Many of these aches and pains have been addressed in far greater detail in some of my previous articles, which are all located in the archives located in the right hand column. This list is not meant to provide detailed solutions/instructions, but rather serve as a quick reference (I am not a medical doctor and the following should not be construed as medical advice. If you are in acute pain, please see your doctor for treatment). 

You may have multiple fitting issues that are causing several different problems, so it can be a bit of a challenge to figure out exactly what is causing pain or an injury. If you live in Southern California, especially the San Diego area, you may want to come see me for professional help with getting rid of your discomfort and remaining pain free. 

Hips

• Your saddle could be too high, so you may need to lower it.  Knee angle (flexion) should be in the range of 30-40 degrees at the bottom of the pedal stroke. 

• If the pain is affecting only one hip, you may have a leg length difference, so you may need to add a shim to the cleat/shoe on the short leg (it's probably best to have this confirmed by a professional with experience in this area).

• You may need improved foot/knee/hip alignment so you may need wedges installed between your shoes/cleats or inside your shoes (may only be needed on one side). 

Buttocks 

If your sit bones (ischial tuborosity) are sore, any of the following might apply:

• You may be sitting on the wrong part of the saddle, so you may need to move the saddle fore or aft (usually forward).

• You may have a saddle that is tilted downward causing you to slide forward on the narrow part of the saddle, so you may need to raise the nose.

• You may have a saddle that is too high, so you'll want to lower it so that your knee angle (flexion) is in the range of 30-40 degrees at the bottom of the pedal stroke.

• You may have a saddle shape that doesn't fit your anatomy well, so you may want to try a different make or model.

• Jarring may be causing the problem, so you may need a saddle with more padding, shorts with more padding, less tire pressure, or even a more forgiving frame material if your bike is made out of aluminum.

Saddle sores 

If you are experiencing saddle sores, any of the items listed above under "Buttocks" could be the cause, but if your sores are happening on just one side, any of the following might also be the cause of your problem: 

• You may have an actual or functional leg length difference, so you may need to add a shim to the cleat/shoe on the short leg (it's probably best to have this confirmed by a professional with experience in this area).

• You may have a severe left or right forefoot tilt (sometimes referred to as forefoot varus) and may need wedges installed between your shoes/cleats or inside your shoes. 

• You may have a rotated pelvis where one "sit bone" (ischial tuborosity) sits farther ahead of the other when seated, so you may need to rotate your saddle so that the nose is pointing off center to the left or right.    

Back 

• You may be positioned too far to the rear of the bike, so you may need to move your saddle forward.

• Your reach may need to be shortened or lengthened, so you may need a shorter or longer stem.

• You may need to reduce your saddle to handlebar drop (the vertical distance from the top of your saddle to the top of your handlebars), so you may need to raise your stem (usually by installing one with a steeper rise). 

• Your saddle could be too high, so you may need to lower it.  Knee angle (flexion) should be in the range of 30-40 degrees at the bottom of the pedal stroke. 

• You may be trying to "push" gears that a too big, especially while climbing, so you may need to use lower gearing. 

• If your lower back is sore, but just on one side, you may have a leg length difference, so you may need to add a shim to the cleat/shoe on the short leg (it's probably best to have this confirmed by a professional with experience in this area).

I'll be concluding this series of articles by addressing issues related to the hands, wrists, elbows, shoulders and neck.

The crash appears to have had zero impact on my riding and bike handling, and I've already gone back to leading the Saturday group rides at Revolution Bike Shop. The brain contusion did cause some initial issues - short term memory loss, difficulty multi-tasking, tiredness, and nasty mood swings, but there have been no headaches either on or off the bike.  My missing teach have been restored by a new bridge (unfortunutely, it's not the first time I've crashed, and I already had four missing teeth from prior faceplants). My fractured eye socket, swollen eye, and all the contusions and bruising are also healing up just fine - you would never know looking at me now that the accident had victimized my face to the extent it had.

Lastly, many have asked if I'm afraid to be riding again, or riding at speed in a group. The answer is an emphatic "No!" Of course, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little worried about the consequences of another incident, but I have no memory of the crash, so therefore have no fear of riding the bike. Again, it's not the first time I've gone down and I look on the whole situation as just another part of being a cyclist - sooner or later "shit happens." 

