Bike Fit Myths | Part 1

I have come up with dozens of bike fit myths to go over but in this article we're only going to cover three of them.  Probably more to come in later videos.https://youtu.be/7Fb_eZX6crI

Carbon parts are better to have because they're lighter and will increase your comfort on the bike

• while this can be true it isn't inherently so
• depends on the part
  • certain parts lend themselves to having better qualities of dampening vibration and increasing comfort
  • Yes: frame, fork, wheels, handlebar, seatpost
  • No: stem
  • Maybe: saddle
  • there is a group in Canada that studies this in depth called VELUS and some of there research has informed this article
• depends on the construction
  • poor materials or control of process (proper use of resin) will make or break the effectiveness of the part as well as its weight
  • carbon wrapped over aluminum likely not going to provide the same ride feel as well-made carbon parts will

You should pull up on the backstroke for more power

• thought this one was clear at this point but I still get a lot of people that ask about it
• muscles that pull up - hip flexor complex - isn't built to do this, they aren't prime movers -- they suck at pulling against a substantial force like this
  • research shows that focusing on pulling up can actually inhibit or get in the way of the pushing down -- and since pushing down is significant;y more powerful, this is a really bad deal
  • but what about 1-leg drills? They're not all bad -- check out my video on how to use them properly.

A Bike Fit isn't necessary on a mountain bike

• may be less necessary due to the inherent nature of mountain biking being a more relieving sport than road cycling
  • more frequent change in cadence, position and effort, all of which help to mitigate the repetitive strain of cycling.  We coast more because of descents [link to cornering video]
    • in fact, many road cyclists could benefit from riding their road bike more like a mountain bike, but this does require actively changing your effort and riding plan since the terrain rarely makes us do so on the road
  • more upright positions of the mountain bike may also be helpful
• But, all the same issues we have on the road bike can still plague us on the mountain; all the same bike fit physics apply and any problem that's common to a road bike can be problematic on the mountain bike, and so while mountain bike fittings may be slightly less common, they can be no less important in most cases