bike shit fit

[ron l edmiston]

--- echo jonathan, if it's free in life ---- someone along-the-line must pay/or has paid for in the equation, negative or positive..
& holds little meaning or value..

ronnie

[TTX1]

A note on the female fit thing and then back to $ for fitting (just skip this if you've already had enough drift):

Back in the day, I worked in a ski/bike shop. I recall quizzing a ski rep who presented the notion that his line of female-specific (and pink) skis were developed with women's physiology in mind...

I pointed out that both men and women can be short or tall, thin or stout, light or heavy... Not all women have badonkadonks - although some men might... etc. The poor rep was stymied and insisted that "women have a different center of gravity" based on his firm's research. OK, then. At the time, ski bindings were near-universally mounted at the center point of the ski boot - for men and women. How does center of gravity even come in to play? The ski has no idea who or what is riding on top, and the chance of fore/aft COG deltas occurring in excess of a few mm of the center point seems low, given that the binding mount is already calibrated to a user-specific foot and boot - and most people independently maintain upright balance.

As others have stated and restated, you fit the individual. Frames, bikes, suits, whatever. There is no such thing as "male fit" or "female fit" outside of lingerie and birth control.

So why the consumer confusion? At what point do we, as a consumer culture, get good at buying our own damn shoes (and frames)? How is it even possible for a mature adult to buy the "wrong size" of anything?

For manufactured products, factories must make bets - the last of the shoe, or boot, or the shape of a saddle, for example - and then the fitter and the customer must make *informed* decisions about what works for the individual and their wallet at the point of sale. That's one huge set of variables.

Then marketing kicks in and suddenly wide saddles are "optimized for female anatomy" - and you run in to the double headwind of fashion - customer perception and preference based on... anything. It's potent stuff, marketing.

I suspect that the trick for bike shops is walking the line between what a custom frame builder considers a fitting - vs. the set of "fit" services available to tweak off-the-rack bikes - particularly if it's a corrective fit based on a decision that's already been made. Entirely different customers and constraints. Sorry if that point has already been made. There's a huge difference between including a proper fitting as part of a service (custom frame, PT, tour comfort, etc.) vs. after sale service that likely requires secondary equipment changes.

Both have value and deserve to be fairly compensated, IMO.

Finally, "beer" sounds like an excellent price from a consumer POV.

[e-RICHIE]

Beer for the fairer sex. Now there's a gig atmo.

[TTX1]

Beer for the fairer sex. Now there's a gig atmo.

If the gig fits... you might get paid.

[bontie]

Reviving this ole thread. I am curious how this cat can ride a bike with contact points so unusual?

Team bikes of the 2015 WorldTour - gallery - BikeRadar

[bikerjulio]

The link is to a gallery of bikes.

You mean this one?

1422094367227-187k52gb1oa1o-700-80.jpg

[Paul]

Reviving this ole thread. I am curious how this cat can ride a bike with contact points so unusual?

1422094367227-187k52gb1oa1o-700-80.jpg

Adam Hansen uses a mid-foot cleat position, as a result all the contact points move forward

[DOOFUS]

the crazy world of adam hansen

this cat is so awesomeP1050935.jpgsptdw265_001_670.jpg

[David Tollefson]

I've seen worse TT positions.

[devlin]

Hansen is not your normal rider. There are pros and cons to that.

[adamrogers2009]

Adam Hansen uses a mid-foot cleat position, as a result all the contact points move forward

The thought that popped into me head when reading this
"mid-foot cleat, ouch sore feet"

Hey, that rhymes...

[suhacycles]

With a stiff sole, your feet shouldn't notice a difference. I ride with the aluminum Speedplay adapter plate which makes it flex even less and I've got the cleat at least a cm behind the spindle if not more, but not quite mid-foot. Yeah, my saddle is also shifted forward but my calves are happy... =)

[DOOFUS]

The thought that popped into me head when reading this
"mid-foot cleat, ouch sore feet"

Hey, that rhymes...

Don Lamson at D2 actually suggested I move my cleats to the midfoot since I have posterior tibial tendon problems -- I didn't do it, but I may sometime over the next decade. Stiff sole = no problem.

[devlin]

I rode for a while with mid foot before I had my ankle fused to take some tension out of my achilles. It was fine as long as you didn't want to sprint at top speed. I found that it made getting higher cadence difficult.

[thomas]

the crazy world of adam hansen

P1050935.jpgsptdw265_001_670.jpg

And that's his position riding on the hoods. His lower back must be made of elastic. Hip flexor angle, too - ouch.

[defspace]

And that's his position riding on the hoods. His lower back must be made of elastic. Hip flexor angle, too - ouch.

There's no way that riding in the drops could make any appreciable difference in his position, right? Looks like he's "maxed out" at the hip. He'd just be moving his forearms.

[Too Tall]

Kinda yea no Def. He is a core-strength-monster. Everyone has their magic spot for producing power this is his. It's completely weird but I get it and yeah he is made of elastic. He'd make a really good runner ;)

Success in-spite of not because of? Tough call. I'll bet a million dollars he does not look like that in 10 years.

[progetto]

Fact.

Success in-spite of not because of? .

[thomas]

I'll bet a million dollars he does not look like that in 10 years.

No kidding.