All the well wishes and words of encouragement have been truly amazing and greatly appreciated.  I look forward to sharing my cycling adventures and passion for this sport with all of you in the years to come.    

I can't begin to express my gratitude at the outpouring of concern and well wishes from the cycling community, friends, and family. The feedback from Twitter, Facebook, Strava, my cellphone, my inbox, and the number of in room visitors has been truly inspiring. I can't thank everyone enough for your support during this challenging time and I apologize for not being able to get back to all of you individually. I'll do my best to connect with everyone as soon as I can, but know that you all have made a big difference in the life of this very humbled cyclist.

I have no recollection of the accident itself. When I finally reached some level of coherence I was in the back of an ambulance being questioned by paramedics who were obviously concerned that I had some type of traumatic head injury. Last I remember I was in a double paceline, cruising along at 20 m.p.h. during a flat section of a casual 70 mile training ride for the Giro di San Diego with my group from Revolution Bike Shop. 

Todd Willis is the owner of SkyFlash Racing, which is the elite level racing team sponsored by both Revolution Bike Shop and Zoca Custom Endurance Wear. He has been helping out on the Giro training rides for the past few weeks and has given me the best perspective of my accident. 

In Todd's words: "You are so lucky! Even though it doesn't seem like it, it sounds like Saturday was your lucky day. When reflecting on how bad you looked and your non-responsiveness as you lay face down in the dirt, it seems to me like you are lucky to be alive. Worst injury I have ever seen and I have seen a lot of them over 25 years of SDBC rides and bike races. I thought we were going to lose you right there on the road. It seriously scared the S#$% out of me. 

It's sure nice to have riding buddies like Todd to help fill in the blanks. I'm also rather lucky that prior to the ambulance arriving I was in the care of three doctors, two were cyclists and one was a passing motorist; I may very well owe my life to one or all of these individuals. In the end, I suffered some slight brain bruising. Luckily the bleeding stabilized rather quickly and I only spent one night in the ICU/Trauma unit at Scripps in La Jolla. One additional day was spent in the regular trauma unit and I was released on 8/20 in the afternoon. The final damage: a minor brain bruise, fractured right eye socket, three lost teeth (really only a lost bridge from prior face planting incidents), a sprained right wrist, bruising/contusions on right knee/hip/shoulder, and plenty of ugly road rash on the right side of my face.

Again, I wish I could reach out to everyone that came to my room or called . Unfortunately, although I seemed like I was my usual self, I am having trouble remembering things clearly.

The staff at the hospital was wonderful and I never once felt like I was in any serious danger.   

I apologize for scaring the cyclists on my ride, my family, loved ones, friends, and Rev Bike Shop/HERevolution.  I love you guys and I'm glad I'll still be a big pain in the ass for all of you.

Thanks to Joel  for rescuing my battered bike (I'm sure Dano, John, and Brent will patch her back together). Thanks to Sam for covering for me on Sunday, Barry for looking for my tooth, John for picking up my back pack with my computer and contact solution, and my ex Kathy for collecting my bruised body from the hospital. 

Lastly, I'm already itching to get back on my bike.  I can't wait to start tearing it up again once this brain bruise goes away. Six weeks off the bike and trainer seems like an awful long time. Maybe I can convince the doctors to let me start sooner...

Many cyclists will make the final decision on a bike purchase based on a test ride. It seems like a simple enough and common sense approach - ride the few bikes that have made your short list of favorites, and pick the one that you liked best.  Unfortunately, this approach is only going to reveal your favorite frame if some care is taken in setting the bikes up properly before you ride them.  All too often the decision to purchase may come down to whatever bike just happened to be set up more like what you are used to on your current bike.  What you might be evaluating is various bike fits (i.e. different saddle heights, for/aft positions, reach to the handlebars, etc.), rather than actual differences in the ride characteristics of each frame - the "feel" of each bike. Other factors such as wheels, tires, saddles, and even seatposts can also play a major role in determining your preference for one bike over another.  The trick to a proper test ride is to remove all the variables that may cloud your judgment when making comparisons between several different makes and/or models.  

Sizing 

For starters, you might want to first revisit my previous article, Road Bike Sizing: Why It's Confusing. You might find that one company's 52 cm might actually be more like another's 54 cm.  I continue to be surprised by how few cyclists really understand what size of bike they may be test riding/buying. Don't be surprised if some of the folks working in your local bike shop don't entirely understand the different sizing conventions, either. It should go without saying that properly setting up two different bikes for a test ride is going to be a bit of challenge if frames of completely different sizes are being compared.

