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Video: APJunior Development Cycling Team - a start line for youth bike racing

From All Things Bike:

https://www.facebook.com/allthingsbike/videos/321069338708841

We kicked off our fourth season with a great talk with Bill Shattuck, Bart Lipinski, Lizzy Gunsalus and Mark Gunsalus of the AP Junior Development Cycling Team, a Massachusetts program that over the years has introduced boys and girls to cyclocross, mountain and road racing and helped them reach and exceed their potential as cyclists and people. 

Bill, Bart and Mark are cornerstone figures of the New England cycling community and Lizzy is the Future of New England Cycling and evidence of the program's success. Bill describes the history, routines and long term goals; 

Bart describes the riders, the parents and the rewards; Lizzy describes the training, the racing and how cycling has helped her mature; and Mark describes the mentoring, the support and the team camaraderie. A great insight into a long established and newly re-vitalized program (renamed in memory of New England Cycling friend and benefactor, Alec Petro) that helps youth get outdoors, compete, make friends and have fun. William Shattuck Bart Lipinski Mark E Gunsalus AP Junior Development Cycling Team PBM Coaching Peaks Coaching Group New England Bicycle Racing Association New England High School Cycling AssociationFit Werx A-D Bikes Frame and Wheel #usacycling #lizzygunsalus

Eat up, it’s the Holidays…Strategies to Maintain Your Weight Year Round

By James Schaefer - Peaks Coaching Group

Happy Holidays!  To me it appears that retailers have now completely overlooked Thanksgiving as a holiday.  As soon as we hit September the Halloween accessories hit the market, then November 1st its all about Christmas.  For me, Thanksgiving is the holiday I most look forward to.  You don’t have the pressure to be in “the Christmas spirit”, you don’t have to find that perfect gift and go from house to house to house doing it all over again.  No, I am not Mr. Grinch; I just like Thanksgiving and yes, the food.  And food is my motivation to write today.

My email inbox is full of blog posts with advice of how to cope with the temptations of this holiday season.  Practice moderation, add this healthy substitute, and all sorts of “don’t do this.”  It’s the holidays!!! Eat up and enjoy.  My motto for this time of year has always been: It’s not what you eat between Thanksgiving and Christmas, it’s what you eat between Christmas and Thanksgiving that matters.  Tim Ferriss, in his book The 4-Hour Body, endorses this in a somewhat different way.  His premise is that eating healthy and consistently 90% - 95% of the time allows you to splurge once in a while. In the book, this is one 24-hour period each week. If you allow yourself to do this on a somewhat regular basis you will tend to maintain healthy eating habits.

As for my own journey with healthy eating habits (not just eating healthy – there is a difference) it took several failures at maintaining what I believe is an acceptable weight for me.  Let’s take a quick look back to how I got where I am today.  My goal race was the Bermuda GP (October version) and I wanted to get my weight under 60kg.  So, I did what worked for me in the past, eat less!  This time however, there were tools out there to help. My brother suggested Fitday.com, which was a great resource and helped me achieve my goal.  But eating less was all about abstinence, not moderation.  That meant for me no sweets, pizza or even allowing for a beer every now and then. I was totally committed to the goal, and I suffered, it was just part of training.  The race was amazing and I was able to celebrate my success by standing on the podium under the “Flagpole” on Front Street.  All my self-discipline backfired when I returned.  One of the promises I made with an athlete I was coaching at the time was to go out and get a pizza and a beer to celebrate the end of the season.  We did, but I didn’t stop “celebrating” until I had gained most of the 10kg I had lost leading up to the race.  It took me two years and more suffering to settle into a healthy eating habit that allowed for enjoying the foods I crave and maintain a reasonable weight range.

So how did I create the conditions in my life to go from extreme calorie counting to understanding how to monitor and maintain a weight range with health eating habits? First, I have a target weight for each phase of my training season with a maximum “allowable” weight for any time of the year.  In the beginning, I weighed myself each day on a scale that displays weight and body fat, among other metrics.  I did this for the better part of two years and found patterns that were reflected in my weight and body fat with what I had eaten in the past 24 hours.  I used mindfulness and meditation (Headspace.com – mindful eating and cravings packs) to help notice the habits I have created around food.  I switched to fitday.com to track my calories and nutrients.  I entered EVERYTHING I ate, even the tastes from the pot and cutting board. I entered the food as I consumed it, not at the end of the day. Fitday links directly to my Training Peaks account so every time I signed on, I was reminded of the progress I was making. 

