When should I book a Double Fit?
When do I need to book a Double Fit?
If you have multiple bikes and want to get them all looked at then you may be drawn to the double fit option on the site. Booking in more bike than 1 at the same time offers us some considerable time savings and so that can be passed on to you in a reduced price.
but i get asked quite a lot of the time by people who are considering these double fits what qualifies for the service and what doesn’t. To help clarify the issue Ill write out some examples of what does and doesn’t count and some next steps in either situation. I don’t speak for all bike fitters here but you can use this as a guide to the way we do business here at Edinburgh Bike Fitting and id dare say several others.
What counts as a Double Fit?
You should book a double when you have any of the following configurations have any of the following basic configurations
Road Bike and TT/Tri Bike
Road Bike and Cross Bike/Gravel/Adventure bike
Road Bike and MTB
Any combination of above
In some cases you will need to book a double fit if you have 2 very similar bikes but have 2 completely different goals for example
Road race bike and Road commuter bike
Gravel bike and racing cross bike
Cross country MTB and Enduro MTB
In any of the above scenarios it could be argued that the similarities between bikes requires minimal adjustment but they are entirely different positions.
Every fit the hard part is working out where things should be which takes analysis, adjustments, and a certain amount of trial and error. Even on an adjustable bike this takes time to complete.
Factors which influence a fit like this are listed below.
Bar dimensions (width and reach/profile of bar etc)
Pedal system and shoes (stack height of pedal cleat interface and shoe)
Same or similar saddle (width profile and density of foam padding. Location of where you load the saddle etc)
Same crank length (changes in length affecting saddle height and hip clearance over the top) (Article on why else this is important even in small increments is coming up)
Frame size, stack and reach of frame, seat tube angle
there are a few more but these are some of the main things that can take time to work our way round an ideal position on any given bike.
unless you want each bike to be exactly the same, in which case it requires you having identical contact points across the board it’s likely we will have to find as good as a position as possible
How do these factors influence what session i book?
It’s important to understand that with factors listed above. Variance in contact point shapes and sizes can have knock on affects to the biomechanics of an individual. For example, a difference in bar width out the way widens your arms and brings your chest forward. This knock on affect can tilt your pelvis forward and change how you feel on the saddle, alter your pedalling mechanics etc. It could also internally rotate your fore arms and bring your shoulders up, further pulling you forward and possibly giving you neck pain.
its important to highlight these things as from bike to bike a certain amount of time is taken to make sure the contact points you have or were specking are okay for you and are not expected to bring on problems.
if you think that you have enough of these differences to take into account across your bikes then you should book a double fit.
What counts as an extended Single Fit
An example of when it could be classed as a map over is 2 fairly similar bikes that you want in the same position with same size of contact components listed above.
If assuming the similarity of your 2 bikes falls in or very close to the examples listed above then you may want to contact us and talk over your bikes before booking. Mention you are taking an additional bike you are wanting identically positioned. We will check that it falls within criteria and make some time available at the end of your fit, probably an additional 30 mins, to map your new position over and make required adjustments.
another example of what fits in this case is summer and winter bike both with same contact points that you want made to be the same. Or 2 identically specced Cross bikes.
If the above sounds like you get in touch before your booking and we can slot you into the diary over a phone call, or book on our online scheduler.