Transferring your existing position to the test bikes  

If you are happy with the fit of your current bike, then you are probably going to want to transfer that setup to your test ride bikes. I don't think you need to seek for perfection here, but you do want to get everything in the right ballpark, with each measurement on the test bikes within about a centimeter of the original ones.  The key measurements you'll want to record from your current bike are:

• Saddle height
• Saddle height over bars (saddle-handlebar drop)
• Saddle to handlebar distance
• Saddle tilt
• Saddle setback (saddle fore-aft) 

Another one of my earlier articles will help guide you through how to take these measurements - Park Tool Positioning Charts and Tutorials. 

Also, if your current bike has Shimano components, and is more than a few years old, you will find that any of the newer hood designs (with internal cable routing) will lengthen your reach to the hoods - the new hoods are simply longer (for more on this topic visit my article, Road Handlebars: A Bike Fitter's Perspective). 

Saddles, seatposts, and fore/aft position 

A different saddle can really make it challenging to transfer some of the numbers recorded from your current bike to a test bike, especially if your current saddle is unusually long (i.e. Fizik Arione), short (i.e. Adamo saddles), or has an unusual shape (i.e. Selle SMP). I recommend test riding all bikes with your current saddle, which will make it so much easier to replicate your position from one bike to another one. The easiest solution would be to remove the seatpost (with saddle attached) from the test bike, and replace it with your seatpost (with your saddle attached). This swap also solves another potential issue - the seatpost on the new bike might have a different setback than your existing one, placing you a lot farther forward/rearward than you are accustomed. In order to swap seatposts, both bikes will have to have the same seat tube diameter. Of course, bikes with an integrated or aero shaped seatpost are not going to allow for this simple change. 

Differences in seat tube angles will affect the fore/aft position of the saddle, but most bikes of a similar size are usually going to have seat tube angles that are within a half of a degree of one another.  Such a difference in geometry will only change the fore/aft position of the saddle by about 5mm.  Once the saddle/seatpost switch has been made, you simply need to set the saddle height to the correct height, perhaps adjust the tilt slightly, and then you are ready to move on to stem adjustments.  

Stem length and differences in geometry 

Once the saddle has been positioned, you can now adjust the stem length and height. You may need to have either a shorter or longer stem put on the bike to get your reach to the handlebars to match your current bike. If you are going to test ride a used bike not located at a shop, then you might want to bring along a couple stems. 

If you are switching from a racing style of bike to one that has a longer head tube (aka Performance/Comfort/Sportive/Relaxed Geometry), or vice versa, you may need to raise or lower the handlebars to obtain the correct saddle-to-handlebar drop. It can be a bit of a challenge to get both the reach and drop the same as your current bike, but again, perfection isn't necessary. For more on the basic differences in the two major types of road bike geometries read my article Performance Geometry: Why a road bike with Racing Geometry may not be the best fit. 

Wheels and tires 

I recommend using the same wheels with the same tires (inflated to the same tire pressure) for each test ride. If you plan keeping your existing wheels on whatever bike you decide to purchase, try to use your wheels on each test ride. If you find that your cassette is not compatible with the test bike's (i.e. you have an older 8 or 9 speed cassette), you might consider paying the mechanics to remove your cassette and install a compatible one they have on hand.  Conversely, you could go ahead and test the bike with its included wheels. You just want to make sure that those same wheels are used on all the test ride bikes, which is going to be a bit of a problem if the bikes you want to try are located at different shops. Wheels and tires can have a huge impact on your perception of the way a bike feels during a test ride. I'd go so far as to say that a super high-end bike with cheaper, heavier wheels is going to be perceived as an inferior ride compared to a far less expensive bike tested with light, high-end wheels.  

Final Thoughts 

I wonder how many bikes are purchased based on reviews that praise how "vertically compliant, but laterally stiff" a bike may be. I also wonder how many journalists have taken the time to properly set up a test ride prior to the review; I'd take the recommendations of a "professional" bike review with a healthy grain of salt. You are the best judge of what feels and fits right, and if you haven't had the chance to test ride a properly set up bike before you buy, you'll have absolutely no way to know how a particular frame is going to feel, especially if the geometry and frame material is different from your current bike. 

