Winter Blues
The Importance of cycling hygiene
Pursuit of paradise: Cote D'Azur State Of Mind
What are the benefits of tubeless tires?
A Brief Guide to Early Season Racing
How do I choose the proper saddle?
Welcome to the team Sean!
Why Choosing the Right Bike is Choosing the Right Bike Fit
Choosing the right bike amongst the endless options today is harder than it ever has been before. It is not uncommon to find a cyclist who is in the market for a new bicycle and makes a decision on a bike based on several secondary factors. Things like getting a fantastic deal, the good “looks” of the bike or simply because a friend believes that one particular bike is the “be all, end all.” What is often overlooked however is that that the most crucial attribute is fit!
At the end of the day, the bike fit can never be replaced or outweighed by any other factor in your decision-making process. If that is not in place, the novelty of everything else will eventually wear off, and you could find yourself in a frustrating, uncomfortable and possibly costly predicament, both for your health as well as your wallet.
Bike Fit dictates so much. It represents the positioning of contact points on the bike, and this will affect comfort level, range of motion, and ultimately performance on the bike.
How do you work your way through the clutter to ultimately determine the best bike for you?
With the use of Retul technology, riders can be assisted with the optimal position on the bike. The Retül system is the original 3D motion capture and most advanced bike fit system. The Retül system records the rider’s movements while they are in motion on the bike, and accounts for all three planes of movement i.e. it is a dynamic fit in 3D. This type of data cannot accurately be captured by 2D video, static bike fit or “eyeballing” it. The Retül system is a non “cookie cutter” approach that eliminates the guesswork and assumptive nature of traditional bike fitting methods. It is unique to each cyclist, as we are all biomechanically unique in our own ways. The result is that the rider will have a true fit to his or her bike, maximizing efficiency and performance while avoiding discomfort or injury.
For those who want to determine what is the best fitting bike, there are a few steps that need to be taken in order to bring that to fruition. Bikes are all made differently, even in an equivalent size. It is not uncommon to see two bikes the same size, but two different geometries.
How Racer Sportif Became My Favorite Toronto Bike Shop
This is the story of how I found my favorite Toronto bike shop. And why you should have a great relationship with a local bike shop too.
Why do you need to have a good relationship with a local bike shop?!
It is a reasonable question to ask, isn’t it?
I mean, in a world of easy on-line shopping, where you can find any product at a big discount, why would you ever bother wasting time, money and effort on building such a relationship?
Well, let me share how I found Racer Sportif – my favorite Toronto bike shop, and list a few reasons why such a relationship is a fantastic long-term investment that will pay off great dividends, if you are a serious cyclist.
I Am a Picky Niki...
Dialed in: The power of a Retul Bike Fit
Going faster is usually what's on everyone's mind when they come into a bike shop. No one comes in looking for wheels that are going to slow them down. Sure, the upgrades will help - but only to an extent. It's about the engine and not about the bike...right?
BUT what about how the bike FITS you? This is something I never really took into consideration. I just went for a pretty basic bike fit when I bought my Cervelo. They adjusted my height, swapped out the stem for a pretty PRO looking setup. The bars they didn't change (more on this later).
You know that back, knee, or whatever pain that you're getting? It's mostly because of your fit or cleat position. This has been my experience anyway. My position was pretty extreme, it looked like I was doing a TT when I was on the hoods. Imagine what the drops looked like?
I LOVE riding so any kind of pain, discomfort I will try to ignore.