If you get a bike that you are planning on putting some serious miles on, it is IMPERATIVE to get a biodynamic fitting. Yes, it costs upwards of $200, but it isn't some "what's your inseam? Ok, we'll put the seatpost here..." kinda thing. You spend 2 hours in a studio setting, first working on the major things, and then narrowing down and fine-tuning every little detail until you get to the point where it feels like you are riding on air.
Got in at 11:15 this morning and Mike W. ready ready to go, had the bike set up on the trainer. He expressed some initial concerns about the stock P2 cockpit not fitting me properly (I'm kind of a wide guy...), so he already had a back-up bar on the table in case we needed to swap it out. This guy had done his homework and was ready to go. Awesome.
I came in as an open book, needing some new tri-specific shoes, and open to changing pedal choice as well (I ride Speedplays now), and wanted to start there. Mike got me set up with the Sidi T-2 Carbons, which are INSANELY light weight. I wasn't sure if they were shoes or...not shoes.... As far as pedals, Mike said to not mess with a good thing, so we stuck with the Speedplays, going with the Stainless X-2s.
Mike got the cleats on the shoes and the pedals on the bike and we got to work. His initial set-up (educated guess on where to start) ended up being pretty close, so we spent the majority of the time doing alot of fine-tune work, first starting at the cleats, then working up to the seat angle and height, then out to the aerobars, working on spacers, stem angle, and bar length.
We ended up needed to swap out to wider bullhorns, and once we did that, man, it made a world of difference, I got that floating on air feeling as soon as Mike put those bars on.
This fitting session really opened my eyes to an entire component of cycling that I had been missing out on. These guys know their stuff and will work with you until it fits right. What does fit right mean? It means that joint soreness and aches and pains will not be your limiting factor in distance and speed. A biodynamic fitting focuses on joint and bone alignment and positioning, so you are resting on your bones and not your tendons, which is often the cause of of stiffness and annoying aches and pains, which can sometimes lead to more serious injury.
If you are in the midwest, and withing 3-4 hours of Madison, get the fit done at Crono, you really can't beat these guys.
Another plus, especially for tri, is that you are in a more optimal position to ride faster.
All in all, the fit session took about 2 hours, then Mike will turn the bike over to the mechanics (Nick and Andrew), and they will hook up the cables, etc, and get everything to Mike's specs, and then I go in for a final fitting next week and bring the bike home!
Hopefully the weather will hold and I will be able to get it out for a few spins before the junk starts falling!
I'll post some more pics of me actually on the bike during the final fit and maiden voyage. Time to start thinking of a name... Any ideas?
Scott's recommended set-up for really, really, really aero seat...
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