A Good Fit

I have been meaning to get a proper bike fit ever since I bought my Cervelo P2C three years ago (really, I should have had a bike fit before I bought any bike at all). So, I jumped at the opportunity to get fit by a professional triathlete when the opportunity presented itself.

I was training at Peak Centre on the CompuTrainer. In walked Jordan Rapp and Jill Savege who are, incidentally, engaged and probably one of the nicest couples in triathlon. I felt like I was meeting celebrities! As it turned out, Jill had happened to have randomly met my mom the week before while at work (a weird coincidence, considering my Mom had no idea who Jill Savege was, other than a really nice person to talk with). Jordan was in town to train bike fitters (he is also Chief Technology Officer with Slowtwitch.com). I took this chance meeting as a sign and asked Jordan if he would fit me on my bike while in town.

Working with what he had (i.e. me and a bike already purchased) Jordan came to my house and did a consult. He put me at a steeper, more aggressive angle. My husband said that now I looked like a Triathlete. I tried out the new geometry on the CompuTrainer at the next organized indoor race and I had my best ride to date.

When the weather improved, I tried it outdoors, where I noticed the more aggressive angle and I had to get used to having more weight on my arms. It actually feels better the faster I go; definitely not a position for a sightseeing type of ride. I also feel more stable when on my aerobars.

I also bought new cranks (on eBay) and a new saddle on Jordan’s advice, and I’m excited to try these out as well. Jordan has been great about providing post-fit support via e-mail and even offered to check out photos or video footage of me riding if I need more input.

At the beginning of June I’ll be able to give it a real test on the Persona Oliver Half Iron course (photo shows me in the old bike geometry in 2006), since I also did this race in 2006 and 2007. All-in-all, I think it was the best investment that I could have made in my bike.