John Henry Bikes

Proper Bike Fit [as seen in Impact Magazine] by Willie Henry
Bike Fit 101

Let's make one thing very clear. If you ride regularly whether as a serious cyclist, a triathlete or an avid recreational user, proper bicycle fit is extremely important. There are a million very technical reasons for this statement but only one overriding reason that you need to understand. Without a proper bicycle fit you are at risk of injury and with that comes time away from your bike and the outdoors.

This article will attempt to help you make the key fit adjustments right at home so your riding season is started off the right way. With a little bit of playing around you can eliminate some of the guess work and take some real quality fit tips of master fitters and look at your set up for what it really is. The mechanism to make you more efficient and the most comfortable you can be. These are rules that can help get you closer to where you should be on your bike but by no means are these tips everything under the sun. Bicycle fitting is a large dash of scientific research mixed with a total understanding of that individuals physiology. Who better to know oneself than you? Let's get started with Bike Fit 101.

Basic Cycling Body Position
Saddle Position

Level: It is usually not a good idea to mount your saddle with the nose of it pointing either down or up more than a couple of degrees. Doing so can cause arm fatigue and/or an increase in the chances of finger numbness. As you resist the tendency to slide forward you are also more prone to locking out your elbows, hunching your shoulders and therefore are engaging muscles that should be loose and relaxed. This leads to early fatigue on rides.

Solution: To start with the correct saddle tilt use a 'level' [a tool that helps one put up shelves or correctly tell whether or not something is imbalanced] to correctly assess your saddle position. Make sure to position the level across the saddle starting from the tip and finishing at the back of the saddle. Use your allen keys to move the saddle into a balanced position.<

Height: Saddle height is a basic set up step that is widely misunderstood and more often than not poorly assessed. Known as the distance from the top of the saddle to the pedal axle when the crank arm is in the line with the seat tube, improper saddle height often is the start of poor positioning causing discomfort in many areas. Getting your saddle height positioned and then marked is generally a sure fire way to eliminate a high percentage of knee problems, lower back problems or neck aches related to riding.

Solution: While these suggestions are not exact science they should help a great majority of the riding population from gross height miscalculations. Once you are very close to your exact saddle position then you can make small adjustments during rides to customize your fit.
1. With your bare feet six inches apart, hold a tape measure firmly into your groin and measure to the floor. Have a friend help you so you are exact. Now multiply this number by 1.09 and then use the result to set the saddle height. Remember the measurement is directly along the seat tube of the bicycle and measured from the centre of the pedal axel to the top of a level saddle.
2. You can also pedal backwards, using just your heels. While it will feel awkward you can then begin to move your saddle up or down according to where your hips begin to rock and your feet start to pull away from the pedals. Position the saddle directly below the point where your hips begin to roll side to side.

Forward and Backwards: Fore and aft location of your saddle can make a big difference to how you feel within the cockpit of your bicycle. It has never been proven that moving your level saddle backwards or forward can cause damage to your body but it can significantly affect how you use your muscles and how you feel on your bike. If, like a triathlete, you move the saddle forward dramatically, you will use more quadriceps muscle and also make it easier to get into your aero bars helping you become more aerodynamic. If you have very long arms or are longer in the torso you may want to shift your saddle backwards on its rails allowing yourself to sit more happily within the cockpit of the bicycle. For most of us a nice middle position on the rails is a great starting point and from there we can make an assessment of how the fit from axle to knee and knee to saddle position is working. Remember: a person's overall flexibility makes a huge difference in their bicycle fit. If you are inflexible position yourself more upright so you maintain some comfort.

Adjustments: Follow these steps to set your fore/aft position on your saddle:

Locate your right leg's tibial tuberosity; the bony bump below the kneecap. This conveniently lies on a vertical line that passes through the centre of the knee joint when the crankarm is directly forward. This line should also bisect the pedal axle. Next,
With the bike mounted on your spinner [without the bike being tilted - back wheel and front wheel are equal distance off the ground!] turn the right crankarm to 3 o'clock. It is a good idea to pedal about twenty full revolutions comfortably before you stop in this position. This allows the hips to settle and you to sit as you would normally during your rides. Now drop a plumb line [a yo-yo operates as a great make shift plumb line] from the front of your tibial tuberosity.
Notice where the string passes the pedal axle and then slide your saddle forward or backwards until the string and axle line up. Now you are positioned in the most basic position and can begin to make comfort adjustments knowing you will not be hurting yourself.

Notes:

These are not hard and rigid rules but they will help you ascertain your basic position on your bike.

Remember that during the winter riders are more commonly wearing more layers and the added millimeters of padding can adversely affect the work you have done to get the position correct. Make adjustments as the seasons change.

