A few months ago - our intrepid Vaela team cycled Ride London 100 and raised £8500 for The Bike Project. It was wonderful riding on roads that were filled with bicycles instead of cars. The atmosphere was amazing and I loved it.
But there were consequences - I damaged the nerves in my hands. I couldn’t hold a fork immediately after the ride and it was at least a couple of months before I could write relatively normally and ride without pain in my hands. The reason - my bike was a poor fit.
You don’t have to be a Tour de France cyclist to have a bike fitting. Our friends at CycleFit do them with elite athletes, but they have also designed one for recreational, casual and commuter cyclists: the Unplugged Cyclefit - 45 minutes - £75.
A cyclefit can help address immediate issues and avoid long term damage for the regular cyclist and I recommend considering it:
1. If you have any discomfort or niggles when you're cycling
2. If you're preparing for an endurance event
3. Before buying a new bike - to ensure you get the right size and geometry for you
I recently took myself and my bike down to our friends at CycleFit in Store Street (London UK) for a consultation. Beth, the store manager took me through the process. As she's an ex-pro cyclist and currently training to be a physiotherapist, I was in pretty good hands.
First, they measure up your bike and set up the test bike with those settings - then they look at the geometry and play around with a variety of options to get it right - and comfortable. My main problems were seat height and handlebar width and stem - hence the damage I'd done to my hands. I came away from the session with a detailed report setting out the recommended changes in a full report and the immediate problem with the seat was fixed on the spot.
Enter our competition to win a free Unplugged CycleFit here (2-10 September 2023).
