bike fit algarve

having a good bike with a poor set-up is like having a race car with a poorly tuned chassis: Make sure you have a proper bike fit with someone who knows

During my professional cycling career I had two professional bike fits: One of which at UCLAN, for time trial. One for road at Cycle Fit in Covent Garden in London. I wasn’t able to properly put the analysis from UCLAN to work, as I was never given the opportunity to either get the equipment right, or race for myself. For the road bike fit I got my saddle height right, foot stability, knee tracking and the rest I didn’t apply as I couldn’t on my bikes. Both sessions allowed me to be a better cyclist.

SMS bike fit in the algarve

I am now putting my knowledge to use and fitting other people. The basis of this knowledge is chiefly drawn from Biomechanics from my Sports Science and Sports Technology degrees, as well as practical experience. As you know, the road is far from the lab. I developed my own methods for bike fit based on kinematic analysis and consideration of other parameters, which I wont discuss here.

how do you find the ideal cycling position?

There are a few things that need consideration when determining optimal fit. I use the ‘SAFE’ acronym:

  • Sport: What type of cycling you do.
  • Anthropometry: Your bodies measurements.
  • Flexibility: What you can tolerate in terms of flexibility.
  • Equipment: What you’ve got to work with equipment wise.

common considerations

Whatever your ‘SAFE’ values are, there are a few aspects which are common to any bike fit:

  • Cleat position: I will explain why cleats are best set in a particular way and set them right.
  • Knee position: This varies somewhat, however I will explain why people usually sit too low and KOPS isn’t always right.
  • Saddle height: Find the best saddle height so your muscles produce the most power at the relevant point in the pedal stroke.
  • Saddle fore-aft position: Optimal position for comfort and performance (a optimal set up for performance isn’t comfortable on a normal bike).
  • Pedalling dynamics: Find out where in your pedal stroke energy is lost and how to change your bike fit so you don’t loose this energy.

other consideration:

  • Aerodynamics: I don’t have a wind tunnel, however I do calculate frontal area and points of drag. Further analysis can be done using field tests or finite element analysis.
  • Power: As implied previously, bike fit often comes down to a compromise between power, efficiency and comfort.
  • Foot stability: You’d be surprised how few shoes support the foot correctly. Bont are the only shoes I have used that do this ‘off the peg’. Insoles and wedges can be used to cheaply adapt a normal pair of cycling shoes to better support the foot.

why get fitted by SMS?

  • Bike fit comes down to practitioner knowledge. In fact most professional riders ‘find’ values as close as makes no difference to optimal, simply through trial and error, feel and experience.
  • While I don’t yet possess 3D motion tracking equipment, I will have it soon. 3D is however, less relevant than you might be led to believe. The 2D motion capture and kinematic analysis I do does however get the job done very well: I minimise parallax error and analyse two planes of motion (sagital and frontal). The sagital (side on) plane I analyse from both sides. Given the nature of cycling where the motion takes places in a fixed, 2D plane, with only some factors such ‘knee wobble’ working in three dimensions: I do however, conduct a frontal analysis to deal with this! Hence it’s more work for me, but the 2D analysis is pretty good.
  • Different ethos: Simply put, there isn’t a ‘one size fits all’ solution and a simple formula like KOPS can’t hold true in all scenarios. The main factors I look at simply aren’t computed by even the most expensive and common systems out there.

so what do I get when I get bike fitted?

  • Suggested modifications to position (if any).
  • A detailed report on your current versus the old and why each modification was made.
  • Better performance! Think of it this way: What’s the point in having a great bike if you’re not using it to the best of your ability??

optional extras:

  • Insoles, wedges, aerodynamic analysis.
  • Multiple aspect (best for climbing, best for TT). Each aspect is dealt with as an individual session.

finally

If by the end of your bike fit session you are not happy your new position I will give you your money back. The cost is €120,00

contact me at info@swiftmomentumsports.com to book now.

Disclaimer

Basically this is a disclaimer saying that if you injure yourself for whatever reason cycling, it’s not my fault and I wont be held responsible. I must also emphasise that the bike fit I do doesn’t not attempt in anyway to diagnose or treat physical problems or illnesses. The changes in position are suggestion and it’s the full responsibility of the client to ride safely and in a manner that maintains their physical integrity. Any niggles or injuries you may have are best treated by a medical professional first.

Pro or experienced rider beware! It’s likely only marginal gains can be found by changing your normal riding position and you may so well adapted to a ‘bad’ position that you don’t see any significant improvement soon, although you will adapt to the new position in time.

Happy cycling!