The most common bike fit mistakes and how to avoid them: nail your saddle height, cleat set-up and more with these top tips

Are you uncomfortable on the bike? Do you seem to always be fending off an injury, or do you struggle to crank the power out? In this article and video, hopefully we can solve some or all of those for you by identifying some common reasons why your bike fit might be the thing holding you back, with lots of tips from an expert to remedy them. 

A few months ago we identified 11 bike fit tips to get us more comfortable and riding faster, but what about all the things we should avoid? As a professional bike fitter, Luke Craddock of Synergy Performance has seen it all, so here are the 10 most common bike fit mistakes that come through his door.

Saddle too high

It’s unsurprising that saddle height tops this list, but it’s also one of the easiest to remedy. Craddock says: “It’s very rare that someone comes in and their saddle height doesn’t need adjusting.

“7/10 times I’m putting people’s saddles down rather than up.” 

He explains that excessive saddle height can sometimes initially feel better and more powerful, but is also a primary cause of discomfort due to instability on the saddle.

Having your saddle too high will also cause your cycling to be quad-dominant, while lowering it could allow you to unlock additional strength and lactate-clearing ability.

Excessive saddle height can cause all manner of problems from “numb hands, numb feet, back pain, saddle sores etc…”

Poorly fitting shoes 

Our bike fitter explained that the majority of cyclists don’t “respect their foot shape” when purchasing new cycling shoes.

Many cycling shoes follow a traditional sleek-looking form, which might look good but probably isn’t the best option for many of us.  

“A British person doesn’t have that type of foot”, says Craddock.

“We have a shorter, more box [shaped] foot with a lot of width and potential collapsing of an arch which plays the foot further.”

> Best road cycling shoes

Often people then size up shoes to accommodate this width, which puts the cleats in the wrong place. Craddock suggests standing on a piece of paper and drawing around your relaxed foot. Compare this to the shape of your cycling shoe soles, and if it’s a very different shape then there’s a good chance that you’re in the wrong shoes.

By letting the foot relax you can calm your nervous system, which Craddock says will benefit not only comfort, but also performance: “Your shoes are the one area I’d recommend investing in, extra money here will be way better than any upgrade you can make on your bike.”

Cleats too far forwards

While sizing up shoes is a contributor to incorrect cleat positioning, it is of course all too possible even in good-fitting shoes. Craddock told us that there’s a lot of contradicting advice available online, but that many riders will benefit from moving their cleats further back.

If you’re unsure whether this applies to you, Craddock recommends taking the insoles out of your shoes and looking for wear. If your insoles are worn at the toe area, then your foot likely isn’t being an overly efficient lever, and you might benefit from moving your cleats rearwards to help reduce strain on stabilising ligaments in the ankle and knees.

Tilting down saddles

According to Craddock, dipping the nose of a saddle is a tell-tale sign that there’s something wrong with a rider’s bike fit. In his experience, it’s compensating for another issue more often than not. 

Craddock explained that this is often caused by excessive saddle height or unsupported sit bones. While tilting the saddle can reduce soft tissue pressure, riders should be hesitant as it will move their weight to the front end of the bike.

He adds: “Numbness in the hands, lower back pain and tightness in the shoulders can all stem from the nose being tipped down.”

Insufficient stance or Q-Factor 

Q-Factor is the distance between the outer crank faces on your bike, but in this instance, we are referring to stance width, which is the distance between how far apart your feet are when cycling.

Craddock says: “While there are some people who will benefit from going narrower, the vast majority of riders that I see struggle with at least some hip impingement when riding with a narrow Q-Factor.”

There are lots of ways in which you can change your stance on the bike. You can in some instances use pedal washers, and some pedal manufacturers offer different spindle lengths. Time’s recently released pedals are available with three different spindle lengths, as one example. You could also use pedal adaptors.

You can also move your cleats, but as Craddock points out this is one of the areas with the smallest adjustability on the bike. Out-the-box cleats only usually offer 4mm of adjustment either way, which is much less than the variety in rider stances.

The wrong crank length 

“Generally cranks are too long, especially for women”

Most of us aren’t fortunate enough to have the same range of motion or functionality as a pro cyclist, and using cranks that are too long combined with inflexible hip flexors can be a limiting factor for many cyclists. This can cause riders to compensate, doing things such as “flaring their knees out at the top of a pedal stroke”.

> Are shorter cranks better on your bike?

“Most riders will find very few negatives switching to shorter cranks, especially those doing steady state efforts”, says Craddock.  

This is a trend that we’ve seen in the pro peloton in recent years, with Ineos riders spotted using 165mm cranks. Craddock explains that this could potentially allow them to get more aero, but that comfort is also likely a factor.

Reach too long

Excessive reach will not only cause discomfort, but can also potentially be dangerous. Craddock explains that he’s had many riders in for bike fits who have had their bars mounted too far away from them, and have therefore gravitated towards holding the bar further back rather than at the shifter. If you need to move your hands from your comfortable position to brake, this is going to extend your stopping time.

Craddock adds that many people will shift their saddle forwards to counteract excessive reach, but there are better ways as this will disrupt your centre of mass. Instead, it’s better to change the front end of the bike. Some bars have different reach, and a new stem is a fairly cheap way of drastically improving your comfort on the bike.

Wrong bar/shifter angle

Craddock says he gets a lot of riders come in with their bars and shifters in a less-than-optimal position. Sometimes this is straight from a bike shop, sometimes it’s a conscious choice in an attempt to counteract excessive reach.

A proper shifter position won’t just benefit your hand and wrist comfort. Shifters tilted upwards in an attempt to bring them closer are often a cause for neck pain and shoulder tension.

The same can be said for the bars themselves. On a drop bar bike, the dropped portion of the bar should be about parallel to the ground.

Bar width

 “It’s really common that I see bars too wide.” 

Bar width isn’t just about performance, as using the wrong size can lead to wrist, hand and shoulder pain. If you are changing the width of your handlebar then bear in mind that it will also alter your reach.

Craddock says the bike industry has some improvements to make in this area, especially now bikes are gravitating towards being integrated.

“I see 52cm bikes coming with 42cm bars all the time. It’s very rare that anyone of that size has 42cm shoulders, especially women with narrower builds”, he adds. 

Craddock explained that most riders will be most comfortable on a bar that matches their shoulder width, from joint to joint. Usually this is in the region of 36-38cm for women and 40-42cm for men.

Bikes that just aren’t well-suited

Unfortunately our last mistake is a rather expensive one to fix. Craddock explained that bike sizing is not consistent across the board. One manufacturer’s size 54cm, for example, can be hugely different to another’s. 

“This catches people out and by the time you’ve bought the bike it’s too late, that’s why I always recommend fit first, buy later”, he says. 

Most good bike fitters should be able to fit you to your old bike or on a jig, and then recommend the correct size and geometry to suit you.

A new bike is often a significant investment, so it’s important to get the right size. If you aren’t keen on a bike fit then Craddock recommends studying geometry charts carefully, and DON’T just get a size because it’s what you’ve always ridden –

He adds: “Pay particular attention to the headtube height and stack. You might be better off on a size bigger if you’re in-between sizes. 

“The range of adjustability is decreasing with increased integration, so it’s more important than ever to buy the right size for you.

“I also see a lot of [people] riding on aggressive geometry when it’s probably not the best geometry [for them]”.

We’ve long championed endurance bikes at road.cc, and the evidence suggests many riders will be faster, more comfortable and happier riding one.

Let us know if you’ve made any of these bike fit mistakes in the comments section below, as well as any more of your own mistakes that you think we’ve missed.