Fit Is It

Pick up any cycling magazine or browse web site and somewhere in the issue you'll likely a mention of the value of a good bike fitting. Sure, a good salesperson can get you on a bike that looks like a good fit. But did you get a good salesperson? And did the wrench who assembled your bike position the bars correctly? Did the manufacturer put the brifters at the right place? Bicycle companies have come a long way with sizing and such, but every 56cm Trek Madone is the same. The people who ride it are not.

For a while now, I've been considering a pro fitting. My road bike was set-up as-built from the shop. It's comfortable enough, though I find that when I get past the 40 mile point, I get some foot numbness, some shoulder/neck pain, and my arse hurts. These days bike shops have all figured out that a fitting is a great way to make a few bucks on the fit, and sell a bunch of new gear to adapt your fit. And a decent fitting isn't cheap. So, I really wanted to find someone good.

Thanks to my cycling-connected friend, Josh, I am introduced to Jess Bratus of fitmi!. She recently fitted Josh and he absolutely raved about the difference it made. A chat with my neighbor Mike, a competitive triathlete, reveals that Jess also did his fit and he was very pleased. SOLD! An appointment is scheduled.

Jess' studio is located above Sic Transit Cycles in a historic building on the north side of Ann Arbor. From the moment I walk in, the whole experience is just about perfect. The space is bright and open with all the tools of the trade on display. Right away I can tell this won't be a big box bike store fit. Plus, she digs my bike.

I gear up while Jess gets my bike on the trainer on an elevated platform so she can observe, measure, and tweak my bike. To my surprise we don't even start off on the bike. First she wants to quantify all of my body's quirks, oddities, and issues. She finds a few things I already knew (really stiff hamstrings) and a number I didn't (a great deal of pelvic rotation and a right foot arch that's lower than the left). She looks a my stance, measures the natural angle of my feet, observes how my knees are positioned in relation to my ankles. All the while, she's methodically making notes and clearly thinking about how what she's seeing will translate on the bike.

We discuss my Fizik Alliante VS saddle. Josh had warned me about this, so it wasn't a surprise. Turns out that in addition to being overly narrow, has a reputation for excessive pressure in the nether regions. Yeah, that's not good.

Now it's time to hop on the bike. Immediately she's identified a couple of major areas. And the adjustments start. First a swap to a shorter stem to get my shoulders relaxed. Ahhh - that does feel better. Then we swap out the saddle for an Selle SMP Avant in the mid width. Immediately I can tell that the trusty Fizik wasn't supporting my sit bones at all. Then we go to work on my cleats. A positioning adjustment, followed by a shim in my right foot and things are feeling really nice.

Thus far this has all been the experienced eyeball. As we chat during the fitting I learn about the extensive training Jess has completed, both with custom builder Serotta and later with the Specialized Fit Lab training. Pretty cool.

But wait - now we're going to break out the laser. COOL! She puts an elastic band with a reflective target just below each knee. Using a laser, she's now able to visualize how my pedal stroke is tracking. The improvement is incredibly visible. My right side is now largely corrected. Given that I have a history of issues on that side (tight IT band and a funky knee) this fix feels hugely better.

All in all, a really worthwhile expenditure of time and money. Jess is like a bespoke tailor, mixed with a kinesiologist and a bike mechanic. A true intersection of art and science. She sends me away with a new understanding of my body and how it's issues intersect with my bike (and a new stem and a demo saddle to try out).

But the true test comes tonight on the road (I hope -- Michigan has been enjoying some weather that has me happy to own a drift boat as it means constructing an ark won't be necessary). Stay tuned!

-Sean-

Like Butter

First ride of the season yesterday. Damn I love this bike...

After a somewhat wobbly "how the hell do I ride this thing?" start of 100' or so, it was all good. This bike is everything I wanted when I upgraded to carbon. Smooth, fast, responsive, and so much more. Road feel is excellent, but it also does a nice job of soaking up mixed pavement qualities (something we seem to have even more of in SE Michigan after our run-in with the Polar Vortex).

The biggest benefit, in my mind, comes from being on a slightly larger frame. My old Giant OCR3 was a size M. This one's a M/L and slightly bigger. Having a little extra room to stretch out makes such a difference. My riding position is better and I can open up my chest a bit for better breathing.

The only down side? My ass hurt! Yup, need to work my way back into a solid butt-seat interface. I figure a few rides will take care of that though. The Fizik saddle isn't the issue. My sissified arse is.

Did about 24 miles with 3 friends. While I wasn't setting any records, I put in a solid 15.4 mph average and finished feeling strong. Given that this is my first outing since October and I really didn't put in any meaningful off-season conditioning, I feel very good about this. Plus, I was out far earlier than last year. My cycling season is off to a solid start!

-Sean-

Product Review: Giant Defy Advanced

Well, I've got a few hundred miles in the saddle of my Giant Defy Advanced, so I thought a review was in order. Regular readers of this blog will remember that this bike is a bit of a mutt, as it all began with a low-end Giant OCR 3 that got upgraded wheels and components, and then a Defy Advanced frameset. So, basically, it's a Defy Advanced 1 with heavier (and more durable wheels), and a Fizik saddle.

