 Make no mistake about it if you are a cyclist, triathlete or duathlete. Your first consideration should always be... comfort. If you do not interface well with your bike, you run a high probability of discomfort and eventual injury. A large segment of the cycling community is misinformed regarding fit, they assume that bike sizing is fitting, and nothing can be further from the truth. Bike sizing is about determining the right frame size to choose when purchasing a bike. Bike fitting on the other hand, is about altering the components or accessories to fit the cyclists body architecture for maximal efficiency. Not to take anything away from the good folks in the bike shops but they have one primary goal, to sell you a bike. As soon as they can complete the transaction the sooner they can move on to the next customer. We don't sell bikes. Our focus is you and how your body responds and to work and how we can optimize your training and racing experience, period.  At dhp our collective process begins with the biomechanical interface between you and your bike. We spend upwards of 2+hours analyzing, modifying and correcting your position on the bike to draw out the most comfortable position possible while taking into account your ability to produce power efficiently in the most aerodynamic posture.
The entire step by step process is videoed so that we can check and re-check angles in a dynamic state which is far more effective than static measurements.The entire step by step process is videoed so that we can check and re-check angles in a dynamic state which is far more effective than static measurements.   After we are satisfied that we have arrived at the most efficient fit possible on the bike we then move on to the active metabolic evaluation process (VO2 max testing). Realize that the most important metabolic response is the anaerobic threshold "AT". This is the point during exercise in where your body shifts away from the economical use of fat for fuel to the use of the highly limited sugar stores. In our first phase (the bike fit) we carefully eliminated poor biomechanics from the energy drain. All that's left is to optimize the training stimulus via heart rate, which will further enhance economy and ultimately overall performance on the bike.Our vast experience has shown us that more than 90% of our clients exhibit a considerable difference in heart rate response between the bike and run efforts, which is why we perform the anaerobic threshold identification independently first on the bike and then on the treadmill.
While on the treadmill we take this opportunity to video the clients running behavior to determine the efficiency of stride and kinematics of movement. Depending upon what we find during the run phase helps us to explain how best to effect positive changes in the runners technique, which is never a universal solution. In cases where gross corruption and high potential of injury is shown we recommend participation in our gait correction program. Am I a candidate for an “Optimal Fit”?
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