For those who don’t know me I’m Wayne Tunnah and race for St Neots CC. I joined SNCC back in August 2011 after getting my first road bike in the April.

It all started with the desire to compete in Triathlons, and how better to train for the bike leg? Join a local cycle club and race in their TT’s. After playing field hockey for 12 years, a less painful sport was required. How wrong was I about that! Cut knees and fingers from the sandpaper like playing surface to torn, ripped muscle fibres throughout my entire legs.

After a year of Triathlons and Duathlons, the constant talk of road racing by several club members had me wanting to give this a go.

I turned up to my first road race at Rockingham Speed-Way hosted by the NCRA, this was their 3rd race at the Speed-Way and well what can I say....It was awesome! Such a buzz I hardly slept that night after finishing in 3rd place. Needless to say I was back the following week for more. Throughout the season I scored enough points to gain my 2nd Cat licence and win the Most Improved Rider in the 2013 NCRA league. The prize, a Retül bike fit courtesy of Nick Smith at Core Cycling Solutions.

It’s taken me a while to get over and see Nick for my fit, but at last I’ve got it done. Core Cycling Solution is in Market Deeping and my appointment time was 5:30. It’s about an hour drive up the A1 from where I am, so there was no time for any dinner after work. Knowing this I made sure I had a big lunch.

Nick had sent me all the details in an email confirmation and told me I would need a hand to get my bike and bits up to his office, so a quick call and Nick met me in the car park and took my bike up for me.
There was a strange comforting feel about the building and its furnishings, a sense I was in a familiar place, surrounded by standard corporate decor from 3M. I signed in at the front desk and followed Nick.

This isn’t the first bike fit I’ve had, but this was for my road bike. Planet X did my first on my TT bike. The room was setup more or less identical to that of Planet X’s. Dominating the middle of the room is a raised rectangular platform with the Turbo Trainer on one end and a wheel clamp the other. Nick changed out my QR and offered my bike up and clamped her in.

By the door a couch, a physiotherapist bed against the right hand wall. A computer and the Retül equipment opposite with a tool chest and plenty of Wiggle boxes lying around. I was never offered any Haribo though...!?

Nick handed me a questionnaire to fill out for him to better understand my requirements, biomechanics, and aspirations. This fit was always going to be about getting me in the best racing position without compromising on comfort. I only have the one road bike, and yes I know I need another (N+1).

We then sat down and ran though it together, with Nick putting the details into the computer. I got changed into my bibs and tight fitting top. This is important for when you‘re hooked up with infrared dots. These are placed on key areas and what is used to measure the different desired angles to give the best fit possible. But we weren’t ready for the bike just yet.

On to the bed and Nick starting prodding at me and squeezing around my joints. Starting at my metatarsals, then ankles before lifting my knees one at a time to my chest to gauge my flexibility. On to my front and a similar routine. Off the bed and the physical examination continued, by demonstrating I could still touch my toes. A display of core strength, or lack of and then a look at my gait. All in all, I was pretty normal, left leg longer than the right but I’ll take that.

At last, I was invited to get my cycling shoes on and get on the bike, but not to start cycling just yet. This was when the infrared dots were applied to my fifth metatarsal, heel, knee, hip shoulder, elbow, and wrist. I think that was them all. Now, I could get rolling and get warmed up. Nick had me raise my intensity to around 7/10 perceived effort. On a Watt metered Turbo this meant there would be a constant output on each dataset.

We did the first capture. This was video, and then the infrared. I was turned into a 2D green stick man minus my head. 20 seconds was all that was needed and I had my first measurements. This was only the left side, so a quick swap around (that’s why the bike is on a platform) and then a measurement of the right side. Nick now had all the base measurements. Each data point has its recommended range the rider should be in. This is where the person performing the fit really comes into the own, as changing one thing will undoubtedly change another.

Back to the left side and after some discussion and consideration Nick had come up with a plan on what needed adjusting. First, drop the saddle, then to drop the bars. Another measurement on the left side. - A rotation of the bars forward was needed to stretch me out. I broke my left collar bone funnily playing hockey, and this has resulted in my right arm sitting lower than my left, so Nick offset the hoods to help compensate for this. I was starting to look and feel better. I recently brought some new shoes and had just slapped on the cleats, we got as good as we were going to get so off with the shoes for some alteration.

Now, to see what had happened to my right side. Another capture produced some ever so slight refinements to the saddle height and Nick was happy with all the measurements and angles that were being returned.
I was starting to get a bit tried by now of the multiple start stops, each time back to 7/10 effort, but the last capture felt the easiest of the entire night. Had I started to produce more power in the new position? Had I become more efficient? 2 weeks on and chance to settle into the new position, I can definitely feel a difference, and feel stronger for the fit.

We managed to get done by 8:30 and there was no change of components. For this being a free fit it really felt that I was given everything anyone paying for this would have received. I was even invited back to continue if we couldn’t get done by 9. Nick even got the full data report completed and emailed to me before I was home.

So for those of you who have been umming and ahhing about getting a fit I would highly recommend seeing Nick. As mentioned above, it’s as much, if not more the person who interprets the Retül data rather than a Retül fit alone. Being a cyclist himself he understands us and importantly it was an extremely friendly relaxed experience.

If anyone wants to talk though my experience or the information received I’ll happily review and share my personal report.

Nick is also a level 3 coach so if anyone is interested in becoming coached let me know and we might be able to make it worth his while to come down our way.

Thanks
Wayne

http://www.corecyclingsolutions.com/