New location

Come on over to my new site: www.endurancenerd.com


Going to be posting regularly there.

Monday, January 23, 2012

Do I need a mountain bike fit?

As I've mentioned before, I do a lot of bike fits, and have done, for about a decade.  I didn't get interested in bike fits, and then seek out classes to teach me to do it, I went through physical therapy school, practiced for a few years, and when my biking and biomechanics interests collided, realized that I could identify many bike fit, and movement issues merely as a result of my training that other "expert bike fitters" (at the time who were exclusively bike shop employees) had missed.

I've long said, you would likely get a much better bike fit from a PT who knows a little about bikes, than you would from an expert cyclist/mechanic/trainer who has little actual knowledge in movement science.

I've heard many bike shop employees, and general cycling "experts" say that you don't need a bike fit on a mountain bike -- it's just not worth your time.

I would have to, respectfully of course, disagree.

I will stipulate the following:
Mountain bike fits are different than road bike fits.
That's it.
If I approached a mountain bike fit as a road bike, I wouldn't have a very happy client.  It's a bit like a physician treating viral and bacterial infections exactly the same.  They share some similarities to treating the two -- lots of rest, good hydration, yadda yadda.  But other aspects, like antibiotics, don't really apply to both.
I look at different factors when I have someone on a mountain bike.  They are nearly two distinct sports that happen to share a few common movement patterns.
Pro cyclist Ross Schnell

Movement Patterns
Starting with those movement patterns, it's obvious that I'm talking about pedaling.  Seated, standing, whatever.  You have to pedal on the dirt and on the tarmac.  This is not a revelation to anyone.  The amount we stand and sit is different, though, between the two.  Generally,  the mountain bike gets us up off the saddle more often because of obstacles, terrain changes, steeper grades, avoiding furry creatures etc.  This up and down from the saddle is something I consider when I'm fitting a mountain bike, because the ability to maneuver your butt off the seat and then forward, back, and side to side as we manipulate the bike is paramount to riding cleanly.
A different saddle position is almost a given between the mountain bike and the road bike.  I don't think I have ever set someone up on their road bike the same as their mountain bike in the 11 years I've been doing this
On a flat road ride, we can often go long stretches with nothing to force us into a different position, which is why I say road biking is like a repetitive stress injury (RSI) waiting to happen.  It is for this reason that I work with my clients on changing their position frequently.  This often involves standing frequently on a ride even when there aren't hills or other obstacles to make us get up.  
It also involves more subtle changes: for example, with my triathletes, and time trialists I will set the entire bike fit up so that they can have 3 hand positions on their aerobars.  A short, middle, and long position.  They spend a lot of time in the middle, but if they approach a shallow incline they may move to their short position, or if they hit a long, slightly downhill, they may move to their long position to stretch their back and hip muscles.
Overall, I think almost every cyclist could benefit from standing up a little more, just to mix things up.  If we lived in a world where cyclists stood all the time, I would be giving the opposite advice -- to sit down a little more often.  That's just the way our body is -- it needs position changes.  
Balance
In a bike fit, I believe balance and upper body positioning are even more important on the mountain bike, again due to the fact that we have to manipulate the bike to move underneath us so much.
How is the rider's weight distributed over the bike?  How about when they climb?  Then, these questions beg the answer of what type of rider and what type of terrain do they frequent?  All these factors will determine where we end up positioning the cyclist.
Cockpit
One of the most subtle areas of mountain bike fit are the placement and orientation of the controls.  What is the best position for the shifters and brakes?  How big are their hands?  Do they prefer braking with one finger or two?  Grip shift or triggers?

The simple cockpit of my beloved single speed


Incorrectly placed controls can throw a riders upper body positioning out of whack, and create issues with discomfort or safety.  Too many people doing bike fits will just consider how they feel on a bike and then project that (often unwittingly) on their client.  I have frequently re-done bike fits where a petite woman had her controls placed and adjusted on the bike by a bigger male, and he didn't take into account that his shoulders are wider, his grip is stronger, and he has much better reach with his fingers than she does.  The changes we make in these situations are small and profound -- suddenly she has full control of her steed.

