Feel good cycling story

I cycle a lot. I try to cycle everyday. I do not commute to work, I simply try to get a ride in everyday before I start work. This ride, to me, is the equivalent of others starting the day with a coffee. Just as the people starting the day with a coffee may get grumpy if they miss their morning coffee, I tend to get grumpy if I miss my morning ride. 

This morning's ride was a special one. A good friend of mine came off his bike six months ago. He broke his pelvis and collarbone. For the past six months, he has gone through metal plates and screws being inserted, to rehabilitation with walking. During this whole time he has not complained, much. 

Then came the news, he has a new bike and is ready to ride it. Our whole group felt the elation one normally witnesses when your team wins. We just all could not stop grinning. This morning was his maiden ride on the new bike and comeback. You could not wipe the smile off his face or ours for that matter. 

Welcome back Steve. Thanks for reminding me why I love cycling and for placing a slight reality check into me becoming grumpy if I miss a morning ride. 

Stay safe on the roads. 

Bicycle fitting

I love #cycling

I own a number of bikes and if I don't get my daily ride I become irritable. I am also pedantic about my bike. If there is a noise coming from it I want it fixed and gone. 

So when my LBS (Local Bike Shop) asked me if I would like a fitting with the new Trek Precision Fit system, I was dubious. I didn't want anybody to touch the setup of my bike as I liked it as it was. I told you, I'm pedantic.

I took in my n+1 bike. I was interested in the system. I also knew the fit on this bike was bad and needed some changing. I didn't realise how big the changes would be. 

A number of checks were done on me before we even got to the bike. How flexible I am, were my feet straight or did the toes point in or out, what were my knees doing, etc. It was quite involved. I started to have my doubts. My bike was then measured up and the measurements were transferred to the Precision Fit machine. I had some sticky dots placed on me and then asked to hop onto the machine (which feels like a bike). As soon as I hopped on a problem was spotted by my fitter. He made some adjustments for me. He then asked me to start pedalling. Now this is where it starts getting spiffy. A camera starts recording. He told me to stop pedalling. On the laptop he started checking the dots and how they lined up. After an explanation as to why I felt uncomfortable in this fit and why, he made some more adjustments. I pedalled again and the video started recording. After a couple more tweaks, I felt a lot more comfortable and the power efficiency was vastly improved (did I tell you it also measures the power in your pedalling?). 

Measurements were then used to change the setup of my bike. Wow. The difference was amazing. Trek's Precision Fit system is pretty amazing. The whole process took about three hours. This is in part due to my bike being a poor fit. 

In conclusion, I am so sold on this process, I took my primary bike in to compare. The measurements for my primary bike were pretty much identical to the measurements the fit suggested I should have. We had to change the tilt of the saddle, move it forward slightly and tilt the handle bars down slightly. Now my bike is even more comfortable and I am pedalling more efficiently. 

A Precision Fit is highly recommended for all. 

Thank you to John from Rival Bikes for my fit (www.rivalbikes.com.au)