Bike Fit Clinic. Regards, Missie Wakefield Owner

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Georgia Skinner
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1 Bike Fit Clinic Thank you for your interest in the Bike Fit Clinic at The Bike Shop of Bel Air. Your interest in this class represents your enthusiasm and interest in maximizing your enjoyment with your bicycle. The purpose of this course is to help you understand and identify the basic fit measurements of a road bike. There will be hands on practice in taking the measurements and then completing your own worksheet. Afterwards, the instructor will enter the information into our bike fit software to calculate the appropriate starting points. The course outline has additional material that will not be discussed but is for you to have as a reference. As always, you can discuss your individual needs and questions with the instructor or any of our trained staff. Based on the class participation, the level of the course may vary. Bike fitting requires a lot of formal training and practice. This 2 hour clinic is limited to a basic understanding. If you have any comments or would like to make any suggestions, please feel free to contact me personally. Regards, Missie Wakefield Owner

2 Bicycle Fitting Basics 2 hour clinic Classroom theory/discussion Our Main Goal To project a bicycle and position that will provide 3 points of contact in the ideal Fit Zone which will allow the most freedom of movement (within adjustability of the components) around those centers to achieve the ideal fit for that rider in their circumstances. A Good Bike Fit is: Bio mechanically appropriate Appropriate for the Rider s Use & Budget Comfortable for the Rider Adaptable and Flexible The Developmental Fit: Bio mechanically safe do not harm Determined quickly Starting point for selecting a frame size Course Limitations: This is a basic introduction. There are other aspects and a good fitter takes years of education and practice Medical issues should be address with appropriate doctors/experts. Never make big/radical changes. Cleat fitting/alignment Excessive leg length discrepancies People requiring custom fitting Notes:

3 The Fit Zones Rider contact points on the bike are the seat, feet and hands What form the bike takes under these points can vary on bike type: o Road Bike o Cross bike o Mountain Bike o Tri bike o Commuting bike o Fixie o Touring

4 Knowing some of the Key Measuring Points:

5 What is measured? Hard Point Inventory Physical body measurement obtained by using physical measurements. o Foot length o Inseam Tip: The foot and inseam measurements are used to determine the frame size and saddle height. o Torso o Arm Length Tip: The torso plus the arm length create the Upper Body Measurement (UBM) which is used to determine the reach to the handlebars o Shoulder Width Determines the width of the handlebars o Thigh/Femur Used to determine the seat tube angle and saddle fore/aft position Soft Point Inventory Rider Interview and questions that create the variables that will adjust the rider position

It is helpful to write down your measurements on a piece of paper so you can verify the numbers that you enter into the computer.

6 Measuring the Hard Points: Foot Length Ask the cyclist to take off his or her shoes and stand on the foot platform with heals against the backstop. You can place any flat surfaced material across the rider's toes such as your wood dowel or stubby. If the rider has two different foot lengths, take the average between the two. It is helpful to write down your measurements on a piece of paper so you can verify the numbers that you enter into the computer. Inseam Measurement We designed the inseam device to avoid embarrassment and give a consistent 27 pounds of pressure to insure a proper measurement. Let the cyclist know that you will give them the inseam device to place between their legs and then you will take a reading from this device. Before giving the inseam device to the cyclist, show him or her how to compress it with hands placed on the end of the level bar nearest the aluminum rod. NOTE: Do not let the customer compress the inseam device by pressing on the end of the level bar with the bubble. This can cause damage to the device. There are two holes drilled in the foot platform. The hole nearest the heel of the foot is for average sized people and the forward hole is for larger people. When you hand the inseam device to the cyclist, put the tip of the inseam device in the hole that most closely fits the center of their inseam. Now instruct the cyclist to compress the inseam device and insert it between their legs. They should straddle the inseam device over the aluminum rod so that it is aligned with their inseam. If the cyclist is wearing baggy pants, ask him or her to pull away any bulky fabric that might prevent the inseam device from extending completely. Then adjust the device till the bubble reads level. Once this is done, read the measurement just above the oak collar and write it down. NOTE: If you see the cyclist leaning forward to bring the bubble to level, they have inserted the inseam device too far between their legs. Ask them to squat slightly to compress the device, then move it out further. This is very important to insure an accurate inseam and torso measurement.

