Why the 'right' bike fit is a range, not a number

Most bike fit guidance online starts with a formula. Multiply your inseam by 0.883 for saddle height. Set your knee over the pedal spindle. Drop your bars two centimeters below the saddle.

Formulas are useful starting points, but on their own they're a little misleading. They imply there's a single right answer waiting to be calculated. There isn't.

The actual answer is a range. Your correct fit sits comfortably inside a window of acceptable positions. Once you're inside the window, small differences are choices. Outside the window, you start running into the three reasons fit matters in the first place.