Close is Not Good Enough
I recently did a positioning for a new client who had gone through a rough patch with his bicycles. He had purchased two bikes and had gotten four fittings with other folks prior to visiting me. After finding his position, I knew there was no way he was going to get that bike to fit him perfectly and had to tell him to get a new frame, which he was reluctant to do. He wanted to take my positioning data and give it, plus the logic as to how I found it, to my competitors and get them to try and fit the bike to him. I had to decline, and didn't charge him for the session as this wasn't discussed in advance.
I also received a call from a guy who had just purchased a new Cervelo triathlon bike and wanted me to fit him to it. I had to tell him that I couldn't guarantee that I could get him exactly where his body needed the bike to be for his position and as such he hung up disappointed.
I mention these two cases because many people have asked me why I don't just offer production bikes like the competition, especially in the tough economic times we have all experienced. My competitors (the ones who have survived) have almost all sold out and began offering much less expensive production bikes to make ends meet. I chose not to do that for a couple of reasons:
- All the fitting systems I know of (other than the KGS system) are capable of fitting people on production or custom bikes. They have been designed to work with the geometry that is being produced by the production bicycle manufacturers.
- This is a fatal flaw in the system, in my opinion. Finding the real balance point of an individual and building a frame for that point guarantees a good position every time. Said another way, the things I discovered about bicycle positioning exclude me from being able to offer production bikes because there are then compromises in the fit that cause the saddle, hand, back and neck problems which are so common to cyclists.
- I simply can't sell what I wouldn't ride myself. I know this limits me as a retailer, but when people call me up and ask for an opinion, I want to be able to truthfully say I like one thing and not another and give a good reason for it.
I have also been troubled by people getting fittings, having a short term increase in power, then getting injured or having the issues come back with a vengeance. I believe that I have figured out what is going on here and this is the real point of this article and of why I am doing the things mentioned above which fly in the face of traditional retail merchandising.
There is continual increase in power and comfort as one approaches the perfect position on a bike. This is what causes many to say, "Just get it close" and then opt to ride their current bike, knowing it still doesn't fit. I think the issue here is the same one that causes so many injuries in the weight room for adults. Muscles get strong faster than connective tissue. With this in mind, the increase in power one gets by improving the position is the same as an instant increase in strength. The problem is, misaligned is misaligned, so if you are close, you do get more power, but you increase the chance for injury or fatigue until the position is perfect. The joints as well as the origins and insertions of the muscles are now at risk.
What is perfect? We find that one or two millimeters away from perfect positioning is very noticeable. When I went to Houston to recalibrate Julie Mosier Crosno's bike, I only raised the saddle 6 mm, but it was the difference between pain in her knee and hamstring and having no pain.
I have always told people that they are the important part of the equation, and the bike is the less important part. Therefore, if there is a mismatch, cutting one's losses and getting the right bike (or even just the right frame) can make huge differences, while just toughing it out until the old bike wears out can have significant impact on not only the enjoyment of cycling but in the risk of injury.
At the end of the day, I realize that most people simply aren't in a position to redefine their cycling with a custom bike, or simply don't care. Since I can't save the entire world, just help a few people, one at a time, it's ok. I am thankful for those who do go the extra mile to improve their cycling and trust me to help them get there.