Fast forward 4 years, I am currently on a “maintenance” program.  I continue to meditate in an effort to create the conditions for mindfulness in all aspects of my life.  During the transitions between training macro-cycles I rest my habitual eating habits to reflect the changes in my activity levels associated with each phase of my training plan. I will again weigh myself on a daily basis in an effort to reestablish the eating patterns that lead to my desired weight.  I have found that moderation and portion control are the key to maintaining a consistent weight year-round. So, enjoy the foods you like, have pizza and beer or whatever your indulgent food preferences are, but consume them in a way that doesn’t cause you to regularly overdo it.  But most importantly, enjoy the holiday and eat up, as January and the race season will be here before you know it!

JOIN THE NUTRITION CHALLENGE!

James is an Elite/Master Coach with Peaks Coaching Group and a Level 1 (Elite) USAC certified coach and has been coaching and mentoring for over 30 years.  He coaches and mentors athletes of all ages and abilities. James’ coaching focuses on cycling, running and triathlons.  He is also an accomplished ice hockey coach.  James is a former full-time racer. He raced nationally and internationally for 10 years until retiring to raise a family.  

His athletes have stood on the podium in prestigious events including the Haute Route (Alps, Pyrenees, and Dolomites), Tour of Friendship (Thailand), Killington Stage Race and numerous national championships.  His athletes have also achieved life changing goals such as completing the Bike-4-Chai Grand Fondo and creating and maintaining healthy habits.

Pre And Post Ride Stretching

At Peaks Coaching Group we get asked all the time:

“What’s the best stretches/exercises for me to do prior and post-ride?”

Coach Rick Shultz discussed this with his daughter and we came up with a set of stretches that will help warm up the psoas (hip flexors), hamstrings, glutes, lower back, calves and quads. 

But remember, when your muscles are cold, don’t over-do the stretching. Sometimes it’s better to do an active warm up like walking or jogging around the block first.

Here is a series of stretches that every cyclist should do before and after each ride.

BRIDGES

START

FINISH

SINGLE LEG PULL TO CHEST

OPTION 1 – LIGHT STRETCH

OPTION 2 – DEEP STRETCH

PIRIFORMIS STRETCH

#1

 #2

ADDUCTOR STRETCH 

OPTION 1 (PUSH)

 OPTION 2 (PUSH)

HAMSTRING STRETCH

START

 FINISH

LOWER BACK STRETCH

START

 FINISH

LOWER BACK STRETCH

START

 FINISH

LOWER BACK & LATISSIMUS DORSI STRETCH

DEEP STRETCH

QUADRICEPS & HIP FLEXOR AND OBLIQUE STRETCH

ROTATE PELVIS UNDER

OPTION: ADD SIDE STRETCH

QUADRICEPS & TENSOR FASCIAE LATAE (TFL) STRETCH

QUADS

 HIP FLEXOR

GASTOCNEMIUS/SOLEUS STRETCH

#1

 #2

Richard Schultz, MBA, DBA

Associate Coach with Peaks Coaching Group

USAC Level 2 Coach 

Certified Power Based Training 

Certified Skills Instructor 

Beginner Racer Program (BRP) Instructor/Coach/Mentor 

Certified Bike Fitter – IBFI Level 3 & other multi-sport disciplines

Certified Personal Trainer

Amy Schultz, PT, DPT, CSCS

BFC Bike Fit Level 1

USA Cycling Women’s BRP Mentor

How Training Has Changed Through The Decades - Bicycling Magazine

Sports psychology, expert coaches, scientists, physiological testing, nutrition, and the means to quantify training effort and dose: each of these factors has played a part in changing the way cyclists train. But how much has training really improved? One thing that has always worked and which remains just as important today is ‘putting the miles in’.

