The Most Unusual Bike Fit Update 

It's such a pleasure to watch a highly competent fitter like Neill work and explain his problem solving.

This is truly astonishing! I simply cannot believe a bikefitter is actually better investigating / exploring & explaining an issue than my actual physiotherapist. I wish I had the chance someone like Neill could fit me to my road bike.

As a long-time bike fitter, I really appreciate the diagnostic skill demonstrated here. However, bike fit isn’t just making things look symmetrical in one session as it appears here. The rider has literally thousands of miles accumulated in a particular (albeit skewed) position and the body adapts to that position. It will take time and miles to assess whether these changes actually work for the rider. Bike fit has so, so many complex variables and interrelationships that “quick fixes” are usually misleading or just the tip of the iceberg. This rider may, for example, now experience knee pain or shoulder pain or hip pain or foot pain as a result of these changes. It will be a judgment call as to whether they should ride through it or go back to previous fits. So it is satisfying to see symmetry where it didn’t exist before, but it doesn’t necessarily translate to better performance. Time will tell, as with all things and even (we have a sprinter here…) the next big crash could change things. Riders should not expect to get a bike fit and come out riding smoothly and pain-free! Work is required, experimentation is required, and constant attention to detail. The more miles you ride the more your body adapts to dysfunction. Every change in bike fit requires a period of re-adaptation and hopefully the rider can get through that and come out the other side riding more efficiently and powerfully. That’s the idea, anyway! Just my two cents…

Cracking content Craig and Neill. Loved this one.

I love watching Neil compared to my own bike fitter who relies on a computer program. Neil is so competent, and such a joy to watch in action.

Thank you to Craig for allowing us to share the experience of his bike fit. Best wishes for years of strong riding!

This is amazing to watch! Thank God for someone with this level of skill and experience like you Neil. And I'm especially happy for Craig to have this resolved! As someone who struggle with my fit for years, can't say how happy I am to see someone's issue resolved. PS : yeah most people tell me to get professionally fitted, have done so 5 times. Apparently, reading Steve Hogg and watching a bunch of videos from Neil helped me the most.

Yet another video from Neill where clicking ‘like’ doesn’t do it justice. Top quality content as ever - keep up the work gents.

Neil is the top of the food chain hands down . Master at his craft indeed .

Excellent! I've solved so many fit problems just watching Neill, decades of riding sore!

Absolutely incredible attention to detail. He goes to more effort than all physios or doctors I have encountered in my time.

I've had 3 bike fits and neither person has been able to drill down and find the route cause of my problem, I had a dynamic hip screw fitted in 2006 after a moto x accident and therefore my left leg is considerably shorter (16mm ish) I have a wedge like a Cuban heel underneath my cleat, it helps but hasn't completely sorted my issue, Neill is by far the best bike fitter that I've ever seen, shame you're the other side of the world. Great content 👍

Neil, the mad scientist of bike fitting! Great content 👌

James and Neill are very talented bike fitters here on RU-vid that I've learned a lot from.

Waaaaa😭. Not fair that Neil is half way around the world. I need a bike fit from this man.

If Neill was based somewhere in Europe I would have already bought a ticket to join him for a bike fit! You are incredible Neill. In case you are taking a trip to Europe please let us know, I am willing to travel for a fit like this!

Brilliant. Been doing ‘bike fit’..mostly for Sportif level riders,but also some Road Race folk for many years. Always learning. Grateful of greater understanding from practitioners such as yourself with far deeper understanding of the body than myself. Keep my fits within my understanding and experience. Very rewarding to get feedback from happy clients. Thank you.

Never seen anything like a staggered Q factor but it all makes sense after seeing how perfect the rider looks while pedaling

Not a road biker but this is pretty crazy how you can analyze and fix a problem like this. Tremendous.

Great video, thanks for sharing. Fantastic for the rider as well.

Magnificent! So much respect for you Neil.

I'm also riding with staggered q-factor (+42mm in retroverted side) and cleat position. A video about this condition and its considerations in bikefitting would be awesome :))

I could only hope to see a bike fitter this good. The bike fitter I saw in the Washington, DC area told me I had tight hamstrings even though I can almost palm the floor. Btw, he didn't do a single flexibility test, just pulled it out of his, well, you know.

Well done Neill!! Great work.

Love seeing people that are truly talented in their field.

Absolute next-level bike fitting knowledge and expertise, literally not come across anything like this and only wish I had access to this level of expertise somewhere near me

You have such incredible knowledge about body anatomy. Amazing to watch.

