Newbie bike fit question

Save yourself the money and do this http://youtu.be/FAl_5e7bIHk

You may not get it right first time but you'll get the idea.

Bike fitting is pointless for a beginner, just get the shop or a knowledgeable friend to help you set it up then experiment a little. You will gain far more from going out and riding your bike than you will from spending money on a bike fit, money which could be spent on tyres, or a saddle, nice bibs or beer, bike fit is a low priority and TBH a bit of a con, and I say that as a trained bike fitter.

I'd go for a bike straight away. It won't be perfect but it will give you a great idea of what to focus on. It will help prevent injury and make sure you are getting your power through properly. Six months or a year down the line you'll need another one as you will have changed physically and will have a better idea of your riding style.

I don't agree that delaying a fit is saving money. I'd advise any cyclist to have an annual bike fit, most of us can stretch (deliberate pun) to £150 a year. I find it hard to understand why so many riders refuse even rudimentary coaching, as it's the cheapest but most effective performance enhancer. A modest spend can increase your effectiveness massively.

Hey dude, whereabouts are you?

I agree, certainly when you're just starting out the best 'bike fit' you can do is simply to ride and pay attention to what your body tells you. Hips rocking from side to side: saddle is too high. Pain at the front of your knee: saddle too far back (meaning you're pushing 'forward' on the pedal) or too low (meaning you push the pedal with your knee angle <90 degrees). Hands numb: too much weight on them, either raise the bars or move the saddle back a touch.

Your flexibility will increase and you'll find that your perfect 'fit' moves, it's not difficult to get 'close enough' though.

It's a good question. Having a bike fit up front should mitigate the risk of you developing aches or pains etc, but on the other hand, your body changes as you ride more. For example, your flexibility improves to adopt the forward-leaning riding position, your muscles develop and perhaps prevent aches experienced during the initial getting-fit period.

In theory, bike fits are an iterative process, repeated as your body and riding style improves and changes. In reality though, no-one wants to shell out £100 every year for one, and understandably so. If you feel comfortable now, and you aren't prone to sports injuries/aches and pains, then holding fire while you get some miles in probably isn't a bad idea. However, getting things like cleat positioning right is a fine art, so keep an eye on how you feel, particularly as your riding distance increases. Any pain from the knees down or hot sensations in the foot often (although not exclusively) indicate foot support or cleat positioning issues.

Personally, I got the obligatory 'looks about right' bike fitting from the shop, and then paid for a fit further down the line.

If you can tell us your location, you may receive suggestions for good bike fitters. I'm in Manchester and can recommend Pedal Precision based in the velodrome.

The other thing is telling the difference between aches/pains because the bike doesn't fit you, and aches/pains because you aren't used to long periods on the bike. Stretching your hamstrings, quads, ITB, hip flexors, back and neck are all great to alleviate the latter.

Don't worry about the SPDs - twice seems to be the regulatory number of times to fall off! As you get used to them, try to mimic the sensation of scraping dog muck off the sole of your shoe as your foot is in the bottom third of the pedal stroke - i.e. from 4 o clock to 8 o clock. This will improve your ability to apply power through a greater proportion of the pedal stroke and is the real value of being firmly attached to the pedals.

Well done on taking the plunge and buying the bike by the way - pesky kids still get in the way of actual bike time though!