Riding plenty of miles was the guiding principle during the Forties, and it’s still recommended today. Setting aside the controversies surrounding his time as technical director of British Cycling, Shane Sutton knows about training, and he has a universal piece of advice: “Train for 16 hours a week, every week. It doesn’t matter how you do those 16 hours, but you will get better.” Is it really that simple?

>>> How they used to train: Eddy Merckx’s pre-1969 Tour de France week

High mileage remains a hallmark of elite cyclists’ training. What makes it so effective? Studies show that training volume has a direct effect on the physiological adaptations that underpin fitness. These include increases in blood volume and total number of red blood cells, increased cardiac output, and increases in blood capillary and mitochondria density in muscles. Doing lots of miles leads to lots of adaptations; it’s a blunt instrument, but it works.

A few cyclists began experimenting with more efficient ways of training during the era of Fausto Coppi. He was the top dog during the late Forties and early Fifties, and although his overall training advice, “Ride your bike, ride your bike, ride your bike” was traditional — and a tad repetitive — he experimented with pushing harder on parts of rides to simulate race efforts.

Read More

10 Amazing Cycling Classes Every Rider Must Try

It’s easy for cyclists to have their beef with indoor studios. The bikes often don’t compare to what you find on the road, instructors can lack true experience with the sport, and crunches on a stationary bike can sometimes be enough to make even non-cyclists squirm.

Yet, with the advent of indoor trainers, high-tech software, and studios (and imminent cold weather starting to rear its head), more and more athletes are moving their workouts indoors.

Cyclists are not excluded: On snowy days, on a work trip, on vacation, or any time your real bike isn’t in sight, there are indoor studio classes that even cyclists favor. And you can get a great workout from them, too.

Dig enough and its possible to find classes taught by cyclists, computrainer studios with very accurate data, cycling performance centers cyclists flock to, and even big-box companies that have their cardiovascular and muscular perks.

We did some of the research for you. Many of the classes below are also popular with non-riders, but they offer a host of benefits that will make anyone want to sign up and give some indoor sweat a shot.

[Want to fly up hills? Climb! gives you the workouts and mental strategies to conquer your nearest peak.]

Peloton

Cyclists who choose Peloton can ride in either the comfort of their own homes or at Peloton’s New York City studio on 23rd Street. Regardless of where you ride, the classes are a solid pick for serious riders, says Hunter Allen, president and CEO of Peaks Coaching Group in Bedford, Virginia.

“There are good bikes, you can use your own pedals, and many instructors are cyclists themselves and teach from a cycling perspective.” Try Matt Wilpers, Christine D’Ercole, and Jennifer Jacobs who are cyclists themselves, and use power and wattage to give riders the experience cyclist want.

Read More...

Help! My FTP Won't Go Up

By: Gordy Paulson, 

Level 1 USAC Coach and Master/Elite Coach with Peaks Coaching Group

You’ve purchased a power meter. You’ve trained hard and seen progress. You’ve spent hours on the trainer doing more 20-minute sweet spot intervals than you care to count. You’ve done the Functional Threshold Power (FTP) testing - multiple times - to measure your threshold. For a while, you excitedly watched your 20-minute test numbers rise but then, they stall.

What’s this!? Does this mean you’ve reached the limit of your FTP improvement? Does it mean your training is no longer working? Are you doing the wrong workouts? Are you not trying hard enough? Does this suggest that you should purchase a different power meter?

All too often we assume diligent training leads to linear increasing FTP. This simply is not the case. Threshold improvement is realized, for lack of a better phrase, in “fits and starts”. There are times when improvement follows a linear trajectory. At other times, however, FTP can appear to diminishing despite continued training. FTP can also appear to be “stuck” at a number despite the athlete’s efforts to improve. If this happens to you, what should you do?

To begin, I recommend checking some basic metrics. Are you getting enough rest? Knowing your Training Stress Balance (TSB) can help guide this. Are your hard workouts hard enough and your easy days easy enough? A cycling power meter can be indispensable for this type assessment. If neither of these seem to apply you may need to dig deeper. 

