Winning Position - Bike Fit Case Study: Grand Fun

Bike Fit Case Study: Grand Fun

Damian presented to Wining Position with a desire to complete some Gran Fondos in 2019. He is also a keen “Zwifter”. Having been caught up in the Zwift indoor cycling craze myself, I completely understand!

Damian’s initial position had him feeling a little too high at the front end. He also suffered annoying heat and numbness in his right foot.

I often encounter a desire among my clients (particularly the road racing types) to be “lower and more aero”. It is not always a position that I recommend. What’s possible depends on joint mobility, morphology and the cyclist’s ability to sustain a lower profile on the bike. In this case it worked nicely. The final position was lower and more elongated than the starting position. Importantly, the new position was still comfortable for Damian’s neck and shoulders.

The cleat position was dialled in to alleviate the uncomfortable forefoot pressure that he was experiencing. This should allow greater volumes of cycling – especially on Zwift!

A lot of people believe that they don’t need a bike fit unless they are racing at the pro level. As this case study shows, a bike fit can help address comfort issues no matter how you like to ride. Even if you never ride outdoors.

Damian contacted me after he had time to get used to the fit and reported the following…

I am extremely happy with the position we ended up at. It was comfortable with it as soon as the new stem came in and the front end was lowered. I went for no spacers and kept the riser bars rather than changing bars and having some spacers.

I have had no niggles that I can think of, and this month did the 130km Big Canberra bike ride at the start of the month and the 170km Orange challenge at the end of the month. The position felt great even at the end of the rides.

Thank you for your time and expertise in setting up my position. I couldn’t be happier with the outcome.

Damian Lonergan