Why Bike Fits Fail

TAGS · Being Healthy · Being Fast

A cyclist can go to two different bike fitters and leave with completely different positions. And that’s exactly why many people think bike fitting is a flop.

But here’s the thing. Even if both fitters are technically excellent, the problem may still be… you.

Not because you’re doing something wrong during the session. But because most cyclists arrive at a bike fit without clearly understanding three things:
• What problem they’re actually trying to solve,
• How much money and time a fit can take,
• And whether they’re ready for their body to change.

And here’s the paradox. A bike that fits you perfectly today may stop fitting you six months later.

Counterintuitively, that may actually mean the fit worked.

I’m not a bike fitter, and I’m not trying to sell you one. But after 28 years of serious cycling and several professional bike fits — including failed ones — I’ve realised that most people make the same three mistakes before they even choose a fitter. So let’s talk about how to avoid them.

MINIMAP · Right Goals · Extra Costs · Long-Term

1. UNDERSTAND YOUR GOALS

A surprising number of cyclists book a bike fit without clearly understanding what they’re actually trying to get from it.

And that’s a problem, because there’s no one perfect position hidden somewhere inside your body. A position that makes you faster may also overload your back, neck, or hands. And a position designed to reduce pain may sacrifice speed or handling. Sometimes fitting is optimisation. Sometimes it’s damage control.

When I went for my first proper bike fit after more than twenty years of cycling, I discovered that I had been riding asymmetrically the entire time.

My body had adapted to compensate for it so well that trying to “fix” the asymmetry completely would probably create more problems than it solved.

So instead of forcing me into some perfectly symmetrical textbook position, the fitter adjusted the bike around my asymmetry to make it sustainable long-term.

And honestly, that was the moment I properly understood bike fitting. Not as the search for some “correct” position. But as the search for the right compromise for a particular rider, body, and goal.

Most bike fits are centred around one of three goals:
— improving performance, either in general or for a specific discipline or event,
— solving a pain point, recurring fatigue, or managing an existing injury,
— or making the position more comfortable and sustainable.

But even “becoming faster” is not really a complete goal. Faster where?

A bike fitter can help you balance aerodynamics, power production, and sustainability.

But first you need to decide: are you the kind of cyclist chasing personal bests in 200-kilometre brevets — or trying to win half-hour time trials?

Because fitting is largely the art of compromise.

And yes — “I want to look cooler on the bike” is also a perfectly legitimate goal. But you need to admit it.

Hiding your real priorities from the fitter — or from yourself — can quietly sabotage your bike fit.
A bike fitter is a bit like a doctor or a lawyer in that sense. Even an excellent professional can only work with the information you communicate clearly.

If you describe the wrong problem, forget important details, or never properly define your own goals in the first place, the outcome may still disappoint you — even if the fitter technically did a very good job.

MINIMAP · Right Goals · Extra Costs · Long-Term

2. KNOW THE HIDDEN COSTS

Many cyclists imagine a bike fit as a single appointment where somebody adjusts your saddle height, rotates your handlebars a bit, and sends you home.

And sometimes that’s exactly what happens.

But sometimes a bike fit becomes the beginning of a much longer — and more expensive — process.

You may leave needing:
— a different stem or handlebars,
— another saddle or seatpost,
— shorter cranks or better-fitting shoes,
— or even a completely different bike.

And this is where an important distinction appears: are you fitting a bike you already own — or fitting your body before buying one?

If you already have a bike, most of the time it’s still possible to make it work reasonably well for you.

But compromises may appear. Changing a stem or saddle is relatively simple. Changing an integrated cockpit or an expensive carbon crankset just because the fit is slightly suboptimal may be financially unreasonable.

So in many cases, fitting an existing bike means working around the limitations of the equipment you already own.

The good news is that no extremely specialised equipment is required for this type of fitting, which means more fitters are available — and the process itself usually costs less.

If you are planning to buy a bike, the smartest thing you can do is book a proper fit before the purchase.

Compared to the price of a modern bicycle, the fit itself is relatively cheap. But it may save you from a very expensive mistake.

A proper pre-purchase fit is usually done on a dedicated fitting rig — essentially an infinitely adjustable bicycle designed specifically for fitting.

These machines are expensive, which is one reason this type of session usually costs more — and why fewer fitters have them available.

Some may instead use smart trainers or highly adjustable fit bikes, which can also work well, even if the process is sometimes less convenient.

The important part is that you first discover your optimal riding position without being constrained by a particular bicycle.

And only after that do you start looking for a bike capable of reproducing that position. Depending on what you find, some compromises or component swaps may still be necessary. But now you discover those limitations before spending thousands on the bike — not after.

After purchasing the bike, a second appointment to replicate and fine-tune the position may still be required. So yes, the fitting process itself may cost more in this scenario. But the final outcome is often better — and sometimes even cheaper overall.

MINIMAP · Right Goals · Extra Costs · Long-Term

2. BE READY FOR BODY CHANGES

A good bike fitter understands not only your current body — but also how that body may change with time, training, age, fatigue, injuries, or lifestyle.

Sometimes they may even help you improve those limitations through off-bike work:
• strength training,
• mobility work,
• stretching,
• or referrals to medical or movement specialists.

But again, honesty matters. If you already know you are not going to do the prescribed exercises, say that right away. Otherwise you risk getting a position designed for a theoretical future version of yourself — instead of the body you actually have today.

And this becomes especially important because your position will likely evolve over time anyway. Many newer cyclists initially prefer a shorter and more upright position because it feels closer to a normal standing or sitting posture.

But as cycling-specific strength, flexibility, stability, and adaptation improve, riders often become comfortable in a lower and longer position — which is better for performance.

That may eventually require:
• a longer stem,
• fewer spacers under it,
• changes to saddle position to preserve balance on the bike.

And this is something many cyclists only discover after already spending large amounts of money on upgrades. A bike that comfortably fits your current body may become limiting surprisingly quickly as your position evolves.

But the opposite can also happen. With age, accumulated fatigue, injuries, or changing priorities, riders often move toward shorter and more upright positions again. And lower power output usually also means more pressure on the saddle, because less body weight is supported through the pedals.

That’s why getting a proper fit sheet with all your measurements is crucial. Without it, every component change, experiment, adjustment, crash, or maintenance session risks gradually moving your bike away from the professionally fitted position.

A good fit sheet allows you to:
• reproduce the position later,
• track how it changes over time,
• work with another fitter if necessary,
• or safely adjust the bike yourself.

Because bike fitting is rarely a one-time event. Your goals will change. Your equipment will change. And your body will definitely change.

Understanding that early will probably save you some of the mistakes I personally made over the years — so you don’t have to.

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