CHANGE IT UP

First take a long look at where you are, and how you got there. Are you doing the same workouts day after day and week after week? You may actually be getting too good at doing those workouts. Your body has gotten “efficient” at them and you aren’t triggering adaptations any longer.

Remember, you need to stress the system to send the adaptation messages. Maybe it’s time to change things up. Consider doing a really long ride if that’s not something you usually do.

It might be a good time to vary the workout pattern. If you do a rest day Monday, hard day Tuesday, easy recovery Wednesday, hard skills day Thursday, easy day Friday and two longer ride days on the weekend, try moving those around. Perhaps do an easy day Monday, hard days Tuesday and Wednesday, easy day Thursday, rest day Friday and long rides on the weekend. Give it a couple weeks and see if things get shaken up.

While it isn’t the first choice of many athletes, one way to change things up is to rest more. Often a “training vacation” of 3 or 4 days is followed by a noticeable improvement in performance.

Keep Reading... 

These Tips from Top Trainers Will Give You Serious Workout Motivation

Visualize Your Goals

“Come back to your goals. Take a minute to sit down in a quiet space, reread your goals, visualize them accomplished. Ask yourself, are these still your goals? If not, then realign your goals with the new ones. Focus on your ‘why.’ ‘Why’ do you want to accomplish these goals? What will you receive by completing them? When your ‘why’ is strong enough, then nothing can stop you from achieving them.” –Hunter Allen, USA Cycling-certified coach and CEO of Peaks Coaching Group

Read More

What E-Bikes Mean For Your Hard-Won Fitness

E-Bikes are here to stay. Not everyone is happy about that. I used to be one of those people. Why? Because of a nagging, if not irrational, concern that e-bikes somehow diminish the currency of my fitness and hard work as a trainer, coach, and athlete.

For those who have yet to hop aboard an electric motor-assisted bicycle, e-bikes are regular bicycles with a battery-powered “pedal assist.” When you saddle up and push the pedals, a small motor engages and gives you a boost, so you can whiz up hills with a loaded backpack and cruise over challenging terrain without gassing yourself. Most e-bikes come with a power switch that lets you adjust the boost setting from “eco” (low) to “turbo” (high). These e-bikes are technically called “pedalecs,” and they feel just like riding a bike, except you feel bionic because the motor assist lets you achieve a far faster pace with far less fitness and hard work.

According to Hunter Allen, CEO of Peaks Coaching Group, who tracks this stuff for a living, if you’re already pretty fit, you have to work extremely hard for at least eight weeks to gain another 15 to 30 watts—about the amount needed to power an oven light. And even then, you can’t hang onto that peak forever. The currency of cycling fitness is hard to earn and easy to lose.It’s that last part that has raised the hackles among those who like to “earn their turns,” so to speak. Because gaining the kind of wattage e-bikes give you with a push of a button takes weeks, months, even years to develop through training alone.

Whether we win a podium position, a KOM crown, or a drag race with friends to the ice-cream store, we cyclists feel extra satisfied—maybe even vindicated—because our result took so much dedication.

Read More: https://www.bicycling.com/training/a23610389/how-e-bikes-affect-fitness/

This Woman Won $7,800 in a Zwift Race

Two important cycling races took place in the last few weeks. One was the Tour of Flanders, which saw more than 140 women toe the line in a 93-mile race through wet, treacherous conditions in the Flemish countryside.

The other was the CVR World Cup finals in Los Angeles, where 10 women fixed on trainers inside the StubHub Velo Sports Center battled it out, virtually, on Zwift’s Watopia Island course. The winner in Flanders, 27-year-old Dutch racer Anna van der Breggen, took home $1,415. The winner of the CVR World Cup, Carey Conabeare, a 42-year-old professional gardener from the UK, pocketed a cool $7,800. 

Yes, you read that right: A recreational rider competing on a gaming platform earned more than five times the prize money than a pro who won a notoriously grueling World Tour race. In fact, Conabeare won more money at the CVR World Cup than the combined women’s prize purse in Flanders.

