How Important is a Bike Fit?

I’m not going to beat around the bush with this one:  Very important. 

Being on a bike has historically been one of my go-to Zen experiences.  I used to LOVE cycling.  But for the last few months, I have hated getting onto my Trek.  (Nothing against Trek, they are my home state people).  Something had to give or I might have decided to pull over at Wisconsin and have a few beers with guys like this on the big climb near Verona.

The long rides have been painful.  My neck, my ass, my hands, arms, my psyche . . . you name it, all in disgust.  I talked with coach, who I often refer to as “The Man,” and he said I needed a new bike fit and would be happy to do it for me.  But, our schedules didn’t connect and that day turned into a week, then a month, etc.  Finally, he said, “I can do it, but you should really go see Todd Nordmeyer and get it done right.” 

Todd owns Endeavor Performance in Nashville, and because he was referred to me by “The Man,” that makes him “The Man’s Man.”

Todd is intense about his love for the nuances of cycling.  My bike fit was far more than some guy sitting back with a finger on his chin looking at the angle of my legs.  He put me ringer of tests including flexibility, foot exams, and even my mental clarity (at least this is what I imagined). 

My brother came along and shot video (I’ll post some of this later) as Todd calmly hooked me up to electrodes and turned me into an experiment that would make any true scientist a proud papa.  After several peddling exhibitions he lowered my handle bars, raised, lowered, raised, then lowered my seat, shimmed my shoes, and generally turned me into a bad ass. 

Here’s a picture from May in my Rev 3 race: 

Seat is way too low (we raised it almost two inches) and I’m severely compact, which made aero uncomfortable and literally constricted my breathing.  Here’s a shot toward the end of my fit (you will notice The Man’s Man in the background):

My back is much flatter and it’s infinitely easier to actually look at the road in this position.  My legs have better extension, which I hope translates into more power.  Both my feet had a tendency to pronate, and he changed that by adding a small shim to each cleat.  This subtle change helps keep my foot flat on the pedal and will afford me more power. 

Now, all that said, I have yet to ride on the road with this new fit and will surely give you an update in the next few days.  I’m gonna give it some time because it literally feels like I’m riding a new bike (which is a great strategy going into my first Half Ironman.  Not to mention adding race wheels for the first time that just arrived today!).  Let’s hope this little two hour session of high tech plotting and holistic sensibility changes my outlook on the bike and fuels a new craving for 5 hour rides on Natchez Trace.