The BikeFit booth is up and ready - Interbike 2010 is just hours away

Lift the lever to release. Push down to tighten. 

Rotate the tilt knob with your finger to adjust tilt.

Yes it is that simple.

Visit the Foot/Pedal demos at the booth

Wed, Thur and Fri   11am and 3pm daily.

we may even squeeze in an extra one or two so you can still ask for a spot.

Leg Length Discrepancies - Are they common?

The question is how common are leg length discrepancies? So far this week I have seen a 70% of fits requiring the use of leg length shims. I want to thank Steve Hogg for thinking out of the box and making a solution to address this common problem. What do I look for and what does jump out? What really jumps out is how uneven the saddle is; one side is usually more compressed/lower than the other.

In the even the saddle is brand new the other clue I look for is leg extension ... especially when the saddle is new and the client is complaining about lateral lower back pain and or hip pain.
While the Gmeter is marked with a nice green area indicating the range for an ideal saddle height, when the difference is 5 or more degrees I start to thinking about a possible discrepancy.

Testing the assumption is easy; just put a leg length shim under the shoe and ask for feedback. The words you can hear a client scream or utter are " ... I feel even and balanced" or "I feel as I am not reaching as much now" or "I went out for a long ride and for the first time my lower right back and hip has not hurt" or "I am now feeling the same amount of pressure on the saddle !" One client this week had such a good feeling of being balanced that he said "maybe now I can ride without my hands as I have never been able to do so because my bike would veer to the right!" which then led me to think why did he not mention this during the pre-fit interview?

Let's hear how you test for leg length discrepancy on the bike!


Wedge average count thus far this week: 15 wedges in 4 fits = 3.75 wedges/fit

Winter Training and Position

I just took a few days off to spend sometime in the mountains with my family. Of course the bike had to go along with us, even tough it was primarily a skiing vacation. Upon our arrival at Donner Summit, CA I asked my wife to take me down the mountain in so I could do a few hill repeats on the Donner Summit Pass before dinner. Once out of the warm van and into the below freezing temps I got on the bike and ... found out I needed to do an adjustment!



Winter riding gear is much thicker and denser than the clothing we use in spring/summer. This was really noticeable for me when I got on the bike and I felt that my legs were just a tad a little more extended than usual. I proceeded to lower my seat about 1.5-2mm to compensate for the thicker tights and layers I was wearing. Also, my reached had changed as well due to the thicker thermal gloves so I was not as extended, but just that 1 to 2mm of extra padding did make a noticeable difference, and sitting just a little more upright was much welcomed for the hill climb ahead.



Remember, when changing clothing and shoes make sure that your current position has not changed! Small changes can damped your ability to ride comfortably and risk a possible injury.