Tag: virtual bike fit

Bike fit vs bike sizing – what’s the difference?

by treatpublicrelations, posted in Bike Fit

Did you know that a bike sizing and a bike fit are totally different services? These two things are often mistaken for one another. We’re filling you in on exactly what they are and what makes each unique.

Shop Sizing:

  • Takes 15-30 minutes
  • Rudimentary level of training on position
  • Addresses:
    • Seat height
    • May address saddle fore aft
    • May address handlebar height
  • Typically no charge
  • Little to no measurements taken – “eyeballed”
  • Designed to put riders in a generally safe position

Bike Fit:

  • Takes 1-2.5 hours
  • In depth technical training and understanding of bicycle mechanics, rider biomechanics and anatomy
  • Addresses:
    • Cleat Placement on shoes
    • Saddle height
    • Saddle angle
    • Saddle fore/aft
    • Handlebar height & rotation
    • Hood/brake position
  • $150-$300
  • Angles and measurements taken – Tools can vary from basic (goniometer) to precision based (motion capture systems)
  • Designed to reduce risk of injury, improve overall comfort and improve biomechanic efficiency

Yes! Even with our virtual fittings, we’re able to offer you the highest quality pro bike fit. No matter where you are, it’s possible to get all of the benefits and highly technical advice from our expert fitters. Isn’t it about time you up’d your game and brought your bike fit home? Let’s do it. Book your Bike Fit Box delivery today.

Bike Fit Box Launches Bike Saddle Box

by treatpublicrelations, posted in Bike Fit, News

We just debuted our new service: a 14-day, at-home saddle demo experience!

Hey there. If you don’t know us yet, we’re Bike Fit Box, the creators of the first comprehensive, virtual at-home professional bike fitting experience. Today, we’re announcing the launch of another groundbreaking service for cyclists: Bike Saddle Box. Bike Saddle Box is a first-of-its-kind saddle demo experience that allows cyclists to try out multiple saddles at home, on their very own bike for fourteen days. You can explore saddle options and book your Bike Saddle Box delivery right here on our site.

This unique way to shop for saddles is built for convenience, which is the foundation of all the services we offer at Bike Fit Box. Cyclists can test ride these saddles at home on their own bike for as many rides as they like. They keep what you love, send back what you don’t. It’s that simple – and should always be this simple – to make your next ride more comfortable.

The Bike Saddle Box demo experience comes at a flat-rate cost of $75. Cyclists who opt to keep one or more saddles from the demo are charged for those saddles at a discounted rate following the completion of the demo period. More than 40 models are available to try from top brands like ISM, Pro, Selle Italia, WTB, Prologo, Fiz’i:k, Origin 8 and Terry.

For more information on Bike Fit Box and Bike Saddle Box, take a few clicks around our site and connect with us on Instagram and Facebook.

5 Reasons You Need A Bicycle Fit

by Brady Irwin, posted in Bike Fit

Too often, we hear stories of athletes who have been dealing with debilitating pain, recurring injuries, or other symptoms that sound more like they are riding a medieval torture device than a bicycle.

Our goal at Bike Fit Box is to provide athletes with the fit they need to enjoy a lifetime of cycling.  Here are five signs that it’s time to see how a bike fit can be beneficial to your cycling longevity:

Joint Pain

Cycling is a minimal weight-bearing form of exercise and any joint pain should be immediately assessed. If you’re feeling discomfort in your joints during and after your ride, it’s time to schedule a fit.

Saddle Pain

Saddle sores, excessive soft tissue pressure, and numbness are all factors that are indicative of an improper fitting.  These symptoms quite often immediately lead to the assumption that the incorrect saddle has been picked. This however is not always correct and saddle comfort can be improved by bicycle fit!

Numbness 

When you hear the two words “cycling” and “numbness” in the same sentence, what comes to mind? More than likely, you thought of groin numbness.  That can be a terrible sensation, and it is a concerning one. Numbness can arise is the hands and feet as well. No matter where you may experience numbness, it is indicative of nerve trauma and should be resolved as quickly as possible. A bike fit can help you avoid irreparable damage.

Tendonitis

Cycling is a repetitive sport that occurs predominantly in one plane of motion.  At 90 RPM, you are asking your body to repeat the same motion 5,400 times in an hour of cycling.  That repetitive movement is asking a lot of muscles, ligaments, and tendons. If your bicycle fit is not correct, you are placing the tendons, which connect your muscles to your bones and provide the needed leverage to pedal, under greater strain than necessary.

Cycling Economy

The body is a series of levers and hinges. In order to make them function effectively and efficiently, each of those hinges needs to perform in optimal ranges.  A fit is the optimization of these movements to improve your efficiency. It is an amazing sensation when your bike fit is perfected. You can’t beat the feel of the wind in your face and the smoothness in your pedal stroke as you glide with less effort!

Ready to schedule your bike fit? If you desire an at-home fitting anywhere in the US, try Bike Fit Box!

Is A Noseless Saddle Right For You?

by Brady Irwin, posted in Bike Fit

In the last ten years, we have seen an increasing trend in saddle manufacturers to create a short or no nose saddle.  These saddles originated in Pro Tour TTs as athletes began cutting the nose of saddles off to make their seat fore/aft position meet UCI regulations. It later caught traction in triathlon due to the improved comfort and is now prominent in the road and off-road scenes.

Many cyclists wonder, “Will a noseless saddle work for me?” Here are some changes you might see if you switch to this saddle style.

Aggressive position

In this situation, the wider front of a noseless saddle provides greater support of the ischial rami and helps to alleviate numbness in many circumstances.

Further forward saddle position

Most riders sit further forward on a noseless saddle. This naturally moves the rider forward in relation to the saddle rails and provides an increased forward placement of the rider.

No more irritation from the saddle nose

For some cyclists the longer nose of a traditional saddle has a tendency to get in the way. By switching to a noseless saddle you can reduce chaffing in both the thigh and groin.

Curious about your bike saddle and how it affects the way you ride your bike? Learn more about our bike fitting services where we can dial in your saddle, cleats and cockpit for the ultimate riding experience.

3 Keys to TT and Triathlon Bike Fits

by Brady Irwin, posted in Bike Fit, Triathlon Bikes, TT Bikes

We recently had a question from one of our followers regarding the role of position on a TT/Triathlon bike and how you balance aerodynamics and biomechanical efficiency. This is a question that is not a simple “Do XYZ” answer but can be broken down into three key areas to come to a final position. 

The Goal: Without comparing specific goals of individuals let’s look at the goals of the event. Simply comparing the difference of a time trial specialist to a triathlete in and of itself is significant. One should finish completely gassed whereas the other still has to run off the bike.  Therefore we will have two very different positions. 

The positional goal of a sprint triathlete vs. an Ironman triathlete are incredibly different as well as you are looking at a fraction of the time riding with a different goal in run pace off the bike. 

The Body: Each individual athlete has different positional capabilities. This can be due to flexibility limitations, prior injuries or simply the skeletal structure.  All of these must be factored in to determine what position a rider can/should be in. 

The Science & Art: Once the previous goals are factored in this is where the rubber meets the road. Your position becomes a large factor of your capability to hold speed. With this, we have found that it is often necessary to sacrifice a little bit of power in order to increase speed.  There is no golden rule that we can extrapolate, for example a 5% decrease in power equals an 8% increase in speed as too many variables play into the overall equation but, we do see that when positioning an athlete on their bike that power can decrease and average speeds (on their consecutive rides and races) will increase.

In search of a great bike fit for your TT or tri bike? We have both in-person and virtual bike fit services!