Guide · bike fit
Bike fit at home: what an app does, and what it can't replace
A bike fit means measuring your position while you pedal to set your saddle, handlebar and cleats. A large part of that work can now be done at home with an iPhone. Another part still needs a practitioner. Here is where the line falls, seen by an osteopath who does both.
In short
A bike fit at home means filming yourself side-on while pedalling, ideally on an indoor trainer, to measure your knee, hip, torso and elbow angles. An app like FramIQ turns them into millimetre-level settings: saddle height and setback, stem, handlebar, cranks, cleats. It covers the common cases. Pain that persists, a marked asymmetry or an injury call for an in-person assessment.
Definition
What is a bike fit?
In France it is called an étude posturale, a postural assessment. The goal is the same: adapt the bike to the body, not the other way round, to ride in more comfort, prevent pain and pedal more efficiently.
In a studio, a full bike fit usually follows four steps:
- The interview: your riding, your goals, your pain and your history.
- The physical examination: hip and back mobility, hamstring flexibility, pelvis, leg length, foot posture.
- The measurements: height, inseam, arms, shoulders, sit bone width.
- The analysis on the bike: your angles measured while you pedal, then the adjustments, then a check.
An app does the third and fourth steps. It collects the first through a questionnaire. The second, the physical examination, remains a practitioner's job.
What can be measured at home
What an app measures while you pedal
FramIQ tracks 16 body points with Apple's Vision Framework and recalculates your angles on every pedal cycle. All video processing happens on your iPhone.
Knee angle in extension
141° to 152°Measured at bottom dead centre. It is the most important validation of your saddle height.
Hip opening
50° to 68°Road target, measured at top dead centre, where the hip is most closed. It tells whether your position is sustainable or whether you compensate through the pelvis and lower back.
Torso angle
30° to 55°It depends on reach and handlebar height. The target changes with your discipline.
Elbow flexion
25° to 40°A locked elbow transfers the load to the wrists and stiffens the front end.
What you get
Saddle height and setback, stem, handlebar, crank length, in millimetres, with the difference from your current setting. Then a PDF report. The fitting module in detail.
Method
Your bike fit at home, step by step
Allow about ten minutes once the bike is set up.
Set up your bike
On an indoor trainer if you have one: the measurement is steadier. Wear your cycling shoes and close-fitting clothes so your joints stay visible.
Enter your measurements
Height, inseam, arms, shoulders, sit bone width. The engine calibrates on your data, not on an average.
Film yourself side-on
The iPhone on a stable mount, in a true side view. You pedal at your usual pace while the app measures every cycle.
Apply and check
Adjust in small steps, 3 mm at a time, then film again to check that your angles are in the right range.
The limits
When an in-person bike fit is still needed
These situations call for a practitioner, not an app.
- Pain that persists for more than two weeks despite the corrections, or that also appears off the bike.
- A marked asymmetry: leg length difference, scoliosis, one foot very different from the other.
- A recent injury or surgery on the knee, hip or back.
- A very specific position, such as high-level time trialling, where every degree is worked on in a session.
An osteopathic examination spots the mobility restrictions that distort a position: a tilting pelvis, a stiff ankle, limited spinal rotation. The bike is then adjusted to that body. The expertise behind the app.
Some practitioners work with FramIQ Pro. After your session, your report can then appear in your FramIQ app, and you keep track of your position at home between appointments.
Comparison
In-studio or at-home bike fit
The two are not opposites. This table says what each one brings, without cutting corners.
| Criterion | In a studio | At home with FramIQ |
|---|---|---|
| Price | €150 to €350 typically | Free cleats, video analysis from €29 |
| Place and time | By appointment, at the studio | At home, whenever you want |
| Pain and history | Face-to-face interview | Questionnaire in the app |
| Physical examination | Yes: mobility, pelvis, foot | No |
| Angles while pedalling | Yes | Yes, side-view video, 16 points |
| Cleat setup | Yes | Yes, free and unlimited |
| Frame choice | Depends on the fitter | Over 10,000 frames compared |
| Check after adjusting | During the session | You film again after each correction |
| Tracking over time | New appointment | History and pain tracking, with the subscription |
Frequently asked questions
Bike fit at home, in questions
Can you do your own bike fit?
Yes, for most of the adjustment. With an iPhone on a stable mount, and ideally an indoor trainer, an app measures your angles while you pedal and gives you your settings. The physical examination still needs a practitioner.
Is an online bike fit reliable?
It is when it measures your real position on video, over several pedal cycles, and not just from your body measurements. The setup matters: iPhone in a true side view, a steady image, joints visible. FramIQ recalculates your angles on every cycle, and you film again after each correction to check it.
How much does a bike fit cost?
In a studio, expect €150 to €350 depending on the fitter and what the session includes. With FramIQ, cleat setup is free, the full video analysis costs €29 as a one-time purchase, and the €89 annual subscription covers several bikes and tracking over time. See pricing.
Which app should you use for a bike fit?
Choose an app that measures your real position on video rather than just calculating from your measurements, that processes the images on your phone, and that also sets up your cleats. FramIQ does all three on iPhone. It was designed by an osteopath and bike fitter.
Do you need an indoor trainer?
No, a stable phone mount is enough. An indoor trainer makes the measurement steadier, because you pedal in place at a constant cadence.
Road, gravel, triathlon: is a bike fit different?
The measurements are the same, the targets change. A torso angle is not aimed at in the same way on a road bike, a gravel bike or a triathlon bike. FramIQ adapts its targets to your discipline.
How often should you redo your bike fit?
With every new bike, after an injury, after a weight change of about 5 kg, when you change discipline, or every season if you race. Your flexibility changes, and so does your optimal position.
Are my videos sent to a server?
No. The video analysis runs 100% on your iPhone; no image leaves the device. Privacy policy.
Going further
Guides for each adjustment
Start by measuring your position
Cleat setup is free and unlimited. The full video analysis costs €29, once, and your report is yours to keep.
Video analysis from €29 · free cleat module