Recently I posted a piece about my new time trial bike, the Specialized Shiv S-Works. I wrote about how versatile the bike is and how easy it was to change the position around. It is amazing to be able to create almost any position you want but how do you now what the right one is? This is where a professional bike fitting is essential and I stress the word professional. I have had many 'bike fits' over the last few years but they have always been a bit confused and I have never really been happy with the outcome. I have always come away wanting to continue to tweak things such as saddle height, bar length or the stem position.
Dales Cycles are the only place in Scotland that offers BG FIT (Body Geometry Fit Integration Technology). This is a concept of Specialized Bikes and has been developed over many years with the work of Dr. Andy Pruitt Ed.D., PA of the Boulder Center for Sports Medicine. The aims of the bike fit are to get you as comfortable as possible, reduce the chances of injury, optimise position for aerodynamics and create a position that reduces fatigue.
Ironman distance triathlons require you to ride 180km's/112miles, this is a long way when you have to run a marathon after it. This means that there are many considerations to make. Racing on a TT bike which is traditionally less comfortable than a road bike makes the right fit even more important.
1) Comfort is key: when you're out on the bike for several hours, you need to be comfortable on your bike so that you can stay in your position. There is no point in having a TT bike and being very 'aero' if you cannot hold the position and are sitting up stretching all the time. If you can't hold your position for several hours then you are guaranteed to be in the wrong position. This will also have a very negative effect on your running. If you uncomfortable you will undoubtedly waste energy through becoming tense and using muscles, that should be relaxed, too much.
2) Lower is not always better: The reason I put 'aero' in quotation marks is that many people think that the lower you are, the more aero you are. This is simply not the case. A lot of wind tunnel testing has shown that this is a very individual thing and that there is no golden position. However, if you are very low you will actually find it hard to tuck into a position that is small and compact and ultimately you won't be able to hold it for very long. The result is that you sit up and then take all the wind or are fighting to stay in the tucked position. The majority of triathletes will find that a slightly higher position at the front will be more aerodynamic, more comfortable and they will be able to hold it for long periods of time.
3) Hip Angle: Running off the bike in any triathlon is hard, but running a marathon is a whole other story. Your hip angle is very important and on most TT bikes it is hard to achieve an on open hip angle. This inhibits your ability to run off the bike massively and can reduce the overall power output of the legs on the bike, particularly in the latter stages. Saddle position and angle is absolutely critical to achieving this.
So there are a few components of the set up for Ironman racing. You have to be aerodynamic because it is a long way and there is a lot of free time to be gained if you are in the right position. You have to be comfortable on the bike to the extent that you can ride the majority, if not the whole ride on the TT bars. Finally, the position must allow you to be able to run off the bike efficiently.
The bike fit at Dales takes about 3 hours and encompasses every detail. At the start there is also time spent discussing what your ambitions or goals are, your past experiences and sporting history. This just adds to the bespoke service and allows everything to be tailored even more to your individual needs. I went through a full biomechanical assessment checking for all my strengths and weaknesses. Everything from the shape of my arches to how I rotate my head was checked. There was then a considerable amount of time tweaking the position of the bike and taking measurements on it to ensure I was in right the position and the geometry was right. Something I have never had looked at was my cleat position which seems crazy as this is your main point of contact with the bike as it is where you deliver all your power that you train so preciously for. Cleat position can have a major effect on injuries and the efficiency of the kinetic chain. When Nicolas Roche went to Tinkoff-Saxo he was immediately told his cleats were in the wrong position! So my cleat position was checked and positioned in the right place. I have also just got to new race shoes and the position was mirrored so that there is not change going from my training shoes to my racing ones.
After the bike fit the idea is that you test the position for a few weeks and then provide feedback so that changes can be made if needed. I however, haven't had to change anything. The bike has been incredibly comfortable and for what is referred to in the triathlon world as a 'super bike', that is pretty amazing. TT bikes are normally associated with pain and discomfort and while that may the case in terms of physical exertion at times it should not be related to the fit. I actually find my TT bike more comfortable than my road bike. I have done 100mile hard efforts on it and have had very little tightness or discomfort at the end. This is testament to the bike and to the expertise of Jonathan Allan at Dales Cycles that did my fitting. Jonathan has a bank of knowledge, experience and expertise that is second to none which allowed. I previously had a Look 596iPack. I had some days where I was comfortable but most rides I would experience some pain somewhere and in some long rides I was just simply unable to hold my TT position. I got to the stage where I just accepted that I was never going to be able ride for 4-5 hours feeling good but that has been flipped on its head. This has just emphasised how poor my position on my old bike must have been.
