TOTAL Multisport expend their service for bicycle fittings. If you want to schedule a meeting with our master bike fitter click on the link below. This will take you to an appoinment scheduling system so you can schedule an appointment at your own convenience.
Click on the bicycle picture for an appointment
Now available on the www!
If you would like to know how your position should be on the bicycle and not be able to make an appoinment with our master bike fitter click on the frame picture below. Currently unvailable
Here you will find a detailed instruction how to take your own body sizes. After finishing the measuring proces and the payment we will send you a print of a bicycle with all the important sizes to adjust your bicycle.
In addition, you can also order an additional drawing of a frame with the numbers of how your ideal frame should look like. With this information you can either check the existing frame or order a custom build frame from us or from any other frame builder.
Importance of a good Bike Fit
In the last two decades, cycling and triathlon have grown from a “trial and error” sport to a sport with a very scientific approach. Lots of attention has been paid to coaching and supervision of the athletes and the progression of the physical performance that has been made, particularly in the field of training and nutrition, nearly reached its optimum. The field where there is still more room for further improvement, is the efficiency of the cycling movement and optimizing the position on the bicycle. The ultimate goal is to achieve a position of the athlete on the bicycle which is as efficient and as aerodynamic as possible.
Research has shown that a correct position on the bicycle is determined by more them just efficiency and comfort. Triathlon and specially cycling have evolved from an endurance sport into a power-endurance sport. The main factors that have influence on the performance are friction, efficiency, power maximization and comfort. These factors are strongly correlated and they can influence each other in positive or negative way. For example, a very deep (read aerodynamic) position of the upper body most of the time results discomfort and loss of efficiency.
A proper sitting position on the bicycle has other advantages, also. Cyclists and triathletes are regularly confronted with injuries or face physical complaints in large numbers. These injuries and complaints are caused by deviations in position or by an incorrect position on the bicycle. Optimizing the sitting position on the bicycle prevents the occurrence of injuries
Complaints of the lower back can occur when the distance between saddle and handlebars is too short and/or the difference in height between saddle and handlebars is too large. In case of complaints of the lower back it is common practice to install a shorter stem. Our experiences shows that in most cases pain in the lower back can be relieved by adopting a relatively long reach of the upper body, combined with a negligible difference in height between saddle and handlebars. This will make the spinal column being straighter and results in less tension between the individual vertebrae. If the saddle is pointed upwards, the pelvis is tilted backwards and this will put the lower back in a more curved position than average. This will result in an increased pressure on the (static) muscles of the lower back. In general, the saddle should be positioned horizontally. A saddle adjusted at the wrong height can injure the knees, particularly where the kneecap (patella) and the upper leg (femur) make contact. A saddle which is adjusted too high results in a force that moves the kneecap laterally. In the stretching phase of the knee, the kneecap is pushed aside laterally and eventually results in pain at the outer side of the kneecap. This phenomenon is reinforced by the position of the legs. A saddle which is adjusted too low leads to a position in which the legs are bent too much, which might result in straining of the kneecap and upper leg. If the saddle is positioned too much forward (steep seat angle), the angle in the knee joint will be too small which will have the same effect as when the saddle is adjusted too low. The longitudinal positioning of the foot (shoe) influences the efficiency of the cycling movement. The sideward (lateral) adjustment is not only dependent on the natural position of the feet, but mainly on the imposed pattern of the cycling movement. In other words: the position of the foot on the pedal must be such that the imaginary line of force runs from the upper leg to the lower leg, right across the middle of the knee. Effectively, this means that the inner side of the foot runs parallel to the circle that is made by the pedal. If the shoe cleats are turned inward, the heels are turned outward. This often happens when the cyclist moves his ankles too close to the cranks. Cycling in this position can lead to knee complaints and knee injuries because the upper leg and lower leg are twisted and not in line. Exceptions are those cyclists whose feet show a natural inward position. The shoe cleats of these cyclists can be placed in such a position that the heels point slightly outward. TOTAL Multisport offers a perfect shoe cleat adjustment for any kind of pedal system. With the exception of the cyclist standing on the pedals, the saddle carries most of the weight of the cyclist. As a result, quite a lot of cyclists suffer from complaints when sitting. In general, women complain and have by far more saddle complaints than men do. There is no main cause of saddle pain. Most complaints can be found in the physical shape of the cyclist and in combination with the use of appropriate clothing. However, it might take some time to get used to sit in a specific position on a racing saddle.
The saddle should also be regularly checked to ensure it is still straight, especially at the point where the seat-bones make contact with the saddle. Often saddles get warped when the cyclist does not sit upright on his bicycle. A saddle can also become warped as a result of a crash. In either case, the best solution is to replace the saddle!
Physical causes
Any kind of asymmetry, no matter how small, will eventually lead to complaints of the lower back. It is no longer a question if cyclists develop these complaints, but when and at which intensity. Asymmetry can occur as a result of a difference in length of the legs. Research shows that 46 percent of the cyclists have a difference in leg length. It is recommended to correct even the slightest difference in length of the legs. The difference in length of legs can be corrected by using an additional sole in the shoe or by increasing the distance between the cleat and the shoe at the outside. The difference in the lower legs must be corrected fully; a difference in the upper legs can be corrected by 50%. It is also remarkable that, in case of a difference in length of the legs, the shorter leg receives most of the pressure. Correcting this difference by using cranks with different lengths is out of the question! This would only reinforce the a-symmetry because, as a result of using a longer crank (i.e., a longer lever), the shorter leg would endure more pressure!