Your local bike shop is the best place to test ride bikes. If you are really serious about purchasing a $2K+ road bike, then your local shop should have no problems helping you set up a few bikes for a serious test ride. It would probably make sense to call ahead and set up an appointment, as it can be difficult for some smaller shops to accommodate this type of request without advance notice. If you aren't entirely comfortable taking measurements off of your current bike and replicating them to another one, maybe the shop will even have some bike fitters that can help with the bike buying process, like we do at Revolution Bike Shop.  If your local shop is unwilling to change stems, saddles and/or wheels prior to a test ride, I'd look elsewhere.    

If you aren't confident with your current fit, or have doubts about what may be the correct size of bike for you and your riding style, then it may make sense to see a professional bike fitter for measurements and sizing, or maybe even a fit to your existing bike prior to buying something new.  After all, it's not going to do much good transferring a position that is already uncomfortable, or may be leading to injury at some point down the road.   

Many of these aches and pains have been addressed in far greater detail in some of my previous articles, which are all located in the archive section located in the right hand column. This list is not meant to provide detailed solutions/instructions, but rather serve as a quick reference. I am not a medical doctor and the following should not be construed as medical advice. If you are in acute pain, please see your doctor for treatment.

You may have multiple fitting issues that are causing several different problems, so it can be a bit of a challenge to figure out exactly what is causing pain or an injury. If you live in Southern California, especially the San Diego area, you may want to come see me for professional help with getting rid of your discomfort and remaining pain free.

Foot and/or toe pain/numbness 

• You could be pushing big gears with a low cadence (RPMs – revolutions per minute), especially when climbing, so you’ll want to work toward spinning lower gears and increasing your cadence above 75 RPMs (80+ would be better). 

• You could have too much pressure across the ball of your foot, so you may need to do any of the following: 1) move the cleat back; or 2) you may even need to move the cleat forward (less likely, but possible); 3) you may need to switch to shoes with either a harder or softer sole; and 4) you could need wedges installed in your shoe or between your shoe and cleat. 

• Your shoes could simply be too tight or too short, so you may need better fitting shoes. 

Ankle 

• The rotation on your cleats may be set for too much “toe in” or “toe out” rotation, so you may need to adjust the rotation of your cleat to a more neutral position. 

• You may need improved foot/knee/hip alignment, so you could need wedges installed in your shoes or between your shoes and cleats. 

• Many ankle issues can also be attributed to the same things that cause Achilles problems (see below). 

Achilles Tendon 

• You could be pushing big gears with a low cadence (RPMs – revolutions per minute), especially when climbing, so you’ll want to work toward spinning lower gears and increasing your cadence to a least 75 RPMs (80+ would be better). 

• Your cleat may be too far forward on the shoe, so you’ll want to move it back. 

• You may have a tight Achilles from cold weather, so you’ll want to make sure you keep your lower legs covered. 

• You may have a saddle that is too high, so you’ll want to lower it so that your knee angle (flexion) at the bottom of the pedal stroke is between 30 – 40 degrees. 

Knee (outside/IT band area) 

• You could have your cleats set so that your toes are pointing inward (“pigeon toed”), so you’ll want to change the rotation of the cleat to allow more “heel in” movement. 

• Your saddle could be too high, so you may need to lower it.   Knee angle (flexion) should be in the range of 30-40 degrees at the bottom of the pedal stroke. 

• Your stance width may be too narrow, so you’ll want to widen your feet on the pedals by doing any of the following: 1) move the cleats laterally, toward the inside edge of the shoe; 2) add 2mm of pedal washers between the crank arm and pedal; 3) add pedal extenders (aka “knee savers) between the crank arm and pedal; 4) change to pedals with a longer spindle; or 5) change to a crankset with a wider Q-factor. 

• You may need improved foot/knee/hip alignment, so you could need wedges installed in your shoes or between your shoes and cleats (might only be needed on one side). 

• Your cleats could be worn, so you’ll want to replace them with new ones. 

• You could have a leg length difference, so you’ll need to add a shim to cleat/shoe on the short side (it’s best to have this confirmed by a professional fitter with experience in this area). 

Knee (front and/or top area) 

• You may have a saddle that is too low, so you’ll want to raise it so that your knee angle (flexion) is the range of 30-40 degrees at the bottom of the pedal stroke. 

