The Bike Saga Continues: Help is on its way!

For my bike fans who have tried to offer me their support and advice, here is an update on the search for a tri bike.  Despite people’s best efforts to help me (and thanks to all of you for your efforts), I did not feel like I was on the right path, so I contacted Jeff Lockwood (Lifesport, Inc.) who is an independent consultant, bike fitter and cycling coach.  He works as a team with his wife Jackie who is a retired pro triathlete and cyclist and retired physical therapist.  They teach bike fitting to therapists that work with cyclists that have concurrent orthopedic issues.  With my background as a PT and talking to Jeff for an hour on the phone and learning he has experience with women my size and smaller, I decided he was the Fitter for the Job.

It was not really as simple as going into a shop and trying out a bike because even on an XS frame, I am unable to reach the pedals to ride the bike. 

If you read this from an email he sent me you will learn about what tools he uses during his assessment.

The primary issue is crank length.  It is ground zero for bike fit.  To this point in your bike search, no one has understood or cared to address the issue of appropriate crank length.

During my evaluation I will be able to see your current fit on your road bike.  Right or wrong I will have a reference point to work from.  I use motion capture video analysis (Dartfish) that measures angles of joints in motion and understanding the biomechanics that drive length/tension relationships will allow me to see precisely how far off you are in any of the fit parameters.  I have a computer aided design program (Bike CAD Pro 6.53)for making any bicycle in the world.  Once I determine the crank length, saddle height and set back along with issues at the cockpit I can configure a bike to ensure it can fit you. 

It is more important to understand the nature of the athlete in proportion, flexibility and composition than straddling a bike it see if it fits.  This is a common problem and why most bike shops are not fully equipped to do a professional fit.  They are good for getting you to the right zip code but a good bike fit requires the correct street address. 

The first step on Friday is to see how you fit and function on your current bike.  I will use a computrainer to do a spin scan analysis which measures torque and graphs it to see where you are producing power.  The ability to pedal well leads to performance.  Along with the video capture I will have a good idea of your current limitations and necessary changes to get you riding with greater efficiency. 

Someone Listened/Assessment Day:  Jeff and his wife Jackie spent 6 hours with me yesterday.  The process was to set up my bike and perform the video analysis the way that I have been riding.  I was able to produce speed but required 30 more watts of energy to go the same speed as the bike dummy on the computer.  The program was able to look at the position of my foot over the course of the circle (measuring every 30 degrees) and assess how much energy was being lost or gained in each phase of the cycle.  Jeff was also able to show me the angles of my joints and correlate that to muscle firing or lack of firing in each position.  We were also able to see the compensations that I have been making in order to actually complete a cycle at my wrists, arms, trunk, hips, knees, and feet. The issues that he found were that my cockpit was too narrow and placed in the wrong position, my hip and knee and foot angles were limiting my ability to make a complete circle and I was stopping at the bottom of the circle, my pedal stroke is asymmetrical and the left foot is collapsing, my upper body was compensating with a lot of excess motion/rotation at shoulders, arms and wrists to help bring my legs around as I did not have space to complete the circle, etc. etc.(Let’s just say, it did not look pretty and now I know what everyone has been talking about when they look at me on my bike!).

Then he made corrections to my bike by changing out the cranks, seat height, changed out the cockpit putting wider bars on, changed out the pedals and put support in my shoe and had me ride again.  He worked on my technique and was able to show me how my hip and knee angles opened up by changing my position and technique (which needs a lot of work).  He was able to superimpose the second image over the first.

Then he took the configuration of the proper fit and worked it onto the geometry of a Cannondale Slice and showed me how he could modify this bike to fit me by changing the cranks and cockpit on this bike because it supports the geometry needed to get me in the proper position.  The one question that remains is finding a seat that will work with geometry on this bike as we only have 7mm of height to work with.  Most of the other XS frames have the same issue with seat height and the top tube being too long as well as not having the ability to adjust the seat angle (this part I don’t fully understand).  You can only lower a seat so far and that affects the position of everything else.  He has had great success by shortening the crank to get the smaller rider in the correct position.

We decided to make the changes on my current bike and get me in the proper position and work on my technique to prepare for a tri bike where I will be seated in the exact same position with the exception of moving my arms into the aero position.

Changes that he plans to make on my current bike include:

• Changing cranks to 150 from 165
• Raising Seat/trying out different seat
• Changing to wider bars/cockpit to accommodate my shoulder width and getting bars in proper position so I can ride down on the drops using smaller stem as well as correcting my hand and arm position and getting bars in correct position
• Possibly changing to a more rigid shoe with inserts for more support to stop the collapse of my left foot and easier to manage pedal for myself

Those changes will allow me to be seated in the proper position so I have full space to pedal in a circle and proper alignment to engage my cycling muscles fully and enable the proper height and position of the cockpit.

The wider bars will allow my hands and arms to be in the proper position.

The recommendations for a tri bike will be based on how I respond to the changes on my current bike (which I am going to work with Jeff and a shop he uses to make those changes happen.  He did not pressure me to select any particular bike or use any shop, but I would like to continue working with him and it makes more sense to work with people that he has a good relationship with.).  He will refit me on my bike and work on my technique and then send me off to practice.

The recommendations for the tri-bike if we find a workable seat would be to modify a Cannondale Slice 105 with 150 cranks, a different cockpit, smaller stem, new wheels (to make bike lighter), and different shoes and pedals.  They recommended shoes with a firmer heel cup and I loved pedals they had which I could easily clip in and out of (unlike mine).

He spent so much time with me and I feel really good about him being able to help me.  The fee was high, but I am getting a lot for my money and I would highly recommend this experience for anyone having significant fit issues, hard to fit riders, or any injuries they are dealing with that might be related to fit.  I know a lot of people have their favorite shops and fitters, but for me I think I am in the right place now.  There is only one way for me to go and that is up in my performance.  If anyone is interested in attending a future session with me, please let me know.  The video analysis was a most valuable eye opening experience for me and was a great tool to help me understand the correct pedaling motion.  I have to say a  lot of it was over my head, but Jeff spent much time going over each angle of my body and he and his wife have so much knowledge about every aspect of the bike itself and how to find the best ride.  My head was spinning.

I will probably have a few more visits with Jeff than most of his clients that just come in for a fit as we will be refitting my bike and hopefully fitting a new tri bike with modifications.  They basically took my bike apart yesterday, let me ride in a better position and then put it back together in the old configuration until we get all the parts.

Now I not only have to relearn to swim, but I will be relearning to ride my bike.  I am sure relearning to run is in the near future.

A part of this is putting your trust in people but you have to find the right person to give that trust to.

Thank all of you for your help and support along this journey.

The IRON TURTLE aka Beth

Jeff Lockwood can be reached by email at lifesport@cox.net