Suspension
The last consideration is the suspension setup.  Are they set at the correct pressure?  Is there enough sag?  Rebound isn't set too fast?  How do their leg mechanics change in the sprung and unsprung position?

So many people have their suspensions set up incorrectly.  But it's not like there is only one correct answer here.  Depending on the terrain they ride and whether they race or not, I may set two similarly sized riders up differently on their suspension.  As always, we have to take into account all the individual differences.


So, do I think that everyone on a mountain bike needs a bike fit?  Absolutely not.  
Just like, not everyone on a road bike needs a bike fit.  But if you're having any issues with staying comfortable or powerful on the bike, or if you think you just aren't sure you're getting as much efficiency as you can, then you might seek out an expert bike fitter.  
You can't believe everything you hear, and when people call mountain bike fits "worthless" -- I can't fault them.

You can't blame someone who just doesn't have the knowledge to speak intelligently on the subject.

--John

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Interval work email question

I recently received an email from a client I am training this year, that has some basic questions come up as he begins this new training plan.  He isn't a pro, but has good potential to do some damage in regional and even national races as an amateur.  He is new to any structured training, and like many athletes, prior to our working together, he used to go as hard as he could every day on the bike.
"During this phase of training (early -- post base building, and just beginning strength building) what should my intensity/heart rate level be for my spin workouts?  Should I not go anaerobic except for the intervals?  I don't think I was anaerobic at all for yesterdays work out  (I usually go anaerobic every day).   Today shows 2 x 8min intervals (muscle endurance intervals -- strength building), but the total ride is for an hour and a half.  How hard should I go when not doing intervals?  I am assuming the tests (we are headed into the Human Performance Lab next week) will help with target heart rates?
Do you have any recommended reading on that would help me understand your approach?  I would really like to start understanding the method to the madness (assuming it is not overly technical)."
His questions are ones that I see every year, when I take on a new athlete.  Returning athletes, having seen the results of this type of training, don't come back with these questions on their second year.
Here's my response to him:

"The short answer is that you should not go anaerobic or near your  threshold outside of the interval work -- even some of the intervals, like today's (low cadence, strength building, muscle endurance intervals) may not make you fully anaerobic because they are done at a low cadence, so some people feel their legs pushing really hard (which is the point), but depending on how used to this type of effort you are (like if you were a frequent single-speeder) you may or may not be breathing terribly hard.  For the muscle endurance intervals today, I only want you to focus on keeping the cadence low (around 50 rpms), which should keep your muscle contractions very powerful (again, think of it as "weigh-lifting on the bike") and put out as much effort knowing that you have to do  2 of these 8-minute interval.  You probably won't collapse from aerobic exhaustion at the end of the intervals, but you should feel like your muscles did some work -- maybe some of that "crispy" sensation you get after weight-lifting.
 
For many riders who start my program for the first time, they are disconcerted by the "down time" during the workouts.  These down times are purposeful.  They allow us to warm up and cool down appropriately, as well as give us adequate recovery between intervals and make sure that we don't go too hard cumulatively day to day so that we build up an unwanted level of fatigue.

I don't want you to get tired from fatiguing yourself by working near your threshold for 45 minutes to an hour in 3 consecutive workouts.  This doesn't bump up your upper range power at all -- it really just makes you tired.  I'd rather you go easy, and then when it's time to go hard, you can really go that much harder.  Again, I'd rather your fatigue come from working on wattages that are much higher than your threshold, because by working here, we actually make you more efficient at this super-high wattage and the trickle down effect makes sure that you get more efficient at your threshold, so this power gets bumped up as well.


