I mentioned in my post Bliss on a Bike that I recently had a fit done on Rocket, my refurbed Scott CR1 Pro. Part of the refurbishing happened during the fit which I’ll discuss later.
Why a new fit?
Good question, because on the surface I didn’t seem to need one. While not a perfect measure of whether or not a fit is needed, I consider two overall factors: when I’m riding do I feel like the bike is just an extension of me – i.e., just one machine going down the road, and two, how do I feel during and after a ride.
The problem with me and maybe all of us – is we can adjust to most anything – regardless of how uncomfortable or painful it may be when we’re riding. We figure part of cycling is suffering and although that’s true at times you shouldn’t suffer from just being on the bike. Good suffering comes in with hard effort and long hours in the saddle, if you’re in pain or uncomfortable on a short and easy ride, something is most likely wrong with your position.
My position has been comfortable overall for a 3-4 hour ride – not like – “gee, maybe I should keep my bike in the living room to sit on because it’s just so damn comfortable!†– but comfortable in the sense that nothing hurt during or was sore after a ride. Given some of my physical “quirks†that in and of itself is quite a feat, but things can always be improved, right? Plus, Mark had a fit done on his new bike and after seeing the attention to detail and fine tuning done to his position I wanted one too. Fit isn’t just about comfort, but also power, and it seemed Mark’s power had definitely improved.
Here’s how the fit went:
I had my fit done at Schlegel Bicycles. Schlegel’s offers three levels of fits: Bronze ($100), Silver ($170) and Gold ($280).
A fit is only as good as the person doing it and that’s where Schlegel’s excels – Aaron Smathers. Before I ever walked into Schlegel’s, with Mark for his fit or for my own, I was sold on the process just from watching this video. This isn’t your basic fit, it’s a custom fit based on your needs, biomechanics – including any little (or not so little) quirks or anomalies you might have.
Check out a typical Bronze fit.
Aaron tweaked every aspect of my position: seat height and fore/aft position, switched me to a longer stem and we changed to a more ergonomic handlebar with a shallower drop. Both the bar and stem are carbon fiber and are from 3T Cycling. I love the new bar/stem combination. The shock dampening is significant as is the ease and comfort of riding in the drops. In fact the drops are now more comfortable than the brake hoods. For the coolness factor, the bar/stem match my frame perfectly and look way better than the stock Ritchey Pro I had.
From watching me pedal (including using a laser beam to track rotation in my knee) Aaron changed the position of cleats in both shoes. Turns out I had them in the opposite position I should have. I pedaled, he tweaked, I pedaled some more, changing from the hoods to the drops and back, more tweaks.
At some point your position gets dialed in to the extent it can be and then you have to take it on the road and ride. On an actual ride you move around on the bike, you scoot up on the saddle, you scoot back. Your position while riding is dynamic, on a trainer, not so much.
Aaron spent about 2 hours on my fit. As I said earlier, he’s knowledgeable about the science of bike fitting and he’s raced and ridden for years so he has a practical knowledge as well. He’s careful and thoughtful in his assessments and adjustments which is just what you want when you’re getting a fit. Schlegel’s has a nice set up for fits and a good selection of bikes, gear and clothing.
