It\u2019s easy to feel uncomfortable on your bike. You\u2019re seated for hours in more-or-less the same position and repeating the same range of leg movements, while keeping your upper body in a fairly static leant-forward position. It\u2019s even more true if you\u2019re riding indoors than for outdoor cycling.<\/p>\n
If your bike isn\u2019t quite set up correctly or some components don\u2019t fit your morphology well, it\u2019s a recipe for discomfort when riding as well as once you finish your ride. It\u2019s frustrating too, as you\u2019ve probably paid a significant amount for your bike and riding kit, and discomfort can ruin your enjoyment of cycling.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Fortunately, a bike fit can remedy the majority of problems and suggest component swaps that will fix comfort niggles. Compared to the price of a bike it\u2019s relatively inexpensive, while a bike fit is often now offered as a free service or at a discounted price when you buy a new bike.<\/p>\n
In addition, an optimised fit may help you to maximise your power output. The modern trend is to sit further forward over your cranks, but that could mean other changes such as fitting shorter cranks.<\/p>\n
In 2025, we spoke to bike fitting expert Phil Burt about the benefits of a bike fit and trends in bike set-up. Burt is a world authority on the subject, having been head of physiotherapy at British Cycling and Team Sky, authoring two editions of the book Bike Fit<\/em> and now running his own independent bike fitting service with studios in Manchester and London as well as online bike fit tool MyVeloFit<\/a>.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s why a bike fit is a cyclist\u2019s best friend and why you should have regular fits, maybe even annually, to check that your setup is still optimised for you as your riding changes and as you age. You can listen to our complete interview with Burt on the Cyclist Magazine Podcast<\/a>.<\/p>\n Burt starts off on a controversial note, stating that not everybody actually needs a bike fit. He distinguishes between riders who are micro-adjusters and those who are macro-absorbers.<\/p>\n On micro-adjusters, he says, ‘All of a sudden they\u2019re not comfortable or they\u2019re not optimal, they\u2019re not right.’ That can be something as small as a new saddle with less compression in the padding. They\u2019re constant fiddlers, Burt says, but they do know when they\u2019re just right.<\/p>\n Macro-absorbers, meanwhile, don\u2019t notice major changes. Burt cites Geraint Thomas, who rode half a stage of the Tour de France on the wrong spare bike: ‘They can get away with stuff, but they don\u2019t necessarily know when they\u2019re optimal.’ <\/p>\n So, even if you\u2019re a macro-absorber, a bike fit can help you to generate more power or ride for longer.\u00a0<\/p>\n Some people can be a micro-adjuster in one area, for example if you\u2019ve had an injury or have particular biomechanical issues, but be a macro-absorber for the rest of their body.<\/p>\n Burt says that people\u2019s need for a bike fit can change as they age too: ‘The bike fit window starts to narrow as we get older, or changes. For some people it just shifts.’<\/p>\n As they get older, some people get stiffer, he says. If they are sitting at a desk all week and then go out at the weekend to ride, they can have problems.<\/p>\n ‘Human beings tend to wear out at the hips first,’ he says. ‘That can change your bike fit window and you have to accommodate that more as you go through time.’<\/p>\n If you\u2019re riding for longer distances and times, Burt expects that you\u2019ll be sore and stiff. But, he asks, ‘Is that there the next day? If it is, that\u2019s probably something you want to do something about.’<\/p>\n He points out that sitting on a saddle on a bike is inherently uncomfortable, because we don\u2019t normally sit on that part of our body. But he says that the mindset that you have to push through saddle pain doesn\u2019t really work and is a recipe for disaster if you keep ignoring it.<\/p>\n ‘We can adjust the bike to work with you,’ he says.<\/p>\n That was mirrored when former Cyclist staff writer Emma Cole visited bike fitter Lee Endres at Bicycle in Richmond ahead of her 2,300km-plus ride<\/a> to Tunisia.<\/p>\n Endres told Emma that there\u2019s often a greater need to make adjustments for women riders, as stock bikes tend to come with handlebars that are too wide, cranks that are too long and saddles that aren\u2019t comfortable, so he will spend a lot of time testing these key contact points in particular.\u00a0<\/p>\n Saddle comfort for women is an area that Burt focuses on too, noting that women\u2019s needs are complex and that they\u2019ve been ill-served by saddle makers in the past.