Always use the same shoes for your fitting that you would be wearing during rides as the difference between one pair of shoes to the next can be dramatic and throw off calculations.

Different styles of cycling can have minor differences in how the fitting of your bike should be. Be sure to engage a professional if you are working within a specific discipline that may require adjustment. Triathletes are an example of a style or discipline within cycling that could require some adjustments.

Saddle position is merely one thing that can assess whether or not you are comfortable on your bicycle but it is definitely one of the most common causes of injury when it comes to riding problems. Follow the above principles to help you put your legs and hips in the correct position on your bike. Follow the below tips to more accurately assess your comfort.

Saddle Comfort:

Beyond putting your saddle in the correct position there are a few ways that you can make sure your sit bones aren't being bruised so badly that you would rather never see your bicycle again. Here are some comfort tips that may make the next ride a little bit more pleasurable.
Sit Bones: The myth that the size of a person relates to the width of their saddle has been widely spread and is actually akin to judging a book by its cover. While choosing a saddle merely by body type will likely conclude in some success with the rider that rarely sits on their saddle it is an absolute fallacy that the bigger you are the bigger your saddle need be. For one to choose a saddle that promotes a healthy crotch area you need to know the distance between your sit bones. Your size weight and height do not determine this distance. Your saddle needs to be the type that will allow your sit bones to neither be falling off the edges nor be compressed by the rounded area towards the centre line of the saddle. Paying close attention to where your sit bones are touching your seat as you are riding can help you determine if you need a different model. Once determined go wider or thinner as necessary. This makes your saddle more appropriate for you and then you can assess the actual comfort of the areas you are touching. Some dense foam or gel will conform to you and hopefully allow you to rid yourself of the bruised feeling that is common with casual riders. Saddle come in all shapes and sizes as well as in women's or men's models so choose one that works for you and never settle because something exists that can help.
Numbness: If you are going numb it is best to consult your doctor and then to consult a professional fit guide at the shop. Immediately!
Chamois is King: Make sure you are using a proper riding short. They come with many different forms of chamois to fit both women and men differently. Synthetic chamois is widely available and will help keep proper blood flow, reduce moisture through wicking properties and also provide padding in the correct areas.
Ride: The more riding you do the better it is as your body becomes used to the work out. However, don't ride through injuries or numbness. Get the problem solved now so that you can have the wind blowing through your hair on a hot day in the spring.

Never settle for being uncomfortable on your bicycle because it is almost always possible to correct the factor leading to your particular problem. A comfortable bicycle is a bike that will be used more often. Make sure that you take the time to set your saddle position so you will reap the rewards of a more efficient, stronger, more relaxed, more comfortable and ultimately happier body.

If you feel you aren't positioned properly on your bike consult your local fit expert and remember their scientific approach and your direct feedback make for the 'proper fit'. Not everything is based on your measurements alone. Good luck and ride for life.

Live to Ride.

Willie Henry
John Henry Bikes
info@johnhenrybikes.com
ph: 604.986.5534.

Willie Cromack is part owner of the North shores, John Henry Bikes and has been fitting people for over 16 years.

Labels: bike shop, John Henry Bikes, north shore

The Benefits Behind the Bike Fit

I am often queried on why I feel bike fit is the most important part of cycling.

My answer in short: The benefits to performance, comfort and so you can ride until the day your body gives up.

Bike fitting isn't a sales gimmick. It isn't another way for the shops to pull another dime out of your pocket and it isn't a joke. Bike fit is the single biggest ingredient to enhanced enjoyment and performance on the bike.

In 2009 the entire Tour de France team of Saxo Bank were re-fit by the very same expert that has trained the John Henry Bikes pro fitters. You would think bike fit might have been a part of these pros repertoire already but many of the riders were completely readjusted to be more comfortable and thus more powerful over the entire race.

You can read the whole article here:
Jan 15, 2009 A Perfect BG FIT: Specialized & Team Saxo Bank

In December of 2008, Specialized sent a crew to Denmark to introduce the Saxo Bank team to their new Body Geometry (BG) shoes. Carl Bird (Director of Equipment) and Dr. Andy Pruitt (Director of the Boulder Center for Sports Medicine and design consultant to Specialized) explained BG technology and did some preliminary fittings with several riders.

BG FIT Trip Report
Team Saxo Bank Training Camp
January 11-14, 2009

In December of 2008, Specialized sent a crew to Denmark to introduce the Saxo Bank team to their new Body Geometry (BG) shoes. Carl Bird (Director of Equipment) and Dr. Andy Pruitt (Director of the Boulder Center for Sports Medicine and design consultant to Specialized) explained BG technology and did some preliminary fittings with several riders.

