For any repeat visitors, you may have noticed I now have a small online shop selling O-symetric Chainrings. I have decided to start selling a selection of cutting edge products that will make a significant difference to a rider’s performance, comfort, and resistance to injuries. Elliptical chainrings are the breakthrough cycling product of the 2000 decade, comparable to the [...]
Many riders’ initial reaction when introduced to wedges is that they might reduce power. Won’t my foot slide off the pedal? Surely a flat interface is a more direct transmission of power? Well actually, no. For riders with a large amount of varus (forefoot angle), the wedges willl improve the transmission of power and create a more stable platform. Here is some more interesting evidence to back up thousands of positive anecdotal experiences.
Here is a selection of the best fitting products from 2010. Although there is always an element of finding what works for you, some products seem to stand out from the rest. This list applies to all types of serious cyclist. It just so happens Carlos Sastre seems to have all of these products. He obviously has superb taste. Do you think any other items deserve a place on this list?
All bike fitters add their own personal touches to a fit, whether they mean to or not. Even within Cyclefit we have small differences. But as with most things in life, there are a few routes to the ultimate goal (in this case, comfort and efficiency).
This is relevant because I occasionally read the bikefitpro blog written by bikefit founder, Paul Swift. He often posts details of his fits showing how many cleat wedges, ITS Wedges, and speedplay extra length spindles he uses. What jumped out at me was how many longer spindles were used on his fits. I very rarely see the need for a longer spindle, but Paul Swift used them quite regularly.
Cycling has changed quite dramatically since the 1990 tour. Doping is apparently eradicated, wages have increased, and technology has advanced rapidly. That includes biomechanical research and of course, the bikes themselves. Here is a look at a selection of the most famous contenders for yellow jersey at the 1990 Tour.
One way of keeping myself amused through the dull moments of a bike race (mostly on TV, sometimes in real life), is to think about each racers set up. In particular, I enjoy looking for the bikefit themes within the team. This will be influenced by many factors including the bike they are riding (geometry) , their history, their body shape, and their team ‘bikefitter’. I use inverted commas as I am sure that some teams do not use a bike fitter as we know, but an aerodynamics expert, bike builder, directeur sportif, etc instead.
Recently on the Cyclefit’s trip to the Etape Expo, I got to have a look at one Andy Schleck’s bikes on the Specialized stand. This was interesting for me as we are pretty much the same height, weight, and have similar body proportions (long body/ short legs).
It wasn’t until the end of last season that I picked up a serious injury. I now know that it was was an inflamed plica due to poor knee tracking. It wasn’t painful, just a popping sensation in the knee and a sensation of weakness. My shoe, cleat, and saddle set up was perfect, courtesy of Jules and Phil, so I assumed I just needed to do knee stabilising exercises. But when I came into the first race of the season in March, I soon realized that my knee situation was not improved since September. Despite all my exercises I didn’t feel amazing on the bike either. So what was wrong?
It was interesting watching the Vuelta time trial the other day. Joaqim Rodroquez’s horrific time trialling essentially cost him his chance of winning the overall, and likely the podium.
Since I started work at Cyclefit, Jules has been moaning about how he can’t climb or time trial because his legs are too short (please read my previous, related post about Joaquim Rodriguez. This is, of course, VITALLY important for the annual GPM10 trips to Majorca, so we set about trying to improve this problem. [...]
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