What Does a Professional Bike Fit Actually Include?
What took me stubbornly long to learn through my own riding and years working with other cyclists is that most people don’t come in stock bike size, and stock bikes rarely fit the person riding them out of the shop. And when the bike doesn’t match the body, performance stalls, pain creeps in, and riding becomes something you tolerate instead of enjoy.
That’s why I’m committed to the idea of a complete bike fit—one that treats the rider and the bike as a single system. At Au Bloc, a bike fit isn’t a checklist or a quick tune-up. It’s a process designed to remove limitations and let the bike finally disappear beneath you.
So what does a professional bike fit actually include?
A Bike Fit Starts Before You Ever Get on the Bike
Every proper bike fit begins with conversation.
Before making a single adjustment, we take time to understand:
Your riding background and experience level
The type of riding you do most (road, gravel, endurance, racing)
Your weekly volume and intensity
Any current pain, discomfort, or recurring issues
Past injuries or mobility limitations
What you want to change about how your bike feels
This step matters because two riders of the same height can require completely different setups depending on their goals, anatomy, and riding history. A fit that ignores context is incomplete before it even begins.
Understanding How Your Body Moves
Before analyzing the bike, we look at the rider.
This includes a basic physical and movement assessment to understand:
Hip, ankle, and shoulder mobility
Pelvic stability and posture
Structural or functional asymmetries
Flexibility limitations that affect riding position
These observations help explain why certain positions work—or don’t. Instead of forcing your body into an idealized posture, the fit is built around how you actually move.
Evaluating Your Contact Points
The relationship between your body and the bike is defined by three primary contact points:
Feet
Saddle
Hands
Each one affects comfort, power transfer, and long-term sustainability.
During a fit, we evaluate:
Cleat placement and alignment to support efficient pedaling and knee tracking
Saddle height, fore/aft position, and tilt to balance power, comfort, and stability
Handlebar reach, drop, and control positioning to reduce strain on the hands, shoulders, neck, and back
Small changes at these contact points can have outsized effects on how a bike feels.
Dynamic On-Bike Analysis
Once the foundational setup is established, you ride.
Using a professional Purely Custom Fit Bike and your bike on a trainer we observe how your body behaves in motion:
Pedal stroke efficiency
Hip and knee alignment under load
Upper-body tension and stability
How your posture changes as intensity increases
Adjustments are made incrementally, and you’re involved throughout the process. Feedback matters. A good fit isn’t something that happens to you—it’s something built with you.
Dialing in Position for Comfort and Performance
A common misconception is that bike fits are either about comfort or performance. In reality, the best position supports both.
A proper fit aims to:
Reduce unnecessary strain and pain
Improve power transfer and efficiency
Allow you to ride longer without fatigue
Support your goals, whether that’s endurance, speed, or racing
Comfort isn’t the enemy of performance—it’s often the foundation of it.
Documenting Your Fit
Once your position is finalized, all measurements are recorded, including:
Saddle height and setback
Handlebar reach and stack
Stem length and angle
Cleat position and rotation
These measurements become your fit blueprint. They can be used for future bikes, component changes, or remote consulting, ensuring consistency across setups.
What You Leave With
At the end of a professional bike fit, you should leave with more than adjusted components.
You should understand:
Why changes were made
What sensations to expect as your body adapts
Whether follow-up adjustments may be needed
How your fit influences future bike choices
Most riders notice immediate improvements. Others feel changes settle in over several rides. Both are normal—and both are signs that your body is no longer fighting the bike.
Why Bike Fit Matters More Than Most People Think
Most cyclists buy a bike first and try to make it work later. That approach often leads to:
Chronic discomfort
Inefficient movement
Plateaued performance
The false belief that pain is just part of riding
A proper bike fit flips that equation.
When the bike matches the rider, riding feels natural. Power comes easier. Long rides feel sustainable. And the bike stops demanding attention—freeing you to focus on the ride itself.
That’s the goal at Au Bloc. Not perfection for its own sake, but alignment that lets you ride all out, without compromise.
Book a fit today and get on the road with your best bike set up tomorrow.