Read More: https://www.bicycling.com/racing/a19669358/cvr-world-tour-prize-money/

CVR - Cycligent Virgual Racing The Toughest Video Game In The World

Cycligent Virtual Racing has been called the toughest video game in the world. But it was that and a lot more to the 40 invited riders who raced in the CVR World Cup in Los Angeles [April 2018] - going head to head in 4 categories to win a share of over $100,000 in cash and prizes over the season.   While the course inside Zwift's training platform may have been imaginary, the effort - and emotions of riders and fans was very real.

Two hundred meters to go...  Cowbells clang behind cheering fans shouting encouragement as their favorite riders jump out of the saddle and plunge headlong into a max-effort sprint. Live commentators scream out the action, as camera crews try to keep focused on riders jostling for position. The atmosphere is electric as a lead group of 7 riders crank out huge watts in the all out dash for the line.



It’s a scene straight out of any road race we’ve witnessed as fans of bicycle racing – it could be at the Tour, a Classic, or even your local Tuesday night crit. The adrenaline, excitement, and sheer joy of watching athlete’s duke it out mano a mano never gets old, and the human drama of not knowing who will win – or lose – until the battle plays out in front of our own eyes in real time is addictive. No matter how it ends, we want more. Do it again!

Read more and watch video: https://www.pezcyclingnews.com/racing/cvr-world-cup/

Frequent Bike Fit Questions

By PCG Coach and Bike Fitter Rick Schultz

Here are several questions I get asked quite often.

     “I got a new bike and I sized it against my old bike making sure all of the measurements are the same. They feel completely different from each other and I don’t like the way the new bike feels. What did I do wrong?”

     To get the new bike to be in the same exact position as the old bike, you will need to use this $300 X/Y tool. Frames are now measured in STACK & REACH and this tool measures the touchpoints (handlebars & saddle) as STACK & REACH so it is very easy to duplicate one bike to the next.

What I have found out is that when you get clients close to ideal position, even moving something 1mm, the client can feel this difference and respond with yes or no. So, by ‘eye-balling’ the bike sizing, you are probably off at least 5mm which will make the new bike feel like a completely different bike.

If you don’t have this tool, see if you can borrow one from your local bike shop. You might have to bring some bagels, chips and or coffee with you to “grease the skids”!

 “Should I get a bike fit when I get… “

a.      New Shoes or Cleats?

If you are getting the same shoes and the bike fitter marked your cleats, and the cleats are in the correct position, then probably not. But, if these are different shoes, then YES. Different shoes have different ‘stack’ heights as well as different bolt hole positioning so, at a minimum, cleats will need to be adjusted as well as potentially saddle height, fore-aft. Remember, new shoes imply new cleats.

c.       New Saddle?

Again, if same saddle, then probably not, if you have marked where the previous saddle was. But, if it’s a different saddle, then probably yes. Different saddles have different seat heights above the rails, different amounts of foam, different shapes, etc., so you will need a bike fit. 

What shoes do you recommend? 

My preference is Lake Cycling Shoes. They offer the best bang for the buck. I am a Lake dealer and I get nothing but positive feedback from clients. The LAKE road cycling shoes I recommend are (most expensive to least expensive)
CX 402 – kangaroo and fully heat moldable
CX 332 - kangaroo and heat moldable
CX 241 - new endurance/gran fondo shoes
CX 301 – the lightest cycling shoe made. Period
CX 237 – the best seller
One recent client bought the CX 237 and stated that LAKE’s bottom of the line shoe is higher quality than most other manufacturers top of the line shoes.

Another client bought the CX 332 and said that they felt like slippers and that he might wear them to bed!

Lake offers custom colors on their two top shoes and offers custom orders like swapping out the cowhide upper for kangaroo on some models. Lake offers the widest full-carbon sole (last) of any cycling shoe.

Bike Fit - Pain and Sit Bones - Rick Schultz

Dear Coach Rick Schultz,

When setting this new saddle with a spirit level, where should I sit the level on the saddle? The saddle appears level to about 2 thirds of the way from front then the rear section has a built-in rise. When set with spirit level from front nose to rear I am getting very sore on my left sit area. Any thoughts would be much appreciated.

