Bike fit – difference between mtb & road fit ?

I have had a basic road bike fitting session and I was wondering if there are any bike fit experts out there who could answer the question —- Is there a difference between the fit for a road bike and a mtb bike ?

Gut feel says there is even if its only a subtle difference but what do I know, thanks in advance Paul

When I had mine I took both bikes, he said he normally doesn’t bother fitted xc bikes but I explained what I do and he set them up the same saddle fore/aft position, but around 5/6mm lower, now around 3mm lower. I’m glad I took them, other than the bars being in different positions the transition between bikes is easier

The main difference is that people know how to fit a road bike, but nobody has a clue how to fit a mountain bike, except that it’s probably quite different to a road bike 🙂

I think its the fact the majority of bike fit people are focused on road bikes and that road biking was the origin of the whole bike fitting “science” was the reason for my question re mtb.

Chipps how about a mtb bike fit feature ??????????????????

there isn’t really much point in having hard and fast rules on mtb fitting, as you move around on the bike so much compared to road. Also the many different types of bike and riding necessitate different fits. Fine if you are the typical stwer with 18 3/4 bikes, less so if just the 1.

If you feel comfy, it fits. Generally.

Road biking is (mainly) about how efficiently you can apply power to the pedals for long periods of time. Typically you will only be in one or two positions relative to the bike so it makes sense to optimise those. A couple of millimetres change to the saddle position for instance can make a big difference to relieving knee or back pains.

Mountain biking on the other hand has the bike moving all around you so really you need to work on that “dynamic” aspect as opposed to the “static” road position.

I’ve had time and training with two professional bike fitters who make a living from fitting road bikes. They do the whole Retul £250 fitting thing.
After spending a day discussing road bike fitting I asked about the differences in fitting a mountainbike and both said there was none.

After a brief conversation I realised neither man knew that any form of mountain biking other than xc racing existed. So I certainly wouldn’t pay for a bike fit on an mtb from a “professional” unless he was mtb focussed.

On road bikes there is something of a convergence in terms of geometry and purpose which doesn’t really exist in mountain bikes. I like a long top tube, but short chain stays, and I’d go up a bike size to get the stretch I wanted.

Simple answer is there are few similarities at all in the ‘fit’. ‘Fitting’ process itself may involve a couple of shared principles, if done well – ie not using ‘fit calculators’ etc.
As said before, road is mainly about fitting for comfort and output, MTB can be much more dynamic but you still need to be able to sit in an effective position for flat trails/climbing. And then you have CX-‘all-road’ type stuff where you need a bit of both, that can get tricky.

Andy Pruitt’s Medical Guide For Cyclists does have some MTB Fitting info and some good starting points for seat, bb, pedal and knee position. Also helps suggest ways of changing bike fit to reduce or remove pain in knees or back for instance.

Think also with Dropper Posts, there is an option to have a slightly raised saddle than normal to gain efficiency but still drop it for down hills…

I found it pretty helpful overall.

HTH

Think also with Dropper Posts, there is an option to have a slightly raised saddle than normal to gain efficiency but still drop it for down hills…

this ^^^

I’d say saddle position in relation to BB is pretty much the same between road and any bike which you pedal for any duration. Beyond that I’m not sure. Saddle height could be the same if you have a dropper.

XC bikes can probably be setup but the same ‘rules’ as a road bike as the pedaling whilst seated is important to you winning.

Other bikes seem to be tending towards steeper seat angles, I’m not 100% convinced by this, I had some ‘lockdown’ forks years ago, and recently some u-turn lyriks, and beyond a point the steepeining angle feels like it robs all my power and I’m quicker pedaling up with the forks at their full length.

So there’s proabbly an argument for moving the saddle foreward a bit off road to imporve handing whilst seated, but only as far as is either comfortable for your knees or doesn’t rob you of any power.

As above, you would have thought pedalling positions should be the same, perhaps a tad lower for mtg if not using a dropper post. but a road bike fit is going to be far more stretched out for aerodynamics etc. I certainly sit a lot more upright on my mtb and I think that’s typical from what I see.

When you say and MTB “Fit” are you talking more Trail/Enduro type bikes these days, more than XC?

