7 bike fits

Bike Fit information from this past weekend - total 7 bike fits

7 stems needed to be shorter

5 needed the stem to be higher

7 (3.5 pairs)- 20 mm pedal spacers were added

2 required Leg Length shims of 3mm or more

4 pedals needed shorted spindles

3 one or two mm washers were required

4 needed new handle bars

2 needed a new seat post

Average number of wedges was just over 2.7 per foot – all varus (none valgus)

3 cyclists needed new saddles

None liked the Trek saddles samples – all liked at least one of the Specialized sample

7 stems, 3 saddles, 4 handle bars (and bar tape I am sure), 2 seat posts, 7- 20mm pedals spacers, 3 spacers washers, 2 LL shims, 30 plus wedges, several cleats screws

So if you were a bike shop how much would you have made on top of what you charged for bike fits?

Besides this blog, where else on the internet do you go for BikeFit related information?

I want to know if any of the cycling related websites cover BikeFit topics and attract your attention on a regular basis....

thanks for any replies...

buzz words - here are a few

Do you get these words when you do a bike fit?

Kona count is in....

http://triathlon.competitor.com/2009/10/news/results-are-in-2009-kona-bike-count-presented-by-triathlete-magazine_5170

For leg length differences in the femur do you prefer to shim the cleat or offset the cleat positions?

Thanks for your question. In general I would shim the cleat first.

Do you currently have a lift or shim in your walking or running shoes…..if not, why do you think you need it on the bike? Keep in mind it is possible you may need this for one modality and not the other.

The amount of difference and how it affects your cycling gait needs to be considered. For example, you may already compensate some for this difference so building it up we might start with only a small amount of shimming. After a period of time does your pedaling change or stay the same? If you have never addressed this before you may need to try a certain amount of shimming and check again over time and repeat this process more than once adding or perhaps taking some amount of shimming away.

More than a few millimeters of difference and I would probably start with a small amount of shimming. Not sure where but depending on the situation…maybe around 5mm difference or more (which is really not easy to know) I would also consider moving the cleat back on the longer leg....or maybe slightly forward on the shorter....

Keep in mind your femur is a lever so if one is shorter than the other you are potentially losing leverage. Moving the cleat forward on the shorter leg may help the shorter leg gain a bit more leverage.

Then again I have only moved the cleat back on the opposite leg of a few cyclists and we did not actually shim......rare but it has happened.

Make sure you have the correct amount of wedges. Lack of wedges can cause and addition need to extend the leg.

More on Hogg and the "proper" wedges

http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/cyclingnews-fitness-q-and-a-october-7-2009

More Interbike

Hogg Hogg Hogg…I mean Wedges, Wedges, Wedges

For a select few (actually I am sure everyone felt privileged) Steve Hogg showed just one of his techniques for determining the correct numbers of wedges to start with for a cyclist. On one hand I wish I could say more but I will say he clearly showed that most of us do not use wedges as often as we should and when we do use the wedges we often fall short. We will post a copy of his average wedge use again later.

When I first started with the wedges I will admit I allowed some (actually a lot of) criticism to reduce the number of wedges I wanted to use even though my customers were happy with the wedges. I am so glad Steve is helping reinforcing what I believed in the beginning and I will work hard to no longer let the misinformed and the ignorant hold me back anymore. I also hope the same for you.

And remember just because there is no apparent pain or discomfort does not mean a person does not need wedges. Over 95 percent of the population (Hogg says about 99 percent of the population) not only could use wedges but NEED wedges. Waiting for the pain to occur is a shameful disservice to our fellow being.

Wedge on!!!!!!!!!!!!