Bike Fit Put to the Ultimate Test

Another happy Hypercat Racing Bike Fit Studio athlete….

March 10, 2013

Phil, 

I was in your shop last wednesday and got a bike fit. I just wanted to say thank you again for doing an excellent job. I put the bike fit to the ultimate test and rode in the Solvang century without any pain or discomfort. As I mentioned before that the farthest ride that i have been on was about 45 miles on this new bike and i was having pain in my back, arms, hands and knees. So to not have anything at all I am truly grateful. I look forward to referring people to you and also doing more business in the future. 
Thanks again, Dennis Fox 

Professional Bike Fitter – Best of the Best!

We are extremely grateful for the opportunity to work with athletes and help them to achieve their true potential. Below is a recent note from one of our bike fit clients in the San Francisco Bay Area. She made the trip from San Jose, CA to Ventura because she wanted to work with the best of the best bike fitters, Philip Casanta.
____________________________________________________________________________________________
From R. Charlton, January 26, 2012

Hi Phil,

I just wanted to let you know, I FINALLY went on a decent ride on my fit. I was the English one that drive down from SF on my way to San Diego for xmas. I rode once in SD and was fine, but due to more travel and excessive rain, I hadn’t been back out for a longer length ride.

I did Paradise Loop from Sports Basement today and everything felt GREAT! My back has had a month or so to heal and didn’t hurt at all while riding. My roommate even commented how straight my back was and she hasn’t seen the pictures from the fit yet. THANK YOU! It really was comfortable. The narrower handle bars feel great too.

I still hunch my shoulders, but I did a pretty good job of “taking a deep breath and relaxing them” like you told me. I think I need to add a sticker to my handle bars saying that!

I bought some wipes to clean my bike like you suggested and it looks great!

Also, I signed up for Solvang, so I’ll see you there and *maybe* I’ll have you help me with aerobars.

Hope you and Rachel are doing well and that Rachel is feeling well with the pregnancy,

Rachel

Bike Fit Miracle Worker

Hypercat Racing is grateful for the kind words of our bike fit clients. This is why we wake up everyday excited to ‘get to work.’ Making a difference in athlete’s lives by providing the best, most professional bike fit and coaching services deliverable is our never ending goal!

From Cynda SInclair:
Hi Phil,

I rode my bike yesterday w/my Saturday group. Wow! What a difference. It was like a different bike. I felt completely balanced, leveraged, and all that good stuff. I can really tell the difference. I also used those two tips you gave me—lowering shoulders and pulling up w/knees—and that made a big difference too. I was able to keep up w/the group w/no problem and usually I have to work really hard at that. Thanks again for all your good work on my behalf—you really are a miracle worker!

Cheers,

Cynder

Hypercat Racing – Grand Opening – Ventura, CA

Hypercat Racing celebrates its Grand Opening in Ventura, CA!

We are excited to announce Hypercat Racing’s upcoming Grand Opening on January 13, 2011 between 4p-9pm.

4160 Market St, Suite 13

Come by, say hi and take a tour of our studio! We will have refreshments and schwag for all!

Find out why Hypercat Racing provides the best triathlon coaching, triathlon training plans and best professional bike fit to athletes in Ventura, Ojai, Camarillo, Santa Paula, Oxnard, Santa Barbara, Newbury Park and far beyond!

Bike Fitting – Handlebar Drop

This topic was started due to a question I received on where your handlebars should be relative to your seat.

To determine the correct handlebar position we must look at a number of factors related to the final position. This is the essence of a proper bike fit and takes usually 1-2 hours to determine. The handlebar position relative to the seat is one of the last in a series of adjustments that are made. To set the correct position a riders handlebars should be in relationship to their saddle is determined by the riders correct seat position, the type of bicycle they are riding, the flexibility of the rider, the relative body part dimensions of the rider (femur, torso, arms, etc…), the experience of the rider, the end goal of the rider (what are you setting the bike up for), and many other factors.

Newer riders often assume that because they must “reach out” to the handlebars that the cause of neck, arm and back fatigue is due in part to the “leaning forward”. Generally the true culprit is the rider themselves not bending from the correct place and being set in an incorrect position for the bike. 9.5 times out ten when I am performing a fitting the rider is bending in such a way as too articulate the torso (bending from the waist or gut) and leading the “lean or reach forward” with their head. This is not the correct way to “place” your hands on the bars. You must bend at the hips and rotate the pelvis to position the body correctly.

To give you some numbers; road bars fall in the range of 3cm – 13cm of “drop” on average and tri bikes 2cm – 10cm “drop” on average.

Solution: To address this issue you need to have a comprehensive professional bike fit to assess your current position and make the necessary changes to set you up correctly, I do provide this service and you can schedule a fitting at http://www.hypercat.com/bike_fit.html

———-
Coach Phil Casanta,
Bike Fit Specialist, Hypercat, Inc.

Bike Fitting – Proper Saddle Fore/ Aft positioning

Many peoples idea of where to place their saddle generates from quotes like this one, ” In the proper neutral fore-aft saddle position, with the pedal at 90 degrees (9 O’clock), a plumb line placed at the front edge if the kneecap should fall to the end of the crank arm”, is indeed incorrect bio-mechanically. I have seen this description listed in many an article and mainly from PT’s for some reason. This position would place the riders knee from 2-5 cm past the ball of the foot depending on cleat position, length of crank arm, etc. This is a poor position for delivering efficient power to the pedal, but is very good for generating knee strain, Vastus Medialis soreness and hot spots in the foot.

From the neutral position the plumb line should generate from the tibial tuberosity (the bump below the knee cap) and fall at or just behind the ball of the foot. This position greatly reduces the strain on the patellar tendon during the downstroke specifically when the most force is being generated. Having the seat too far back straightens the leg too much and generates the same problems as having the seat too high. From the neutral position (once found) you can very slightly tweak the seat position forward or back depending on whether you are a high cadence spinner or a big ring masher.

Of course there is also the discussion of knee angle that needs to be addressed in the position. Once a neutral for aft position is achieved then you can work on the knee angle. This process may go back and forth a couple of times to find the correct combination for your body. In a nutshell a higher seat (smaller angle) transmits more power, while a lower seat (larger angle) conserves more muscle energy. The seat height of course also affects the biomechanics of the knee itself. The more you bend your knee the greater the stress placed upon the patellar tendon, if the seat is too high then the strain goes to the iliotibial band. Assessment – you feel pain in the front of the knee – raise the seat slightly. You feel tightness or pain in the back or side of the thigh – lower your seat. If you have a functional discrepancy causing the knees to be two different angles that is where shims can help.

To properly assess these structures in the dynamic environment of pedaling it is advisable too have a professional bike fit expert work you through the process and make changes based on trained objective experience. A proper bike fit can make one of the most significant changes in your bike times.

———-
Coach Phil Casanta,
Bike Fit Specialist, Hypercat, Inc.