Daily Marauder

BIKE FITTING GOES HIGH TECH: BODY GEOMETRY

This weekend, on a trip home to RI to hang with the rents, I was enticed into bike sale wonderland at East Providence Cycle.  I imagine a bike sale to me is like a car sale or purse sale to most other normal people.  For me, a bike sale represents a mecca of Mavic Rims, Ultegra parts, and carbon frames.  Hmmmmm….  Anyways.  During my trip into the bike shop, I tested the Roubaix Compact Comp (above), a bike I clearly don’t need.  But seriously, aren’t those red tires the hotness?

More importantly, I learned what it means to be properly fit for a bicycle at this level.  Last year, I thought that I had gone the distance when I biked over to my local NYC-bike shop and scheduled a $100 bike fitting.  Turns out, it all gets much more scientific than this.  It’s called the Specialized Body Geometry 3D fit and it takes anywhere from 1 – 3 hours.  And here I thought nothing could top the embarrassment of riding my bike on a trainer in ill fitted bike shorts in the middle of a bike store for my fitting.  Turns out, they have loads more measurements they can pull out to make sure you don’t feel back pain at mile 50.

The Measurements

Click on the image above to check out the many measurements the BG Fit technology takes into account when fitting you to your bike.  You could also just have fun making bike dude do random things and wield your new-found control.  As Dean from East Providence Cycle tells me, each technician is trained specifically for this type of fitting.

The fit differs from standard fittings in that the technician evaluates the riders’ body structure, flexibility (of which I have none), strength, and possibility of leg discrepancy.  In essence, it’s pretty freakin’ cool.  Yes, probably for the more elite riders out there but before I ride 500 miles this spring, I probably owe it to my body to have one.

To make a general donation to the AIDS Lifecycle Ride, click here.