The sometimes emotive subject of ‘bike fitting’ is a very frequent topic of discussion and you’ll read plenty of material that either is a quick way to be flummoxed or enlightened, depending on your frame of mind and attention span. I am no expert so knowledge I won’t be sharing, instead sharing only my experiences and thoughts on this subject…
The established relationship between a ‘bike fitter’ and a cyclist is based on ‘trust’. Trust is something that has to be earned and usually something gained over a period of time. The tapping into a trusted source of subject matter expertise and the ability to have your requirements satisfied is a service we all look for and hope to gain from. The going rates seem to be £100-£200 for an hour or two from which one hopes to achieve the Holy Grail of an optimum cycling position.
As a Project Manager in the Financial Industry I was swayed into thinking the best approach to a Bike Fit was to treat this like a project. Get the idea of ‘I want to ride a bike long distance & fast’ in my head and throw a project ethos over the top of it and bingo… results. As with any project or engagement of a service provider there is a start point… At that very first step I was lost..? I hadn’t a clue, I didn’t know what that simple first statement really meant… What is yours..? Are we clear in our minds and therefore able to clearly articulate what exactly it is that we want from a bike fitting..?. What does the success criteria feel & look like..? What are your / my expectations..? Are they tangible..?
In the real world if we engaged builders to build, as an example, an extension then we’d define the look, the practicalities, etc, etc. Drawings / plans would be created and an approach agreed and clearly defined expectations documented. It has to have a roof… It has to have insulation… heating… windows… a floor would be handy… How many of us, that have had bike fittings, have gone into these realms of detail with that much clarity..? Most I suspect are going to have bike fitting in a reactionary capacity, generally because of a discomfort to a knee, or a back that hurts or a new bike has been bought and it doesn’t ‘feel comfortable’ or ‘quite right’…
I learnt very early on that bike fitting best serves us as cyclists proactively at the very beginning even before a bike is bought and not just a reactionary ‘I have a problem’ solution. How many of us would ask a bike fitter what bike would best fit our body..? 99% of us have already bought a bike but did we consider the geometry, the position focus of the bike aero, leisure, etc, etc… probably not.
For me I was very lucky to have met Ben Hallam (then at Bespoke but now Primo Cycles)… importantly for me he was not my first time. Not that the first time was a total negative experience, what that first time allowed me to do was to benchmark what I felt a ‘good’ bike fit should look & feel like and it helped me determine in my mind what I wanted from the second time and onwards. The first time the guys had never seen or fitted a disabled rider and tried to cover the basics with the 3x touch points… the feet, the back side and the hands. It allowed me to get onto a bike and it exposed me to the Retul system and the concept of creating that desired riding position.
What it didn’t do was cater for me with my body nuisances and the impacts that riding could / can bring.
One of the core principles that I’ve learnt from Ben and makes real sense in its simplicity… ‘The body is adaptable & the bike is adjustable’. Looking a little deeper into this statement it then dawned on me that I assumed that all the ‘adjustments’ to gaining an optimum riding position was all focused on the bike alone. Tweak an angle, put in a new stem and it will be all great. What I’d neglected to consider, until a ‘light bulb’ moment, was how I make my body adapt. What tweaks and adjustments do I need to make to compliment the bike fitting to get to a collaborative touch point…
Keep with me on this… So, at the very beginning I was looking for a bike fit that was primarily focused on adjusting the bike. As I become more exposed and informed I started changing my expectations on what a bike fitting service should deliver for me. My requirements were a) Bike adjustment… but equally important consideration to b) Body adaptability. I’m now starting to create a profile in my head of the qualifications / expertise of the person performing the bike fit to ensure I gain the guidance and knowledge I needed. I want someone who not just knows the front end of bike but someone who can understand sports rehabilitation and injury prevention, someone that knows the biomechanics of the human body and its impacts.
