I recently took a week off of cycling (I was working in NY) and when I got home noticed that my right knee, which had been bothering me for several weeks was suddenly feeling better. More over, the stiffness that was developing has started to slowly come back now that I am back to my daily bike commute.
Soooo. anyone out there with a recommendation for how to get a perfect fit for my bike? I read this really cool article about a sports medicine doctor who has an extensive process. Liink this might be a little more that I am looking for, but with the right recommendation if there was someone in PGH with such a practice I might go for it.
I am pretty open to options, please let me know your suggestions.
As always, thanks folks, you people here on this forum are just wonderful.
http://bike-pgh.org/blog/2008/05/09/the-importance-of-proper-bike-fit/
There is a UPMC sports medicine guy that will do a fitting for you. I have never done it, but everyone I've spoke to has had good things to say. You get $10 off with your bike-pgh membership card.
I just had a fitting with Matt last week. He did an awesome job. We only had to make minimal adjustments but the bike feels much better. It's definetly worth it.
Perfect, just what i was looking for.
There are also good bike fitters at Pro Bikes, Big Bang and Trek. Here's a write-up on the Specialized BG fit: http://pghracing.org/2010/06/09/probikes-bike-fit/
Or you can try to do it yourself. There are a number of fit calculators out there on the internets.
Thirded for an appointment with Matt. Hes a totally awesome dude who will spend hours with you getting you in the right spot on your bike and offering advice on not just your fit, but your muscle groups and general cycling fitness.
For what its worth, I've been fitted at Trek and my girlfriend got a fit too, and it was 2 minutes of un-attentive "yeah your seat is high enough", no where near what Matt does.
@robjdlc: is this the fit you got done? http://trekofpgh.com/articles/body-scan-precision-bicycle-fit-pg271.htm
Or was it the typical set-up a bike shop usually does when you buy a bike?
who is that handsome devil in the pro bikes fitting
photos?
I think calling what UPMC does a "bike fitting" is a misnomer. It's a comprehensive assessment of cycling efficiency. So, yes, they look at seat height and frame geometry, but they also look to match your anatomy with the frame. In the case of bad knees, for example, the issue may not be the frame at all, but with the way in which your foot meets the pedal -- width, angle, etc. So, comparing what Matt at UPMC does with what a fitter at Trek or any reputable bike shop does is sort of unfair. They are not intended to provide the same service, and they don't.
I disagree.
The pro bike fit does all this.
The new fit system at "top gear" in the north hills
does this too.
Read that pgh racing article.
who is that handsome devil in the pro bikes fitting
photos?
Some local Masters racer, isn't he?
What does it cost to get a fitting at UPMC and or Probikes?
Obviously you can't include the cost of a new stem or shoe inserts, etc. because that will be a case by case basis.
A ball park will be just fine, is this a $50 item or a $200 item?
I paid $60 for an adequate but not exceptional fitting. I think Matt charges more, and puts more into it. Bike fitting is hard to do for yourself. It's like cutting your own hair.
The UPMC one is advertised at $75, or $65 if you flash your bike-pgh card.
I am making an appointment to have my road bike setup and I am considering taking in my commuter bike as well because it has been delivering some pain lately.
Gah, I've been meaning to do this for months.
Sometimes my lower back hurts when I'm doing a bunch of hills. If I'm on it all week, might as well spend a few dollars to make sure I'm on it right
I think rob said that matt is able to or soon will be able to fit you for one bike and then use the settings from that to adjust your other bikes.
Oh and what is the number to schedule at upmc with matt? I think I missed it
Contact info is here. He is on vacation until the 19th however.
Another recommendation for Matt at UPMC. I did the "enthusiast" fit ($150) days before the Trans-Sylvania – classic trial by fire. His approach is part science (careful measurement, etc.) and part art (eyeballing). Got some surprising results. Definitely helped with some lower back pain I had been having, and made me feel like I was getting more power in general. Plus he gave further email advice during the race for small adjustments.
