(okay here goes)
1- Can anyone recommend a good website that shows how to set up a bike to fit my proportions (height, leg length etc etc) properly or is it better to go into a bike shop and get fitted? My LBS would not have the skills to do this I don’t believe.
2- I heard that when riding ‘fixed’ it’s better to have the seat lower than if on a normal road bike (although I’ not sure why this is the case)?
Here is a quick link to get you started - I have found some better links in the past but I forget them.
http://www.coloradocyclist.com/bikefit/#properframesize
There is a hot chick to look at too.
Thank you for that. A quick read and measure and it looks like my seat is about 2.5cm too high already and that’s not taking into account the ‘rumour’ I heard about having to have the seat even lower on a fixed bike.
I prefer this though
http://www.fyxomatosis.com/gallery.php?gal=27#653
READ THIS:
Obviously you’ve already got step 1, which is selcting the bike frame size.
STEP 2. I suggest you do step to with a freind. Sit on your bike up against a wall, looking straight ahead. Give the set up instructions to a freind and let them do it so you can just focus on sitting on the bike like you would normally ride. Then after they’ve made the mod’s you can check over it and make any adjustments if you feel they havent done it right.
Sorry if I’ve confused you but I already have the frame. It’s an old steel road frame that is a 56 which apparantly is the correct size for my inseam length.
It’s the seat height and the stem length that I wanted to get as right as possible due to busted knee and screwed lower back.
I think both of those website will give me all the answers I need.
Thanks…now to find a friend :roll:
When I am fitting a bike for seat height, I lean over the bike with the seat under your armpit, then reach down and put my middle finger in the middle of the cranks… the height of the seat should be nearly or just touching your armpit. Unless you have long gorilla arms or short T-rex arms, this rough measurement should give you a comfortable seat height for riding.
Just get your little one to do it for you. It’s the least he owes you after ruining you knee 
Or…with the crank arm at the bottom of the stroke parallel with the seat tube and your heel on the pedal, your leg should be pretty much straight. With the crank in the same position and the ball of your foot on the pedal, your leg should have a slight bend.
Start with that and then go for a short ride. You might need to fine tune by a few mm at a time.
Then, once you’ve figured it out, measure the distance from BB spindle to the top of the seat and keep a record of it. Then you won’t have so much work to do fitting the next bike.
Also, don’t worry about standover height too much. It’s just a bullcrap bikeshop way of fitting people to bikes, and has no real relevance to how the bike ‘fits’.
Because of your injuries, your actual bike fit may be quite different to what these websites spit out. There are people that specialize in bike fitting and taking into account specific injuries. This may not be necessary in your case. However, if you find that you’re not feeling comfortable on your bike going through the usual standard bike fit methods, then it is something to think consider.
wtf, sorry to have a dig but I’m actually having trouble fathoming how dumb this is.
If you are measuring for correct LEG extention, just measure from the LEG. It’s sure as hell going to be a far more accurate point to start from than armpit to crank…
+1
This makes the most sense and is what I use. this way you can also fit from the pedal/shoe/saddle/crank length combo that the rider is going to be using and see the rider over the bike.
Try it on your bike and see how close this actually is to your natural riding position. I did say that it is a rough + quick way of measuring but more than likely for me it is about right and gives you a good point to start making minor adjustments if need be.
If you want to get a proper bike fit, go and get it done… some sports dr’s and chiro’s will be able to do it, but don’t expect much change from $400
i use this one… and recommend it highly.
one of the key bits is the fore-aft adjustment of your seat. its one thing to have your seat at the right height only to have your knee a good inch in front of the pedal. fore-aft seat asjustment shouild not be used to accomodate an incorrect bar/stem setup (or wrong TT length). ive seen a few cases where setting the bike up revealed that someones beautifully planned bike didnt work for them. 
having said that having too low a seat height is pretty much the most common bike setup error, check all the super-commuters for loads of examples.
the couple of times ive had knee pain i have directly related back to my bike not being setup correctly based on this.
as a side note… fitting your bike ‘correctly’ may result in a reduction in your tricking ability as thats not a standard road bike fit as they tend to want to sit more upright and further back/lower seat (easier wheelies/spins) and ride smaller frames. 
Great advice!
Thanks everyone!