Custom Fitting

Peter Hansford is proud to offer this important service

With over 30 years experience in bike fitting, custom frame sizing and bicycle builds. Bike fitting sessions last for about 45 minutes and are carried out in store. Peter Hansford’s custom bike fitting sessions try to find out more about you as a cyclist, your riding history, whether or not you have any injuries or discomfort, your average mileage, aspirations and cycling goals.

At Peter Hansford we make sure you feel better on the bike, so that you ride better, whether you want to descend at speed with confidence, thread your way through singletrack or fine tune your time trial position.

When determining the exact cycling position, the frame height of the bicycle is of indirect importance. A wrong frame size could lead to a situation in which the bicycle can no longer be adjusted correctly. When the frame is too small, the difference in height between saddle and handlebars could become too large because the adjustment in height of the stem is limited. The top tube of a frame that is too high could be too long, as a result of which the distance between saddle and handlebars cannot be properly adjusted. In short, a correct frame height is the first necessary step towards an optimal cycling position.

Together with the cycling shoes the pedals form a unity through which the cyclist transfers movement to the bicycle. For matters of comfort it is important that shoes and pedals offer sufficient stability, enabling the movement of the knee to remain in line-of-force with the hip and foot. Contrary to popular belief, the cyclist has to adjust himself to the movement imposed on him by the bicycle. This implies that the link shoe-pedal (shoe cleats) is subordinated to this imposed movement. The position of the shoe cleat ensures that the foot is positioned straight on the pedal, so as to give stability to the knee joint. This explains why the link shoe-pedal should be stable in itself. The pedal should also be sufficiently wide because the entire front part of the foot must be supported. In order to cut back on weight and to decrease air resistance, pedals are often made as small as possible. So small, in fact, that stability depends entirely on the rigidity of the shoe and shoe sole, and on the link with the pedal. In reality this stability leaves a lot to be desired.

Bikefitting.com has developed additional tools that are very useful to correctly adjust a bicycle in accordance with a Bikefitting.com Analysis. These tools are not only created for experts, although you will see them used by your Bikefitting.com consultant; they are also very useful and efficient for the active cycling enthusiast.

Saddle Height Adjuster

The saddle height is, by far, the most important dimension on a bicycle, as bio-mechanically-incorrect adjustment of the saddle height may result in considerable loss of energy during cycling; it can also create discomfort and even injury. That is why it is necessary to check your saddle height on a regular basis, as saddles deform with use. With the Saddle Height Adjuster you can measure saddle height quickly and exactly to the millimeter.

Calibrator

The Calibrator is a precision tool with which, after the saddle height has been adjusted, the difference in height of the saddle and handlebars and the distance of the saddle to the handlebars can be measured and adjusted. You only adjust the contact points of the cyclist with the bicycle, so the frame geometry does not usually play any role in optimal adjustment. Only when the frame geometry deviates so much that a correct adjustment is not feasible will the issue of correct frame size be demonstrated.

The Calibrator is excellent for copying the position from one bike to another. This is very useful if you have more than one bicycle and you wish to adjust them identically. You can also use the Calibrator to check a number of frame dimensions, such as the height of the bottom bracket, the distance between bottom bracket and front wheel dropout, and the length of the chain stay.