Originally written in German. Translated to English by AI — please excuse any awkward phrasing.

A few days ago I went to Cyclefit in Bensheim to get a saddle position analysis done and to sort out my discomfort on the bike. Let me say upfront: it was worth it in almost every respect.

There were two main issues to fix: the saddle discomfort that had been getting more and more frequent (including numbness in my legs), and a compensatory movement in my left leg during the final phase of the pedal stroke.

How did the bike fit work?

After a warm welcome from Britta and Lloyd, we started by going through my athletic background and future goals. They got into great detail about my problems and pain — when they occurred, where, how, etc.

Then my entire body was checked for its anatomical shape, muscular imbalances, and flexibility. That was followed by a very precise foot analysis to look more closely at foot shape and any misalignments. It turned out I run very heavily on the outside of my feet and load that area a lot. The cycling shoes were adjusted accordingly and the cleats were shimmed with three wedges so that I can distribute load across the full surface of my foot. Before I’d even sat on the bike for the first time, the issue with the compensatory leg movement was already fixed — cool!

Then we moved on to the next problem: the saddle. The decision to swap it out immediately came pretty quickly, as it was limiting my position too much. And then the inevitable happened — a new saddle from ISM. These things are ugly as sin, but unfortunately absolutely functional. Oh well, you’re sitting on it most of the time anyway and don’t have to look at it …

The new saddle now allows me a much more comfortable position on the bike. Before, I was sitting very compactly with quite a hunch — now I sit a bit further back and really “lie” in the aero position:

Finally, we worked on the position of the handlebar, pads, and extensions. That was a fairly lengthy process, but in the end we found a good position. The pads are now 1 cm higher than before, the extensions got a small upward tilt. Despite the raised position, my frontal area is actually much smaller now, which should have positive effects on aerodynamics.

Summary:

  • both problems were fixed
  • the bike was successfully uglified
  • learned a huge amount again about saddles, shoes, and everything else …
  • heard some great anecdotes from the pro cycling world
  • overall a complete success and highly recommended to everyone