So, no matter what ability you have or what your goals are, everyone will benefit from a professional bike fitting. If you're able to go to Dales Cycles in Glasgow then I would pay them a visit as you are guaranteed to come away feeling more comfortable and faster. As I said before, I have had many bike fits but nothing compares to the detail and efficiency that I got at Dales, the service is first class. There is also a huge psychological element as you know and have the confidence that you are in the right position. It takes away all the guess work and allows you to relax and enjoy doing the sport you love.
Finlay McAndrew: Triathlete
Monday, 28 July 2014
Wednesday, 16 July 2014
SPECIALIZED SHIV S-WORKS REVIEW:
Recently I got a new TT bike for triathlon. I wanted to get the fastest bike I could get but comfort and practicality were very important factors as I focus on Ironman distance triathlons. The Specialized Shiv is one of the few bikes out there that has ignored UCI rules and given triathletes what they want. I spent a lot of time researching different options but everything led me back to the Shiv as being the best option for Ironman racing.
THE FIT:
There really is no compromise with the fitting options of this bike. The seat angle is 78 degrees, illegal under UCI rules, which creates a very powerful but energy saving position for the legs. This leaves your legs feeling great, even after a hard bike, for the run. The S-Works model comes with 2 different seat posts and one of them is reversible. This gives you a lot of versatility and is a great service as only one seat post option is the standard with other brands. The handle bars have also been designed by Specialized and the S-Works bars are out of this world. There really is no restriction on what position you want to achieve. This makes it a great option for any distance, allows progression into a lower or more aggressive position over time and doesn't require parts to be ordered for a change in position. So many TT bikes now make it almost impossible to make a change to the cockpit without a whole new part being ordered. This is expensive, time consuming and you might not even like the change so you're back to square one. The S-Works handle bars allow you to experiment with a number of different positions to start with, allow better fitting of the bike and ultimately lead to you to the best position for you in the least amount of time.
AERODYNAMICS:
There is only one word to describe the Shiv: FAST. The dedication to a triathlon specific bike continued with construction of the down tube profiling. They created a ratio that is illegal and in simple terms, that makes it faster than any bike that is UCI legal. The fatter down tube looks like it will catch the wind but this bike has been designed to cope with the demands of real world situations and not just straight on wind. The effect that a cross wind has on you is massively reduced by the fatter down tube and I can't quite believe how good it has been on really windy days. This allows you to stay tucked in the bars because you don't have to sit up and control the bike and saves energy because you aren't fighting the bike. This down tube also allows a bladder to be integrated into the frame. This is just about the most aerodynamic way you can carry fluid and is very easy to drink. The bike also has a very clean look to it as all the cabling is tucked away and positioned so that it won't cost you any time. The rear brakes are hidden but the front brakes are in front of the fork. This goes against what you see on some other super bikes but makes it very easy to make adjustments and is just way more practical. The performance of the brakes is also extremely good and doesn't make descending massively different from a road bike.
ADD ONS:
Specialized have also designed a triathlon specific saddle, the Sitero. It is a very comfortable saddle and allows a really open hip position, meaning more power and makes it easier to run off. I have fitted out the bike with Sram Red 22 which sits perfectly with the bike and makes it a very light bike considering it is a TT bike (8.2kg's). I am running a Sram Red Quarq BB30 press fit Power Meter with it which is fantastic. I also opted for Zipp 404 Firecrest wheels as they strike a great balance between aerodynamics and weight so are also great on a hilly course. To finish it off I put on Look Keo Blade pedals which are not only more aero than a standard pedal but are extremely stiff so result in no power being wasted.
In summary, this bike is the ultimate triathlete's bike. It feels amazing to ride and thanks to Specialized with all the fit options they have provided, it is very comfortable. It will guarantee you a significant improvement in performance.
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