This particular early stage is all about setting a neuromuscular basis on which we'll build the rest of the program.  That's why we focus early on these "weight lifting" intervals and the progressive increase of your riding time.  
The muscle endurance intervals increase the number of motor units in each of the muscles that are working (when we contract a muscle, the entire muscle doesn't work, just certain parts of it -- we want more of the muscle to work all the time).  Then in a few weeks, when I throw in some high intensity work, you'll have more motor units working and they'll all get more efficient at pushing big wattages.  So it's kind of like we're stacking the deck.

As far as reading up on some things....that would be a little tougher.   I've been a PT for 15 years, so I've been doing this a while and refining things the whole time, from a lot of different sources.  Two of the more accessible books out there that I really like are
The Lore of Running, by Dr. Tim Noakes, and High Performance Cycling by Dave Morris.  I took some of the names of the intervals from Dave Morris' book, but I do differ some in how he sets his programs, but it's a good book, and only about 150 pages.  Noakes book on running is about 1200 pages -- I think it's fantastic, and it really is a pretty easy read, but it can be a bit much hauling around that thing -- it's weighs more than a Bible!  I have both books at the Studio if you'd like to borrow one or the other."
This email exchange brings to light two of the most dangerous scenarios in training:  1.  Going too hard in our time between intervals, which can decrease the overall power we achieve during those intervals, and 2.  going slightly too hard in consecutive days which will add up to a cumulative fatigue that takes longer to recover from.
So, if you have an hour or hour and a half to ride or run each day, don't just go the same "semi-fast" speed every day.  Mix it up between very fast and very slow -- it'll get you better fitness, and much quicker.
 

Friday, January 6, 2012

Inventory


Click on a bike here at the top and it will take you to more information and pictures.

Road Bikes

2012 Wilier Izoard XP  --  Small  --   MSRP $2599
2012 Wilier Gran Tourismo  --  Small  --  MSRP $3599
2012 Wilier Gran Tourismo  --  Large  --  MSRP $3599
2012 Wilier Gran Toursimo  --  X-Large  --  MSRP $3599

2012 BMC Streetracer  --  48cm  --  MSRP $1799
2012 BMC Streetracer  --  51cm  --  MSRP $1799
2012 BMC Roadracer  --  54cm  --  MSRP $3599
2012 BMC Roadracer  --  57cm  --  MSRP $3599
2012 BMC Racemachine  --  53cm  --  MSRP $5499
 
2012 BMC Racemachine  --  57cm  --  MSRP $5499

29er Mountain Bikes

2012 BMC Team Elite 29 (Hardtail)  --  Small  --  MSRP $1999
2012 BMC Team Elite 29 (Hardtail)  --  Medium  --  MSRP $1999
2012 BMC Speedfox 29 (Full suspension)  -- Small  --  MSRP $4599
2012 BMC Speedfox 29 (Full suspension)  -- Medium  --  MSRP $4599
2012 BMC Speedfox 29 (Full suspension)  -- Large  --  MSRP $4599

Lenz Sport Leviathan ( FS) --  X-Large  --  MSRP $4900
Lenz Sport Mammoth (FS) --  Small, Medium, Large, & X-Large -- coming early spring!

Time Trial/Tri Bikes

2012 BMC Time Machine 01  --  M-S  --  MSRP $5999 (coming February 1st)
2012 BMC Time Machine 01  --  M-L  --  MSRP $5999 (coming February 1st)
2012 BMC Time Machine 02  --  M-S  --  MSRP $3699 (coming February 1st)
2012 BMC Time Machine 02  --  M-L  --  MSRP $3699 (coming February 1st)


2012 Wilier Izoard XP

This is the bike for anyone wanting to see what all the fuss is about with Italian road bikes, without breaking the bank.  It's a size small and would fit many riders up to about 5'8" tall.  It has Ultegra componentry with custom badged FSA cranks, brakes, stem, handlebar, seatpost, and saddle.  As always, a full Retul-powered bike fit is included.






