The Bike Whisperer
Discussion
After cycling for a few months I decided that instead of buying some new wheels or glasses I would invest some time and money in getting the very best possible from my current setup, a quick nose around the web and a couple of phone calls later I chose TBW in Ealing. This Tuesday I visited Scherrit and Corinne with a firmly open mind about what was needed and also what I was doing wrong in the process of getting from A to B.
The issues I arrived there with my s
t list(in no particular order of severity) including; numb hands, aches in my knees after riding and numb feet. I put most of it down to being a novice but a couple of guys in the club suggested all wasn't right and life should be happier when riding. The fitting starts with a long discussion about personal health history, injuries and what issues you have on the bike. This is quite interesting and very useful later in the process. Following this you go through a physical examination and complete a few co-ordination and strength tests. Lots of it is to do with proprioception and increasing your response to physical inputs. Any body discrepancies are picked up i.e. long leg/short leg, pelvic alignment etc.
A session on the bike followed to see where everything was and establish a datum. After my session Scherrit commented that there was power to be gained purely from saddle position and very quickly he established why my hands and feet were getting numb. A long time was spent setting up cleats and due to having hobbit feet they were miles out (15mm right, 20mm left), this necessitated changing cleats and peddles for something a bit more adjustable so I ended up on Speedplay's (Keo previously). Stem was reduced to 90mm, more saddle height, saddle moved backwards and set flat. Lastly the bar angle was raked a bit. Sounds simple but it took 5 hrs in total to get to this point, I am not going to try and tell anyone exactly how it all got there, truth is thats what I paid the money for
Future improvements will be some compact bars and maybe a smaller crank (a whole separate discussion). The resultant setup confirmed several things from distant injury past, it was funny how so many things were connected and when corrected seemed to impact on more than one area of complaint.
I learnt loads from the fitting (riding technique, general fitness, bike setup) and would recommend Scherrit's services to anyone who is interested in improving what they currently have or if there is a recurrent issue that is reducing performance or riding pleasure. Following his advice I am riding short distances and not pushing 100% as it will be a few weeks before my body adapts apparently, saying that I couldn't resist a blast on my commute which has shown that power has increased (higher average speeds) and pain is now a non issue during and after rides. The new riding position is much pointier being sat up higher but the saddle being further back with the shorter stem works well. The steering is now far quicker and pressing on there is huge reduction in burning legs which I had previously used as a marker that I was working hard enough!! The Speedplay pedals are good. More ground clearance and a much more natural feeling float which can be adjusted both in total movement and toe.
A friend of mine took the piss religiously when I told him I had spent £200 on 5hrs worth of fitting. Funny thing is he has this mild pain in his knee and can’t quite get to the bottom of a slightly numb foot....
The issues I arrived there with my s
t list(in no particular order of severity) including; numb hands, aches in my knees after riding and numb feet. I put most of it down to being a novice but a couple of guys in the club suggested all wasn't right and life should be happier when riding. The fitting starts with a long discussion about personal health history, injuries and what issues you have on the bike. This is quite interesting and very useful later in the process. Following this you go through a physical examination and complete a few co-ordination and strength tests. Lots of it is to do with proprioception and increasing your response to physical inputs. Any body discrepancies are picked up i.e. long leg/short leg, pelvic alignment etc.A session on the bike followed to see where everything was and establish a datum. After my session Scherrit commented that there was power to be gained purely from saddle position and very quickly he established why my hands and feet were getting numb. A long time was spent setting up cleats and due to having hobbit feet they were miles out (15mm right, 20mm left), this necessitated changing cleats and peddles for something a bit more adjustable so I ended up on Speedplay's (Keo previously). Stem was reduced to 90mm, more saddle height, saddle moved backwards and set flat. Lastly the bar angle was raked a bit. Sounds simple but it took 5 hrs in total to get to this point, I am not going to try and tell anyone exactly how it all got there, truth is thats what I paid the money for
Future improvements will be some compact bars and maybe a smaller crank (a whole separate discussion). The resultant setup confirmed several things from distant injury past, it was funny how so many things were connected and when corrected seemed to impact on more than one area of complaint.
I learnt loads from the fitting (riding technique, general fitness, bike setup) and would recommend Scherrit's services to anyone who is interested in improving what they currently have or if there is a recurrent issue that is reducing performance or riding pleasure. Following his advice I am riding short distances and not pushing 100% as it will be a few weeks before my body adapts apparently, saying that I couldn't resist a blast on my commute which has shown that power has increased (higher average speeds) and pain is now a non issue during and after rides. The new riding position is much pointier being sat up higher but the saddle being further back with the shorter stem works well. The steering is now far quicker and pressing on there is huge reduction in burning legs which I had previously used as a marker that I was working hard enough!! The Speedplay pedals are good. More ground clearance and a much more natural feeling float which can be adjusted both in total movement and toe.
A friend of mine took the piss religiously when I told him I had spent £200 on 5hrs worth of fitting. Funny thing is he has this mild pain in his knee and can’t quite get to the bottom of a slightly numb foot....
Edited by anonymous-user on Friday 15th July 10:15
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