Velopedia Tools

Bike Fit & Setup

Record a known riding position so you can understand, repeat and transfer it.

Start with either a cycling-inseam reference or a measured saddle height, then add the saddle, frame and cockpit measurements for one complete setup. The map shows exactly which reference points the worksheet uses; optional knee-angle checks, hand-reference offsets, detailed coordinates and Archive frame context are available when you want to go deeper.

Transparent saddle baselineTransferable contact coordinatesModern Archive frame context

Find → Evaluate → Set up

Use this worksheet when you have a bicycle or known frame measurements. If you are still choosing, begin with Finder; use Geometry to understand one bicycle.

Start with Bike Finder Evaluate in Geometry

Fit-coordinate worksheet

Enter the essentials first.

The calculation remains unified: rider, saddle, frame and cockpit inputs resolve into one transferable set of coordinates. Optional detail panels can stay closed.

Rider & saddle

Enter at least one saddle-height source. Cycling inseam establishes the traditional baseline; a measured saddle height records the actual setup and takes precedence when both are supplied.

Cycling inseam mm · required without saddle heightFloor to crotch with firm upward pressure; supplies the traditional 0.883 baseline Measured saddle height mm · required without inseamBottom-bracket center to one repeatable saddle-top reference; used instead of the baseline when supplied Saddle setback mmHorizontal BB-to-saddle-reference offset; positive is behind the BB

Optional knee-angle checkOpen only if you measured it using a known protocol.

Measurement methodStatic and dynamic angles use different published reference ranges

Frame

Use reach, stack and head angle from the same size and geometry position. Category and normalized size define only the modern Archive reference group.

Frame reach mm Frame stack mm Head angle degrees

Advanced Archive frame contextCategory and normalized size affect the benchmark—not the fit calculation.

Bike categoryComparable size groupManufacturer size names are normalized only for Archive context.

Frame context is not a fit verdict: Archive bands describe this frame relative to modern bicycles in the selected category and size group. They do not determine whether the rider should use that nominal size.

Cockpit

Resolve the stem clamp first, then add an optional hand-reference offset for the bar/hood/grip position you care about.

Upper stack / spacers mmTotal distance along the steerer from the published frame stack point to the stem clamp; include the headset top cover, spacers and intervening upper-stack hardware Stem length mm Stem angle / rise degreesEnter the manufacturer’s ± rise/drop value relative to a 90° stem; flipping the stem changes the sign (−6° down, +6° up)

Optional hand-reference offsetsBlank uses the stem clamp as the repeatable hand reference.

Forward offset mmStem clamp to chosen hood/bar/grip reference; positive is forward, negative is behindVertical offset mmStem clamp to the same hand reference; positive is above, negative is below

Fit worksheet

Your fit worksheet

Enter rider and bike measurements to calculate saddle and cockpit coordinates.

Use the worksheet well

Start with manufacturer size guidance and a test ride.
Compare a measured position rather than relying on a size label.
Use one consistent knee-angle method when tracking changes.
See a qualified fitter or clinician for persistent pain or injury concerns.

Bike fit guide

Separate the rider, the setup and the frame

A professional worksheet does not collapse body measurements, contact points and frame geometry into one unexplained size recommendation. Velopedia keeps each layer visible so the result can be measured, transferred and checked.

Saddle height: baseline versus actual fit

The traditional LeMond method places the saddle at 88.3% of measured cycling inseam, measured from the center of the bottom bracket to the top of the saddle. It is useful as an anthropometric starting point, not as proof that the resulting position is correct for a particular rider.

Baseline saddle height = inseam × 0.883The calculator keeps this number visibly labeled as a baseline and separately reports the rider's measured saddle position.

Static and dynamic knee angles are not interchangeable

Published bike-fit research commonly uses knee flexion as a saddle-height check, but the measurement protocol matters. A 2019 comparison found that dynamic knee flexion at bottom dead center was about 8° greater than the static measurement and proposed a dynamic BDC reference range of 33–43°. The familiar static Holmes-method range is 25–35°. Velopedia therefore asks which method was used before interpreting an entered knee angle.

Contact points make a fit transferable

A frame label such as 54, Medium or Large does not record where the rider's hands and saddle actually sit. This calculator converts frame reach/stack, headset/spacer stack and stem geometry into BB-relative coordinates, then combines them with the measured saddle position. Those coordinates are far more useful when comparing two bikes or recreating a known-good position.

Stem angle from horizontal = 90° − head angle + stem settingSpacer movement follows the steering axis. Stem length is then resolved into horizontal and vertical components before the selected hand-reference offset is added.

What the Archive adds to a fit worksheet

The Archive does not know the rider’s mobility, injury history, pedaling mechanics or preferred contact-point setup. It can answer a narrower and useful question: whether the entered frame reach, stack and head angle sit toward an end or near the middle of a recent known-size category cohort. That evidence helps explain the frame underneath the position without turning geometry into a fit prescription.

Use Bike Fit and Geometry together

Bike Fit records the rider-facing setup: saddle coordinates, hand coordinates, horizontal saddle-to-hand span and vertical drop, plus the actual cockpit used to create them. The Geometry Analyzer examines the complete bicycle chassis and finds numerical neighbors in the Archive. The handoff carries the same frame and contact reference between tools, while the results remain explicitly separate.

Measurement workflow

1. Measure inseam

Use a rigid book or similar fixture and firm upward pressure. Clothing inseam is not the same measurement.

2. Record the saddle

Measure BB center to a repeatable saddle-top reference and its horizontal setback from the BB. Keep the same reference point next time.

3. Build the cockpit

Use published frame reach/stack, then add the actual spacer and stem configuration. Enter a hand-reference offset only if you can measure it consistently.

4. Transfer, then verify

Recreate the coordinates on another bicycle, then verify pedaling and comfort on the bike. Component shape and rider movement still matter.

Fit-method references: Li et al. (2026) — saddle-height methods · Millour et al. — static vs dynamic knee angle · BikeCAD — applying fit dimensions