Bike fitting and use of wedges

[andrew_phillips]

Was wondering if anyone had an opinion on whether it is worth going for a professional bike fit and if so does anywhere come recommended? I am thinking of buying some 1mm cleat wedges (or shims) over the internet and just experimenting gradually with them as I have a bit of imbalance in my right foot - it rolls inwards a little. It seems like plenty of others have done this from reading random cycling forums but wanted to see if anyone at Addiscombe has experience with them. Proper bike fits seem very expensive!

Cheers guys

Andrew P

[MattI]

A lot of people seem to go for Cyclefit in Covent Garden.
It's expensive .Some people swear by them, others are more cautious in their appraisal of the efficacy of their service.

The one place that seems universally well-regarded for bike fitting is Dauphine Sport at the top of Box Hill.
A lot cheaper too.

[Marek]

Totally agree, Dauphines are very good, I think bike fit is quite interesting, but did I feel it was worth the money, the answer is no. Once you have had your fit with Dauphines ask them to write down all the measurements that are important so that you have the for posterity. That is the one good thing that I got from cyclefit.

Cheers

Marek...

[sonic909]

Not to sure about cleat wedges or bike fitting, however i have shoe wedges...

I have collapsed arches/flat feet and use to get a pain on the top outside part of both feet, and a small pain above my right knee...
Randomly i also used to occasionally (usually when in minor discomfort mentioned above) wallop my knee on the top tube.

I got some specialized ++ insoles and they came with wedges, so i experiemented and have two in my right shoe and one in my left, as well as the insole. I found it turns my knees out slightly, and makes my thighs run parralel when cycling.

I since havent hit my right leg on the toptube(it could of just been lazyness/tiredness/poor posture/balence/flid moment) so i think the have made a difference-possibly just pshyciological... but i am happy thinking i am happy!

A tip i read in a magazine is find a flat road and cycle with the sun behind you and monitor your shadow on the road when testing wedges... i tried it and you can kind of see the rythm and where you might be going wrong.

Hope this helps!

[carl f]

Up and running in east sheen charge £25 for the bikefit.com (free if you buy a bike with them) which gives you all details you need and you can keep the computer print out for the future
Cheers
Carl

[Andy E]

I've used Cyclefit in Covent Garden and can highly recommend them. I agree that it's certainly not cheap (around £120) but it's very thorough. After a good chinwag and some measurement taking they set you up on this adjustable jig and alter your position accordingly, checking graphical displays for power output and efficiency and some funky laser things to check for knee wobble. I also got fitted with some le-wedges and got a set of custom footbeds (one of the best pieces of kit i've ever bought). Came to around £200 in total, but when I did a ramp test on my turbo with the new setup i found that my average power had increased by about 20%, which is a bit of a bargain for £200 if you ask me.

Obviously my original setup wasn't very good, so some peolpe may not see much benefit, although even if they don't need to make any adjustments the confirmation that you have the correct setup is money well spent in my opinion.

[andrew_phillips]

Thanks for all the replies fellas, most useful. I will probably give both Cyclefit and Dauphine a call and see what's what with prices and sessions. Got to be better than doing a cowboy effort myself, especially considering the years of riding I imagine are ahead of me.

Andrew P

[quote="Andy E"]I agree that it's certainly not cheap (around £120) but it's very thorough.

[Andrew G]

You could use the Dolphins bike fit which comes highly recommended at a much cheaper cost. You could then have the option of something like the Specialized footbeds/shims ,and also Snow & Rock do insoles for about £50 which are custom fit ones that are heat molded to the shape of your feet and have a rigid sole and arch for support. They are sold as Ski one but cyclists use them as well.

Remember that your knee pain may not be anything to do with your insoles or leg differences and so on but something else to do with your bike fit which you are over-compensating for and that is what is then causing the knee pain.

[Dombo]

Is a fitting service likely to be of benefit only if one feels pain or discomfort on the bike? Apart from tired legs and an occasional numb toe I don't get any problems, so should I just leave the bike as is?

No idea what my power output is. Pretty feeble judging by my performance before Merstham drag returning from Saturday's CR.

[quote="Nicolas"][quote="Andy E"]I agree that it's certainly not cheap (around £120) but it's very thorough.