Amazing work, Neil.

I have been having this same sensation for years on the bike! bike tilts left under me, hips out of alignment. definitely going to experiment from what I learned here until I can go get another fit.

This is great. I have 1 sided saddle issues on my left. I have a lower back issue and replaced right knee. I might have to try some of these things. I would pay for a bike fit with Neill if I didn't live in USA, lol. Great stuff, thanks!

Duude. Neil. Your a bloody genius. I need a fit from you. Awesome stuff!

Neil you're just amazing, your explanation was so mind blowing to hear

Really cool video! I love this stuff!

A really interesting and informative diagnosis.

I have the same (worse) problem caused by a bike accident where I broke my left hip. I wish to have a person like you where in Sweden to help me 😊 Congrats for the amazing work

great work!

Thanks a lot! This is so good info! I also have markedly better internal rotation in my left hip than my right. I've also thought about moving my right further away from the bike. Very anecdotally, it feels better if I move to the right on the saddle.

Amazing to watch. Neil is a wizard.

Identical case to mine, finally! Bikefit also matches but took me a few years to get it right. The structural hip joint difference was also visible in an x-ray.

There’s guys that buy some motion capture software and call themselves ‘bike fitters’ then, there’s guys like this!

Amazing!

Great video!! 😮

amazing bikefit. very interesting

incredible expertise

Wow! Unusual, but really good to see.

Very interesting. Great explanation and result. I have left hemi CP, torn left hip labrum and as expected, tightness, weakness and a shorter left leg and arm. As you can imagine, bike fitting is a breeze with me. Currently have 160L/172.5R crank to help compensate for the length and open up the hip angle at the top of the stroke. Would love to come to Brissy for a fit

Really great videos, thanks for sharing your knowledge! Im afraid I have same kind of problem because I feel like I sit on bike twisted and I have really bad saddle pressure pain. Sadly I live in Estonia and I dont have opportunity to visit your place.

fascinating!

It’s mind blowing just how far this is from riding a huffy in the neighborhood.

Very impressive. I'm mean WOW!

A magician at work!

Neill Stanbury is an oracle. Fact!

Whoa! Awesome diagnosis. Too bad you are on the other side of the world from me - or I’d be first in line to see you. Great content!

What a legend!

I need a bike fitter like this - Australia is a long way to go from the southern US.

One leg slightly longer than the other ?.RCA a great Academy + Cam honest open videos thank you all Guys David Djerassi.

Very nice to see a pro bike fitter dig deep to get not just a good result but the best result ! Who/what would you recommend for an on-line fit, or maybe a fit book ? I am too far from a good fitter and don’t trust the local bike fits. It seems they all just want to raise the bar and shorten the stem. Thanks, I watch all your videos and am going to give the SMP Nymber another try .

Everything described for Craig I have from a fit with Steve Hogg years ago. He did say at the time I was a bit unique. 8mm shim under right foot, 3mm inboard cleat foot father back that the left side

Nice diagnosis. Can't complain about playing doctor with Craig. 😏

Absolutely love your work Neil. Always interesting content with a solution at the end. As a person who deals with body's regularly did you consider a Psoas release as well only because I could see when Craig was lying (4:19m in the video) on his back his right leg kicks out. This is something I have found on time dealing with Athletes and the everyday client.

Fantastic video! What led to the cleat stagger in the first place? My fitter recommended cleat stagger for me: I have the exact same leg length on Xray but my left femur is 6mm longer than right (with shorter tibia on left by 6mm), and dealing with chronic patellofemoral pain on the Left

I’m booking my flight mate!

Neil is a legend.

Great content, I'd imagine for a fit rider like Craig it wouldn't take long for the body to reset, how long do you reckon a mere mortal should work in these types of changes? Gradually, as in minutes/hours or just go for it and see how it goes?

Great Vid. Btw, what is that mounted on his front wheel axel?

Enjoy watching and learning from your bike fit videos. How can one enroll for a bike fit session

at 4 mins. When he lays on his back. Look how the right foot splays out more than the left. I have the same thing. Hip alignment

Very enjoyable to watch! If you are familiar with Postural Restoration Institute (in US), would their description of Left AIC posture also explain the Femoral Acetabular relationship?

I swear that this is incredibly fascinating..... you ever consider taking on an apprentice?

Wowwww. Great video. Great info. How can I find someone like you in Southern California. I feel like I have the same problem.

You’re definitely on another level! Btw, would that be visible on an x-ray and is that ever done?

legit bike fitter and not a snake oil salesman!

