Tuesday, 29 July 2014

Ticking off the to-do list - Bike fitting

Being injured and unable to run has made me re-assess my bike, swim and S&C training, as well as ticking off some long overdue jobs on my ‘Triathlon to-do list’
One of those jobs was a bike fit. I made the journey up to Newark to see Judith Brand of Dr J coaching and bike fitting.
 
Aero wheels clearly giving me the advantage on the turbo
After some biomechanical testing and functional movement checks we tackled my beloved TT bike. It had been fit with all the best intentions by friends with ‘good eyes’ and some bits of string. Before all the adjustments the power output from my left and right leg was quite un-even, mainly due to the seat being too high and too far back. After the tweaking and adjustments made from looking at the data produced from the black sensors stuck on various bits of my body, my pedal efficiency was much better and power output from right and left leg was much more even. Not to mention being in the aero TT position was much more comfortable - happy customer!
 
The Muve

After the TT came the fitting on the muve for my first ever road bike! I’m currently riding a bike which is borrowed from RAF Triathlon, I am really grateful for it since it has enabled me to get in lots of miles over the summer and more importantly enabled me to attend our overseas training camp in Mallorca early in the season, but it is really heavy and not quite the right size. The fitting happened on the ‘muve’ a bike-like machine where all the components can be moved via little handles, so the rider doesn’t need to get off, and the fitter isn’t drowning in a sea of different sized Allen keys! This means lots of changes can be made and data captured quickly and more frequently. After less than half the time on the TT the muve was in the perfect position, and all the angles between hips, legs, ankles etc. were perfect! Now the measurements have just got to be made into a bike! J Moda here I come! :D
Thanks Judith :)

Check out her website here.

2 comments:

  1. Nice one Abi. You know, I have never had a bike fit. I have always feared that I would be told that my bike is totally wrong for me! Is there value in my getting one now? I am not sure! Maybe I should ask Dr J!

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    1. It is nice to have that warm and fuzzy feeling that the set up is all how it should be, and you are getting maximum return for the effort you are putting in. I ma just a lot more comfortable on my TT bike now, and hopefully I will get a road bike which is the perfect fit :)

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