Sunday, January 31, 2010

Understanding Competition?

Wheres the weight?

It's not about the Internet, magazines, or finding the most stylish glossy bike or that set of high-tech wheels, or even the lightest components. It about business and who is the (100kg) heavy weights.

Some say competition is good! In racing and even bike fitting business reliability, precision and innovation make you the bench mark. What might be viewed as "state-of-the-art" from heavy weighted (mass) marketing can mislead you. That doesn't mean smaller businesses can't compete and even have superiority services.

Only with (maximum accuracy of measurements) and those measurement results can you guarantee optimization of the complete product (human & bike). Development comes through the testing, investigations and analysis. That takes a long time.

This was sent to me by one of our top WN dealers, Eddie O'Dea of 55nine. As Eddie states, it's a good read! If you are willing to work you can compete! Perhaps the (100kg's) and their networks have market weight, but they don't have to be the source of excellence!

Desptie conventional wisdom, not every roadie wants to ride Lance’s bike. The very success (and don’t get me wrong, technical excellence, too) of monolithic brands creates increased cachet for boutique brands & products. Sure, it’s cool to show up on the Sunday morning ride with a new Tarmac SL. But it’s so muchcooler to show up on a BMC SLT 01. Ditto on the offroad side, of course. And the same goes for fixies, commuters, 29ers, e-bikes; helmets, shoes, wheels, pedals…you name it.

3.2 The same process opens up new and exciting opportunities for retailers as well i.e. WN, etc...

WN has dealers coming to train and that is exciting and that opens up more options for the customers! You don't have to be told what you have to sell.

3.3 Ditto for equipment, although to a lesser extent, since equipment suppliers can sell in more (or even all) locations.

4. The “A” Brands (and retailers) aren’t going away. But neither can they be all things to all cyclists.

4.1 Even in a shrinking market, there are still about 3,000 specialty bike retailers in the USA. And less than half of them sell either Specialized or Trek.

Again, many of these smaller retailers are smart, savvy, financially sound businesspeople (they have to be— a contracting market already killed off the dumb ones years ago.

It's confusing, even for the experienced cyclist! You can't always get what you want because of the heavy weight that large companies place on their dealers.

Most of the pros don't have the best equipment. I recall being at a race camp and the GM said to the riders, shut up and ride the bike! The point, ride what their sponsors give them and get results regardless. In our case, we see many different brands and bike sizes so it gets pretty crazy.

Your better off to focus on gaining more experience as that contributes more to your improvement and success than equipment.

Manufactures make frames mostly in even or odd sizes, to stretch their frames to jump a couple of centimeters at a time. You have fewer options between the many compact sizes. The task now is placed on a salesperson to help you find a bike that comes close. The bike is a tool and if you don't have a good feel for the tool, you are going to get worked.

Be wary of a salesperson who pressures you toward one bike or pressures you towards some special part that "makes that bike the perfect setup for you." Understand, given the times, that a shop might want to clear the floor of a particular brand or model.

Many go to a WN dealer and get their measurements first! It is very helpful!

Competition is not forgiving. People find out the hard way that less than precise geometry of a frame and precise balance really adds up over many miles. How a bike fits and how it rides, especially in corners and at speed is huge.

A steeper seat tube, means a more aggressive frame and it makes a bike more quick and perhaps more responsive but will also "transfer the shock" of the road straight up to your seat, spine and hands.

Many think that having you sit up is going to reduce the "transfer of shock." Not true! You might want to think of it as having a pair of super stiff ski race boots on top of super stiff skis. Great for setting down the fastest time for top speed for a few runs, but you can't ski in them all day?

If the bike has not been adjusted for you, and I am not talking about only a few minutes and only an eye. You very well could find yourself on the ground in a fast turn, not able to sprint and not able to climb hills. Balance is a big deal.

I am seen more than my share of poor, upright setups have a guy or gal hit the deck in a fast turn! It's not pretty to see the shorts and skin taken off!

Bikes flex, tires flex and all of those flexs provide you the confidence in turns i.e. snow ski flex & ski boots.