2012 Wilier Gran Tourismo  --  S

The Gran Tourismo has striking tube shapes and lines that please any eye.  Built with comfort and efficiency in mind, this bike is definitely a workhorse in the Wilier line.  Oversized chainstays and Razor's Edge Design  front end deliver crisp confident descending, and snap when you stand up on a climb.  Comes with Ultegra components, and custom badges FSA cranks (carbon), brakes, stem, handlebar, seatpost, and saddle.  As always, a full Retul-powered bike fit is included.  Sizing recommendation:  up to 5'8"





 2012 Wilier Gran Tourismo  -- L

The Gran Tourismo has striking tube shapes and lines that please any eye.  Built with comfort and efficiency in mind, this bike is definitely a workhorse in the Wilier line.  Oversized chainstays and Razor's Edge Design  front end deliver crisp confident descending, and snap when you stand up on a climb.  Comes with Ultegra components, and custom badges FSA cranks (carbon), brakes, stem, handlebar, seatpost, and saddle.  As always, a full Retul-powered bike fit is included.  Sizing recommendation:  5'8" -  6'2"




2012 Wilier Gran Tourismo  -- XL

The Gran Tourismo has striking tube shapes and lines that please any eye.  Built with comfort and efficiency in mind, this bike is definitely a workhorse in the Wilier line.  Oversized chainstays and Razor's Edge Design  front end deliver crisp confident descending, and snap when you stand up on a climb.  Comes with Ultegra components, and custom badges FSA cranks (carbon), brakes, stem, handlebar, seatpost, and saddle.  As always, a full Retul-powered bike fit is included.  Sizing recommendation:  5'11" - 6'4"






BMC Streetracer  --  48cm

Great introductory bike that still carries the racing pedigree.  The Streetracer is made from BMCs custom hydro-formed aluminum.  With a Shimano 105 of components and sensible training wheels, this would be the perfect bike for someone entering the sport or looking to upgrade to 2012 technology.  As always, a full Retul-powered bike fit is included.  Sizing recommendation:  5'0" - 5'7"





2012 BMC Streetracer  --  51cm

Great introductory bike that still carries the racing pedigree.  The Streetracer is made from BMCs custom hydro-formed aluminum.  With a Shimano 105 of components and sensible training wheels, this would be the perfect bike for someone entering the sport or looking to upgrade to 2012 technology.  As always, a full Retul-powered bike fit is included.  Sizing recommendation:  5'2" - 5'9"





2012 BMC Roadracer  --  54cm

The Roadracer hits the "sweet-spot" with features and price.  Using the same carbon technology as BMC's top tier bikes, it is equally as comfortable on a 100-mile tour as a smashmouth road race.  Full Ultegra group, DT Swiss wheels, and a striking custom airfoil seatpost round out the mix.  As always, a full Retul-powered bike fit is included.  Sizing recommendation:  5'6" - 6'0"





2012 BMC Roadracer  --  57cm 

The Roadracer hits the "sweet-spot" with features and price.  Using the same carbon technology as BMC's top tier bikes, it is equally as comfortable on a 100-mile tour as a smashmouth road race.  Full Ultegra group, DT Swiss wheels, and a striking custom airfoil seatpost round out the mix.  As always, a full Retul-powered bike fit is included.  Sizing recommendation:  5'9" - 6'3"






2012 BMC Racemachine  --  53cm 


This is my favorite bike.  There aren't many bikes out there for this price ($5499) that deliver a bike that comes in under the UCI-mandated limit, right off the shelf.  It makes use of BMC's Tuned Compliance Concept (TCC) technology in the seatstays, fork, and their Racepost seatpost.  SRAM Red components, Easton EA70 wheels, Easton EC90 carbon handlebar, and Fizik's popular Antares saddle, this bike is race ready.   As always, a full Retul-powered bike fit is included.  Sizing recommendation:  5'6" - 6'0"





