Having worked as a Professional Bike Fitter for over a decade there is one thing that a surprising number of cyclists forget to do: log their fit measurements. While most in-person bike fits will include a record of your bike measurements (if you didn’t get one, ask), for those that haven’t had an in-person fit, or didn’t get any measurements, it isn’t always obvious that taking measurements is something you should do.
In this post we’ll cover the why, what and how to log your bike fit measurements.
Why you need to measure your bike
It’s always important to have a record of your position on the bike for the simple reason that you might need to replicate it. Bikes break, parts slip, get moved, get stolen, or more optimistically maybe you get to travel and have to rent a bike (or set your own bike back up after boxing it up). If you don’t have a record of your position it’s going to be much harder and time consuming to recreate your position.
Picture this: you have spent the last few months refining your position by making small tweaks to your seat height and stem position. You’ve got your bike feeling perfect - like an extension of your body. You are on a glorious ride and you stop for a coffee, it’s a safe neighborhood so you don’t lock your bike. You come out and it’s gone! Luckily you have great insurance so you get a replacement bike right away. After weeks of riding the new bike you still can’t get it to feel quite right, even though it’s the exact same make/model. If only you had a set of detailed measurements you’d be able to get back to that perfect position you had worked so hard to find.
Bike fitters and Bike shop employees see all sorts of scenarios like this regularly. Don’t wait until it’s too late - go take those measurements right now.
The Four Basic Measurements You Need:
The four key measurements you need to reliably record your position can be split into two broader positions:
Saddle Position
Handlebar Position*
*In this article we’ll focus specifically on Road/Mountain/Hybrid bikes. We’ll have another post for Time Trial and Triathlon bikes as they are measured slightly differently.
Both have two components (which is how we get to four), vertical and horizontal, and will be referred to in this article as:
Saddle Height
Saddle Setback
Handlebar Drop
Handlebar Reach
Let’s dig into why each measurement is important, and how to take it.
A Tip For Measuring
Before we get into the how, the most important thing to do when taking your measurements is to be consistent in your method. There are a number of different methods you can use to take each measurement, and even what reference points you choose is ultimately up to you. What you need to remember is that your measurements are only as useful as they are repeatable so make sure you know what points you are measuring and stick with it.
Saddle Position:
Your saddle position is comprised of two main measurements
Saddle Setback
Saddle Height
Generally these two measurements reflect the horizontal and vertical(ish) distance from the saddle to the bottom bracket to the saddle. Why the bottom bracket? Because the bottom bracket is the one place on any bike that we cannot change. Regardless of any changes in geometry between bikes, our feet always move around the bottom bracket which makes it the perfect reference point to base our position around. Saddle Height and Setback measurements always start at the center of the bottom bracket (BB). If you remember elementary school geometry, we’ll consider the BB as the origin on a graph. Why the BB and not the pedal at the bottom of the pedal stroke? Using the pedal opens up a number of measurement variables, that while potentially relevant, these variables can be overcome in other ways - remember the key here is repeatability. Center of Crank
How to Measure For all the measurements you’ll want to make sure your bike is on level ground and placed so it is standing vertically (not leaning to one side or another). Saddle Biometric Reference Point Measuring both saddle height and setback requires picking a point on the saddle to use the reference point. Where you measure on the saddle will influence what measurement you get. Though there are several methods for selecting a reference point*, we recommend using the center of the length of the saddle as your reference point. This will help normalize for any difference in saddle lengths. Going forward we’ll call the saddle reference point BRP*. To find the BRP measure the width of the saddle where is 80mm wide - and mark it with a line across the width of the saddle at this 80mm point.
