Post by wcuracer on Sept 18, 2008 19:48:45 GMT -5
So I just went to have a bike fit in Asheville by Andy Applegate. I think its one of the most crucial things someone can have done. I have been telling myself forever I am going to get one...I finally gave in to it and had it done.
Some things I learned from this...
Its a very detailed process. It takes ~ 2+ hrs. He takes tons of measurements then puts them into a program which then gives him the correct numbers that I should be riding at on the bike. He then uses lasers to get everything just right which has the numbers programmed into it (CAD System).
My pre-bike fit position was not bad. It was actually about 98% accurate...he couldn't believe that my seat post was the exact height it needed to be. My stem was exactly the right size. The handlebars were near perfect. So what was wrong...?
First he moved my saddle back to stretch me out just a hair more. The saddle was to far forward and had a little bit to much of a downward slope on it. I have pretty long arms so moving me back was the main reason. It came time to see how I pedaled he noticed the cleats were not properly aligned. The cleats were way to far back. He moved them forward which then allowed my cleats and knee alignment to be correct while pedaling. As he watched me pedal he noticed I liked to keep my quads close to the frame. This comes from watching pro cycling. He said he had the same problem for years. You should keep yours quads and legs going through the pedal pretty strait. He ran a drill with me for a few minutes to show me how to get it corrected. So now I am pedaling the correct way. After watching me again he noticed my back position was humped. This is a common problem by not using your pelvis bone correctly. It took a while to get my back right because I was not use to it. He finally got my back/shoulders to relax and it set in. He then showed me video of me pedaling with a detailed analysis of the angles that I pedal at. He had every angle to near perfect once we were done. My pedaling motion was near perfect so we didn't have to mess with that.
I looked like the guy on the right at first...the goal was to get me to look like the guy on the left. Picture stolen from Joe Friel's Blog.
I would recommend anyone to Andy Applegate. He did a phenomenal job.
Some things I learned from this...
Its a very detailed process. It takes ~ 2+ hrs. He takes tons of measurements then puts them into a program which then gives him the correct numbers that I should be riding at on the bike. He then uses lasers to get everything just right which has the numbers programmed into it (CAD System).
My pre-bike fit position was not bad. It was actually about 98% accurate...he couldn't believe that my seat post was the exact height it needed to be. My stem was exactly the right size. The handlebars were near perfect. So what was wrong...?
First he moved my saddle back to stretch me out just a hair more. The saddle was to far forward and had a little bit to much of a downward slope on it. I have pretty long arms so moving me back was the main reason. It came time to see how I pedaled he noticed the cleats were not properly aligned. The cleats were way to far back. He moved them forward which then allowed my cleats and knee alignment to be correct while pedaling. As he watched me pedal he noticed I liked to keep my quads close to the frame. This comes from watching pro cycling. He said he had the same problem for years. You should keep yours quads and legs going through the pedal pretty strait. He ran a drill with me for a few minutes to show me how to get it corrected. So now I am pedaling the correct way. After watching me again he noticed my back position was humped. This is a common problem by not using your pelvis bone correctly. It took a while to get my back right because I was not use to it. He finally got my back/shoulders to relax and it set in. He then showed me video of me pedaling with a detailed analysis of the angles that I pedal at. He had every angle to near perfect once we were done. My pedaling motion was near perfect so we didn't have to mess with that.
I looked like the guy on the right at first...the goal was to get me to look like the guy on the left. Picture stolen from Joe Friel's Blog.
I would recommend anyone to Andy Applegate. He did a phenomenal job.