Home // Cascade Bike Fit

Cascade Bike Fit

Do you know how to fit someone to a Cascade bike? See below.

Bike Fit basics

Seat Height

  1. Stand next to seat and adjust to hip height.
  2. Sit on the bike, put one pedal in the 12 o’clock position and the other in the 6 o’clock position.
  3. With a straight leg you should just be able to scrape the bottom of your heel on the surface of the pedal.
  4. Adjust the height if necessary so this is possible.
  5. This position will allow for a slight bend in the knee when pedaling.

Seat Fore/Aft

  1. While still sitting on the bike put the pedals in the 3 o’clock and 9 o’clock positions with the feet in the pedals.
  2. The proper fore/aft position is achieved when the small bone above your shin is directly over the pedal spindle of the forward facing pedal which is in the 3o’clock position.
  3. Move the seat fore or aft to achieve this position.
  4. The lower body pedaling position is now complete.

Handlebar Height and Fore/Aft

  1. The handlebar position is more of a personal preference.
  2. Start with the handlebars at the same height as the seat.
  3. Then adjust the height of the handlebar to a comfortable position.
  4. Next adjust the fore/aft position of the handlebars to a comfortable position.
  5. The proper riding position should have a slight bend in the elbows and typically you do not want greater than a 90 degree angle between the back and arms at the shoulder position.
  6. Your bike fit is now complete.

“What is the weight of your flywheel?

How often do you get that question regarding a spin bike? The short answer is our flywheel is 8 lbs. Why is the customer asking this? They ask because they have been told a heavier flywheel is better. In reality all they are looking for is bike that has enough inertia which helps make it feel good to ride and inertia is a combination of flywheel weight and gear ratio.

For example, when we made LeMond bikes the flywheel was 37 lbs and our gear ratio – the number of flywheel revolutions for each revolution of the pedals – was just over 3. On the Cascade CMX bike our gear ratio is just over 9, so we are spinning the flywheel faster to help achieve the great feel of our bikes.

In the end the customer does not really need to worry about the flywheel weight, rather they should try the bike and see if they like the feel and inertia as they ride it. One potential downside of too heavy a flywheel or too much inertia is that you can get out of control at high speeds and this can lead to injuries.

How does the adjustment clamp that tightens the fore/aft of the handlebars work?

The easiest way to work this handle is to always have it set tight in the 10 o’clock position(when facing forward on the bike). Then a user can loosen it(clockwise), move the handlebars and reset it tight back to the 10 o’clock position and the handle does not get near the post. The key to this handle is if you pull it straight down from the middle it puts the handle in a neutral position so that when you turn it while it is pulled down it does not turn the threads. So if you are turning this handle and it hits the handlebar post, pull it down to the neutral position and turn it away from the post. But on the retail floor always have it tight in the 10 o’clock position.