That 'A HA!' Moment & Bike Fit

I was out for a short recovery ride after my long run today and thought about bike comfort and riding efficiency. That's kind of a geeky thing to think about I realize - but hey, I do this stuff for a living!

Any way, I was riding my 2006 Litespeed Vortex with DA, Zipp 404 rear (w/powertap) and Mavic Carbone front with my Profile clip-ons thinking, "Man, this bike set up fits me like a glove!". It's a nice feeling when you feel 'dialed in'.

The truth is that it takes a ton of trial and error to find that 'right' fit. I know there are lots of formulas out there, as well as experts in the bike fitting industry, but I feel that the best fit comes from trial and error and seeing what works best for you. Certainly having a good baseline fit is important, but after that it's important to tweak your position incrementally until you have that 'a ha!' moment. Some people just go by the advice of their fitter... taking it for gospel and think, "hey, if he (or she) says this is how it should feel, I guess this is the perfect fit for me!". Well, that couldn't be further from the truth because no matter how experienced, smart and well-educated that fitter is, he/she still doesn't walk around in your skin. Make sense?

So, the moral of this story is to establish a good baseline fit with the help of an expert but be prepared to then ride with your wrenches for subtle tweaks here and there until you feel the bike fits like a glove... just like my Vortex does right now. :)

Train smart,
Coach Troy