Ye Olde OCR

My motivation for the new frameset were twofold. First, I wanted some isolation from the shitty Michigan roads. The freeze-thaw cycle here in the Upper Midwest plays hell with the roads. Any ride over 20 miles on the previous aluminum frame left me feeling like the loser in a kickboxing match. And second, I wanted to get some more punch for hills. My climbing ability was just weak, at best and I'd read that this was a key benefit to carbon.

A little research led me to the Giant, the Trek Domane, and the Pinarello Paris as potential candidates. My hope was to score a lightly used frame from a cyclist with acute upgradeitis via eBay. As the Domane's a hot new product from Trek, that seemed unlikely (it was -- I never found one). I found a couple of Paris', but could never really figure out what size I'd need. In the end the Giant won out as the Defy Advanced has been in production for a number of years, so there are quite a few out there. And the things I'd read sounded like the perfect bike for me - a balance between responsive performance and long-haul comfort. Plus, I understand the Giant size system pretty well (more on this later). Sure enough, pretty quickly I find a bike on eBay; owner's a tri-guy who wants a dedicated tri frame. Score.

The Speed Goat

First Impressions
Different. Really, really different. In recent years, I've been riding an alumimum road bike, and I grew up on uber-rigid BMX bikes. I am used to the "stiff = responsive" mindset. So, at first, while the carbon felt good, it also produced some squirrelly moments. I've now come to realize that the issue was entirely ME and had nothing to do with the bike. The frame is in no way squishy - it just has a totally different feel than other materials.

But I noticed one overpowering factor immediately. Suddenly the miles ticked off almost effortlessly. My second ride on the bike was my first-ever Metric Century. I whisked through it, feeling like Superman. I could have done another 10-20 miles without issue.

Size Matters
One other upgrade on this bike was a slightly larger size. When I bought my OCR, Giant only had Medium and then Large. In recent years they've added some sizes and a Medium/Large with dimensions midway between was introduced. Moving up a size was a really great decision. Initially it may have contributed to the squirrely moments (a too-small frame will always handle better than a too-large one). But as I logged some miles, I realized that the larger size really enabled me to stretch out and open up.

Late Season Thoughts
I love my bike. Even after three weeks off due to weather and other commitments, I put in 40 miles yesterday. It's one of those unique pieces of gear that just makes you better than you are. I own others, so I recognize them when I experience one of these superior products. The geometry is responsive, without being twitchy. And ride is supple, but it climbs like a goat.

My only complaint is relatively minor. This year's Defy (I think mine is a 2012) has an integrated ANT+ speed and cadence sensor. That would be really cool. But I think having a Garmin sensor zip-tied to the chain stay is a fair trade off for a frame that cost me half of what a new one would.

If you're looking for a bike that can reel off 30 mile training rides, but also prove comfortable for a few Centuries a year, definitely give the Giant Defy Advanced a spin.

Oh, yeah, it also looks friggin' cool.

-Sean-

New(ish) Ride; First Impressions

It all started with a lowly 2005 (I think) Giant OCR3 road bike purchased from Great Lakes Cycling and Fitness. I was looking to get back into riding and mine was last year's model at a great price. Lots of upgrades since then, though the major one was having Steve Sauter at Great Lakes build me some lightweight, durable wheels.

But this year, the upgrading got serious. I scored a great deal on a gently-used Shimano Ultregra grouppo from a friend. The folks at Aberdeen Bikes & Outdoors in Chelsea did the build-up. Super cool shop -- my new local favorite. Cool people, nice selection, and no 'tude.

So, what's the finished product like - in a word UNF*CKINGREAL! Got out for my first ride of the season with buddy Josh on Saturday. Shifting was now super-crisp and predictable. I'm not sure how much weight I shaved with the new components but the reduction was VERY apparent. More "spring" and "jump" - with the ability to accelerate at an incredible pace. The Ultegra levers were especially wonderful as they put me in a very nice riding position and fit the hands really well.

But hands-down the best part is the new Ultegra double crankset. I hated the original FSA triple and it's evil companion the Shimano Sora front derailleur. Unless you're a hardcore touring afficianado, triples BLOW! Mine was heavy, shifted like crap, and generally frustrated me. But no longer - the Ultegra drivetrain rocks the house. Smooth, stiff, and the shifting is perfect. I think this upgrade is likely the biggest improvement, but time will tell.

So, here's the run-down on this beast as it stands now - I think I'm done with upgrades, but you never know:

Frame/fork: Giant OCR aluminum frame with carbon fiber fork
Drivetrain: Shimano Ultegra 6700 crankset, front and rear derailleurs, 10-speed rear cog, chain, Ultegra pedals, and Dura Ace super-smooth cables
Cockpit: Bontrager aero bars, Bontrager 100mm stem, Fizik bar tape, Shimano Ultegra levers
Saddle: Fizik Alliante VS, stock seatpost (amazingly...)
Wheels: Shimano 105 hubs and skewers, DT Swiss spokes, Mavic (I think) rims, Michelin Krylion Carbon tires in 23mm
Computer: Garmin Edge 305 with heart rate and speed/cadence sensor

And, a few pictures finish the story.

Trusty new steed on Huron River Dr. - my fave!

Shimano Ultegra drivetrain -- even the pedals!



Command Central.



Fizkik saddle and I took a while to make friends.

From a lowly recreational bike to a performer!