After using the Bike Fitting Kit, I am much more comfortable on my bike. I would recomend it to anyone who rides. Allen, CT.
Thanks for offering a such a great product to the general public. Jim, Vt.
Thanks for putting the Bike Fitting Kit on the market. I think this product will be helpful to a lot of cyclists. Keep advertising this product. Bill, Tx.
Your pain troubleshooting guide is great. Ron, FL.
It’s The testers at BikeRumor: It’s reusable - you can use it again and again on all your old bikes and future new bikes. It’s cheap - at $29.95, it’s less than a third of what a basic bike shop fit costs. Spread that cost across all of your bikes and it’s dirt cheap on a per bike cost. For a bike shop, it’s a good upsell for more casual riders that don’t want to drop $100 or more on a professional fit…or a great gift idea around holiday time. It’s easy to use - it’s quicker and easier with two people, but if you don’t have any friends, you can do it yourself on a trainer. For $29.95, this is a bargain, and all of us thought it worked great. We all ended up making adjustments to our bikes and in every instance, it improved comfort and perceived performance.
- I've used The Bike Fitting Kit for the last 2 years. I have found that is helpful in making fine tuning adjustments over the course of a season. As my riding form improves (or degrades) checking bike fit once or twice a season can identify problem solutions.
- It is a lot easier to climb hills after using the bike fitting kit. Thanks!
- My wife and I both noticed more power after using the kit.
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Professional bike fits can cost hundreds of dollars and are almost always worth it. But if money is an object and you are a good DIY'er, the Bike Fitting Kit promises to put you into a comfortable and efficent position. The kit contains instructions and everything needed to do the job - a tape measure, plumb bob, hex key goniometer and more. plus a flexability test and a troubleshooting chart of 15 pain related position problems. It's for helping you solve personal issues after the basic fit has been done. Based on what we know about bike fit, this product looks to be on target with its recommendations. Ed Pavelka BoadBikeRider.com President Former Bicycling Mag. executive editor. Author of 18 cycling books.
Size yourself up bicycling always recommends proper bike fit for efficent, pain free pedaling. Now there is a kit that lets you do it at home. The Bike Fitting Kit contains all the tools to do the job right, including a goniometer (which measures joint angles), a plumb bob (to find your best saddle position), a level, hex keys, a tape measure and an instruction manual. It also comes with a "discomfort troubleshooting" guide to help you tweak your ride to your special needs. Selene Yeager (The Fit Chick) Bicycling Magazine editor U.S.A. certified cycling coach
What did the reviewers at BikeRumor think? Brad - 6′2″ / 175lbs - Full Suspension Mountain Bike: “After using the bike fit kit I noticed a pretty substantial difference. After watching the video I needed to raise my seat about 2 1/2 inches, and slide my cleats back a half inch. I feel I have more power on the hill climbs, and it’s not taking as much power out of my legs with the new adjustments. It took a bit to get used to, but definitely better.” Tyler - 6′2″ - 179lbs - Full Suspension MTB and Road Bike: “I used the kit on both my mountain bike and road bike. On my mountain bike, I ended up just moving the seat back about half an inch. For my road bike, I used my “B” bike since I’ve had a professional fit on my “A” bike, and I was very curious to see how the two measured up afterward. I ended up moving that seat back about 1/2″ also…I had always thought having a move “forward” position allowed for more power, kind of like a time trial bike, so I had my seats pretty far forward. I wouldn’t say I was ever really uncomfortable on either bike, but with my road bike, it’s just an easier feeling…almost like long rides are just casual rides, which is really great. I actually used the measurements from the Bike Fitting Kit on the “B” bike to change the stem length on my “A” bike and am considerably more comfortable on both now.” Evan -5′5″ / 135lbs - Road bike: “The kit’s easy to use and understand, but it’s a two-person operation. My changes were raising the seat and moving it forward, and I rotated my handlebars up. Usually after about 45 minutes my hands are numb, but after I used the fit kit, I did a two hour ride with no discomfort. I was more comfortable and felt less fatigue. What I liked about the kit was how easy it was to use, and the Fine Tuning Guide is great ’cause you can throw it in your jersey with a couple of allen wrenches and make minor tweaks on the ride.” Daniel - 6′0″ / 160lbs - Hardtail Mountain Bike: “What I liked about it was the subtle changes that the kit helped me make…stuff that I never would have thought to check or knew how to check. My cleats were completely out of sync with each other, but I had never known to check that. We raised my seat and moved it forward, putting a lot more of the seat under my butt whereas I used to feel like I was always sitting right on the nose. The next ride I did after the fit was a 90 minute mountain bike ride in the mountains with lots of climbing, and I noticed that I was able to comfortably stay seated for much more of the ride.”