This is determined by your handlebar positions and how you feel the bike. Be aware, there are frames that definitely won't work for you. Most of it comes from your skills.

If you are not willing to learn how to ride, that race bike will kick your butt and wear you out!!!

Another point, the most expensive isn't always the best. You need to find seats, seatpost, stems, handlebars, shoes that are shaped for you. Not just copy the fastest pro in the hood. Remember too much or too little flex will keep you perhaps more comfortable when it comes to a longer ride. But it also allows you to carve your turns better.

Take saddles for example, you are going to hear you need to find the correct this or that, a certain shape, a saddle with a cut out in the middle and more. What really matters is something that is going to last and you learning how to address it. Like a ski boot, saddle is going to be a bit uncomfortable in the very beginning. On the other hand you can't believe how many saddles are broken down and I mean only 1/2 season? The boys & the girls parts aren't going to like that!

There are many fit systems today. Many of them have your saddle too low and not allowing the leg to extend. When your knee is not allowed to extend enough, the cartilage is compressed, add the thousands of times you pedal in one hour and you can now understand why cartilage crunches are not good. A poor pedal stroke even with a bike fit will hurt you.

Eyeballing is not good enough, that correct position is only a static fitting. Using a plumb line is a static fitting and it has noting to do with the many sizes of knee caps.

You don't have to guess. You can use a "led" on the skin, but understand you are only tracking the "led." But we all know that skin moves and tracking an led on the outside of the skin is not going to help with compression, shearing, tension within joints and those are the things that cause us to have an ouch! However, the sizzle is cool.

Competition allows us to push the limits, to find more truth. Anyone who's serious about getting into racing, wanting to ride in comfort needs pro advice and insights. This is not just basics, but essential information you need to hone your skills and get the most out of each ride.

We took years to come up with our system. You have to ask the question? Is your fitter just using something they can buy or have they done their homework? We have done our homework and we have the many years of results to back it up.

We don't show you what we are doing on our website. Our science is in our software and we don't estimate it. That is the difference. Our rivals drive us to take the science to another level until most just copy our methods. It's good to lead! To be the first!

World-class competitors help us learn when the heat is on, what is needed. To take you to the finish line means you can't overlook the smallest details. You have to be fully prepared. The wrong pressure in the wrong area, however small is enough to have you going to your physician.

Things like saddle sores are very real. A poor saddle position can keep a rider off the bike. Saddle sores are inflamed boils or pimples on your skin, on your rear end while pressing too much on the saddle. They are very painful!!! They come in many sizes, as small as a pea, or the size of a golf ball. Most of the time they start as an infected hair follicle or chafing from poor saddles that have seams or bad shorts.

Keep it clean! Good clean chamois and lubricant in your shorts every time you ride is a must.

The compression on a saddle is enough to get a professional fit. You want the best interface with the best saddle that fits you and your sits bones. In other words, you have to know where the sit bones are and you can't change your body to adapt to a given saddle. That means you need to learn how to address the bike saddle.

Sitting upright is not going to help you regarding the compression on the saddle!

Get your bike properly fitted to you by a professional fitter. Someone who measures the size and the function of the knee motions, correct saddle zone. To just say that most frontal knee pain is caused by having a saddle too low or too far forward is "way to general."

Saturday, January 23, 2010

WN - Every Picture Tells A Story!

This is not the title of a Rod Stewart Rock & Roll Classic!

It's the truth!

We have so many pictures that tell a story we needed to change our name!

This isn't guess work!

Think you can track this stuff with a human eye, video, or tracking led's?

Ha!

One story leads to another and it has for 10 years!

We can't tell you how many "pictures & stories" we have helped get to the top!
After the picture, our story, many sell out to large mass marketing groups after they WN the biggest races world. You can't really blame them!

After all, after 10 years of WN's we have never paid a racer to use our system!

Today with all the fit ideas you need something that really gets you results!

You have to go faster to do that!

To become a champion you have to WN not talk about it!

Just another picture that tells a story!

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Craig Upton is WN #1. Uses solution w/ every fit. 1000 plus and counting!

So you want to be a bike fitter, then take it from a true pro!

