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Why Fit?

Good fit does more to improve your performance and comfort than any other factor in frame design. Poor fit means you work harder to pedal, to keep your balance and to keep various body parts out of pain.

What makes a good fit?

Good fit means you are:

• Comfortable: You can ride close to your training limits in comfort. Comfort doesn't mean that if you're a 10 mile rider that you can suddenly ride 100 miles. It means you can enjoy your full 10 miles enough to want to reach for more ambitious rides.
• Powerful: Your fit (plus a well-built frame) should maximize the efficiency of your pedal stroke and to give you confidence in climbs, sprints, descents and turns.
• Flexible: Good bike fit is naturally dynamic. Our ideal fit changes in the course of a ride, the season and certainly over our lifetimes. As much as possible, you'll want your bike to adapt to your life changes.

How do I get a good fit?

Better bike shops have experienced, professionally trained fitters who can use a number of excellent measuring systems such as Fit Kit ( http://bikefitkit.com ) to arrive at a basic frame size.

The best systems go beyond just the numbers. Riding under the watchful eye of a trained fitter is the best way to evaluate both your fit and technique. This can be done with you on a bike mounted on a wind trainer, with you on a fitting machine (such as the Waterford Fitmaster) or even riding with you. A good fitting may take up to two hours and in some cases may involve some followup activities.

Bike fitting is not a passive act. A fitter will look for signs of good form, like proper leg extension, proper ankle motion, a minimum of hip movement, good back, neck and arm position. Your feedback is just as important as the fitter's observations. If it doesn't feel comfortable, it probably isn't right for you.

Fit and Fitness

Fit does not get rid of all riding-related pain. If you normally ride 10 miles at a time, you will almost certainly hurt at the end of a 100 mile ride. You may also find that investment in strengthening back, neck, shoulder and arm muscles can significantly improve your performance and enjoyment. Be sure to let your fitter know of any medical conditions you have that might affect your riding or be affected by your riding, such as spinal injuries, ligament problems, bone breaks and so on. If you have a lot of physical complications, you may want to involve your doctor and/or physical therapist. We want riding to solve to your health problems, not cause them.

In some cases, it may take a change of both fit and technique to achieve the best result. For example, holding your arms straight for long periods of time stresses the wrists, elbows, shoulders, neck and back Shortening your reach will relieve the need to hold your arms straight, but benefit only when you actually start bending your arms.

It Doesn't Need to be Complicated

Not every rider needs to change your fit. If you suffer no pain and you feel like you're getting the most for your efforts, what you may just want on your new bike is what you already have on your existing bike.

Putting it Together

The best way to describe a fit is to show the relationship between the saddle, handlebars and the center of the crank (also known as the bottom bracket). The attached .pdf document shows the kind of measurements that can help us lock in the best choice among our stock geometries, or to show how much you can benefit from custom geometry. If you like your current fit, you can just take these number off your current ride. If you get a fitting, these are the target saddle and bar locations we would use select or design the bike of your dreams. Click here to download the Gunnar Fit Guide.