Asymmetry is also very often a consequence of an imbalance in the pelvis and has the same effect on the cycling movement as with a difference in length of the legs; however, this problem requires a different solution and should be solved through physical therapy. Finally, the position of the feet also deserves attention because a deviation in the position of the ankle/foot can also result in a difference in length of the legs". Resarch has shown that an estimated 70-80 percent of the people sooner or later develop complaints of the lower back. The sacro-iliac (IC) joint plays a crucial part in these complaints. In case of complaints of the lower back, this joint should always be examined by a physical therapist.
It is absolute necessary to use cycling shorts with padding when riding longer distances. Also the saddle should always fit. This is easier said than done, since there are no conclusive methods as to adjusting the saddle to the cyclist. First of all, the width of the saddle depends on the width of the pelvis or better, the distance between the seat bones. Usually women have a wider and differently shaped pelvis than men. This should be taken into consideration when deciding on the width and shape of the saddle. The width of the saddle also depends on the position of the upper part of the body. When sitting on a bicycle in an upright position, a wider saddle is more comfortable, whereas a narrower saddle feels much more comfortable if the upper body is in a bent position on the bicycle.
When the saddle is not adjusted in a horizontal position, both sitting complaints and complaints of the lower back might occur. When the saddle is positioned too high, the cyclist runs the risk of toppling his pelvis. As a consequence, he will start grating his skin across the saddle which could lead to irritation of the skin. When the position on the bicycle is too upright, the pressure of the body on the saddle will increase. Adopting a slightly longer "sit" could easily solve this problem because the arms and legs will then take over a part of the weight of the upper body.
Cycling technique The ideal height would be if the ball of the foot would be right on the center of the axle of the pedal. In reality this is not possible to achieve and therefore we have to accept with a loss of energy. However, we can reduce this loss of energy by choosing the right pedal/shoe combination. Below is the explanation of how this loss of energy does occur. The crossing of these lines, the yellow dot, moves over the solid purple circle with every rotation of the pedal. If the radius would increase (the white line), the distance between the blue lines will increase too and thus it will take longer for the yellow point to move between the blue lines and therefor more energy is required. In conclusion, a low pedal height in combination with a very low shoe sole height is more efficient. If there are questions regarding pedal height and sole thickness feel free to send an email. We will respond as soon as possible. Crank length
Height Height Crank length <152 <59 160.0 >152-<168 >59-< 66.1 165.0-167.5 >168-<183 >66.1-<72 170.0 >183-<189 >72-<74.4 172.5 >189-<195 >74.4-<76.8 175.0 >195 >76.8 180.0-185.0
The correct technique to pedal determines a big part of the efficiency on a bicycle and for a big part the pedal itself does influence the efficiency of pedalling. The heel should not be pulled all the way up nor pushed all the way down. In fact the foot should not move that much at all. Just imagine that if somebody rides behind you this person should not be able to see the under the sole of the shoe.
Most manufacturers claim that they have the lowest pedal in the market and show only the pedal in the advertising pictures. The pedal height advertised is the distance between the center of the axle of the pedal and the top of the pedal. The actual pedal height is the height measured from the center of the axle of the pedal to the bottom of the shoe which means including the cleat.
In the example image the green line represents the bottom of the shoe. The short white line is the distance between the centre of the axle of the pedal to the bottom of the shoe, the actual pedal height. 
The crank length is the distance from the center of the bottom bracket to the center of the axle of the pedal. While the pedaling frequency can be variable, the crank length cannot be altered during the cycling process. It is of importance that the crank length is chosen very precisely to the physical characteristics of the cyclist. Also, a given crank length is only optimal for one specific pedaling frequency. Therefore, it is necessary to take in consideration an athlete’s pedal frequency in order to determine the optimal crank length.
When the pedaling frequency increases while remaining a continuous and effective power exercised applied to the pedal with a fixed crank length, the power exercised on the crank spindle will increase. The same thing happens when the pedaling frequency is kept constant but the effective power increases. Based on this comparison it can be concluded that the pedaling frequency should be as high as possible and the crank length should be as long as possible. However, the pedaling frequency always will be within the athlete’s physical limitations in order to reach its optimum and because pedaling frequency and crank length are interrelated, the crank length also must stay within certain limits.
Research showed that the longer the crank, the lower the optimal pedaling frequency. Here is where a third and the most variable come into account, the physical dimensions of the athlete in general and the length of the legs in particular. If the length of the legs increases, the optimal crank length gets longer and the optimal pedaling frequency becomes lower.
This can be explained by looking at the way the muscles operate. Muscles have a certain optimal reach within they can exercise the most power. This reach increases when muscles get longer and the angles of the joints get larger and thus the length of the cranks needs increase in order to use this optimal reach to its full capacity.
Another limitation to the crank length is the geometry of the frame. If the frame has a low bottom bracket and long cranks are used, it can cause problems turning a corner while pedaling or going off road. The chart below gives an indication of the crank length that should be used.
(m)
(inch)
(mm)
