MyVeloFit review - is AI tech good enough for bike fitting?

Using an AI app to get set up on your bike might be a lot cheaper than consulting a living, breathing bike-fitter, but is it as effective?

Male reviewer using the MyVeloFit AI app
(Image credit: Future)

After decades of promise but little credible achievement, artificial intelligence has got very clever very quickly, catching the world off-guard. No longer the preserve of sci-fi movies, AI is here to stay, if not here to take over. Powerful, liberating, accurate and, well, intelligent, it impresses and intimidates in equal measure. In the world of cycling, it promises to calculate our optimum set-up at the click of a button. 

In fact, AI bike-fitting has been available since 2021 in the shape of MyVeloFit.com, an online service that promises a virtual fit for less than the cost of a pack of premium bar tape. It’s so inexpensive that I thought it must be worth a gamble. Not too daring a gamble, admittedly, as I also booked a fit at my local bike shop for a human comparison. Cost-wise, they are poles apart: MyVeloFit is one-sixth of the cost of my chosen human bike-fitter. But which offers better value? 

Swipe to scroll horizontally
Bike part, angle or measurementAI recommendationBike-fitter recommendationRider verdict
Saddle heightLower by 15mmLower by 15mmLowered saddle felt unusual at first but the lowered centre of gravity meant better handling, especially cornering. It also reduced my hips rocking, curing slight issues with saddle soreness on long rides.
Saddle fore/aftIncrease set-back by 10mmIncrease set-back by 10mmSaddle moved back to compensate for the reduced height. This stopped reach from being compromised, keeping it consistent.
Headset spacersNoneReduce by 10mmTrialling reducing spacers from 30mm to 20mm for more aero position, while retaining comfort. A positive consequence of reducing saddle height.
Knee extension at bottom of pedal strokeToo openToo openReduction in saddle height closed knee slightly, potentially enabling better power delivery and lessening risk of knee pain.
Back angleToo closedToo closedBack angle opened a few degrees for comfort while riding on the hoods. Benefits include less likelihood of back and neck pain. Another positive consequence of lowering saddle height.
Brake hoodsNoneRepositioned in line with top of barsDrastically improved hand/wrist comfort by redistributing weight. Also sharpened up bike handling and stopped me feeling like I was slipping forwards.

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Andy Carr
Tech Editor

Tech Editor, Andy Carr came to cycling journalism after ten years in the cycle trade, writing blogs and content whilst designing award winning bikes, for his own custom bike brand.

A life long cycling fan and rider, he left the City life in 2015, moving away to the Alps, where he worked as a ride guide, running pro-camps, and eventually started designing and building custom bikes.

Over a decade, that escape grew into a business, and Andy’s bike designs became well known in the industry.

He has always used his platform to champion higher standards in fit, design, and fabrication and his own products won awards and five star reviews in most of the major magazines.

Having run a bike shop, workshop, and award winning paint shop, producing custom bikes in metal and composite for customers all over the world, Andy has real life experience of the processes and work that go into producing great bikes and components; from desk work like FEA and CFD to physically testing products in wind tunnels, opening moulds for composite work, and getting products out of his head and into stores - alongside some of the insider processes few get to see.