Bike Fitting

Why a Physical Therapist?

Bike fittings are often performed by bike shops; there are even websites that can teach you how to fit the bike yourself. The difficulty with basic fittings is that they don’t address underlying muscle or skeletal issues. Our bodies vary in alignment, muscle balance, conditioning, and injury history. The most important part of your bike riding is: you! Physical therapists have expertise in posture, injury, anatomy, tissue physiology, and biomechanics. They can teach you about your individual cycling posture, strength, and flexibility.

We look at four areas during a fitting:

1. Bike frame: We want to make sure your standover height is appropriate for your inseam, and the frame is the right size for your body.
2. Bike components: We look at every component–from forks to saddles–to make sure your body can move appropriately without pain or restriction. Your saddle height, tilt, and type are some of the most important factors we consider. To avoid injury and possible neuropathy, your seat should be properly fitted for your body and bike.
3. Bike type: There’s a reason road bikes are not made like mountain bikes. We can help you decide which type of bike is right for you.
   Handlebar setup and style is important for proper upper body posture. Without adjustments, you could experience back or neck pain.
4. Riding performance: Component setup can change over time, especially as your performance increases. Components like handlebars, forks, pedals, and gears need to shift with your changing physical abilities. Similarly, if you’re just starting out cycling, we evaluate your current condition, and make changes to make sure your body is performing well.