<\/p>\n Smaller and larger frame sizes may need more adjustment to fit both female and male riders, and toe overlap is a common\u00a0problem for women. Taller women may need shorter cranks as they typically have smaller feet than men of the same height, Endres adds. They generally have narrow shoulders too, so narrower bars can improve hand comfort and ease of reaching the brake levers.<\/p>\n Crank length has been found not to alter power output, but Burt points out that it\u2019s part of your gearing: ‘Shorter cranks aren\u2019t biomechanically more efficient, but they can be biomechanically more suitable.’<\/p>\n A crank length<\/a> change can help make an off-the-shelf bike work for a rider who doesn\u2019t have fairly standard proportions.<\/p>\n ‘It generally closes up the hip at the top of the pedal cycle,’ Burt says. ‘If the hip is getting stiffer as you get older or you\u2019re lowering the front for a more aero position, a 5mm shorter crank length will give back 5\u00b0 in hip angle. That\u2019s huge in terms of comfort and longer cranks force people to sit quite far back, so it feels as if the bike\u2019s too long for them.’ The result is that they lose power.\u00a0<\/p>\n But if you shorten the cranks, he points out, you need to move the saddle upwards to retain the leg extension and move it forwards to keep its position relative to the cranks the same. If you have your hip above the cranks, you can bring in the glutes, which are the strongest muscles in the body.<\/p>\n ‘People find themselves producing power much more easily and much more of it. It also reduces peak force on the saddle and so can reduce saddle sores too,’ says Burt. ‘Cycling is completely symmetrical, as the distance to the pedals is the same on both sides, but nearly all human beings are slightly asymmetrical.’ Shorter cranks can be a powerful way to correct the asymmetry.<\/p>\n A bike fit can also help with foot pain, if your feet are misaligned, your shoe fit isn’t optimal, or your cleats not well-positioned on your shoes. Shims and wedges can be added to a shoe, orthopaedic footbeds fitted or pedals with a different stance width or float used.<\/p>\n Burt notes that with Covid, people\u2019s workout load went up and was delivered in a more fixed position. Indoor cycling<\/a> is different to outdoor cycling and there was a massive increase in the number of riders seeking bike fit advice.<\/p>\n ‘Saddle contact time tends to go through the roof, there\u2019s less in and out of the saddle and the bike\u2019s not moving as much underneath you, both forwards and backwards and sideways. You find your weak spot on the bike quicker,’ he says.<\/p>\n Burt suggests putting a timer on your bike computer and getting out of the saddle every ten minutes for two or three seconds, as this can make a massive difference. Also point your fan at your groin to keep your seat pad drier, as damp skin plus rubbing is a recipe for saddle sores. Rocker plates and trainers with fore and aft motion can both help reduce saddle pressure too.<\/p>\n So, unless you’re a macro-absorber who’s content with your bike fit, for the majority of riders there’s much to be gained from a bike fit. There’s a lot you can do yourself too, such as setting your saddle position <\/a>correctly and experimenting with different saddles if yours isn’t comfortable. Many saddle brands offer money-back trials, saddle fitting and even saddle libraries to help you to choose.<\/p>\n There are plenty of apps online to assist as well. Burt points out that AI-driven tools on smartphones are emerging that can perform much of the data capture and analysis that a professional bike fit studio would perform. He has his own bike fit tool, MyVeloFit<\/a>, that helps you to improve your on-bike position and bike set-up without doing a full in-person bike fit.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nNot everybody needs a bike fit<\/h2>\n
A bike fit can help as you age<\/h2>\n
![\"phil_burt_performance_2\"](\"https:\/\/cdn-jupiter.metropolis.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/11\/04192904\/phil_burt_performance_2-970x645.webp\")
A bike fit can help if you\u2019re riding longer distances<\/h2>\n
![\"cyclist](\"https:\/\/cdn-jupiter.metropolis.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/06\/emma-tunisia-wish-12-970x536.webp\")
A bike fit may be more important for women riders and those at the tall or short end of the height spectrum<\/h2>\n
![\"Ergon](\"https:\/\/cdn-jupiter.metropolis.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/06\/bike-spec-ribble-ti-gravel-emma-1-970x647.webp\")
A bike fit can help remedy saddle sores or knee pain<\/h2>\n
![\"phil_burt_performance_4\"](\"https:\/\/cdn-jupiter.metropolis.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/11\/04192915\/phil_burt_performance_4-970x647.webp\")
Indoor cycling highlights fit problems<\/h2>\n
![\"saris_h3_turbo_trainer\"](\"https:\/\/cdn-jupiter.metropolis.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2015\/11\/02120426\/saris_h3_turbo_trainer-970x970.webp\")
Self-help options<\/h2>\n