References

Pernambuco, A. P., et al. (2025). Inter-rater variability in 2D kinematic cycling analysis using Kinovea: a cross-sectional study with 53 bike-fitting professionals in Brazil. Journal of Science & Cycling.

Braeckevelt, J., De Bock, J., Schuermans, J., Verstockt, S., Witvrouw, E., & Dierckx, J. (2019). The Need for Data-Driven Bike Fitting: Data Study of Subjective Expert Fitting. In Proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Biomedical Electronics and Devices (BIODEVICES 2019). SciTePress.

Reminds me of the wine tasting community and high end audiophile industry.

Maybe the reason is as simple as "there are different ways to feel OK on a bike, because the body is able to adapt". Even if there are fitting differences, may be most of the results improve the position. Don't forget your body doesn't even respond the same way everyday, not only on a bike.

This is why I haven’t gone to a “bike fitter”. I’ve dialed my bike in thru trial and error and riding and watching countless of these videos.

I’ve never been willing to pay for a professional bike fitting.
Instead, I learned the basics by watching YouTube videos on saddle height, reach, and stack. I set my initial saddle height using the simple heel method.
From there, whenever I head out on the road, I make sure to bring tools so I can adjust the bike based on how the ride felt.

Go 6 different bike fitters and you'll get 6 different fits.

My local bike shop fitted me, which resulted in a server hip pain. I realized real fast that I am the only one who knows what is comfortable to me.  I must say the fitting gave me the information what to look for.

I've never had a pro bike fit, but I've ridden ~75,000 km over the last 10 years. I simply listen to my body, how it feels on the bike, and go with what's comfortable. As I've got older (I'm now in my mid 50s) I've slightly lowered the saddle and raised the stem, so I'm a bit less aggressive on the bike. This fixed some lower back pain issues that I'd started to get, and I can now ride 100 km and feel fresh the next day.

So I had cycled for about 15 years putting in around 8k miles each year over that time with generally no issues, I took a full year off to try other activities but ultimately came back to cycling, the issue was something had drastically happened to my hips, I was sitting twisted on the saddle, I was also approaching my mid 40s... I was generally ok cycling on Zwift but on the road I was hating it and couldn't get comfortable and felt I was sliding forward constantly and was getting right knee pain which was something I had never experienced. I also got it in my head that my saddle was too high and was on a endless rollercoaster of adjustment and the bike never felt the same each ride.

I had paid for two professional bike fits over a year long period and neither got me any closer to feeling right on the bike or addressed my issue of sliding forward. My last throw was to go to a sports physio and after an assessment the diagnosis was that my Hip flexor on the right side was extremely tight, making me feel like I had a shorter right leg but also meant I was seated twisted on the saddle which I had felt. I also had a weak right glute which was pulling my right knee to the top tube.

Long and short was after some trial and error and 5 physio sessions with a stretching routine and strength workout I have been issue free for two years. My physio was not a bike fitter but we tried some logical changes to my position and thankfully found a solution. I did make some changes to my cleat position and also went to 155mm cranks among other tweaks.

I feel like a good bike fitting motto should be confusion is our biggest asset...

The aspect which irks me the most is the measuring of sit bones width. Bike fitters (including my own) love to measure sit bones whilst sitting completely upright. As if I'm sitting in an office chair. The distance drastically changes and gets more narrow the more aggressive my saddle/bike position is. Because ya aren't really sitting on your sit bones at that point. This is precisely why I went to more narrow saddle despite going against my bike fitter's recommendation.

I always thought the fitting machines looked like an expensive ruler

Ah, and I thought I was alone in this. My first career was as a physical therapist, which I no longer am. Posture classes drove me crazy in college. Each observer had their own assessment which not always agreed, except if the teacher provided the assessment first, leading all the susceptible minds to see the same thing. Throw some jargon, some anatomy fancy words at the credulous people looking to be "fitted" and they will agree with everything the fitter says.

Back in my race days you just went ok a ride with you "Senior-Rider"(who was known for being a weight weenie rocking silicone inner tubes). He looked how you moved, asked a couple of questions and then adjusted the saddle or stem. He also would tell you not to complain about a pain after riding 200km with 3500 meters of elevation gain bonking 3 times ... Then he would recommend you also a proper lubrication creme against saddle sores and tell you to eat 60g of carbs/ 1h in a training ride... Worked for me very well

Probably some of the best commentary on the subject. Good stuff.

27 mm spread in saddle height is completely crazy. The fact that the baseline is almost exactly in the middle hints it was probably correct at the beginning and all the changes were for the sake of change.

I wonder if anyone has ever gone for a bike fit for the fitter to say 'your position is perfect, nothing I can do here, no charge'.
I doubt it.

Very insightful! Matches my exp w bike fitting perfectly. After a few pro fits, figured out that no bike fitter can provide all the answers because the answers are INDIVIDUAL, and take a lot of time, trial and error, to figure out. So after learning the basics (in part from the fit sessions), I just tried various suggestions from bike fit channels, using how it feels to me as the guide, and over time arrived at a setup that works for me (which I also know will change over time, w age, etc).

My personal bikefit routine after reading and watching youtube is generally
1. Knee over peddle first for good peddle stroke , then adjust seat forward or backward .
2. Adjust seat height for comfort , good peddle stoke and to reduce hip issues.
 Thsts my legs and backside sortrd.
3. Then focus on arm to handlebar by adjusting the stem mainly to focus on  comfort for back , neck arms and wrists along with bike handling feel.
If i cant get my bike to adapt to three changes above then my bike frame is too large or too small.
Which at the moment i think my bike frame as a fraction too small :)

Had an incredible fit by a semi-pro rider at CycleFit in London. Years later had another fit in another shop and it was the biggest waste of money - made my position stupidly uncomfortable. So I got out the turbo trainer, a mirror and an iPhone - did a perfect fit at home!!

Would be hilarious if Hambini focused on this.