• You could be pushing big gears with a low cadence (RPMs – revolutions per minute), especially when climbing, so you’ll want to work toward spinning lower gears and increasing your cadence above 75 RPMs (80+ would be better). 

• You could have your seat too far forward, so you may need to move it rearward. 

• If you have a short inseam, you may have a crank length that is too long, so you may need shorter cranks. 

Knee pain (inside area) 

• You could have your cleats set so that your toes are pointing out (“duck toed”), so you’ll want to change the rotation of the cleat to allow more “heel out” movement. 

• Your cleats could be worn, so you’ll want to replace them with new ones. 

• The release tension could be too hard, or require too much heel out rotation to disengage the pedals, so you may need to do any of the following: 1) if the pedals have adjustable tension, lower the release tension; 2) lubricate the pedals and/or cleats; 3) change the release angle for less heel out rotation; or 4) replace worn cleats (especially Speedplay). 

• You may have a saddle that is too low, so you’ll want to raise it so that your knee angle (flexion) at the bottom of the pedal stroke is in the range of 30 – 40 degrees. 

• Your stance width may be too wide, so you’ll want to narrow your feet on the pedals by doing any of the following: 1) move the cleats laterally, toward the outside of the shoe; 2) switch to pedals with a shorter spindle length; 3) switch to a crankset with a narrower Q-factor. 

• You may need improved foot/knee/hip alignment, so you could need wedges installed in your shoes or between your shoes and cleats (might only be needed on one side). 

Knee (back side) 

• You may have a saddle that is too high, so you’ll want to lower it so that your knee angle (flexion) is in the range of 30-40 degrees at the bottom of the pedal stroke. 

• Your saddle may be too far rearward, so you’ll want to move it forward. 

• You may have too much float in your pedals, so you may want to change to cleats and/or pedals that limit float to around 5 degrees. 

• Your cleats could be worn, so you’ll want to replace them with new ones. 

• Hamstring weakness and/or tightness can also lead to soreness on the back side of the knees, so you may want to improve your hamstring flexibility and/or strengthen this muscle group. 

In my next article I’ll be reviewing aches and pains caused by poor bike fit related to issues involving the buttocks and back. 

It used to be fairly simple to know what size of bike you were buying. For example, a 54 cm frame usually meant that the seat tube was 54 centimeters.  Most often this was measured from the center of the bottom bracket to the center of the top tube. Top tubes were almost always level with the ground, and were usually within a centimeter of the length of the seat tube (i.e. traditional geometry, figure 1). Bikes were often built in 1 cm increments, so not only was it easier to know what you were buying, but there was a wider range of sizes from which to pick than today.   

Figure 1. Traditional frame geometry

Sloping top tubes and compact geometry

Nowadays, a 54 cm bike may not necessarily mean the seat tube is 54 cm, and it may not even mean that the top tube is 54 cm. This confusion stems from the fact that most road bikes no longer have a level top tube - in other words the top tube isn't parallel with the ground (what is known as sloping or compact geometry, figure 2). Bikes built this way can have much shorter seat tubes than they used to, especially if the top tube has a slope greater than a few degrees, so the actual seat tube length is not going be of much in help in determining the frame size any longer.  Since seat tube length is no longer a good benchmark for sizing, the top tube length has become the new yardstick for bike sizing.

Figure 2. Sloping/compact geometry

Top Tube length defined

Since top tube length is now the best way to determine a bike's true size, it's important to have an understanding of how top tube lengths are measured, especially on a bike with a sloping top tube.  If the top tube is level (again, like in figure 1), then the measurement given will probably be its actual length - simple. If the top tube is sloping (figure 2), the bike manufacturer may list both the actual top tube length and/or the effective top tube length in the geometry specs. The effective length can also be known as the bike's "horizontal" or "virtual" top tube length (again, figure 2). Whatever the nomenclature, the meaning is the same - it's a theoretical number that represents what the length of the top tube would have been had the frame actually been built with a level top tube. The effective top tube length is the best way to know exactly what size bike you are buying. Here's the problem - many bike companies don't list the size of their bike to correspond to the top tube length, or they list the bikes by sizes such as Small, Medium, and Large, which really tells you nothing about the true size of the frame.

