Bike fit - feedback

Bike fit - feedback

Dear Adrian

I just wanted to drop you a line to say thanks again for the bike fit on Friday. It was magnificent -- the best money I've spent on cycling. I'm really looking forward to getting back into it! I've told all my cycling friends about your service, so hopefully they'll book in at some point soon. Once again, I can't thank you enough for your help and professionalism!

Take care,

J



Hi Adrian,

Just to let you know that I did complete the Cent Cols Challenge in the Pyrenees, all 10 days of 200km/ 4400m ascent/day. So pleased with the results of the Bikefit and insoles, I had no problems with my back/knees and could actually enjoy the pain and suffering of the event- if that makes sense! The new handlebar position made for great descending, even on the steep,twisty and often bumpy roads.
If only I had found Cadencesport sooner, still, onwards and upwards.
Many thanks,
David




This was someone who'd had their saddle too low for 2-3 years by 3cm, he was for ever tinkering with his position by a few mm here and there, forever shuffling around in the saddle trying to find somewhere comfy to sit, wanting to try different saddles, but he was so far out a few mm here and there would have made no difference what so ever. By the way we adjusted the angle of his drops and brakelevers separately.

Hi Adrian What can I say – wow!

We did a super hilly ride today with 7K ft climbing in 50 miles including hardknott (>30%), wyrnose (25%) and a few others

My backside was locked to the saddle, no shuffling whatsoever and far more comfortable! 

Power improvement is just incredible – I did wyrnose totally seated and only got out of the saddle for a portion of hardknott, my mates were absolutely astonished as they were out of the saddle pretty much all the way

My legs feel no pain whatsoever, I can feel they’re slightly tired but absolutely nothing like before, I would have been in pieces previously I think this will be a massive improvement for me, thanks and well done!

 All the best John



Hi Adrian,

Many thanks for the bikefit last Friday, found it very informative and has completely changed my view on road cycling!

The difference in power is massive, went out for a steady 50 miles on Saturday in the wind and cold and would have normally averaged around 15.5mph on my own but managed 17.5mph with a few hills thrown in. Climbing is very different, staying seated for most of the climbs on Saturday pushing a lot bigger than normal and not spinning so much. Overall huge improvement and hopefully it will only get better with time.

Thankyou very much!

Ollie




Hi Adrian,

Thought I would give you some quick early feedback. I know it’s only been a couple of weeks since my fit but the difference is amazing. I do now struggle to think how I rode before.

Last Sunday I went out on the clubrun and we did 85 miles which is the longest ride I have done this year and there was not one hint of pain J No aches in my shoulders or back and no knee pain. I was amazed.

I used to get start getting pain around the 40-50 mile mark and as such it did used to hamper my performance, but not now. On Sunday I was still riding and beating all the other riders up the hills even towards the end of the ride, something which would never have happened before. I know it will not all be down to the bike fit and the new bike and more training over the winter would all have contributed but I think the fit has made a world of difference. I will definitely get fitted on all new bikes now.

R

Bike Fit or New Bike or Surgery

Dear Adrian

Thank you very much for my bike fit last friday, despite your
shoulder troubles. My hope from a bike fit was to reduce the
stress that my unstable wrists were under and hopefully negate
the need for surgery in the future The early results of the bike
fit have far surpassed any expectation and I only wish that I had
seen you some 5 years earlier. I have now been out on 3 separate
occasions since last friday. One long slog in the Pennines, an
hours full speed blast and a long easy spin. During and since
these outings I have not experienced any wrist, neck or shoulder
pains; all of which I would have normally experienced- up to
the day of the consultation.

Previous advice from a bike shop had led me to believe the frame
I have was too big for me and suggested I have my saddle in a
maximum fore position. This led to negative feelings about the
bike and a desire for a new frame. The fact that the bike handled
like a nervous stallion due to the weight distribution added to
the desire to buy a new frame. Now that the fit has been
perfected the bike handles like I imagine it was designed to do.
I no longer feel I am about to be thrown of on fast descents and
fast cornering now raises a smile rather than a grimace! The
position of the saddle now feels like I can transmit more force
throughout the bottom stroke of the crank. Already this has
improved my climbing on stable gradients. Still found the steep
stuff as painful! It actually feels like I have a new bike. Being
a physio and having read some literature on bike fit I thought I
would not of been so far out with my position but I suppose that
is good evidence that you can't fit yourself.

