Basically, there are three kinds of people: Those who have a bike, those that are going to get a bike, and those who never got a bike but should have!If you go to a local bike shop, they will try to sell you a "fit" or even a "custom fit" as part of their services of getting you on just the right bike. They will take some anatomical measurements, consult a chart - maybe they will even put you on a funny-looking bike-like thing, et voila, you've been "custom fit". And nine times out of ten, they will have "just the bike that's perfect for you" on their floor. What you have been through, though, is a "sizing", and not a custom fit! To be "sized" for a bike, you'll get a frame that can be made to fit you perfectly, with proper seat height, fore/aft position of the seat, seat tilt, stem length, handle bar height, handle bar drop and reach, cleat placement on your shoes, compensations for your own personal and unique geometry and physical ranges of motion and sense of comfort. Oh, and last but not least, power and efficiency that can be applied to the pedals and out to the road. If you want all those things - you'll be best served to go beyond the quickie bike-store sizing and check out someone like Coach Ken Nowakowski (i.e. Dr. Knows-alot-ski).
Above is a photo of the first-of-its-kind and prototype of the ProBikes Ltd. "Dynamic Fitting Cycle". Coach Ken made this in about three weeks time. And it is pretty special! Via remote control, while you are on the bike and pedaling, hooked up to a CompuTrainer lab-quality power meter, you will be adjusted up/down, forward/aft, handle bars will go up and down. The crank arm lengths are variable, the stem is completely adjustable, and the whole rig will be rotated on a turntable so you can be video taped (using 2-D and 3-D video imaging), and the resulting data reviewed with the experienced eye of the best bike-fit person in the Midwest.
Ken and John showed this Dynamic Fitting Cycle at the National Hand-Built Bicycle Show this past weekend at the Indianapolis Convention Center. The idea was to showcase and highlight Ken's fitting services: Instead, we created a huge stir in the custom-built bike community over the fitting cycle itself. If we can finish the original prototype, and figure out how to build many of them, and figure out a price to charge so that it is worth our while - you may see one at your local bike shop sometime this year.
In the meantime - if you have a bike and want to make the most of it, or if you are going to buy a bike and want it to FIT - check with John and he'll hook you up with Dr. Knows-alot-ski.
2 comments:
Holy Crap! This is ingenious! No joke. What a great concept and highly useful tool. I'm blown away just seeing the photo and reading your post.
I love the fact that, while this is a great tool, it is a tool that needs to be used along with a skilled coach. Wouldn't be a fan if it was supposed to replace a coach. Still not a machine out there that will ever take the place of a good 'ol coaches eye.
You guys are a dynamic duo; I wish you the best on this one.
Peace,
Chris
ps - great to have you back to blogging
thanks, coach chris - blogging for me isn't a "have to do it" thing: It's an outlet for creativity when the karma strikes and the stars align - and all of that did this weekend. I even stayed up late to get them on!
The idea isn't completely original - Guru made something like it about three years ago: Ken and I have taken it to the next level though, that's for sure. Ken had this wild hair of an idea - shared it with me - I convinced him it was doable - and he went out and did it.
You're so right about the coach's eye, though - and that is really what you get with Ken - a neat thing about the bike though is a concept we've been kicking around a long time and that is a way to do LOTS of fits, say for a large club, in sort of a production mode. And this tool allows us to do that, too!
Post a Comment