cyborg

noun
a fictional or hypothetical person whose physical abilities are extended beyond normal human limitations by mechanical elements built into the body.

We have all grown up watching movies that have sci-fi cyborgs. You know those crazy half-man, half-machine characters sporting all sorts of amazing abilities due to the extra hardware added to them. At some point many of us dreamed of being one. Guess what? They’re already here, they’re called a cyclists.

I have seen people do some absolutely amazing things on bicycles, from the track racing pushing 70 km/hr in a sprint, to the single speed nuts doing solo 24hour races, to the city fixed gear riders doing no handed skids and backward circles. All are doing very different things, but all of them are doing things that they would not be able to do otherwise.

Perhaps this is why people often have such strong relationships with their bikes. These relationships run all over the board about it being an extension of their physical selves, about it being a lifestyle versus an activity. I mean how many sports do you know about where people name their equipment? Not many.

While these thoughts are all fine and dandy over a bottle of wine or a discount six pack (choose your poison) I wanted to talk to you about a subject that is near and dear to my heart, bicycle fit. Whether you like it or not how well your bicycle fits has a huge impact on not only your enjoyment but your performance as well.

As I got into frame building, I also got into bicycle fitting. I believe to be a good frame buider you have to understand the relationship the rider has with the frame. Specifically, how the rider moves with respect to the frame and how the frame moves with respect to the rider.

Do “we” really need to have a 3d, static position and dynamic movements documented for proper bike fit?

Getting your fit on!

So you own a bike but how did it get fitted to you? Is your position on the bike based on your body and riding style or what frame special your bike shop had to offer that week? When you show up to your Saturday morning ride and you see 5 guys with poorly fitted frames with the same bike, you can instantly tell which shop had a blow out sale.

Many riders try to adapt the way they ride and the way they sit on a bike to what the bike allows them to do, as opposed to adjusting the parts on the bike to allow them to ride in a position that is effective and efficient. When I see a guy pedaling with his knees out to the side like a cowboy. I can’t help but to ride up to them and ask them, if they think they would be more comfortable with their seats a little higher? Even worse, is when you start off with an improperly sized bike and you try to make the components help you fit into frame. We’ve all seen the salesman trying to convince some poor guy to buy a frame that was 3 inches too small because he wanted to get rid of it.

As a bike builder, I believe that the bike is an extension of the rider and my goal when I fit someone my goal is to set to position of the buttocks, hands and feet in a position that allows the rider to turn the pedals effectively and efficiently. A properly fit bike will ride like no other. When you are properly fitted you will feel that you and the bike exist as one single entity.

Sounds easy enough, right? But really, what defines better fit?

All that glitters ain’t gold!

There are many good fit systems and many good folks doing fittings but I wonder how many good folks are using good fit systems. All things considered, the best systems use biomechanical measurements and calculations in order to determine the riders ideal saddle, handle bar and cleat position. I’ve heard many comparisons on fit systems state that the more precision and more factors that are included in determining your position, the better!

But does this constitute a better fit?

Although gold components are the hot thing right now, just because it looks shiny doesn’t mean it does the job any better. I would argue the same holds true for a bike fit.

Some fit systems have the ability to track the movement of your knees in 3D space. Many of these I consider to fall into a category of “technique”. This is the unique “technique” each rider has to push the pedals and propel themselves forward. I don’t believe a riders “technique” needs to be changed in order to get the possible fit, but it does need to be considered and worked with when properly fitting a rider and bike together.

We’ve all seen the guy on that brand new (insert favorite bike) with only 1cm of seat post showing and then learn that he had spent $400 on a “pro” fitting.

I caution the rider if the fit professional does not have the necessary knowledge to decipher the data you will not get a good fit. Garbage IN equals Garbage OUT. I will admit that there are some experts out there that could look at you and tell you exactly what needs to be changed, but the rest of us need to do some measuring to get it right.

Can you handle the truth?

Truth be told, the human body is very adaptable and will learn to work in even the worst riding position over time. History has shown us some great cyclists who have ridden in very weird positions (Sean Kelly). In my 10 years of experience of joining people and machines together I have learned a few valuable lessons and learned that NO you don’t need a 3d, static position and dynamic movements documented for proper bike fit?

The first is that if you believe you can do something you can and will. Specifically, if the rider has any doubt that he will not succeed whether its bad fit, a bad cleat position, a slow leak whatever! All of the riders energy will be sucked into that doubt and ultimately take away from reaching the goal. It reminds me of Lance being run over by Mayo and still be able to win the stage with a cracked frame! You have to believe! If you get a gut tells you the person fitting you doesn’t know what they are doing, get a second opinion.

Second whether the fitter likes it or not, the rider is the expert! I know a lot of folks aren’t going to like this but, who better than the rider to say if they are in the right position by how they feels? As a rider, don’t let someone tell you what you should find comfortable. As a rider you may have a tough time communicating what you fell is your best position, but that’s the job of the fit professional to listen. A good fit professional should be able to listen and translate a rider’s feelings, wants and needs into a specific concrete component positions. Furthermore, they should make the rider believe that they are in the best possible position.

Finally, like any change in life, you will need some time to adapt to your new riding position and be careful of drastic changes. Always, make subtle and gradual changes to your fit in order to find out what does and does not work for you as you reach your goal.

Da take home

Remember, bike fitting is as much a journey as it is finding that ideal position. So, whether you get a free fitting done by a professional or a $400 3D Cad generated fitting performed by a “Snake Oil” sales man, do yourself and all of us a favor, become an educated consumer, get off your ASS, accept responsibility for actions and ride your bike!

CCC

Visit www.clementecycles.com and checkout our state of the art, custom designed, silver steel lugged frames! ... to help with the unpresidented feel. Also, check out my new Retro Fixie Gloves!!!