Some confusing real world examples

Let's say you know you need a bike with a 54 cm top tube. Here are some of the options you can find at the shop where I do my bike fits (Revolution Bike Shop):

1. 50s Colnago CLX 3.0 - The size refers to the seat tube length. The effective top tube is actually 54cm.
2. Medium/53cm Look 566. Although Look lists this bike as a 53cm, not a single tube actually measures 53cm! The effective top tube is 54.2 cm.
3. 54cm/Medium Focus Izalco - The effective top tube is 54.3 cm.
4. 54 cm Felt F or Z series - the effective top tube is 54.5 cm.

So, only one of these bikes actually has a 54 cm effective top tube - the Colnago, yet it's a size 50s (the "s" stands for sloping). It's no wonder I see so many people on bikes that don't fit quite right - given the variety of ways manufacturers size bikes these days it's easy to get confused.

Know your size

The moral of the story is that you really have to pay attention to the frame geometry charts, especially if you are buying off of the internet, and haven't had the chance to do a test ride. It should go without saying that the first step in your bike purchasing journey should begin by:

• You travel, pack your bike, and need to build it up again.
• Something comes loose and slips, usually the seatpost or handlebars
• You have work done at a shop, and they accidentally change something
• You install a new stem, seatpost, saddle, and/or handlebars
• You want to duplicate your position on another bike
• You want to test ride a bike and get your position close to your current bike 

The measurements you'll want to record for road bikes* are as follows: 

1. Saddle height
2. Saddle height over bars (saddle to handlebar drop)
3. Saddle to handlebar distance
4. Saddle to hood distance
5. Saddle tilt
6. Saddle setback (saddle fore/aft) 

*Time trial and tri positions are bit more involved, so additional measurements should be recorded. The Park Tool link below will guide you through the process. 

It's important to make sure that your measurements are repeatable and consistent, and it's usually best to use protocols that are widely recognized and accepted. I use Park Tool's Road Positioning Chart to record everything; they also have a great online tutorial which will demonstrate how each of the measurements should be taken. Here are the links where you can download both the PDFs, and view the tutorials: 

• Park Tool Road Positioning Chart (one is for road, and the other for TT and Tri)
• Park Tool MTB Positioning Chart 

Here are my thoughts on each of the key measurements: 

Saddle Height 

The distance from the center of the bottom bracket to the bottom of a board or straight edge, placed across the length of the saddle (taken in line with the seat tube). Is this your actual saddle height? Probably not, because most saddles are not flat, so there will usually be a gap between the bottom of the board and the top of the saddle. The flatter your saddle, the closer this measurement will be to your actual saddle height. The more cupped your saddle, the farther this will be from your actual height. The purpose of this measurement isn't to necessarily capture your actual saddle height, but rather to establish a method that will allow you accurately record changes or transfer the same saddle height to another bike. 

Saddle height over bars (saddle to handlebar drop) 

Park Tool has two methods for recording this, and I prefer the one where you take two measurements and subtract the difference. First, record the distance from the floor to the bottom of a board or straight edge across the saddle's length (taken at the nose of the saddle). Next, record the distance from the floor to the tops of the handlers. Subtract the second measurement from the first one, and you'll know how high your handlebars are over your saddle. Keep in mind that since the first measurement is taken at the nose of the saddle, any change in your saddle tilt will also change this measurement. If you raise the nose of your saddle, it will cause the saddle to handlebar distance to increase.    

Saddle to handlebar distance 

This is the distance from the nose of the saddle to center of the handlebars at the stem. All of the following can change this distance: saddle height, fore/aft position, adding or removing stem spacers, and/or stem changes (either a different length or different rise). This measurement is typically the benchmark for "reach to the handlebars." 

Saddle to hood distance 

Although not recorded on the Park Tool Chart, I also recommend taking this measurement. It is the distance from the nose of the saddle to the tip of the brake lever hoods. This distance will change for all the same reasons mentioned just above, but this distance can also change even if the saddle to handlebar distance remains the same. Why? If you change to handlebars with different reach dimensions, rotate your handlebars, and/or change to a component group with different hoods, your saddle to hood distance can change, yet the saddle to handlebar distance at the stem will remain the same. 

Saddle tilt 

Using a straight edge across the length of the saddle, record the angle from horizontal using an angle finder, or even better, a digital level. I also recommend recording the level of the saddle in the approximate area where your sit bones rest. I have written an entire tutorial on this critical, but often overlooked, measurement. 