-John

Hi John,

First off, great choice in picking a great saddle. I highly recommend this saddle and actually have this saddle on 2 of my bikes!

A good saddle helps solve several potential causes of pain. These include but are not limited to pain caused by (a) old and worn out saddle, (b) saddle too soft/too hard, (c) too much padding, (d) no cutout for soft tissue, (e) wrong design, etc.

So, next, we need to look at other possible causes. This checklist includes but is not limited to (a) your weight distribution, (b) saddle height, (c) saddle fore/aft, (d) saddle width, (e) saddle tilt - maybe you need to go more nose up/down, (f) handlebar height, (g) cleat placement, (h) how you are sitting on the saddle - pelvis rotated or sitting straight up, (i) flexibility, (j) leg length discrepancy - functional vs structural, etc.?

As you can see, there are numerous items that a pro-level bike fitter looks at to ensure that you can cycle strong, safe and pain-free. Usually, it's not just one item that causes discomfort but several small out-of-adjustments that lead up to pain when cycling.

I'm sorry to say that, at this point, if you continue to ride, you will experience more and more pain. I am a level 3 Bike Fitter with the IBFI Institute (http://ibfi-certification.com/) so I recommend you look for a level 3 or 4 in your area.

SUMMARY

A pain ‘here’ might indicate a maladjustment ‘there’. For example, referred pain (also called reflective pain) is where pain is perceived at a location other than the site of the pain stimulus. Another good example in cycling is kinetic chains where tight hamstrings can cause lower back pain.

A good bike fitter is part scientist, part artist and part coach. A good bike fitter looks at everyone as an individual where there is no blanket solution. Each person is not only asymmetric but we are all  different from one another. This implies that just because two people have the same symptoms, the solutions are usually quite different, quite complex, and there is usually not a single solution meaning that in this case, the bike fitter might find that the current saddle is too narrow, the nose of the saddle needs to be dropped, the saddle needs to be moved forward, the stem is too long,  the handlebars need to be rotated, and, the cyclist needs to be sitting with their pelvis rotated instead of sitting straight up and down.  

A good bike fitter will also know when to refer the client to a medical professional (usually a physical therapist) so that the client can be healed where the bike fit can resume. A good bike fitter will never try to diagnose any possible medical condition – so be aware and interview your potential bike fitter first.

Using Dartfish to Help Determine Cause of Knee Pain During Bike Fit

By Rick Shultz - Peaks Coaching Group

Recently, I had a client come in for a new bike fit. He said he copied his old bike’s dimensions to his new bike but things didn’t quite feel the same or feel right. He said he felt awkward on the bike and most importantly saying “I’m slower on my new aero bike!”

I went to the computer and looked up the manufacturers geometry charts for each bike. As I guessed, they had a different stack & reach – the best way to compare modern day frame sizes. Since the frames are a little different, the angles were a little different as well. Being that he put the same size components on the new bike (stem, saddle, crank arms) he placed these into what he thought was the same position.

He was close, but far enough off that there would be a difference.

For my bike fits, I start with the cleats, move to the saddle then finally the cockpit. Double-checking his cleats, they looked perfect. Watching him pedal, I noticed that he was struggling a little, well, really a lot. Moving my camera to the rear of the bicycle, I noticed he had a lot of movement with his left heel. Note: on his old bike, he didn’t have this movement. I started capturing his motion and the fed the video into Dartfish.

READ MORE

A Killer Quad Workout to Build Crazy Strong Legs

BY SELENE YEAGER AND HAILEY MIDDLEBROOK

Bulging, carved quads are like flashing neon signs announcing that you are a cyclist, and you’ve come to kick some ass. And those diamond-cut cannons are more than just aesthetically pleasing in your spandex. The four muscles collectively called the “quads” are the primary movers when you push through the pedal stroke, so stronger quads equals more watts.

“Cycling is a power sport,” says David Ertl, Ph.D., a USA Cycling Level 1 Coach with Peaks Coaching Group. “You need leg strength to crank out power. That means building all the muscle fibers you can. If you can get 10 or 20 percent stronger than the next guy or gal, you won’t fatigue as quickly, and you’ll have that much more in reserve when you need to give a burst up a hill or off the line at the start.”

