Bike fit

While trying to figure out why my body is being a piece of shit and having pains pop up everywhere, I finally shot the lock off the wallet (that lock has a lot of holes in it) to get a bike fit. I went to see Karel whom works with his wife as part of Trimarni. Karel was recommended by a lot of local athletes as well as Katie so I felt happy with my choice. This ended up being a two part fit which resulted in a new handlebar piece to lower the handlebars, inserts for my shoes to prevent my feet from moving as much and a new saddle to help get me in the proper position on the bike. He used the RETUL system as a starting point and made tweaks from there. Here’s a before and after for those who can tell a difference….

The fit feels good. It felt different at first, obviously, but it didn’t take long to get used to it. Shortly after getting the shoe inserts my foot pain went away so one issue gone! I’m still riding on a demo saddle but I instantly knew I would buy it as it reduces the pains in my special place. But let’s be honest, no seat in the world or amount of chamois cream will make it pain free. I unfortunately didn’t do myself any favors in Boulder in regards to other pains. I got the new fit about a week before camp, started to get used to that, then went to camp where I rode my brains out for 3 days on Katie’s bike and then came home back to mine and then got more adjustments. It can take a long time for your body to completely adapt to a new fit and I think jumping between bikes and making changes all within a short time frame did not make my body happy. I’ve been dealing with a bunch of pain on the top of my knees and some lower back pain since before the first fit. The knee pain went away, came back and is almost better again. The back I’m still dealing with while trying to get used to the more aggressive aero position but my body will adjust in time. Overall, very happy with the fit! Certainly worth the extra hole in the lock and I now understand the importance of a proper fit.