Saddle fore/aft (saddle setback) 

Drop a plumb bob from the nose of the saddle and measure the distance from the center of the bottom bracket to the plumb line. This measurement can change if you change the tilt of your saddle, even though you may not have changed the fore/aft position of the saddle on the rails.

Changing Saddles

You'll notice one constant in every one these measurements - the saddle. Change your saddle and almost every measure can change, especially if the new saddle has a different length. Changing saddles can be one of the most significant changes you can make to your equipment and it can really take some time to get everything dialed in to the way you had everything before the change. My advice when you are getting a new bike is to use the same saddle you've been used to riding, otherwise its going to be a real chore trying to replicate your position from your old bike. Of course, if your current saddle is not comfortable, then by all means make the switch.

Lastly, many of my clients are cyclists who had recently purchased a bike, and then found they couldn't get things to feel quite right, or even ended up in pain and discomfort; they simply couldn't figure out what had changed. Carefully recording your position and keeping the same saddle (or a new one of the same make and model) goes a long way towards knowing exactly how a different bike may change your position. 

Please join me this Saturday, October 22nd from 12-5PM for the Grand Opening of both Revolution Bike Shop and HERevolution (women's and kids multisport clothing and gear).

Both Revolution Bike Shop and HERevolution are located at:

235 S. Hwy. 101

Solana Beach, CA  92075

(800) 985-7814

Here's a link to the Google map.

As many of you already know, all my bike fits are now done at the bike shop, and I'd love meet those of you who haven't had a chance to stop by and visit my new home away from home.

It will be a great day of fun with FREE GIVEAWAYS, LIVE MUSIC, FOOD and DRINKS, TEST RIDE BIKES, KID FRIENDLY ACTIVITIES, and 10% OFF ALL PURCHASES MADE THE DAY OF THE GRAND OPENENING.  

The shop is a dealer for Felt, Focus, Look, Colgago and Guru, and we'll have extra bikes on hand for the Grand Opening so you can test ride some of the new 2012 bike and killer closeout deals on select 2011 models.

You can find road, Tri, mountain, communter, and cruiser bikes, in addition to a full service repair shop headed by Dan "Dano" Rock.

I'll look forward to seeing you this Saturday at Southern California's only His and Hers Bike shop.

There are also certain aches, pains and even injuries that definitely fall into the self inflicted wounds category – a situation where the cyclist themselves may be their own worst enemy and a bike fit may not help.  Are you doing something while logging saddle time that may cause pain that is completely avoidable, and can often be resolved without seeking professional help? Maybe you have even already been to a bike fitter for a nagging problem (maybe even me), yet you continue to be tormented by any of the following:  

• numb hands
• sore shoulders
• tightness between the shoulder blades
• stiff neck
• sore/tired lower back
• knee pain
• Achilles tendon pain
• Foot pain at ball, and/or toe numbness  

If you’d like to know some of the possible causes of these all too common self inflicted wounds, read on.

Locked arms 

It’s astounding how common this problem is, especially among recreational cyclists. Do you lock your arms out straight when riding in the hoods position? If so, you greatly increase the likelihood that you’ll get numb fingers and hands, sore shoulders, tightness between the shoulder blades, a sore neck, and even a sore back. Why? You are not using one of your body’s built in shock absorbers, which is your elbows. Always strive to keep a slight bend in your elbow, maybe 10-20 degrees; this will help keep the road vibration and jarring from beating up your body. Cyclists who lock their arms out straight also have a tendency to bear their upper body weight on their hands, which is almost certain to cause discomfort of some kind. For some, these locked arms are simply a bad habit that needs to be broken, but there are also definitely bike fitting issues that can cause these problems, and some cyclists simply can’t maintain a bend in their arms due to poor position or an ill fitting bike. Locked arms are often the result of a saddle that is tilted downwards (it seems I mention this in nearly every article), and/or being too stretched out on the bike, and/or having the handlebars positioned too far below the saddle – all are issues that can be remedied during a bike fit.  