This size of yours depends on a host of factors including your height—shorter riders’ legs tend be (or appear to be) stockier; your genes—some people, like sprinters, have more fast-twitch “anaerobic” muscle fibers, the ones that really pop, giving track racers those Lycra-busting quads; and how and where you ride—spinning easy at a high cadence develops less muscle than pushing harder on those pedals. Of course, powerful quads come in many shapes and sizes. After all, Chris Froome’s legs are downright willowy compared to the tree trunks on Mark Cavendish, yet both do an admirable job of getting a bike to the line fast and often first.

Read More at Bicycling.com

How To Achieve The Perfect Bike Fit

By Rick Schultz

I recently had a great discussion with one of the premier fitters in the U.S. – Happy Freedman.

The original discussion revolved around me asking, “What differences (angles, etc.) are you seeing between fitting someone statically or dynamically?”

We also discussed the state of bike fitting, which will be a separate article.

Quick Definitions

• Static Bike Fit – All measurements taken in a static / fixed position. For example. the cyclist is placed in a foot down position then measured, foot forward position then measured, etc.
• Dynamic Bike Fit – All measurements are taken via a motion capture camera while the cyclist is pedaling under a high resistance (i.e., high wattage output). The video is analyzed then changes made to the bike.

Happy replied, “it’s actually more complicated than that.” He went on to explain that there is a greater difference in measured angles depending upon the time of day.

How Tall Are You?

There have been many scientific studies that conclude that people are 1-3cm (0.4”-1.2”) taller when they get out of bed than they are when they go to bed at the end of the day. Why? Gravity. In fact, NASA states that astronauts are 5-7.6cm (2”-3”) taller while in space.

For the bike fitter, during the interview process, there are more questions to ask;

1. Do you train to race or train to stay in shape?
2. Do you want your bike to fit you during your races, during your training or doesn’t matter?
   a. What time of day are your races?
   b. What time of day do you train

And, based on the cyclist’s answers to these questions, the bike fitter might opt to do the bike fit at the same time-of-day that the cyclist will be training or racing.

Differences

Discussions with other premier bike fitters, most say that there is somewhere between a 4°-6° difference in knee angles between a Static bike fit and a Dynamic bike fit. The reason for this is that cyclists will tend to move either forward or rearward in the saddle when under a heavy load. Moving forward or rearward places the cyclist in a different position than when sitting neutral in the saddle as with a no-load condition.

So, What Is Best?

Most bike fitters, including myself, agree that a dynamic bike fit is best. The drawback is that this is a longer and therefore more expensive process. But the advantage is that the fitter can view and evaluate the cyclist pedaling under real world loads.

The cyclists’ angles are recorded in real-time using a motion-based capture camera running at a high enough frame rate that smooth pedal rotations are seen without any blurring. The cyclists’ motion is recorded to a file which is then opened in a computer analysis program such as Dartfish. Exact angles can be identified under different loads (if taken) and a more precise bike fit can be achieved.

A dynamic bike fit will put the cyclist closer to their optimal position than a static fit. For an even closer and more precise fit, you must also consider the time-of-day of your races and get a bike fit at this exact time.

Summary

Does all of this matter? Even with a static bike fit, a good bike fitter will get their client into a better position than by having no bike fit at all. But, the same good bike fitter will get their client into an even better and near perfect position with a dynamic bike fit.

On average, a dynamic bike fit is about $100 more than a static bike fit. This is because with a dynamic bike fit, the fit needs to be accomplished first, then, the bike fitter need to spend extra time copying the dimensions from the fit bike (Guru, Retul, Purely Custom, Shimano) machine onto the cyclists’ bicycle.

Of course, this is assuming that the bike fitter pays attention to detail as well as knows how to correctly and accurately copy measurements from the bike fit machine to the actual bicycle. Another option employed by a good bike fitter is to use the clients bicycle on a Computrainer and motion-based cameras and analysis software. In this example, the bike fit is a little more difficult to perform but once done, all updates have already been made to the clients’ bicycle.

