Shane Miller, winner of the 2011 Cycling Australia Masters Road National Championship ITT, writes of his Specialized BG Fit experience last week with Paul at Bike n Bean. Tuesday, 13 December 2011
My Specialized BG Fit Experience
forked out $2,000 on my first road bike,
I would not have purchased that
particular bike. The fit was appalling.
The frame was too big, the stem too long,
and I had to adjust the seat height 2kms
down the road. I didn't know any better
at the time. It felt like a race bike and
the 'expert' at the shop seemed to know
what he was talking about.
Why would he sell me something so
expensive if it wasn't right?
Yeah, naive as hell.
Fast forward six years - I've had a few bikes, had a few epic stacks,
and still never been properly fitted to a bike. When Paul from Bike'n'Bean
offered me a Specialized BG (Body Geometry) Fit I hesitated at first, it
was only a week out from the Tour of Bright, but last week after Bright
was done and dusted, I was onto it.
I do about 15,000kms a year with no niggles so I wasn't expecting any
wholesale changes to my setup. I also didn't want the front end changed
based on any 'comfort template' as I run a low front end to make it similar
to being on the TT bike.
I was really surprised at how extensive the process was. Initial questions
covering my riding (TT, road, crit, bank robbery getaways on BMX),
injury history (collarbone snaps x3, busted hip), then I was measured up,
laid flat, stretched, poked, and offered a cigarette afterwards.
(ok, the last one didn't happen).
Of the things I can remember, the list and my results were:
Booty size - Sit on a squishy thing and measure the width of sit bones. 118mm.
Foot size / Arch support. 43. Medium arch (whatever that is?).
Touch your toes / Hip angle flex. Had good hip flexies, thanks TT bike!
One leg squats. Foot/ankle rolls in. Normal.
Leg stretch straight/knee bent. No ballerina but it was ok.
Arms up test (shoulders/back). Handy post collarbone snappages. All good there.
On the bike - cranks at bottom-top-forward angle. Measurements taken.
Pedal motion review. Circles, not squares. All good.
 |
| The bag of tricks |
The funky BG Fit stem was left in the tool box as front end was skipped.
The handlebar drop was noted and the angle of the hoods/bar was given
the nod anyway. What we ended up with was a few minor changes to my
cleats, moving the saddle back a little, and some comfy inserts in my shoes.
Nothing major to report on, and as it is my 'off season' I can't report on any
power numbers to see if the changes have made any noticeable difference.
After a few 100km the shoes are comfy and it feels like the cleat is more
centered on the pedal spindle - as for this resulting in more power, I'll know
when I start cranking into intervals and TTs in 2012.
 |
| The bike looking like a young Forrest Gump with his leg braces on. |
It was good to confirm what I had was pretty close to the recommendations.
The ultimate combination would be a BG Fit in a wind tunnel, you'd get the best
of both worlds then - the art of comfort and the science to help you win races.
Who would I recommend a BG FIt to?
- Someone getting their first road bike. No question. It would be a valuable addition, and exactly why a bike company offer it.
- Someone getting a new road bike that is different to their current setup. ie. Punter road bike upgrading to a race bike.
- Half of Beach Rd. Including those odd riders who swing a leg wildly through each pedal stroke that takes out children on the adjacent walking path. (we've all seen Kneesy McSideways, admit it).
 |
| See, wild-stroke Kneesy needs a BG Fit! |
I've no doubt we'll be seeing other market dominating major players (Giant,
Trek, Huffy) offer something similar in their stores as a value add.
That was my take on things. Don't take my unbiased word for it though, head on
over to Specialized for their fully biased marketing of their own service - Movie
overview HERE in which they use a model representing the demographic they're
targeting. A dude (sorry ladies). White as a ghost (doesn't ride much). Banged up
arm (falls off when he does). The PDF on their site explains a little more.
If Andy Schleck is giving it a really cheesy thumbs up with a creepy guy looking
on, it must be good!
No comments:
Post a Comment