Bike Fitting

No athlete will ride their fastest, even on the finest lightweight, aerodynamic frame if it isn’t optimally fit. Each athlete needs a different fit based on a variety of factors. Attempting to develop more aerodynamic positions, many athletes create biomechanical inefficiencies. It won’t help to find a position that is 10 watts more aerodynamic if you lose 20 watts due to biomechanical inefficiency.

Fitness Concepts offers aero bike fittings. Our aero fit specialist, Ken Mierke, will determine your optimal bike fit based on the duration and terrain of your key races, your pedaling style, skeletal structure, flexibility, and strength ratio of hip-extensors to knee-extensors.

Perhaps the most critical aspect of aero bike fits is handlebar height. Along with fore-aft position, this determines a rider’s torso-femur angle. Getting this angle right is the key to balancing aerodynamics with efficient power production. Fitness Concepts aero bike fits include ventilation tests at a set wattage, gradually lowering the handlebar. At some point, as the handlebar goes down (and aerodynamics improve), biomechanical efficiency will be lost. When this happens, a rider’s ventilation at a given wattage will increase significantly. By testing this, we set handlebar height just above the point of dramatic ventilation increases.

From a rider who suffered chronic knee pain...

"Just want to let you know that I've been riding with the shorter cranks and wedges now for a few weeks. My knee feels much better, even standing on the pedals. My pedaling feels more natural and I'm using an equal amount of force throughout the stroke. I'm glad I came in for a fit."
--Dennis Utterback

I approached Coach Ken Mierke about helping me refine my position on my Time Trial bike, even though I believed I already had the best position possible. As it turned out, there were numerous adjustments that he recommended, including seat height and tilt, seat fore and aft position, handle bar height, elbow rest width, and hip/knee/leg/foot angles during the pedaling movements. Ken knows how to make these critical adjustments to ensure the greatest aerodynamic advantage, while maximizing power output, comfort and respiratory capability for a cyclist needing to maintain a deep aero tuck for extended periods of time. As a result of Ken's changes to my time trial bike fit, I went on to win every time trial entered this year, both on the track and on the road. I would recommend Ken's bike fit to every cyclist, no matter what type of cycling they prefer.

-- Paul Langlois, Master 50+, Team Snow Valley