I took his cellphone number and joked about calling in case I ended up by the side of the trail in pain, but that didn't happen, at least not from fit issues.
He offers a "Rail-Trail" fit for $75, which does not include clipless pedal fit, but that can be added for $35. (That part helped me a lot.)
That "Rail-trail" fit might interest me.
@epp. Do you use cleats?
Has anyone here had bike-related knee problems that don't involve cleats nor clips?
I'm guessing that if you use cleats for a few hundred miles a week, maybe 20 minutes without clips every other day would make positive difference.
my right leg is shorter, so it's tricky to get my seat hieght correct. Too high and the back of my right knee hurts from over-extending; too low and my left knee hurts.
Tabby - I wonder if mixing your crank arm lengths would address your problem? Try something like a 165 mm arm on the right and a 170 mm on the left? If you have an inexpensive crankset, you could ebay a used one, or close enough, to just use one arm.
Mick: that may or may not be true, depending on the individual. In my case, my feet naturally angle in a way that causes my knees to angle out when I pedal, so any riding without a modifying insole causes stress to my IT band. Riding in regular shoes on platforms is essentially no good for my knee.
Stef is right, Matt recently picked up an XY tool that can take your particular measurements off of the bike he fits you for, then transfer those measurements to any other bike. I was the second person he used it on and hadnt quite settled on a price, but it should be cheap.
Would also mean that if you're having a bike disassembled and shipped, you've got measurements to use to put everything back together just right.
Tabby, how much shorter? Have you looked into shims or building up a shoe? Maybe specifically for cycling.
@Edmonds the way to address leg length discrepancies is via a cleat shim or moving the cleat fore/aft. Different length cranks is not the way to go. If nothing else your feet would have slightly different rotational speeds.
Tabby- I am sure you have heard of shoes with external build-ups. I am guessing that you could have clipless shoes made. My patients with leg length discrepancies have insurance cover some of the cost of an external shoe build-up.
wow, you are all so smart. 
I never thought about any of that. I don't know how much shorter, not much- millimeters. Just enough to give me a little swagger when I walk.
I'm big on riding in what you're wearing so I tend to wear all different shoes, but special shoes might be worthwhile for long/rec rides.
How many of us are planning on doing this? Maybe we could get a group discount? (I guess the BikePGH discount would count as a group discount)
@Mick, I had knee pain that was not associated with clipless pedals. It made me quit riding for quite a while. The pain would develop 15-30 minutes in to a ride. it would come on quick and get to the point that I could not pedal anymore. I tried every type of clipless pedal on the market, more float, less float, etc... Eventually I went to flat pedals. That helped add a few minuets to my ride before it hurt but did not solve anything. I had a couple bike shops style quick fits done and no one could fix it. They all looked at my knee over pedal and cleat positions but never could fix the issue. I visited a few doctors and had some MRI's and x-rays done and the doc said my knees are worn out from many years of racing bikes. Many years of snowboarding did not help at all either, but I never got any pain while snowboarding. Last year I had someone else look at my fit and within 5 minutes he determined that I need pedal spacers. I thought he was crazy but I put a 3/4" pedal spacer in each side and it was like he hit a light switch. Now I only run clipless on one of my mountain bikes, all of my other bikes are flat pedals, I still have to run the spacers in the flat pedal bikes or else I develop pain. I will still get a twinge of pain every once and a while, if it is while I am using flat pedals I just move my foot to the far outside of the pedal, if I am using clipless I have to stop for a few minutes. Taking an advil before riding helps a lot.
Tabby - if your difference is millimeters and that is truly the cause of your problems, it really is a quick fix of shims in your shoes. They cost about $5, but I recommend getting a proper fit to determine how much you need.
Pierce - as far as I know, and because his appointments rarely group together, there is no group discount for a fit from Matt.
Jason, sounds like you and I have similar issues.
