal needs. Our cycling experts will keep you right on all this anyway, but here are the basics.

Frame size

A common mistake is to select a frame that is too big. Many people think that the best size of frame is the biggest one they can get on to,which is not the case. Make sure you can stand over the top tube of the bike with a couple of inches crotch clearance with your feet flat on the ground. This should give you the correct size of frame.

Seat height

Contrary to popular belief, a bike is not the correct size if both feet reach the ground comfortably while sitting on the saddle. This would cause your knees to come far too high up when you were pedaling your bike. To set the saddle height you should be able to sit on the saddle and have a completely straight leg when your heel is on the pedal. This means that when you’re pedalling using the ball of your foot on the pedal you will have a slight bend in the knee. Apart from being the most comfortable, that provides maximum power transfer and minimises strain on your knee.

Reach

Make sure you can reach the handlebars safely and comfortably, as you don’t want to be overstretched or similarly cramped up sitting on the bike. If either is the case, then try a smaller or bigger frame size.

There are other adjustments that can be made to suit you. For example, handlebars and handlebar stems come in different lengths and degrees of rise and are a fairly cheap way of adjusting the riding position and handling of your bike.

Full bike-fitting option

Our cycle team experts can  size your bike and adjust to fit you. However, some people have specific needs and want their fitting to be fine tuned. This is commonly used either by people who are having injury problems or discomfort when cycling, or people who just need the maximum performance from themselves and their bike.

For that we can offer a custom fitting service with a bio-mechanics specialist. This takes about an hour to 90 minutes. He’ll talk to you about what you want, and checks YOU out for things like flexibility and range of movement. Then he’ll put your bike on a stand and complete a video analysis with you riding it. That allows him to check critical body angles relative to your own needs and flexibility. From there he’ll a) adjust the bike for the perfect fit for you, and b) produce a plan for some exercises to improve your strength or mobilty for cycling.

For maximum performance and fewer injuries