Thanks again for your time and I hope you are recovering well
from the surgery.

Richard L

The little things

Dear Adrian

It was a pleasure to meet you on Friday.

I raved to my dad about the bike fit session, so I think he might look to pay you a visit at some point.

I went for a 20 mile ride on Saturday. The difference was amazing. The ride felt comfortable, I felt that I was sitting ‘in’ the saddle rather than on it and I had no upper body movement. The best bit was that I had no knee pain or feeling of strain in the joint. Everything felt aligned and it just felt natural and solid.

I wish I had ridden the bike with my own set-up first because I think I would have appreciated the difference even more. I now appreciate though, the difference that all the little things can make once they are put together. The footbeds, despite feeling tight when first fitted, now fit perfectly. There is no movement in my shoe (there was plenty before) and it now feels as though all my energy goes through the pedal. And, now I have become used to the sensation, my feet feel much more comfortable.

I would certainly tell anyone to get properly fitted having now felt the huge difference it makes.

Many thanks for your help and patience finding an appointment.

Kind regards

Scott

Simple changes

Adrian

I came to see you about 4 weeks ago to have a fit for my Specialized race bike. At the time I was amazed how a simple change to the handlebars altered the whole feel of the bike and eradicated that overstretched feeling when in the drops. You also made some big changes to the saddle height and stem length which just added a more comfortable level of the bike.

I have been out and about and raced quite a bit since then and cannot believe how comfortable everything feels. It really feels as though I am riding “with” the bike rather than “on” it. I always thought that race spec bikes were meant to be uncomfortable and built for speed not comfort. Your fit has completely altered my ride. I can’t get out enough now and have really begun to experience the joy of longer distance rides without the discomfort and aching.

The muscle groups used for the pedalling action were all wrong due to my attempts at fitting the bike using internet guides and hearsay. All the work was being done by the front thigh and this lead to fatigue when trying to break or go with breaks. Your fit has moved this more to the Glutes, hip and core muscles. The change took a bit of getting used to at first and there was a definite drop in power, however now I’m 4 weeks into the power has come back and some. I’m spending more time on the bike due to the feel and new comfort levels which is boosting my performance. Power has returned and is continuing to grow past my previous level. At the time you said expect to see a 10% to 15% increase, and I think that is now beginning to happen.

The foot-beds have also made a difference to my shoes. I bought top end Sidi Ergo 2 thinking that would give me all the comfort and support I would need. I used to suffer some numbness in my second toe on both feet when out on the 100 milers, but the new foot-beds have solved that issue and the shoes now feel like putting on a pair of trusty old trainers. When you add all this up, the bike fit and the foot-beds; my ride has been completely transformed, I can’t stop grinning when I take the bike out of the shed for a ride because I now know what ride I’m in for.

Many thanks for this.

I have ordered a new bike and a second frame so will be booking further appointments with you to fit onto these as I now realise the value of a professional fit. It is such a small price to pay for the benefits that I have experienced.

Regards

Rich

Cat 2 racer.

Pays for itself

Hi Adrian,

It was a pleasure to meet you recently.

The purpose of the bike fit was to attempt to reduce discomfort in shoulders, neck, knees and wrists and to generally try to feel better on the bike.

Since having the fit I’ve now been out on the bike on 5 separate occasions for 20 – 30 miles at a time and including a 60 mile overnighter in the rain. During those rides the lack of discomfort has been really very noticeable.

Also evident is how much easier it has been getting up some of the hills. Not the big ones of course, I’ll either need some lower gears or some bigger legs to cope with those!

Before the bike fit I hadn’t even considered the use of footbeds but these appear to have also made a difference, I now feel properly connected with the pedals. In fact, as a result of the fitting I feel better connected with the whole bike.

It’s now clear to me that previously being in the wrong position was, in addition to marring my enjoyment of riding a bike, actually causing muscle and joint problems.

I visited my physio today and he couldn’t believe the difference in just a few weeks. It’s actually at the point where he said I don’t need to see him anymore so the cost of the bike fit will have paid for itself in a few weeks.