I have a same kind of issues than Mr. Wiggins. Asymmetric in hips and twisting exactly same than his hips (I can clearly see that form X-ray). Also right femur is 13mm shorter than left one. Really hard to fit and still not okay. Shame that I don’t leave even close to Australia so I could have a fit from Neil

I broke my femur on a crash one years ago and now have exactly that asymetry in hip motion in my right leg. I dont have a hip replacement, but a screwd together femur. Screws should get out end of the year. I guess my right femur got shortened and my external rotation (right leg to left knee direction) is less than it was before and i was told by a friend that my hip moves a lot on the bike. Neill, do you have an advice on cleat setting i could try? Unfortunately I cant find a trustworthable bike fitter in Austria, Vienna with a physiology background. Thanks!

Hey Neil. Would you recommend a closer stance on my right foot and staggered cleat fore aft on the right shoe? I sit a bit twisted to the opposite side to this gentleman. No saddle sores but I do get some chaffing on my left glute. During rides I feel as if I have to pick my butt off the saddle and re center my butt on the saddle. No LLD. Most likely twisted pelvis.

Great video, Folks! I wonder if you can help me. I was born with clubfoot where my feet were 90 degrees turn in and flipped (I would have stepped on the top of my foot if I didnt have the surgery!). I had the surgery (back in 1984) and now, left with what the doctors considered a success. I now have a right foot, with the bone sticking out, instead of an arch and the left foot has a bit of an arch. My lower leg has very little muscle. Needless to say my structure is all over the place. Cycling is a bit passion of mine, which I started seriously around two years ago, but never had my bike fitted. I am about to go to one at the end of the month. My question is, what would Neill recommend for shoes, for someone who has clubfoot? and what other things to take into consideration? Thanks in advance!

I would love a next level fit like this. Too bad I’m in Cali.

d*mn. I want to come to you from Germany now :D Great job!!

Nice! Would this have been seen on a CT of his hips? You mention an 'accident'... I would imagine that he had xrays/ct's/mri's... where his assymetry would have been picked up???

Could you tell us where you hold that magical ruler which reveals the (a)symmetry of rider? I would like my wife to perform the same check.

Interesting to see if he gets sore from being in a different position after years of being in the wrong position.

Incredibly talented bike fitter. Could a physical hip asymmetry like this also manifest itself as walking with one foot always landing/facing slightly rotated (toe out/in)? And/or simply one leg wanting to rotate out more than the other to feel ‘at rest’?

I have a huge difference in shoulder height and width, left to ride side. Is there anything I can do, I always have left sided back pain. Maybe shifters at different heights?

Your are true professional when you accepted that this was missed in the first fit. Respect! I can see Craigs shoulders are afftected by the asymetric in hip? The right shoulder looks more inwardly tilted to compensate the asymetry. Is this observation correct ?

Do you have a protocol for modifying Q factor/cleat fore-aft vs hip ir/er

any chance you can comment on how his improvements in hip IR & ER is due to better SIJ motion? Also, checking SIJ motion like that... i mean SIJ motion in any form isnt at all valid or reliable.

Question Neil.. Will this correction be revised in a few years (by you) for the body to assume natural correct position, rather than correcting for what currently is at hand??? Will the body, with this correction be able to get back to what supposed to be correct? Maybe sitting at his desk for way too long molded his soft tissues to "hold" body posture this way???

That's fantastic. Will Craig get more power, better endurance, more comfort or all three?

Had a broad question on an older video of yours that I was hoping to get answered still: Would you also suggest balancing the shim height with an equivalent heel raise too? I know that heel lifts/full sole orthotics are used for LLD outside of the bike. It seems that just raising the forefoot doesn't follow this principle for LLD resolving for walking/etc. If just having a shim on the forefoot, I would assume the foot would become more dorsiflexed/heel drop due to the angled orientation

His smile is what I want from a bike fit 🥲

Would an asymmetrical problem like this show up as differences in power R/L% between legs?

@neil.. would you get an x ray to check for a grade 1 ddh?

I've just entered the lottery again. I need 1 return plane ticket to Australia from the UK.

9:13 I want someone who looks at me like Craig is looking at Neill.

Any shimming needed ?

Surely some of this asymmetry can be fixed/helped with some physiotherapy?

this dude is the Tadej Pogacar of bike fitting

I need help on something like this!! How can I see you ? I’ve been struggling with feeling like my 2 sides are at war with each other for years always something is wrong!!!

Genius

Just curious why the strong focus on symmetry when our bodies aren't symmetrical - both anatomically and functionally?