I expect many bike fitters would set-up an XC bike a bit like a Flat bared Road bike, perhaps with the saddle a smidge lower, stem perhaps 10mm shorter to accommodate a rider shifting about over rougher terrain?…

For a “Trail”/”#Enduro”/pedal up’n’bomb down type bike a fitter should probably be looking to make it as comfortable as possible to climb on and save the rider’s energy, so sorting seated position with the dropper in it’s fully extended mode.
Maybe tweak the seat and bar positions relative to each other, to minimize stress on the rider’s back and knees…
But for Descending what would/could they do? Saddle will be dropped out of the way (mostly) it might affect how they place the bars or what reach they choose for the stem to try and find a happy compromise for centering rider’s weight, Control positions? do they ever adjust brake/gear lever angles?

Of course Road bikes are most often fitted based on the bike/rider being on a flat/horizontal surface, MTB’s spend lots of time pointed up or down or travelling across undulating and rough surfaces, would a “Horizontal fit” be very useful?

It’s an interesting question actually, how do you “Fit” a modern MTB?

Surely It depends what you prefer to do on your mountain bike. The setup for doing big millage on mainly easy going terrain is a world away from doing winching and smashing on steep gnarly trails. The setup for being an XC race whippet is different again.

Roads are just roads really aren’t they where MTB can mean a number of different things depending on who you are and where you live.

Of course Road bikes are most often fitted based on the bike/rider being on a flat/horizontal surface, MTB’s spend lots of time pointed up or down or travelling across undulating and rough surfaces, would a “Horizontal fit” be very useful?

A 1in10 (moderately steep) climb is ‘only’ 6deg fom horisontal, even 1in3 which when you stand at the bottom and look at it looks unrideably vertical, is only 19deg, the eyes play tricks when it comes to gradients.

As above, you would have thought pedalling positions should be the same, perhaps a tad lower for mtg if not using a dropper post. but a road bike fit is going to be far more stretched out for aerodynamics etc. I certainly sit a lot more upright on my mtb and I think that’s typical from what I see.

They’re actualy about the same (XC and road bikes), mine are

Road 56cm TT, 11cm stem, 8cm bends to the hoods = 75cm
MTB 62cm TT, 11cm stem, no bends = 73cm.

Not an inch in it, and I’m not that often on the drops whilst pedaling uphill, and in terms of writs position I reckon being on the hoods isn’t as far foreard as that as the hands half on the top bit of the curve of bars).

RE shorter positions on MTBs vs longer on road – as you reach fwd to the bar you may need to move your saddle back a bit to keep your balance over the centre, so saddle-BB relationship isn’t always such a good guide between bike types. MTBs are the opposite, ie shorter reach allows a steeper SA for balance on steeper climbs. Or, they can be the same if that works for you. MTB is so much more variable.
Look at TT and stem lengths combined and most of us will have similar distances for road and MTB bikes, the added reach of the road bike is mainly in the bar shape and hoods grip position.

Road bikes are most often fitted based on the bike/rider being on a flat/horizontal surface,

Which is is a big part of the ‘KOPS – debunking the myth’ article Keith Bontrager wrote, basically fitting a bike on level ground and thinking KOPS is important is a daft idea.
Ever noticed how a bike can feel really nicely balanced when climbing a shallow gradient, or another bike feels better on the flat and not as good on the same shallow gradient? It’s all about c of g in relation to the contact points and wheels. That feeling can be a very useful indication of your fit on the bike or what to change.

he set them up the same saddle fore/aft position, but around 5/6mm lower, now around 3mm lower.

Wow, is that all? I’m pretty jeycore, with an XC bike setup for long distance easy riding, but still have the saddle a good 10-15mm lower than the road bike.

yes, very little difference between road and xc, 15mm sounds quite extreme, but i’d rather have it higher rather than lower, more poweeeer, kinda

Thanks for all the answers. I’m coming to this question from a mixed riding angle, so trail centres with natural stuff in the lakes, peak district and north wales, very little XC for me. I guess the number of variables is potentially so large as to make any “mtb fit” a bit of a compromise no matter what approach you take.

Some general guide lines would be interesting plus I wonder if the big factory downhill and enduro teams like SC have a methodology for fitting their riders to optimise run times ?

Wow, is that all? I’m pretty jeycore, with an XC bike setup for long distance easy riding, but still have the saddle a good 10-15mm lower than the road bike.

I think my MTB may actualy be higher than my road bike, certainly feels like it. Feels more usefull for putting in quick spurts of power rather than plodding allong for hours.

15mm sounds quite extreme

Are you getting confused between mm and cm – 15mm is hardly extreme, I’d have thought your 3mm is less than a difference made by a different saddle.

