BikeFit Pro Brother Russ on Cross Fit

As we transition into cross season I asked Russ Stevenson to share a couple considerations for us during a cross fit:

"Relative to a road bike - I consider a slightly shorter stem. This will help move your body mass off of your bars a little more. You want the front end to be loose and free, no pressure. Leaving your stem the same as your road could work if the head angle, rake and trail were all much more slack; but that all depends on the bike. I would never tell someone to use the same stem as their road bike if the bike was super steep….. that's a crash waiting to happen.

I would also consider lowering your saddle 5mm or so. The simple on/off the bike aspect warrants that alone...not to mention that in cross the effort is short and very hard. The rider’s body tends to hover on the saddle, never really sitting static like on a road bike. Add in the bumps and obstacles and the body mass is continually up and down on the saddle. Lowering the saddle allows more room to move and absorb shock...which all means a more stable, calm bike.

…..ok and this too... bring your hoods up, especially if you are running a deep bar. Having the hoods flat like many road bikes opens the rider up to sliding forward when things are sketchy. The higher hoods let your hands sit more comfy and take shock better. Look at all the pro's, they all run their hoods sky high. With a compact bar curve, you could flatten them some but still higher than a road bike.

Two hole Cleat Wedges are not always the best for Cross racers with the constant mounting and dismounting. One BikeFit brand only ITS (In The Shoe) wedge may be considered and of course a good insole are the way to go. I have been happy with Cycle Soles as my choice for insoles."

Russ Stevenson - BikeFit Pro - 2nd at this years Elite Road Nats and is a top Cross Racer

Contrast this with another view
http://velonews.competitor.com/2010/08/news/velonews-training-center-how-should-a-cyclocross-bike-fit_136539

And from Mud and Cowbells http://www.mudandcowbells.com/blog/2010/8/31/bike-fit.html

Don't forget to consider the NEW VV1 cleats for SPD compatible pedals!

A Mid Summer's Night Scream

Our recent BikeFit Pro Education class at Mike Fraysses Sports was held on a weekend with a little something extra. After one evening some of the students took a tour of Mid Summer Nights Scream.... also on the resort grounds the same weekend.

Pressure behind big toe

Paul - I am going cycling in Europe for three months soon--Lisbon to Athens. I am approaching this last minute but am wondering about foot numbness and pressure behind the big toe I experience in my left leg. My PT said I supinate and that a tilted cleat may help. It does feel like I rotate my leg inward on my downward pedal stroke, most noticeably on my left leg. Any advice would be much appreciated. I cycle Shimano SPD's.   Erik.

At this point it sounds like getting in for a GOOD bike fit would be your best option. I would only consider someone well-versed with the foot pedal interface.

 Sight unseen, I can suggest a few things: 
1.Consider moving the cleat back toward the heel.

2.Your leg rotating inward is a classic sign for needing wedges. I would suggest adding a cleat wedge or two – Maybe purchase one of our new VV1 cleats. Since you are going to Europe, this may be the best solution for durability.

3.You may also need to move your foot in closer toward the crank arm.  However, I am not sure on this one based solely on your e-mail…..it is something I would look at if we met in person.

4.I would consider adding a good insole like Supefeet –yellow for cycling.

5. If your big toe drops lower than all of your other toes, think about cutting out the area under the big toe of an insole. Do this on a separate pair of insoles and see how it feels.

6.Lastly, but perhaps most important, is checking inside the shoe under the current insole.  Make sure the surface is smooth and not mucked up and/or a screw is NOT sticking/pushing thru the bottom inside the shoe.

Over time, misalignments can bring on certain symptoms. Getting on top this of prior to your trip would be ideal. Thanks for the question and hope this helps

Just a heads up - Foot/Pedal interface assessment - free at Interbike

Sign up for a free foot/pedal interface assessment at Interbike 2011 by one of our BikeFit Pros.
There will be 7 spots available.
More information about this opportunity to follow soon.  Give us a call to secure your spot (425) 821-7237.

Bike Fitting at a mansion!

On the steps of Burn Brae Manor the home of Mike Fraysse’s Sports. This was our first of what I am sure will be many more BikeFit Pro classes.

 Vladi Khlopine, Beth Mason, Barry Miller, Dave Will

Paul Swift, Gene Geeza, Oye Carr, Joyce Pellegrini, Kit Vogel

Twice in two weeks – Sitting Side Saddle.

First, I did not come up with the idea for the solution we applied for this person – but it worked. Steve Hogg (Mr Proprioception) turned me on to this idea when one does not have the ability to feel the center of the saddle. And since I have now seen it twice in a short period of time I thought I would share the following.

Note the photo – sitting off center

We were struggling with alignment on this cyclist. If we address the leg/cleat/foot alignment sitting off center – would we really be helping him? In this case we needed to move ahead in the fit and get him sitting closer to center and then go back to the foundation (feet).

We did first try a Specialized BG saddle by itself because we often have good success getting people more centered with just using a BG saddle. I am not suggestion what you see in this photo is something Specialized supports or does not support. We at BikeFit did this on our own.

Yes this is meant to be temporary and used to help the cyclists know when they are sitting close to center.

FYI – In almost all education classes we offer, we like to show off equipment from other companies in which we have success with at BikeFit. When it comes to saddles no one else comes close to Specialized. Maybe one day what will change but as of right now…second place in saddles is a long way away.