Step forward Ben… from doing my homework, looking on the net, listening to recommendations I set in my mind that Ben / Bespoke were the person / company for me. It wasn’t convenient to be fair, in the West End store, had to faff around getting my bike up in the rush hour, etc, etc but was well worth the hassle. We chatted, he listened, he acknowledged, he learnt my bike set up, he then shared who he is and what he had done and from that initial meeting he accepted the challenge of fitting and educating me. From that initial meeting & chat over a coffee we then started the process of developing my riding position to allow me to go after Gran Fondo riding that wouldn’t leave me hooked on drugs or multiple physio visits to correct my body reactions. None of this happens after just a 1 or 2 hours visit, it is an evolution of processes that takes time and is something that I have to go back to again & again. My goals change slightly, my body is older and needs to adapt further. The bike needs to be adjusted to react… It is an evolved process and should never, in my book, to be a one off exercise.
The body is such an amazing bit of kit… give it a little time and it will adapt but then give it a little more time and there can be a negative consequence to the adaption. The body needs to have a balance… and my body hasn’t got a balance. It’s quite frankly a mess… To offer a quote “The amount you’ve done to your body, you are now a right raspberry”. So what do I have to do…? I need to train… not just on the bike but off it also. I need to consider and approach things differently and above all else be patient and give things time. Discomfort there will be, but in time there is a method in the madness and I’ll reap the rewards. I’m not frightened by hard work, give me a plan that I can buy into and understand (to a degree) and I’m 100% focused.
If there is a theme to share from this blog, that hopefully positively influences you, then to be crystal clear on your expectations & deliverables. Have an open mind that the bike can be adjusted and the body will adapt. My bike fitting experience has been a real positive, choose wisely and do your homework. Sounds like a piece of marketing material for Ben / Primo Cycles but something as important as a bike fit can make this middle-aged experience an amazing journey. Be clear with what you want from cycling and share your body history, what you want may not be conducive with what your body can do.
Meeting Ben was what I call a pivot moment for me… as a consequence I’ve been introduced to amazing people that I value highly. That exposure has allowed me to develop my own mind, to look at things differently both bike related and body related and as a consequence adapted. Above all else I have learnt that to be reasonable on a bike you have to be patient and trust those around you that are supporting you with their time & knowledge.
I say pivotal because of Ben’s history as a successful cyclist, his connection to British Cycling has opened my mind to all sorts of performance possibilities. He led me to his old coach Dave Le Grys, who is now my coach. Dave is an incredible motivation in his own right and from him I’m learning, I’m challenging and not being restricted. Add to that equation the support and ride outs with my friend Colin Donaghy, his ability to say it as it is and the practical advice on the big world of components is my balance. I’m beginning to create this little brains trust of people who can help me achieve goals that as a 50 year old you would ordinarily think you’ve passed. If there is a willing, then there is a way… and these guys help me achieve those small goals that mean a lot to me.
Not bad for just a ‘Bike Fit’….
My friends that support me…
Ben Hallam… Head bike fitter at Primo Cycles (primocycles.co.uk)
Dave Le Grys… aka Legro, is my coach and runs training camps in Majorca multiple times a year… (legroscoaching.com)
Colin Donaghy… (onlinebikes.com)
With the bike set up knowledge I’ve gained and limited insight into body adaption I’ve also managed to benefit from meeting a new group of people from which their skilled / in-depth knowledge and understanding of everything body biomechanical is greatly enhancing my own body’s ability to adapt to riding with more purpose (and catering for age). Meeting Alan & Mauro over at Alan Herdman Pilates has been an exposure to an exciting whole new world, one that I’m looking forward to learning about (alanherdmanpilates.co.uk)…blog to follow on the wonderful world of these guys.
Adding all these differing components together helps me to achieve my goals…have that clear picture in your head of what you want and be able to articulate it to the right people.
Not bad for ‘just a bike fit’… it has proven to be a catalyst for a new and exciting world.
Wayne
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