Bike Fit with Mark Kleanthous

I recently purchased a new Cube Agree SL bike and did the initial set-up myself based on what I thought felt OK. After only a few miles of cycling I was getting a slight twinge in the left knee and the saddle was cutting in to the genital area, so i visited our local triathlon hero Mark Kleanthous for a bike fit, I though it would be worth getting an expert to look over it so I could get the most from my new bike. I didnt explain to Mark that I was having problems as I thought that if there was a problem he would find it.

Visual Test

Firstly, Mark did a 'look and see' test to analyse my riding style and to see if there were any initial problems whilst riding on the hoods and on the drops in both large and small chain rings; we then cycled to wing hill to look at my standing position when powering at about 80% over the hill.

Visual Findings

It was obvious to Mark that one leg was extending more than the other, the right leg was extending ok and the left leg was extending too far, so I was riding off center, all my power was coming from the right leg and less from the left. From the standing position on the hill climb I was leaning too far forward and powering from the front of the bike and not the back when climbing!

Measurement time

We placed my bike on a turbo trainer and made some measurements, left and right knee alignment with the center of the crank and then the left and right leg extension.

With my right foot in the cleats and positioned horizontal to the ground we found that I was not powering from the knee correctly as my knee was leaning too far forward, there was good extension in the right leg without locking the knee when rotating the peddle to full extension.

With my left foot in the cleats and positioned horizontal to the ground we found that I was again not powering from the knee correctly and at full extension I was locking the left knee and adding stress to that area.

This off balanced riding position made my hips twist too much and was not good for my overall seated peddling movement.

We then went on to measuring the inside leg to compare against my current saddle height.

Inside Leg Calculations: 80/100 * 108 = 86.4

Current saddle height was at 90cm from the center of the crank which means that my saddle height was 3.6cm too high!

Mark then went on to measuring the saddle to find that it was raised by a few degrees which was causing the discomfort.

He then he checked my cleats and found that the left cleat was too far forward by about 5mm.

Mark went on to do his thing and make all the necessary changes to my current set up, he then measured again whilst on the trainer and then we did a small ride to test the new positioning and set-up.

Conclusion

It is amazing how much you can gain from some simple adjustments to your bike set-up! We spent about an hour tweaking and checking the bike; I biked home and then tested the set-up again on the ride to work.

Everything feels much better, I felt like I had more power with no signs of stress on the left knee and I was sitting on the saddle more comfortably. I now look like both legs are working together as opposed to being slightly out of alignment.

All in all the bike-fit is well worth the £30 to know where I was going wrong and to get a little info on nutrition (SIS) drinks whilst cycling!

Mark is currently writing a book about his achievements which also provides lots of tips for cycling, running and swimming, checkout his website http://www.ironmate.co.uk or on the Cycling Coaches website for more info and if you are not sure about your bike set-up, then book in and save yourself an injury in the long run.

• 30+ Ironman finishes
• 2 double Ironmans
• 1 triple Ironman
• 70+ marathons