For many adults bicycle riding is a relaxing and healthy part of their daily or weekly routine. Bike riding is a great way to maximize weight loss when dieting and, with steadily rising fuel costs, a good way to conserve gas. There are quite a few working adults who have recently added bike riding to their routine simply to deal with increasing fuel costs. Regardless of their reason for cycling, there is one thing that many adults forget about when climbing on their bicycle and that one thing is bicycle injury prevention. While riding a bike is healthy it can aggravate existing medical problems or, in some cases, cause others. Common problems are knee pain and back pain especially when bike riding is part of the bike owners weekly, or daily, routine. This comes as a surprise to many adults who are only concerned with avoiding collision related injuries. Most bike riding adults are so busy protecting themselves from various crash related accidents and injuries that they do not even consider preventing knee and back problems. There are a few things that bike riders can do to help reduce the chances of back and knee pain turning into a serious medical condition. One thing that can be done, which is often overlooked even by serious athletes, is making sure that the riding position is comfortable prior to starting any bike trip. Few people realize that jumping on a bike and riding with no regard to sitting position can lead to pain and injury. In fact, most people simply expect to have a certain amount of pain and discomfort after any bike ride. The truth is that all bike riders should be correctly positioned on their road or mountain bicycle before starting out. This means adjusting your bike prior to taking your ride so that your body is not strained or forced to utilize certain joints or muscles more than others. Since most riders get on their bikes and ride without making any adjustments they end up utilizing their knees, legs, and backs more than the rest of their body causing discomfort which will later lead to pain. With proper adjustments this pain and discomfort can be completely avoided. A way to help adjust your bicycle properly is to invest in a Bike Fitting Kit. These kits are designed specifically to address to the pain and medical problems that can develop from riding a bike in an improper or uncomfortable position. This kit will not only help reduce pain and avoid serious injury, it will also help improve your average bike ride by allowing you to get the most out of your breathing capacity and overall riding experience. Along with injury prevention a Bike Fitting Kit will help educate cyclists about bike riding in general and the potential medical risks. Acquiring a Bike Fitting Kit is an important step in bicycle injury prevention and safety. Educating yourself and other cycling enthusiasts will help ensure that both you and they will be able to enjoy your healthy pastime for many years to come. Steve Lechleiter
Bicycles Network Australia I was having cramps in my lower back when I went on long rides. I ended up raising my handlebars as recommended in the pain troubleshooting guide, and made some small adjustments to the saddle. I also slid my cleats back ½” and noticed a difference spinning up hills. I now don’t have any cramps at all and I noticed a substantial difference in my power output. A slight adjustment has saved me a few hundred dollars in a bike fit. It doesn’t take much to make subtle changes to your setup to get results rather than having to ride back into the LBS and fine tune a setup which already cost you $200+ and might cost you a lot more and before you pay for a new seatpost, handlebar or cranks you may want to try fitting your bike yourself. While the Bike Fitting Kit is still a package solution that doesn't replace a professional fit, the price point makes it an attractive solution, in particular for riders who may never consider a professional bike fit. Small adjustments and a better theoretical understanding for better riding mean that the Bike Fitting Kit can reap benefits. The kit caters for both Road and Mountain Bike. Robert Cumine,
Quote: Frame material, components, and weight mean nothing if the bike doesn’t fit right. Many riders get it wrong. We know because we see people every day riding on incorrectly sized bike or with the seat so low it hurts our knees just watching. Proper fit is usually achieved with help from a good bike shop, an expensive professional fit or trial and error. A large percent seem to fall into the later category. But it’s often a literally painful experience, especially for the newbie. The instructions are easy to comprehend and there is a good chart in the back that lists poor fit symptoms with the cause and cure. I used the kit and it got me very close to my current (and correct) setup. Personal preferences and body type differences keep you from achieving perfection right away, but the Bike Fitting Kit will get you within striking distance of the most important and often underestimated factor in riding, proper bike fit. Ron Koch Bicycling magazine test editor
- Poor bicycle position can easily ruin the fun of riding. Many cyclists, novice and experienced alike, have never been properly fitted. This procedure is strongly recommended for those who frequently ride over an hour in duration, in order to avoid overuse injuries and increase your level of enjoyment while riding your bike.
CycleTime’s Bike Fitting Kit for road bikes is a good “do-it-yourself” alternative to a professional bike fitting. The kit provides detailed instructions on how to use the included tools; a goniometer (to measure body angles), plumb line, measuring tape, level, and items to measure hip flexibility. The user’s manual gives clear details and illustrations on how to adjust saddle height, saddle angle as well as its fore/aft position, handlebar width, height, angle and reach. We tested the Bike Fitting Kit on our own Bicycle Paper graphic designer, Michelle, who recently purchased her first road bike. The kit was easy to use and the procedures simple to follow. This kit is accurate enough to get you to an adequate, comfortable position, very close to where you should be, while reducing the risk of injuries. As for our test subject, we made some drastic adjustments to saddle height and angle as well as handlebar angle. Michelle felt more comfortable on the bike immediately and had no problem adjusting to the new position. Tai Lee, Bicyclepaper.com
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