2012 BMC Racemachine  --  57cm

This is my favorite bike.  There aren't many bikes out there for this price ($5499) that deliver a bike that comes in under the UCI-mandated limit, right off the shelf.  It makes use of BMC's Tuned Compliance Concept (TCC) technology in the seat-stays, fork, and their Racepost seatpost.  SRAM Red components, Easton EA70 wheels, Easton EC90 carbon handlebar, Fizik's popular Antares saddle, and this bike is race ready.   As always, a full Retul-powered bike fit is included.  Sizing recommendation:  5'6" - 6'0"





2012 BMC Team Elite 29 (Hardtail)  --  Small

This hardtail is versatile in every respect.  Coming with a stellar price tag, this bike can live many lives due to the durability of the custom aluminum frame.  Want to try the 29er-thing without breaking the bank?  You can use this bike in many different forms.  We've "single-ated" one and ridden it as a single speed (which is just one area where 29ers shine) -- we've even used these as "road" bikes during the winter!  Some of the best 29er geometry out there (lots of iffy geometry from a lot of manufacturers), that's ready to hits the trails for a beer-ride as well as kill it at the next race.  As always, a full Retul-powered bike fit is included.  Sizing recommendation:  5'2" - 5'8"






2012 BMC Team Elite 29 (Hardtail)  --  Medium

This hardtail is versatile in every respect.  Coming with a stellar price tag, this bike can live many lives due to the durability of the custom aluminum frame.  Want to try the 29er-thing without breaking the bank?  You can use this bike in many different forms.  We've "single-ated" one and ridden it as a single speed (which is just one area where 29ers shine) -- we've even used these as "road" bikes during the winter!  Some of the best 29er geometry out there (lots of iffy geometry from a lot of manufacturers), that's ready to hits the trails for a beer-ride as well as kill it at the next race.  As always, a full Retul-powered bike fit is included.  Sizing recommendation:  5'5" - 6'0"


2012 BMC Speedfox 29 (Full suspension)  -- Small

This bike ticks all the boxes for riding on western Colorado trails -- great geometry being the hallmark.  Most manufacturers get it wrong -- bottom brackets that are too low, head angles that are too steep, chainstays that are too long.  Don't resign yourself to a season of smacking your pedals on rocks, or endo-ing repeatedly on easy drops.  The Speedfox 29 has full SRAM X.0. components, Fox Racing front and rear shocks, and comes in from 26.5-27.5 lbs (depending on frame size).  As always, a full Retul-powered bike fit is included.  Sizing recommendation:  5'2" - 5'8"



 

2012 BMC Speedfox 29 (Full suspension)  -- Medium

This bike ticks all the boxes for riding on western Colorado trails -- great geometry being the hallmark.  Most manufacturers get it wrong -- bottom brackets that are too low, head angles that are too steep, chainstays that are too long.  Don't resign yourself to a season of smacking your pedals on rocks, or endo-ing repeatedly on easy drops.  The Speedfox 29 has full SRAM X.0. components, Fox Racing front and rear shocks, and comes in from 26.5-27.5 lbs (depending on frame size).  As always, a full Retul-powered bike fit is included.  Sizing recommendation:  5'5" - 6'0"





2012 BMC Speedfox 29 (Full suspension)  -- Large

This bike ticks all the boxes for riding on western Colorado trails -- great geometry being the hallmark.  Most manufacturers get it wrong -- bottom brackets that are too low, head angles that are too steep, chainstays that are too long.  Don't resign yourself to a season of smacking your pedals on rocks, or endo-ing repeatedly on easy drops.  The Speedfox 29 has full SRAM X.0. components, Fox Racing front and rear shocks, and comes in from 26.5-27.5 lbs (depending on frame size).  As always, a full Retul-powered bike fit is included.  Sizing recommendation:  5'9" - 6'3"