Experienced Cyclist

For the more experienced cyclist, I have a lot of technology available in the studio that is informative and can help improve performance.

Fit My Bike A lot of regular cyclists want to check that their position is OK and maintain their longevity in the sport and keep injuries at bay. One of the first things I’ll ask them to see how serious they are is, what does their stretching regime look like? Cue embarrassed looks and not as much as I should comments.

It’s probably one of the most overlooked aspects of cycling. The trouble is we enjoy cycling so we want to do more of it which means less time for other activities.

There must be a balance though and with modern life where we spend hours at desks or driving, reducing daytime activity, our posture and core suffers (I might make an argument that our soul does too). Bike fitting becomes harder as a cyclist’s flexibility is reduced. The less flexible the cyclist, the smaller the window to find a comfortable position becomes and most drop handlebar road bikes are designed for a certain level of flexibility.

Flexibility

Experienced Cyclist During the fitting process we will examine and consider the riders flexibility. So with that in mind the bike fit itself takes place on a bikefitting.com pedalling analyser using Shimano technology. This enables the bar and saddle position, the height, tilt and fore and aft position, to be moved independently of each other. The result is that we can find the best position for each cyclist, and we’re not stuck fitting the rider to their bike.

The advantage of the jig is its flexibility, the disadvantage is its flexibility. Riders can experience what good feels like, and it might not be achievable on their incoming bike.

As well as the adjustability of position, the pedal analysing jig has adjustable crank lengths and inbuilt power meters providing detailed pedalling efficiency information. This allows us to test the hypothesis that a shorter crank may be better for a cyclist and back that up with real time data. Probably even more important is that the cyclist can test the crank length first hand without having to shell out for an expensive new chainset only to find they don’t like it.

Saddle Comparison

The jig also has a quick release seat clamp that allows for very quick changes of saddle and saddle tilt. The speed that we can swap saddles out enables the cyclist to compare one saddle against another in a short time reducing the chance of them forgetting what the first one felt like. How quickly can you change a saddle on your bike? Did I mention that I have dozens of saddles from brands such as Selle SMP, Pro, Fizik and ISM available to test.

Finally, the pedalling analyser jig is also equipped with Profile Design DRV sizer bars that can be adjusted for width and bar drop. Most bikes come with proportionally sized components, but injuries, flexibility and non-average body proportions can make a difference to what bar width works best for you.

STT’s 3DMA system

Experienced Cyclist The studio boasts one of the best motion capture set ups on the market, STT’s 3DMA system. Some bike fitters will use motion capture on just one side of the body and will have the cyclist against a wall (how can the bike fitter see what’s going on, on the other side clearly?). The STT 3DMA system has four high speed cameras placed around the cyclist capable of capturing data on 20 key markers on the body, 100 times a second, so can cope with very high cadence riders. The output is a 3D scan that can be viewed from any angle with data about body movement such as knee and ankle ranges. It also has the advantage of being able to capture data from both sides of the body simultaneously allowing us to discuss what we can see and any asymmetries that might be in play.

Saddle pressure sensing technology from Velometrik enables us to view high pressure points and loading on saddles, asymmetries in pelvis rotation, pressure distribution and can show comparisons of different saddles and their effect. A simple cloth mat containing 400 sensors gives a high resolution image of pressure distribution and is quickly moveable between saddles when used in conjunction with the pedalling analyser jigs quick release seat clamp.

Laser Measuring System

All of the above technology isn’t much good if the position that we arrived at on the jig isn’t accurately measured and transferred back across to the bike. The pedal analyser jig also has an add on laser measuring system that can measure the precise position of the saddle and bars relative to the bottom bracket and replicate this on the bike. It is the same system that the UCI use at their time trials to ensure that the riders bike fits within the regulations. It’s much easier and more importantly repeatable when compared with a tape measure and spirit level.

Whilst the technology is interesting and can be fun to look at, most important is that the rider feels they are in a comfortable and efficient position. The equipment listed above can help with that but in the end it’s the rapport between the bike fitter and the cyclist and the communication they have that results in a better fit. I’m confident in my ability to find a common language that the cyclist and I can use to find that position that works best for their needs.