You can either put a piece of masking tape and mark that with a pen or mark directly on the saddle with a colored permanent ink marker. *It is worth noting that the UCI and some fit software use the tip of the saddle as the reference point. So if you are measuring your bike for a UCI sanctioned event or comparing to a fit report from a bike fitter it may be worth also using the tip of the saddle. Saddle Setback Horizontal distance from center of bottom bracket to saddle Biometric Reference Point (BRP). There are a number of ways to take this measurement. Our preferred method to take this measurement is to place your bike with the back wheel against a wall (finding a corner is helpful as the adjacent wall can help keep the bike upright). Measure the horizontal distance from the wall to the center of your bottom bracket, and the wall to your BRP. Then use the following simple calculation: Saddle Setback = (wall to bb) - (wall to BRP).Saddle Setback
Saddle Height Direct distance from center of bottom bracket to saddle Biometric Reference Point (BRP). This is measured inline to the reference point so your tape measure will be on an angle from the BB to the reference point not perpendicular to the ground or directly following the seat tube (but in some cases they may line up).
Handlebar Position Handlebar drop and reach refers to the vertical and horizontal distance from a point on the saddle to the place where you interact with the steering of the bike, the Handlebar. On most bikes this will be where your hands naturally hold the handlebars. As mentioned early, whereas saddle position is measured with the bottom bracket as the reference, Handlebar/Hoods or Grip position is measured from the saddle BRP. In practice this means both measurements are tied back to the bottom bracket, and will help you replicate your position on any bike. Handlebar Reference Point Similar to measuring the saddle position, measuring handlebar position requires picking a point on the handlebars to measure from. There are many different types of handlebars out there, and multiple hand positions to choose from. These are the reference points we recommend for the most common handlebar options. We will call this point the HRP. Drop handlebars (e.g. road, grave, cx, touring, etc.): measure to the point on the hoods where the crook of your hand meets the hood. Flat handlebars (e.g. mountain bikes, hybrids, etc.): measure to the point of the grip where the crook of your hand meets the grip.
Handlebar Drop Handlebar drop is the vertical distance from saddle BRP to HRP The easiest way to take this measurement is to place your bike upright against a wall. Measure the vertical distance from the floor to the HRP, and the floor to your Saddle BRP. Then use the following simple calculation: Handlebar Drop = (Floor to BRP) - (Floor to HRP) A negative number indicates the saddle is higher than the Handlebar. Handlebar Reach Handlebar reach is the distance between the Saddle BRP and the Handlebar Reference Point (HRP). This is measured exactly as a straight line between the two points.
It’s important to keep in mind that Handlebar reach on its own is a factor of numerous factors, the saddle to bar drop, overall reach, bar width, bar reach, stem length.
Key Considerations
Equipment differences can play an important role in the overall fit and feel of your bike, so be sure to also log details about other components and equipment including:
Crank length
Handlebar width and model (most handlebars have different shapes),
Saddle make/model/width,
Pedal model
Shoe model
While individually it may seem as though changes to these items may be insignificant, they can be the cause of fit issues and keeping track can be a great help to tracking down the source of problems. While it is somewhat rare that you’ll need to dig so deep into your position that nuances like these will be needed but it’s always better to have them and not need them than to not have them and need them. Normalizing for differences - Often you can normalize for differences between parts or bikes if you are, say, renting or borrowing a bike, or replacing an old bike with one with a different geometry. For example, if you borrowed a bike with a different crank length, you’ll need to normalize for the difference. If the cranks are longer than yours, then you’ll need to lower your saddle by the difference, if they are shorter then you’ll need to raise your saddle. Last but not least, store your bike measurements and check them regularly. Save your measurements! It doesn’t matter how good your measurements are, if you don’t have a copy of them when you need them they won’t help much. We recommend storing your measurements so you always have them when needed.
If you have had a Bike Fit with us you will have received a Bike Fit Report with all the Measurements included. Now that you have those measurements, check your bike regularly to make sure your position hasn’t changed. It isn’t uncommon to have people show up for a bike fit because they are in pain and it comes down to their seatpost or handlebar slipping.
Many Athletes have used Performance BikeFit to improve their cycling position. Whether you are a veteran or new to the sport, Performance BikeFit can help you improve your position and improve your enjoyment of cycling indoors and Out.
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