I can honestly say that my expectations have been surpassed and by a huge margin and having now experienced the benefits, I’d recommend to anyone, regardless of their cycling experience to get properly fitted.

Thanks again for your time and best of luck with the new shop.

Very Best Regards,

Carl

Ankle injury

"Adrian, thanks for your bike fitting earlier in the season, it has transformed my riding. A debilitating ankle pain that had lasted a year and defied the physio's, has gone.

I won our Club hillclimb, third in our 'All rounders' competition, and Clubman of the year!

Thanks

Tim"

Bike Fit, New Bike or Surgery

Bike Fit, New Bike or Surgery

Dear Adrian

Thank you very much for my bike fit last friday, despite your
shoulder troubles. My hope from a bike fit was to reduce the
stress that my unstable wrists were under and hopefully negate
the need for surgery in the future The early results of the bike
fit have far surpassed any expectation and I only wish that I had
seen you some 5 years earlier. I have now been out on 3 separate
occasions since last friday. One long slog in the Pennines, an
hours full speed blast and a long easy spin. During and since
these outings I have not experienced any wrist, neck or shoulder
pains; all of which I would have normally experienced- up to
the day of the consultation.

Previous advice from a bike shop had led me to believe the frame
I have was too big for me and suggested I have my saddle in a
maximum fore position. This led to negative feelings about the
bike and a desire for a new frame. The fact that the bike handled
like a nervous stallion due to the weight distribution added to
the desire to buy a new frame. Now that the fit has been
perfected the bike handles like I imagine it was designed to do.
I no longer feel I am about to be thrown of on fast descents and
fast cornering now raises a smile rather than a grimace! The
position of the saddle now feels like I can transmit more force
throughout the bottom stroke of the crank. Already this has
improved my climbing on stable gradients. Still found the steep
stuff as painful! It actually feels like I have a new bike. Being
a physio and having read some literature on bike fit I thought I
would not of been so far out with my position but I suppose that
is good evidence that you can't fit yourself.

Thanks again for your time and I hope you are recovering well
from the surgery.

Richard L

Straight line cornering!

If you want to learn to corner, first learn in a straight line, by this I mean on a straight bit of road, this will help you understand what you do when you do go round a bend/turn. You first need to learn how and where to place your weight on your bike to make it turn, you will then have a far better understanding of what you actually do to get round a corner.

First find a quite bit of straight road, preferably traffic free. Always check over your shoulder before the following.

Riding down the left hand side of the road, first get into the drops keeping your arms/elbows relaxed, placing the left foot at the bottom of the stroke, keeping your right leg/ knee relaxed, then place some weight on the left pedal, feel like you are pushing the pedal into the ground, when you do get to go round a corner this will help you feel like you are pushing the tyres into the tarmac, don't just have the pedal hovering at the bottom of the stroke with no weight on it, next keeping the left arm relaxed, push the right side of the handlebars down and see what happens........the bike moves to the right, the more you push with the right arm the more the bike moves (this helps the tighter the corner becomes), have you actually turned the bars to move the bike to the right? No. What you have actually done is lean the bike underneath yourself, pushing the bar into the corner.

To move the bike to the left it is opposite to above, right pedal down and some weight through it, then push the left side of the handlebars down.

There is a bit more to better cornering than this, but all the above will help you have a better understanding of what you do when you do go round a corner.

Watch Fabian descending this is a great example of what I mean.

Bike fitting - feedback, foot/toe issues

Hi Adrian,

Chris here from Sheffield, i came in to see you the other week about a problem with a pain in my toe that I had had for a while now.

After having a better look you cut a hole in my footbeds to try and take the pressure off that area. Anyway just wanted to give you a quick update.

The results have been fantastic, I have gone from been in pain for 90% of a ride to been pain free for 90% of the ride, so a huge improvement. I have been able to increase my distance and today was the first day I enjoyed a ride in almost a year. The bike fit is perfect and I had almost forgotten how amazing it is to ride in the peak district.

I will take what we did to my insoles to my podiatrist next month and see if we can transfer it across to my regular shoes as well.

Il keep you posted on how I get on, but just wanted to say thanks for your help, I know it was an unusual one but I think if you saw anyone else with a similar problem in the future you would be able to help them too.