Torso Length Once you have written down the inseam measurement, place the torso device in the tip of the wooden handle on the inseam device while it is still in between the cyclist's legs.

Once it is in place, ask the cyclist to take a deep breath and hold it. Now read your measurement off of the torso device.

7 Torso Length Once you have written down the inseam measurement, place the torso device in the tip of the wooden handle on the inseam device while it is still in between the cyclist's legs. Explain that you are going to place the tip of the wooden dowel in the sternal notch at the base of cyclist's throat. Do this gently. Once it is in place, ask the cyclist to take a deep breath and hold it. Now read your measurement off of the torso device. Once you have obtained this measurement, let the customer step off the inseam device and hand it back to you. TIP: If you pinch the torso device with your thumb and hold the oak collar with your fingers, you can bring the torso device to your eyes to read the measurement on the scale instead of having to bend over in front of your customer. NOTE: If you see that the torso device is leaning out at an angle instead of being perpendicular to the inseam device, the cyclist has inserted the inseam device too far between their legs. Ask the cyclist to squat slightly to compress the inseam device, then move it out further before continuing. You might also check your inseam measurement again. Arm Length Walk around to the back side of the cyclist with the torso device and let them know that you are going to touch their shoulder in order to find their acromion process which is at the very tip and towards the back of their shoulder. With the rider's hands at his or her side, move the wooden handle on the torso device to a position where the rider can grasp the handle with his or her right hand. Then use your left hand to follow along the shoulder muscle till you reach the shoulder bone. Keep moving your hand along the backside of the shoulder bone, then you will come to an indentation. Just past the indentation is a knob that is at the tip and back of their shoulder. This is the acromion process. Mark this spot with your left hand and place the metal pointer on the torso device against the acromion process. Ask the rider to raise his or her arm out to the side at a 45 degree angle, then make a fist. Now take your reading off of the torso device at the oak collar.

Shoulder Width Let the cyclist know you are almost done. You will need a metric measuring tape to measure the cyclist's shoulder width. The hands of the cyclist should be at his or her side.

Do not try to make a straight line, but follow the natural curvature of the cyclist's back.

8 Shoulder Width Let the cyclist know you are almost done. You will need a metric measuring tape to measure the cyclist's shoulder width. The hands of the cyclist should be at his or her side. Once again, let the person know you are going to touch both shoulders as you find the acromion process. Have the measuring tape in one hand and pull it across the cyclist's shoulders in a natural arc. Do not try to make a straight line, but follow the natural curvature of the cyclist's back. Use a free finger on each hand to locate the acromion process and use the rest of your fingers to hold the metric tape. Hand Size Take the dowel with a red and white stripe and ask the rider to grasp the dowel on the colored end. Show them before you hand it to them. If their hand covers only the: Wood - their hand is small White - their hand is medium Red - their hand is large

10 Taking the Soft Points Inventory (Score) Age Under 40 years, + 1cm Over 40 years, + 0cm Flexibility dead fall bend without shores on Excellent hands to the floor, + 1cm Good hands close to the floor, + 0.5cm Poor unable to bend sufficiently, + 0cm Type of Riding Performance/more aggressive, + 1cm Recreational, + 0cm Pre-existing Physical Conditions Yes - + 0cm No - + 1cm Soft Points Score - Sum of the factors above and will adjust the reach and drop settings Rider Preferences Used to refine the preferred handlebar drop and reach

12 Bicycle Fitting Basics Day 1 Hands On: Practice taking measurements Using the tools supplied by the instructor, practice taking measurements on another student and then compare your results with others to see how you determine the measurements. Upon completion, each student will have a Worksheet completed for their own measurements. The instructor will review everyone s results and open the class to discussion.

16 Setting Up the Bike

MANUAL JIG. Introduction

MANUAL JIG. Introduction Introduction The bikefitting.com cycle measurement is characterized by the precise measurement of exact anatomic marks. In this manual you will find a practical description of this method. The drawings