Description
Enables various measurements to be taken based on the top of the saddle at the point where it is 80mm wide - thus the "80mm point". Supports measuring saddle height, distance between saddle and handlebars, and even the setback to the cranks. Works nicely with my bike measuring aids.
One of the challenges in bicycle fit is determining the distance between the key "touch points" such as the pedals, saddle, and handlebars. Measuring to the center of the bottom bracket or a pedal spindle isn't particularly hard (see my tools for those!) and measuring to the center of handlebars is reasonably easy, the real challenge lies in measuring to the saddle, most notably - where do you measure to? If you measure to the top of the saddle, do you measure to the front of the saddle, to the middle, or the back? Or somewhere in between, like a point that goes through the middle of the saddle rails? Even if you have a consistent point for one saddle, it's likely to be different on another saddle.
Enter the "80mm point" - something I had only recently heard of when Ronan McLaughlin of Escape Collective posted about making his own out of a piece of particleboard. The idea is you take consistent measurements by measuring to the top of the saddle at the point where it is 80mm wide. In Ronan's case, this was as simple as cutting a "C" shape out of a piece of board, and that inspired the creation of this item. Apparently there is actual fit science behind the selection of the 80mm width which involves the distance of the sit bones, but honestly I'm no expert of fit-related stuff so can't say much more.
Now available in 70mm, 75mm as well as the original 80mm. Some saddle manufacturers or fitters use the 70 or 75mm width instead of 80mm, so if you need to work with those, you have that option as well. If you aren't sure, go with the 80mm.
Use is easy - place it on top of the saddle with the wings pointing down, and slide it back until it stops. Then, using one of my bike measuring aids to assist in finding the centerpoint of either the crank or the pedal spindle, measure to the point that is marked at the back of the tool which indicates the top of the saddle.
It's also possible to measure the saddle to bars distance. Hooking a tape measure on the back of the tool and extending it forward to the bars allows you to get a good measurement. If desired, you could also measure from the front of the tool, and add the 15mm width to get the distance to the 80mm point.
Finally, it's possible to measure the setback from the crank by hooking a string through the V notch at the measure point of the tool, and suspending that string with a weight such as a plumb bob.