Clinical Bike Fit Process

Presented by Jay Dicharry

Your patient is having chronic anterior knee pain on the bike, so it makes sense to look at their mechanics on the bike. But where do you begin? How to you differentiate between body limitations in your cyclist, and in fit limitations? And how would you systematically progress through the fit process to optimize cycling economy and minimize stress to the rider? In the Clinical Bike Fit Process, we’ll address specifically how to adjust the contact points of the bike to the individual variation you see within your patient. This new skill will enable you to “close the loop” between your clinic goals and the stress your patients and clients see while logging hours on the bike. This course will harness your MSK assessment skills, and teach you a new revenue generating skill you can use tomorrow in the clinic.

Meet your instructor

Man in a checkered shirt smiling, representing medbridge's blend of ease and professionalism in healthcare education.

Jay Dicharry

Jay Dicharry built his international reputation as an expert in biomechanical analysis as Director of the SPEED Clinic at the University of Virginia. Through this innovative venture, Jay was able to blend the fields of clinical practice and engineering to better understand and eliminate the cause of overuse injuries in…

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Chapters & learning objectives

1. Bike Fit Process

There is a systematic way to think through and conduct a bike fitting. We’ll discuss the importance of listening to the rider’s goals, identifying critical issues that impact their fit, take the guesswork out of the science of bike fitting, and instruct how to adjust the contact points on the bike for success.

2. Cleats, Positioning, and Bars

Cleat is the link between your feet and the pedals, the height of the rider above the pedals greatly affects the length-tension relationship of the lower quarter, and position of the upper body dictates comfort and handling. This chapter takes the learner through the bike fit process for these individual steps.

3. Common Questions

Cycling lore runs deep. It is essential to educate yourself, your patients, athletes, and local cycling community to get discussion moving in the right direction. We’ll discuss some common questions that are out there with respect to differences in fit on road bikes, time trial fits, cyclocross fits, and mountain bike fits. We’ll also discuss pedaling styles, frame stiffness, and some of the science behind the need for aerodynamics. Better understanding equal better outcomes.

More courses in this series

Bike Anatomy: The Bike and Bike Fit Rationale

Jay Dicharry