Free Miles - the Secret Success of a Properly Fitted Bike
Good form is the secret sauce in any physical endeavor. Bad form is the recipe for disaster. Here’s the thing with form and biking - you can’t have good form if you aren’t fitted properly to your bike.
When we were kids we’d hop on a bike, change the seat height a bit, and ride all day long. We grew up thinking it should always be that easy. But we don’t ride bikes like we did as kids. And our bodies aren’t as forgiving. For cyclists riding any kind of distance, especially century rides, proper fitting will mean the difference between success and outright mental and physical collapse.
I got fitted on my triathlon bike, and what a difference that made. For some reason, when I bought my first road bike to ride 1,200 miles around the perimeter of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, I thought I could just “adjust the seat” and everything would be great. Man was I wrong. By the end of the first day my left hand was tingly. My thumb and first finger were numb, and weak. I got a little freaked out at dinner that night when it was difficult to properly use my fork. By the second day I couldn’t even hold the fork. As the days progressed so did the nerve damage. By the time I reached Marquette I was wondering if I was going to have a long term issue. And then I met Mary Connor. She rode with us to Grand Marias and taught me all about the nerve being pinched by my collar bone as it extended down my arm to my hand. We rode upright as she showed me stretching exercises to open the nerve and relieve the pressure while riding. She was my guardian angel. I was able to work the nerve periodically throughout the remaining days and gain back some sensation in my hand. When the 1,200 miles were complete I vowed to not get on that bike again until I had it properly fitted.
I met with Steve Merz in Grosse Point Trek. He could measure where my pressure was while riding, and to no surprise, I had a ton of weight on my handlebars. My form was crazy bad. We changed seat height, stack height, reach, cleat position… and presto! A perfect fitting bike.
Not only will proper fitting aleviate or eliminate nerve pressure - by allowing for optimal form you will optimize the muscles for biking. Steve made small tweaks to the mechanical bike during the fitting. It was crazy to see the results on increased watts and ease of cadience. It was like another engine fired up when my body positioning allowed muscle groups to work properly.
You will be more comfortable and more powerful when your bike fits. It’s that simple.
Getting fitted to your bike is the difference maker. Not a luxury step to take. It’s a necessary component to biking if you expect to ride any kind of distance.
James Studinger, founder of Tour Da Yoop, Eh.