For me, a bike fit is a concept. A concept of optimizing the comfort of the 3 contact points of a bicycle while at the same time compromising with the rider’s overall flexibility and efficiency to become one unit.The target of a great bike fit is having the rider produce more power with less effort. Lj Miller

I Love bike fitting - I am passionate about fitment because I get to work with my hands to create a vision concept. In the end, it’s an augmentation of human movement and the poetry of change.Lj Miller

Hand numbness is a major issue for many cyclist. Below are some points to help avoid the sensation when riding…Hydrate well - all of the time. Keep in mind drinking more 1 or 2 days before a big ride may not be enough. Good hydration at a cellular level beings 96 hours out (similar to carbohydrate loading).Beware of over tightening - whether it is your boa dials, velcro closures on your shoes, the rock lock dial on your helmet or the closures on your gloves - over tightening any or all of these with an increase in heart rate places more pressure on your outer extremities (hands and feet)   Be mindful of your saddle tilt  - a saddle nose pointed down in an aggressive way may not be helping. The saddle will rotate your pelvic tilt downwards when pedaling, so much so that you will often hold youself up and “push yourself back” on the saddle especially, at a high cadence. This saddle example will not only place improper load on your patella tendons, but it will weigh the hands significantly Watch the hoods - many riders are not able to ride for an extended time in the drops of the handlebar…knowing this, many cyclist will compound the problem by moving the hoods up to a higher position to make the reach more comfortable. Doing this can be tricky as elevated hoods often mis weight the hand and kink the wrist right where the wrist needs to be aligned (better circulation) to function (using the shifter and brake lever). This aggressive kinking can limit blood circulation to the ulnar nerve in the palm causing numbness in the hand  Off the bike - Avoid resting your elbows on hard surfaces and for you office workers keep your keyboard close and try to hold a neutral wrist alignment when typing

Saddle pain is another major issue for many cyclist. Below are 3 key fitment measurements to best optimize your saddle...1. Be certain that your saddle height is correct. Having the right seat height allows you to rest on the saddle properly. “Close enough” is not enough. Being off by 4.5mm can cause more pain than necessary 2. The Fore and Aft of the saddle (rails) should be measured and set to the rider - this measurement is important as it will determine the placement of your central mass 3. The saddle tilt is also key - this fitment measurement is important as it will determine the foundation of your pelvic rotation (too high or low can cause discomfort) as well as the support level of your sit bones Key Tips: Be mindful of trends and saddle recommendations - the most amazing saddle of your best friend may not at all be the answer for you. Remember that everyone’s soft tissue is different.Use actual chamois cream (I use Assos) - the contents do more to prepare and treat the skin than normal body lotion. The cream also helps your ride shorts work better (reducing friction) with the movement of your soft tissue - this is a good thing Get Measured - some IBD’s will use a sit bone fitment box that can be sat on to measure your sit bone width. There are several home measurement self tests on YouTube as well.  Knowing your bone width (Example; 138, 143, 156mm)  is a great start in the right direction and will help you narrow the field of saddle choicesFizik Saddles offers a kool saddle testing program as well as custom saddle fitting primarily through local authorized dealer demo programs Finally, be patient - when you move to a new saddle (after your bike fit of course) give it some time. All will be new to your sit bones. Both the beak in of the saddle and the “alignment” of your lower lumbar will take some time

The most popular topic at the moment. What are the 2 key benefits of running shorter cranks and how to learn the correct length for you…Running shorter cranks (like reach and stack) has come over from the triathlon segment. Some time ago during the Tour de France several stage winning riders were seen using shorter cranks and this is all it took for the trial transition to become real. Many riders seem to feel you can spin more with shorter cranks - while this makes sense from a leverage (shorter) perspective the available gearing on the bike sinks that point.For me, the 2 biggest benefits of running shorter cranks is: Aerodynamics and Reduced Hip FlexionThe open frontal shell of a TDF athlete pedaling through the wind for 3 weeks at speed is much smaller (more aero) with shorter cranks. By changing and optimizing the gearing - cadence, power and overall output may remain relatively the same creating a massive advantage of time over distance.For the rest of us cyclist - aerodynamics is kool, but reduced hip flexion may be more of the ‘go to’ benefit of shorter cranks. Many triathletes are able to run much easier (and faster) after the bike leg. Over the pedal segment of the course the athlete’s hip flexion in both degree and use is minimized with the cranks being shorter. The hips do not have to open up (or close) as much. A road, MTB or gravel cyclist may have the same benefit. If all gears are equal, a rider with shorter cranks would have a more closed leverage point at the hips, this combined with creating a smaller cadence circle, compounded, could be a respiratory advantage especially on steep climbs.How to measure for my correct crank arm length:The most accurate method I have seen so far is, accurately measuring your inseam length (in cm) then multiplying x 2.16        Keep in mind the crank arm itself measures from the center of the bottom bracket to the center of the spindle.Good Luck - You Got This !!!For more tips see: millerbikefit.com