Since there are several items at play here, a good bike fitter will know how to use them to help you with the perfect fit. The only caveat is that you, the client, needs to find that bike fitter.

Bike Fitness Coaching is your one-stop shop for professional bike fitting and coaching. Guru, Trek and BikeFit static and dynamic fit certified, USAC level 2 certified coach with Peaks Coaching Group.

BIKE FITS GONE WRONG

This article is in response to numerous questions I have received about this posting found in a bike fitting chat group.

This posting is shown to the right and the photo is of a male cyclists’ right foot.

If you read this post, there are 3 things stated, (a) the client complains of outside arch pain, (b) client’s right forefoot is 29° Varus, (c) the fitter is going to fix this with a heel wedge. Before we go any further, we need to define VALGUS and VARUS ... in this case forefoot VALGUS and forefoot VARUS. The 2 images below are courtesy of bikefit.com and perfectly describe forefoot VALGUS and forefoot VARUS.

BEWARE OF THE FITTER WHO... Here’s my take on this.

Number of Red Flags : 

ONE: If you haven’t noticed, in the photo, the bike fitter states “VARUS of 29 degrees.” Actually, this forefoot is VALGUS, NOT VARUS. Either this fitter (a) never attended a bike fitting class, (b) didn’t listen in the class he attended, (c) doesn’t understand the difference between Valgus and Varus or (d) the instructor never taught this. In any way you look at it, this is a fitter to stay away from.

TWO: He then states, “I need to break out the heel wedges.” If you will notice, there is very little VALGUS heel tilt, so why try to fix something that isn’t “broken?” In reality, he should be looking at the forefoot, since potentially fixing this will automatically straighten out the heel.

THREE: This fitter should also be aware that a 29° VALGUS forefoot is an extreme case and he shouldn’t try to fix (treat) this himself. How he would try and fix this is to place a large number of wedges between the cleat and shoe which will greatly impact the alignment and tracking of the knee - forcing the knee outwards. 

FOUR: What I and any other competent fitter would do is (a) know that this is an extreme condition that would more than likely cause the cyclist more harm if we would try and fix this, (b) recommend to this cyclist to go and see a physical therapist who is medically certified to recommend and perform a corrective course of action and (c) discuss with the cyclist that this will be a 2-part fit – first part to complete physical therapy, and, once medically cleared, come back to get the rest of the bike fit. Of course, I would have a discussion with the physical therapist to discuss the bike fit and see if there are any limitations that I need to be aware of. I would never try and treat someone with an extreme condition. The sad thing is that this bike fitter probably thinks he is doing the right thing. In reality, he will be hurting this cyclist much more than helping them. Again, this is a great example of “buyer beware.” This is also a great example of why it is so important for you to ask questions, and if something doesn’t sound right, run away.

QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR (POTENTIAL) FITTER

1)      What is your background?

2)      What are your qualifications/certifications?

3)      How long have you been bike fitting?

4)      Any references, testimonials?

5)      Do you ride, do you train?

6)      Have you built any bikes? How many? Do you use a torque wrench?

7)      Do you fit for local teams or groups?

8)      What is your fitting philosophy? What is your bike fitting process?

9)      Which bike fit system will I be fit on?

10)  What is your pricing?

11)  If I don’t like the fit/how it feels, do you have a warranty or another plan of action?

12)  What other services do you offer?

13)  What are other potential “add-ons?”

14)  Which brands do you like, which brands do you carry?

15)  Have you published or written any [bike fitting] papers or articles in any related publications?

16)  Will the bike fit be documented?

17)  How experienced are you at correctly fitting cleats?

18)  How will you correct my knees from going out at the top to tracking straight up and down? 19)  What are your thoughts on wedges? 20)  What are your thoughts on shims?

21)  Are they knowledgeable with respect to insoles, arch supports, shoes, cleats, etc.?

22)  Do they measure your power output at each step of the fit process?

23)  Do they hold a detailed client interview with you?

24)  Do they hold a pre-fit mini-physical evaluation? 25)  After the bike fit, will you document the bike’s new dimensions? Will I get to keep this information?

26)  What is VALGUS? What is VARUS