I think my MTB may actualy be higher than my road bike, certainly feels like it.

In which case either your MTB is too high or the roadie too low.

I think my MTB may actualy be higher than my road bike, certainly feels like it.

In which case either your MTB is too high or the roadie too low.

Higher off the ground or distance from the BB?

I’m coming to this question from a mixed riding angle, so trail centres with natural stuff in the lakes, peak district and north wales, very little XC for me

That is XC isn’t it?

Assuming you’re not doing DH races or uplifts then saddle height for efficient pedalling is pretty much the same, maybe a few mm lower than pure XC racing/Road height, but io you have a dropper then that negates that as you can set it at proper height when fully up and drop accordingly when needed.

Bar height, and overall reach will be as much personal preference as anything, but as a few others have said above, if you ignore the TT/Stem ratio I think you’ll find the overall reach to the bars is very similar between bike and riding types.

All mine are very similar, certainly no more than 10-20mm difference in reach, about the same variation in stack between them too, the one bike that is significantly different actually is about the same reach (BB horizontal to headtube top) as all the others but with a steeper seat angle so feels the same when riding out of the saddle, but feels a lot shorter when sat down, its more of a winch and plummet style bike though so it suits the intended riding.

*I realise the above may be a little confusing as I’m mixing ‘overall reach to the bars’ in with ‘reach’ as in the ‘stack and reach’ geo measurements in the same post but hopefully it makes sense what I’m on about.

All mine are very similar, certainly no more than 10-20mm difference in reach, about the same variation in stack between them too, the one bike that is significantly different actually is about the same reach (BB horizontal to headtube top) as all the others but with a steeper seat angle so feels the same when riding out of the saddle, but feels a lot shorter when sat down, its more of a winch and plummet style bike though so it suits the intended riding.

The 10-20mm difference I would assume is shorter for your mtb bike ?

I didn’t know snake oil came in multiple flavours

scotroutes – Member
I didn’t know snake oil came in multiple flavours

You can mock it all you like, but why wouldn’t you want to get a bike fit?

Increased my comfort on the bike tenfold, I can now tap out 115km in one go on a Sunday afternoon, yet still manage to climb comfortably out of the Porsche after the drive to the office on Monday morning.

I use Strava, and after the bike fit, I noticed my power output had increased as well. Why would you not want and increase in power, especially if you’re competetive and ride sportives?

The fitter fitted an inline seatpost, put 35mm of spacers under my stem and titled my handlbars back. THe park tools website gives instructions on how to do this, but even if I did it, how would I know it was correct without someone telling me?

The way I see it is; I live to work and I’m fortunate enough to have a well paid job I love, at a large multinational. I earn decent money, and I love working hard for it, so I may aswell spend it on something that’s going to be of real benefit. Afterall, I don’t want to risk being off work through injury from an un(ill?)fitted bike.

Getting fitted is the best upgrade you can buy for your bike.

The 10-20mm difference I would assume is shorter for your mtb bike

no, I mean there’s 10-20mm variation in general eg: XC race bike vs 24hr ‘comfort’ bike and my being silly in the woods bike. Same on road, ie: my commuter is about 10mm shorter than my sunday bun-run bike, which is about the same as the XC race bike.

FWIW none of them have been ‘fitted’, it’s just how I’ve ended setting them up to suit me after 20 odd years of riding I know pretty much what works for me.

Very good davidtaylforth.

When looking at saddle height, you need to measure from the insole of your shoe to the top of the saddle to have a valid comparison.

davidtaylforth – Member
Getting fitted is the best upgrade you can buy for your bike.

Road bike perhaps. MTB, best upgrade is a skills course.

Fit on MTB is very much a personal preference beyond basic fit for reach and BB to saddle height. Stand over is something to generally be ignored, unlike on a road bike. Even with bike lengths, some people prefer a shorter bike for certain types of riding and longer for others.

I would never ever pay for or remotely trust a bike fit for MTB.

Road, I don’t do road, but if I did I pay more attention to fit, but I’d be testing loads of bikes I was interested in or bikes of virtually same geometry and spec, and pick the one I’m comfortable with. Paying for a fit, no, but then I wouldn’t remotely be interested in racing. Or group rides, sportives or anything similar. Too many rules, miserable and boring rides, and well yeah so I wouldn’t really ride a road bike 😛

Andy Pruitt's Fit tips