Chicks that get a bike fit

Guess who has a new steed?  You guessed it; Pat recently took ownership of a new Trek Lexa SLX.  She spent several months researching and looking at bikes and trying to figure out what would be the best bike investment for her that would serve her for a long time.  The Trek Lexa is designed to be women’s specific and comes in several models.  The SLX has better components including Shimano 105s for the derailleurs and shifters.  Two Wheels One Planet had the best January deal going on and awesome customer service.  They were no pressure and encouraged her to test ride and come back over and over to get all of her questions answered.

A very important step in buying a new bike especially one you are making an investment in is to get a proper bike fitting.   The team at Two Wheels One Planet feels strongly about this and will include a professional bike fit in the purchase of the bike.   They know that if someone fits the bike and feels good on it they will ride the bike, continue to buy accessories, make recommendations to friends and come back to them for any upgrades.

Kristen Lawrence, the general manager at Two Wheels One Planet has years of experience riding and bike fitting.  She was a road racer in her early career and now has such a passion for bikes and getting people to ride that it’s contagious just talking to her.   Pat made an appointment one evening after work and found out included in her bike fit was lots of additional knowledge that Kristen was happy to share.

Kristen started by checking the cleats on Pat’s shoes and changing them out to be Shimano the same brand as her pedals.  While the other off brand cleats would work, they won’t provide the best continuing wear.   Kristen explained that we start at the bottom and ensure a proper alignment with the foot starting with the position of the ball over the foot directly above the spindle of the pedal.  She checked out the fore and aft as well as the angular position while Pat’s foot was in the shoe clipped into the pedal.  This is where the power stroke comes in.   The better power you have to the pedals the more relaxed the rest of your body will feel and the longer you can ride.

Kristen also explained that there is a difference between fitting a man and fitting a woman (and NOT just the seat area) as well as fitting a recreational cyclist or a racer.   As you become more confident on the bike or lose weight or become fitter, continual fit adjustments can be made.

Next after ensuring that the seat height was correct, Kristen determined the correct fore/aft position of the seat and then adjusted the level.   She told us to think of your legs as pistons that need to go up and down for the best amount of power.  If you are trying to move your quads forward or back then you are wasting a large amount of effort.  She reminded us that pushing down on the pedal is a natural thing that we learned when we were little girls just pushing off on a bike.  We should start to focus on pulling back with our foot like trying to scrape mud off the bottom of your shoe and pulling up with our toes.

Getting all of these positions correct are essential for your actual riding of the bike.   The final area to work on (handlebars) is really just a place to put your hands and reach the controls.   If you are totally leaning on your handlebars and constantly pushing yourself back up on your seat, then you will become exhausted over a longer ride and aren’t taking advantage of your best power.

In between each adjustment, Kristen would have Pat spin her legs around both to practice her pedaling stroke and get a feel for the changes in adjustment.  For the handlebar height, Kristen explained that women do not have the huge back muscles that are inherent for men and because of our body build a slightly higher rise in the handle bars will make for a more comfortable ride.  She swapped out Pat’s stem with one at a higher angle.  Again, if Pat decides to join master racing and new adjustments and swaps can be done in the future.   Kristen then had Pat check her reach and gave her some hints for riding on road handlebars to practice on her upcoming rides.

Now that each of you has some miles on your bike I would encourage you to consider getting a proper bike fit.  The beginning of our evening riding season would be an ideal time to do it. Kristen said that if we get a group together she would give us special deal.  

So be looking for Pat on her properly fitted new Lexa on our next group ride and we will plan for our traditional champagne toast to the new bike owner.

Remember Jeri and Theresa will be racing in the Race on the Base triathlon Saturday, February 25.  Becky is organizing a ride from her house in Garden Grove.  Contact her if you are interested.