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So much of bike fitting focuses on fixed positions—cleat position, saddle height, handlebar reach and drop etc.—that it can be easy to assume that simply fixing (no pun intended) the rider’s position is the key to improving their riding. In reality, it’s all about motion. The whole point of all the meticulous positioning is to accommodate efficient and sustainable pedaling.

This Scarab Paramo is the first to come out of the Savile Road workshop, and the perfect example of why we love custom bikes. Now, custom bikes are a luxury of course, but the value proposition here is incredible. This particular build comes in right at $6,600 as shown, shares much of its build kit with $8,000 carbon gravel bikes, and weighs in barely a pound over similarly equipped carbon bikes of the same size. All this in addition to being hand-crafted to custom dimensions and finished with a one-of-a-ki

Most cyclists probably know a lot of their key bike-fit measurements: shoe size, saddle height, preferred handlebar width, etc. Crank length, however, seems to fly under the radar.

The foot-shoe-cleat-pedal interface has the greatest potential to gain or lose power of anywhere on the bike. It as also the interface with the most complex series of adjustments and the most potential to set up incorrectly. Not only can negligence here lead to issues with the feet themselves, such as numbness, hot foot, metatarsal pain or pressure elsewhere, but instability or misalignment can travel up the chain and present itself in other aspects of your fit.

Just like parentheticals in a complex equation, a bike fit is its own separate problem that needs a solution before you can proceed. Everything else is secondary. There are a number of variables being solved for in determining a rider’s optimal position, and it is rare to see those exact same values mirrored in the spec description or geometry table of a new bike. This can lead to the wrong solution down the line, and unlike school you won’t receive credit for showing your work.

The most common misconception we run into regarding fitting is that it is a service for competitive cyclists only. This couldn't be further from the truth. While improving athletic performance is an innate benefit of dialing in your position, the whole process is really about improving your relationship with your equipment, enriching your experience and increasing your enjoyment on the bike.