
Bike-Fitting. The Appliance of Science.

– improved comfort and efficiency
– help prevent injury
– reduce or eliminate existing aches and injuries
– prevent numbness at contact points
– reduce fatigue”
Setting up the jig to replicate my bikes geometry |
He then asked me to perform a range of simple exercises to asses my flexibility and core strength; hip raises, heel raises, holding a plank, single leg squats, and a few other things.
Andy then proceeded to make some adjustments to the cleat position on my shoes, before tracking again. There was a lot of emphasis placed on the ideal cleat position before continuing with anything else. (For endurance riding it necessary to have the cleats towards the rear of the shoe, this helps to protect from Achilles Tendonitis).
Tracking knee alignment. |
Andy attaching the Retul motion sensors. |
Spinning away at 70rpm. |
The angle of the dangle. |
Andy Brooke making a minor adjustment to the seat position. |
That’s me on the screen in stick-man form, but without a head! |
Andy also added a small tapered pad in to each of my shoes to raise the outside of my feet slightly, which should, in turn, even out the pressure across my feet and stop me getting numb toes. This has been a constant issue for me on long rides. (It worked too, on my first long ride after the bike-fit I didn’t experience any numbness whatsoever).
And the reasons given for each of these changes were explained clearly.
Fortunately I had both a suitable stem and crankset at home that I could use (I actually removed a 100mm stem off the bike when I bought it!).
(They carry a good stock of various stem’s etc should you wish to buy one there and then)
He gave me some sound advice on the position of my Aerobars too, considering that they are compromised from the most efficient position due to the necessity of fitting various bags to the bike frame for endurance racing. During the Tour Divide they will be more beneficial for a change of hand position, or to stretch out my back, than for aerodynamic efficiency anyway.
Andy kept me informed and engaged throughout the whole process (approximately 2 1/2 hours) and we constantly discussed the various options available to me.
The whole procedure is followed up with an email containing the stat’s etc that have been used, and identified, during the fitting process. They also keep the door open, as it were, for follow-up advice should you have any issues or queries going in to the future.
I came away with a lot of confidence.
Getting a bike-fit is a fairly expensive investment, I paid £174.99 for the session, but it felt like good value for money.
Before embarking on next years Tour Divide I am planning a return visit just to get checked out again, and to make sure that everything looks and feels right. Hopefully when I go back they will have the compatible bolt-thru axle for my bike and we can fine tune the set-up perfectly.
So, in conclusion; I had a very positive experience, I felt that I got good value for money, I will have no qualms about contacting Andy for some follow up advice should I need it, and I’ll be going back again.
I guess that’s as good a recommendation as any!
If you are suffering from repeated injuries or riding pains then you should probably give serious consideration to getting a professional bike-fit. In my personal experience Facebook and Internet Forums don’t provide accurate long-term solutions! 😀 Experts do.
Thank you for looking 🙂
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