What about a database of forum-users body dimensions ?

General cycling advice ( NOT technical ! )
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Grarea
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What about a database of forum-users body dimensions ?

Post by Grarea »

Not sure of the correct terminology.

But does the forum have an online 'excel type' thing through google.
I have a few spreadsheets online that anyone with the link can add to.

It clearly would need some upkeep, I just wondered if we had one.

Reason being, I am curious to find out if my body shape is odd or not.
Might just be my sit bone shape or something.

I would love it if lots of people could put their bio geometry on a spreadsheet to compare ratios.
ie lower leg to thigh, torso to height, torso to leg, arm length to torso.....
That sort of thing.
I reckon it might be pretty interesting. Having a database of peoples measurements.
Especially if someone were willing to set up a graph of various averages.
A person could maybe tell if they were on the edge of 'average' (When I say average, I am aware of the different averages)
It maybe would help if someone new like me was asking for advice.
Perhaps if they had a measure up, it might give a reasonable starting point for suggested bike sizes etc etc

For example, then I would know if I was 'long torsoed' or 'Dwarf like'.
Would have given me quite a starting point.
Grarea
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Re: Do we have a .....

Post by Grarea »

I was thinking about the measurements for comparison that are available and they seem quite difficult to get accurate.
Finding a consistent point to measure to and from etc etc etc.



So, how about this as a starting suggestion:
I am not sure how much body fat might muck this about.
You need a corner, a spirit level and a coffee table.

Height.
Measure to the bone on your shoulder.
This removes neck and head shapes and lengths.
I have been looking at neck lengths and it varies quite a lot.
But I think it is irrelevant to bike fit?

Torso
Measure to the shoulder bone sitting against the wall on a coffee table for example.
This will also give the overall leg length.


Leg length.
Surely this is more about shin to femur ratio?

So we already have the measurement to shoulder, then measure to the same shoulder bone when kneeling down,.
This gives the shin measurement.
Then we use the measurements to get the femur length.

Foot

Arm length
Problem with measuring wingspan is that it ignores shoulder width.
So perhaps stand back to the wall, clench a fist and measure to the front of the knuckle.

Shoulder width
This is quite easy, just need a corner in a room.

Does that make sense?
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meic
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Re: Do we have a .....

Post by meic »

Unbelievably something like this has already happened!
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=82197&hilit=index+legs
Yma o Hyd
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andrew_s
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Re: Do we have a .....

Post by andrew_s »

The height to "the bone in the shoulder" surely varies with degree of shrug.
The top vertebra in the back is quite prominent and will move less.
crazydave789
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Re: Do we have a .....

Post by crazydave789 »

post your meaasurements and we can have a vote to see if we think bell ringing is a suitable career move. :D
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al_yrpal
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Re: Do we have a .....

Post by al_yrpal »

Prop forwards and Alistair Neil have no necks.

Al
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flat tyre
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Re: Do we have a .....

Post by flat tyre »

Mine's bigger than yours
Grarea
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Re: Do we have a .....

Post by Grarea »

andrew_s wrote:The height to "the bone in the shoulder" surely varies with degree of shrug.
The top vertebra in the back is quite prominent and will move less.

Hmmm, yes, you are right about the shrug.
That is too variable.

Is that vertebra prominent for everyone?
It doesn't look like it on pictures.
Mine seems to be about the same height as my 'jaw hinge'
(You can tell who has never done biology can't you?)

What about the 'V' at the top of the rib cage at the front?
Is that incredibly variable as well?

Or, maybe, what about if one puts their arms directly up?
Then measure the 'shoulder lump'?
Does that remove or add in a load of variables?

In my case, I have been comparing body shape to loads of other people.
Basically, I am a dwarf with a long torso :)
Brucey
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Re: What about a database of forum-users body dimensions ?

Post by Brucey »

measuring leg length in a meaningful fashion is notoriously difficult. The problems include that

a) the leg swivels at the hip joint which cannot easily be located precisely (without an x-ray or something)

b) even measuring from the perineum to the floor (which is arguably meaningful for saddle height setting anyway) is also difficult.

Years ago I attempted to compile data within the club that I was in at the time. Even with a standardised method folk got appreciably different measurements depending on who did the measuring.

BTW shoulder height is also variable (with shrug) but also varies through the day; most people are noticeably taller first thing in the morning; their spine gets squashed and they get shorter through the day.

cheers
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Grarea
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Re: What about a database of forum-users body dimensions ?

Post by Grarea »

Yes, that is why I was thinking measuring when standing, kneeling and sitting down.
I thiought that might reduce some of the vagaries.
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horizon
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Re: What about a database of forum-users body dimensions ?

Post by horizon »

Brucey wrote:measuring leg length in a meaningful fashion is notoriously difficult.


Yes. The measurement I wanted was thigh vis-a-vis total leg length to see if that is what causes me to push the saddle so far back. I didn't bother to pursue it as it seemed fairly impossible to get anything meaningful. Inside leg though as a proportion of overall height is still useful and people often quote these two figures - there is enough variation to explain some fitting issues.

Arm length ("ape index") is useful (Thorn have their own measuring chart on the wall at their HQ!) but this gets confused with posture and shoulder size. When I was trying to get to grips with the reach issue on my bikes, I just found myself wading into a swamp of differenet proportions and measurements. I imagine that during a bike fitting, everything is geared to that particular person and it starts to make sense in relation to the fitting bike; but measuring that person and their posture in comparison to others seems almost impossible. It may be that certain sports will have their own key measurements and ways of measuring but I doubt we would be able to replicate that amongst people at home.
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thirdcrank
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Re: What about a database of forum-users body dimensions ?

Post by thirdcrank »

Grarea wrote:... I am curious to find out if my body shape is odd or not. ...


I fancy that if you want to compare yourself with some sort of average, then the bigger the comparison population the better. I've not looked but I'm pretty sure there are such tables available online. Some years ago, I commented about women typically having long legs than men as a proportion of height and CJ disabused me of that idea with reference to height charts.
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