The process went exceptionally well, and team riders and staff were quick to embrace BG. This early success led team owner, Bjarne Riis, to request that Specialized provide full BG FIT (Fit Integration Technology) services to his entire squad, with the aim of making every rider both faster and more comfortable on their bikes.

Specialized was honored. Riis is known to be very technically minded and exacting in his team’s bikes, equipment and training. For him to entrust his riders to our BG FIT recommendations demonstrated a tremendous amount of respect and, to our knowledge, is unprecedented in the sport.

Specialized sent a crew to the Saxo Bank training camp in Mallorca, Spain, to fit the dozen or so riders logging training miles in the comparatively mild Mediterranean climate. A fit studio with a full BG FIT DATA system (which utilizes video assessment tools) was assembled in a hotel conference room. Dr. Andy Pruitt and Scott Holz, Senior BG FIT instructor, performed the BG FIT assessments.

Several things about the experience really stood out:

Saxo Bank truly operates as a team and not just a bunch of guys riding together. Their loyalty, dedication, and mutual respect were clearly evident. This is often a mark of excellent leadership.
Every rider appeared to benefit from adjustments made during the BG FIT process. The feedback was very positive.
Some changes were relatively minor. Cancellara's position, for example, was already close to ideal, but improvements to his pedal stroke were made via his BG shoes.
Other riders practically had their position on the bike reinvented. Thanks to the expert eye of Andy Pruitt, Scott Holz, and the impartial observation of the BG FIT DATA cameras, Frank Schleck is now in a more comfortable AND efficient riding position.

About half of the Saxo Bank team riders - including Fabian Cancellara, Frank Schleck, Andy Schleck - were fit over the course of two days. The balance of the team will get the full BG FIT assessment at a training camp in early February, prior to the Tour of California.

Now you don't have to be a pro to want to have your bike fit. You just have to want to ride your bike. In fact, most people come to us after they have experienced problems. However, preventative medicine is probably a better way to think about fit. By looking at your body we can fit the bicycle to you rather than you fitting and adjusting to your bicycle.

Do you want to be more powerful without doing more work? Do you want to feel like your bicycle was made for you? How about ride longer without pain?

Take the time out and get a professional Body Geometry FIT. You will thank yourself later...at the finish line.

Live to ride.
Willie Cromack
info@johnhenrybikes.com
www.johnhenrybikes.com
Phone: 604-986-5534

p.s. There are currently 16 professional certified BG fitters in Canada and John Henry Bikes has 3 of them including the only woman certified in Canada [April our manager]. Please ask us for help if need any questions answered on making your bike fit better.

Labels: BG FIT, bike fit, bike shop, Body Geometry, John Henry Bikes, north shore

Road Magazine: Norco CRR 1 Road bike review

We don't always post every review by a bike magazine but in this case we thought it was appropriate. Seeing as more and more of our local riders are adding a road bike to their quiver, many were asking what had happened to Team Symmetrics and the Norco bikes they were riding. Norco has re-launched its road program for 2009 & 1/2 and the bikes are pleasantly surprising.

Obviously the team at Norco spent some time with the aesthetic of the bikes and must have taken some of the opinions at large to heart. The bikes look amazing and like all Norco Performance Bikes they are very well valued and ride true. As a full line bike company from Canada competing with the likes of the big brands it is sometimes hard to get the media attention. When your most well known bikes are freeride North Shore bikes it can sometimes be impossible. However, the new rigs must be speaking to the true road riders because there is a quiet buzz building. First, the bikes are very good looking. Period. They look the part and like the brand is saying "take us seriously". For the rest, the design and spec is thoughtful and so far they seem to ride beautifully.

Not bad from a brand born in the heart of Freeride territory. Take a look at Road Magazines review and we'll update you on our thoughts as we see them and ride the bikes more.

2009Road_CRR1.pdf

You can also check out our newest rider from the Food Network, who decided the local flavour was right up his alley.

Labels: Bicycle Tour, bike shop, John Henry Bikes, Norco CRR1, north shore

Local Ripper Bike Review: Jerry Willows SX Trail

Jerry Willows, North Shore local, nsmb.com Team rider and all around great John Henry Bikes bro stops by the shop to talk about his 2009 Specialized SX Trail.

Jerry goes into detail about some of the features of the bike, his ideas of bike set up and some of the parts he appreciates when he is out and about the North Shore.

Jerry Willows Part 1

Jerry Willows Part 2

Thanks Jerry and if you have some thoughts on he is talking about let us know.

Live to ride.