Why do I need to keep changing my fit?

I hesitate to post this, as I may get a bit of a scolding, but here it goes . . . I'm not exactly the brightest tool in the refrigerator, so it may just be that there is something obvious that I'm overlooking. I have this OCD thing about constantly adjusting my bike fit. (This seems to get worse as the years go by. Past few years it's pretty much every ride I'm changing things. YES, I know I shouldn't be doing that, but . . . ) No matter how I adjust it, it always feels like something is not right. I DON'T mean that it causes pain, it's more that a lot of the effort my legs are putting out isn't making it to the pedals. Sometimes the fit feels so far off, it's physically impossible for me to do more than a Z1 effort, even if I had the fitness of Pogacar! (And I know it's not fatigue, because there've been times when adjusting the saddle 5 mm doubled my speed going up a 12% grade, without an increase in perceived effort. Maybe I'm just hyper-sensitive to fit changes?) Often, my pedal stroke is very jerky/choppy. Occasionally, my legs do weird things, like bowing out 20-30 cm from the TT on the upstroke, but, as soon as the down-stroke starts, they violently swing in, nearly hitting the TT.

I don't dare mention the number of fit changes I made since I began detailed records in 2008! I've had 5 "pro" bike fittings, every one left me LESS comfortable, and slower. The measurements from them were so different, you'd swear they were for 5 different cyclists! For example, one had a saddle-to-bar reach of 52 cm, another 59 cm. One had the saddle setback 6 cm behind BB, another had it 12 cm. So, I know I won't find an answer by getting another pro fit. (Apparently, the fitters here in the USA are nowhere near the caliber of those in the UK.)

The main issue seems to be that I need to keep changing my position . . . in order to stay in the same (relative) position. What I mean is, the most efficient (and comfortable) saddle position is pretty much HOP for height, and KOPS for setback, give or take a few mm. The thing is, some days HOP is 77 cm saddle height, other days it's 80 cm. Some days KOPS is 6 cm setback, other days it's 10 cm. If I didn't know better, I'd think my legs randomly grow and shrink at will, or something! (And, yes, I'm using the same bike, pedals, saddle, etc.) Often, soon after I start a ride, I'm like, "WHAT THE &@%*!?!?!?!", because the position feels so screwed up, it's like I'm on someone else's bike! (Even though at the end of the last ride, the fit felt perfect.) So, I spend most of the ride adjusting things 1 -- or 3 -- dozen times, then — usually a couple hundred meters before the end — I finally get it just right . . . or so I think. Then, on the next ride, once again it's "WHAT THE @^#*?!?!?!?!" So, the whole process starts again. (Similarly, immediately after doing a DIY indoor fit, that fit that felt just right feels horrible riding on the road. Again, I DON'T mean pain-wise, but efficiency/power.) Could such big differences in height and fore/aft on a daily basis indicate something physical is going on? Is it possible that I just need different positions on different days?

As for "abnormalities," I know my torso is very short (186 cm height, 92 cm inseam), so I know enough to keep the reach short. My left foot is 6-7 mm longer than the right. (I have the left cleat a few mm forward on the left shoe to compensate. Right cleat is all-aft on my 2-bolt SPD cleats.) One fitter mentioned that my left thigh is longer than the right, but my right lower leg is longer than the left, by a few mm each.

Yes, I know the obvious advice would be to get a fit from a "qualified and competent" fitter. (How am I supposed to know if one really is?) And, to stop messing with my fit, and allow time to get used to it. (Am I really supposed to do that if the fit feels WAY off, and may lead to injury?) Perhaps there are lesser known techniques I could try to sort this out, even if they are no longer accepted, "old school" methods? Any advice on this admittedly ridiculous scenario would be greatly appreciated. (As would any restraint in the criticism . . . )

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