All the best

Chris

A few reasons for a bike fit.

A few reasons for a bike fit 1 to 7.

A lot of people put up with below because I think 'well it's a bike so there must be some discomfort'. Riders put up with bad because they have never experienced what good feels like.

There is lot more issues than this, but this is some of my observations and opinions on some of the things people have problems with and just put up with.

1. Hand pain/numbness - too much weight on the bars, causing you to lock your arms out due to supporting a lot of your body weight, normally due to one or all of these, saddle too far forward, nose pointing down especially if nose is lower than the middle of the saddle and/or saddle too high causing you to ride on the nose of the saddle as your body tries to maintain a shorter leg extension. Also if the angle of handlebars and brake levers are setup wrong this can cause the same issues, if levers are to far forward this will cause you to over reach and cause you to over extend your arms, again putting your weight on your bars.

2. Shoulder pain - due to all of the above, i e supporting most of your body weight on your shoulders with arms locked out.

3. Neck pain - due to the above if you are to far forward you have to pull your head back more, causing you to fight locked out arms and shoulders.

4. Tried 'dozens' of saddles - saddle discomfort often has nothing to do with the saddle, as well as the above if the angle of the handlebars is wrong this can cause your pelvis to tilt forward putting pressure on the pubic area. I had one person who came for a fit who had bought a dozen saddles, not from me by the way as I wouldn't of let them buy/try that many, as I know there is more to a saddle than how it looks or feels with your fingers, in the end I fitted him to the second saddle he had bought, but because the angle of his drops and hoods were wrong no saddle was going to feel good, but once I'd adjusted bars and levers that saddle felt great. I can change the way a good saddle feels just by changing the angle of bars and break levers, but most people would blame saddle discomfort on the saddle not on the handlebars.

5. Can't ride on the drops - a lot to do with above 1, 2 and 3. People think it is a lot to do with flexibility, height and reach of bars and stem, but if the angle of the drops points down towards the back wheel even with good flexibility you will struggle. Compact bars are by the best to fit.

6. Bike handles badly - too much weight on the front wheel due a lot to 1, 2 and 3. Riders will blame the bike, but you can be the biggest influence on how a bike handles for good and bad, geometry between a similar size frames across brands is not that different, the way the contact points are set up, i e saddle height/layback/angle, handlebar/lever height/reach/angle can have more of an influence on handling. You might read a great review about a bike that has been perfectly set up by the tester, but if you get the same bike and it's not properly set up to you it may handle like a bag of 'spanners', and you'll think what was the reviewer on about.

7. Trouble feeding on the bike - this is something people don't think about when it comes to a good fit, they think it's about pedalling performance, but if you can't feed your pedalling performance will be reduced. Again back to 1, 2, 3 as well as 6, due to you having too much weight on the front you are unable to flex your elbows allowing them to rise and fall freely, if you can't do that most people are fearful of taking their hands of the bars because the bike feels so twitchy. I've had the some people that before being fitted they have had to stop to feed because the bike handles so badly.

A Tour finisher

This is the day after Alpe d'Huez, the stage started in Bourg d'Oisans, with 50km of climbing straight from the gun, Col du Lautaret onto Col du Galibier, with Roche's team attacking from km zero. We then climbed Col de la Madeleine, with the finish at La Plagne. This image defines who I am, it is the only day I thought I might not make it to Paris, i sat up within km's of the start on the Lautaret, but Paul Kimmage shouted at me that it was too early to sit up because of the time limit, somehow i managed to get back in the line and wait for the autobus to form. The autobus did form, but because it was so early in the stage and the pace was so high at the front of the race we couldn't ease off on the climbs or valley roads because of making the time limit. Looking back this is the day I became a Tour finisher because it was the day I had to dig deep both physically and mentally just to get to the finish in La Plagne.

I'm 2nd from the left, this was taken a few bends from the top of the Galibier.

Sports science, advantages?

Hearing a lot about doping & who maybe on what & advantages it may give to achieve 'super human' performances, serious question to sports scientists out there, we are not hearing much about what advantages can be made with current research based training methods, nutrition, biomechanics, equipment, recovery etc and what these are and would it be possible to achieve 'better' performance even if it meant living like a monk to achieve them.