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BIKE FIT: NO PAIN, MORE GAIN
I'm sure that you've heard several times by now that a good bike fit will help you get more power and ride faster, so how do you know if you have a good bike fit short of going to a fitter and paying to be told that your position already looks good? There are three categories of things to check. The first is comfort, the second is power making and the third is aerodynamics.
If riding the bike hurts, it doesn't fit right. If you've been consistent in your training and unless you have a recent traumatic injury you should have no pain in the back, neck, knees, hamstrings, hands, arms or saddle-contact zone, even on longer rides. For most riders, pains in all these areas can be corrected by changing the fit of the bike. Also in the area of comfort, you should be able to ride in any of the positions your bike has available pretty much all day without discomfort. You should be able to ride in the tops, the hoods, the drops and, if you have them) the aerobars. Particularly you need to be able to ride the drops (roadies) or the aerobars (triathletes) if you want to be a competitive racer.
It's harder to tell that you are in the most powerful position, but there are some clues that you are not. If your position is good, you can pedal smoothly at a high cadence. As I adjust bikes it is not uncommon for a rider's most comfortable cadence on the trainer to rise by 10-20 rpm. If there is a snap at the bottom of your pedal stroke, or you feel crunched up when your thigh comes to the top of it's motion, the bike fit could be better. A small amount of rocking on the saddle is inevitable, but if you are rocking wildly or reaching for the pedals at the bottom of the stroke, something is not right in the fit. The movement should be smooth and there should be no sharp jerking. If any particular muscles seem to give out long before others, the fit could be the culprit, and correcting the fit could improve your power and endurance.
Aerodynamics are limited by comfort and power production. A good fit will have your shoulders about as low as possible and your knees and elbows in about as far as possible without compromising comfort or pedaling ability. Note that I've said "about". If you can improve aerodynamics a bit and lose proportionally less power or put up with the discomfort, that will make you faster. The best position will always be CLOSE to the most comfortable and powerful, if not exactly on it.
Another useful thought. Your mother wanted you not to shrug and hunch, but she didn't know you wanted to be a bike racer or triathlete. When you are in a leaned forward position, you are much narrower and will ride faster if you shrug your shoulders up towards your ears. Look in a mirror to see how big the effect is for you. The smaller your fontal area, the faster you go for the same power. This is why we want you to be low and narrow.
After checking all this, if you've got a pain, a jerky stroke or you think you could be more aero, write to me or call. I'll suggest a fix. If you are not comfortable wrenching on your bike or you prefer to be examined by an expert, I can direct you to several or make an appointment for you to see me. Unfortunately there are many bike shop employees selling "bike fits" even though they are not competent to do them, so ask me or your team mates before spending your money.
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