Self-Fitting A Bike

I have a 20 year old Trek bike and I'm in the market for a new one.
The (major) problem I have right now is that I've got a bulging disk
(L4/L5) and I want to be sure that gets better and biking doesn't
aggravate it before I drop $ on a new bike.

To pursue the "make sure biking doesn't aggravate it" angle I want to
be sure my old bike is fit for me as best it can. I used to ride it
quite a bit and it never bothered me. But that was when my body was
20 years younger and undoubtedly able to handle "problems" more
easily.

Is there a way to check the fit reasonably well by myself? I've seen
the rules of thumb regarding leg length and frame size, but I'm
looking for more detail than that, such as distance from seat to stem,
etc.

Any ideas on how to optimize my current setup without dropping $100+
at a shop for a "professional" fitting?

Thanks.

Jim

On Jul 28, 6:41 pm, Haselsmasher wrote:
I have a 20 year old Trek bike and I'm in the market for a new one.
The (major) problem I have right now is that I've got a bulging disk
(L4/L5) and I want to be sure that gets better and biking doesn't
aggravate it before I drop $ on a new bike.

To pursue the "make sure biking doesn't aggravate it" angle I want to
be sure my old bike is fit for me as best it can. I used to ride it
quite a bit and it never bothered me. But that was when my body was
20 years younger and undoubtedly able to handle "problems" more
easily.

Is there a way to check the fit reasonably well by myself? I've seen
the rules of thumb regarding leg length and frame size, but I'm
looking for more detail than that, such as distance from seat to stem,
etc.

Any ideas on how to optimize my current setup without dropping $100+
at a shop for a "professional" fitting?

Seat high as is comfortable without locking out knee. Consider whether
you pedal heel up, down or level. Fore/aft as you feel feels good. Get
a Nitto Technomic stem and jack the bars up to where they feel
comfortable. Take into consideration the current stem when getting a
new one. Feel scrunched? go up a size or two, do the converse if you
feel like you're reached out too far. Ride. Listen to your body.
Adjust as necessary.

http://www.lickbike.com/productpage.asp?PART_NUM_SUB='1172-10'