Cadence/RPMs too low and/or pushing big gears 

Grinding away in big gears is a great way to cause knee problems, usually at the top or front of the knee. It’s also a great way to fatigue the lower back and cause Achilles tendon soreness, especially when too large of a gear is used during extended climbing efforts.  Pushing big gears combined with low pedaling revolutions can also contribute to, or cause, toe numbness and foot discomfort.  I recommend trying to keep your average RPMs (revolutions per minute) at 85+ on flat to rolling terrain and 70+ when climbing. Some cyclists will do okay staying within my guidelines on flat terrain, but will really struggle when climbing. The best solution for monitoring your RPMs is to buy a cycling computer with cadence functions, and then work toward retraining your leg muscles to spin more quickly. Some cyclists would be better served by actually changing their front chainrings, and will want to switch to a compact crankset (commonly a 50/34 tooth combination). If you are already using a compact crankset, then you might also consider a rear cassette with a lower bottom gear (i.e. 26-28 teeth; SRAM offers their Apex group with a 32 tooth low gear).  Less experienced or heavier cyclists may even be better off with a triple crankset, which will give them a much wider range of lower gears from which to pick.  If you think you are too strong to need smaller gearing, but can’t maintain at least 70 RPMs when climbing long grades, your ego may end up causing some possible down time due to sore a sore knee or Achilles tendon.

Riding too much 

As we age it becomes ever more critical to allow muscles and connective tissue to repair after hard or long efforts. I hate to be stating the obvious, but as we get older, we simply don’t recover as well as we once did. Ligaments, tendons, and cartilage seem to be particularly susceptible to strains and tears as the body ages. Adequate rest needs to be part of every cyclist’s game plan. Many will ride for years and years with poor positioning and less than ideal biomechanics without the slightest pain, and then suddenly something will go wrong, usually after about 40 years of age; I see these folks on a weekly basis. It would be nice if I could offer simple guidelines so you could gauge the amount of down time required to avoid pain and injuries, but there are simply too many variables involved – every cyclist’s situation in unique. Poor bike fit and the stress of exercise are but two factors in the equation, as there is an almost endless list of things that can inhibit the body’s ability to recover, with work and family stress at the top of the list. If you are an experienced cyclist and you find yourself with an ache or pain that you can’t connect to a sudden change in bike position, and you ride hard and/or long more than three days per week, your body may be telling you it’s time to cut back. It’s also possible that a long dormant issue has finally reared its ugly head, your body can no longer repair itself between efforts, and you’re going to need some professional bike fitting help.

The “weekend warrior” syndrome 

Of course, the flip side of riding too much is not riding enough.  Even if you have ideal position on the bike and near perfect pedaling biomechanics, if you go out once a week or only on the weekends, and ride hard and long, you’re more than likely going to have some discomfort.  This is especially true for those who ride hard on both Saturday and Sunday. I also find those who do a group ride on the weekends, but don’t ride the rest of the week tend to really dig far too deep. Many “weekend warriors” do avoid injury, since their bodies have adequate time to recover before the next suffer fest, but they are often riding in discomfort. This discomfort can of course be caused by issues related to poor bike fit, but it can also be a simple matter of lack of miles – a tired back, butt, and legs can be your constant companions once your weekly ride extends past a couple of hours. If you experience discomfort on even short rides during your weekly outing, then it is probably time to see a bike fitter.

Choice of frame material

Aluminum frames can beat up your body; this despite the use of a carbon fork. I know there are some frame builders out there who may take exception to that statement, but I rode on an aluminum frame with a fairly relaxed geometry (shallow seat tube, longer wheelbase, longer chainstays) for a couple of years and would never do so again. I found aluminum to be fairly harsh and jarring, which is not going to help with a wide variety of discomfort and pain, most notably hand numbness, neck and shoulder pain, lower back fatigue, and saddle soreness.  Many newer cyclists don’t want to spend over a thousand dollars on a new bike, and since most manufacturers will offer aluminum frames on their entry level bikes, it should come as no surprise that I see many new to the sport complaining of issues I can often trace back to jarring. Steel frames are more forgiving, as is titanium, but those frame materials are rarely seen on an entry level performance road bike, especially titanium.  Steel used to be very common on lower priced bikes, but nowadays it’s usually aluminum. Carbon fiber is usually going to be the next available option after aluminum, and if you can afford the extra money, I’d strongly suggest doing so.  As the next best option, which is usually not quite as expensive as a complete carbon fiber bike, you might also consider an aluminum frame with carbon fiber chainstays, seatstays, and/or seat tube. Lastly, aluminum can be a good choice for those who compete (particularly in criteriums), and want a bike that is both light for climbing, and super stiff for sprinting.