What's Real? What's Imitation? What's behind it all?

There are a ton of new systems and they have big money behind them to market their products.

Craig has over 1,011 fits in our data base and he always uses WN for his solution.

Did you know that Mr. Upton pays for each soulution each time he uses it.

Why? Because it works!

Only the Founder of WN Tom Coleman does more fits than Craig per year!

Craig is a joy to work with,he has been a good student these many years and you can teach him. He doesn't let his ego rule him!

Talking Bike Fit with Craig Upton

Craig Gets It, He Always Has!

Would it not be good if more people knew what Craig knows?

Mon, 09/20/2004 - 11:00pm by alex

Cycling knowledge is often based on myth and riddled with misinformation. This is especially true when it comes to bike fitting. We’ve all gotten some advice based on the 'eyeball' method, plumb lines, or my favorite, the broom-between-crotch technique. So, when I was fit for my road and TT bikes recently by Craig Upton, the current Central Park TT record holder, I wanted to get to the bottom of all the bike-fitting mumbo-jumbo. Here is the result of my fit conversations with him, and some shots of a fit session he did with Jaime Garcia.
NYVC So many fitters are either the highest ranking employee of a bike shop, or an experienced rider with a 'good eye'. I assumed you were the latter until I heard about the science behind your system. Can you talk about some of the research that went into your theory of fit?
CU The research behind the Wobble-Naught system is huge. It involved a group of incredibly qualified people, ranging from a medical team for biomechanics, CAD guys, sEMG and some incredible anatomy guys to make it work. The sEMG is amazing. It basically shows us how much energy each muscle is firing with, so you see how effective your pedal stroke is in each position on the bike. After coming up with the solution that made sense to them, they took it to the Wenzel coaching group (who founded the Saturn juggernaut) to make sure it worked in the real world of bike racing.
The fitting system is based upon measuring and fitting the bike to your skeleton. If you think about it, your skeleton is the structural part of your body, therefore it should make sense that your bike be fitted structurally solid to your skeleton. This is different to other fitting systems which base their positions on muscular flexibility. A fit based upon flexibility will produce a different fit depending on the time of day you get fitted. In the morning when you’re not warmed up your position will end up shorter than in the afternoon.
After positioning the skeleton to the bike, the next trick is to get your muscles working in their most efficient manner. This requires the muscles to be positioned in their relaxed position as we know that a stretched muscle can’t fire. As an example try holding your fist out at arm’s length and lifting a friend’s little finger to the ceiling. You can't do it. But if you bend your arm into its relaxed position, you are now able to lift a lot of weight towards the ceiling.
NYVC Is that why you take such different measurements, like finding the hip socket instead of measuring the inseam (thanks for not making me jam another stick up my crotch), and measuring knee thickness?
@##=#<1,l>@##=#CU Yes, no two people are the same size/shape. For example my pelvic bone is a different size to yours, and to my wife's, etc. So I measure the exact pivot point (your hip joint) rather then the inseam, and then take some calculation with regards to your pelvic bone. If your hip joint is lower in your pelvic bone than mine perhaps we should have different saddle heights, even though our inseams could easily be the same length.
NYVC Almost everyone who visits you gets their saddle raised. I was fitted with the Guimard formula of .883 of inseam length, which is a full 25mm lower than your height. What accounts for the difference?
CU It's true most people that visit me get a raise, and to be honest I'm not completely sure why nobody gets a high enough saddle to start with. I think perhaps people are nervous about hurting their knees (being a common cycling complaint) and think it's safer to have a lower saddle. In actual fact, it's the other way around. A low saddle will almost always cause knee problems. I also think the difference is that I am measuring from your hip joint exactly, the actual pivot point when you cycle rather than the traditional inseam. The research we did when producing the fit system discovered that 1cm up or down did dramatic things to your VO2 power output. We also discovered that you can develop more torque when the saddle is slightly higher than traditional methods, resulting in more power while seated. This follows into the ‘cross setup, where you need to remain seated to keep traction, yet need torque to climb hills. Unlike a road bike where you stand, on a ‘cross bike (or MTB) you need to sit, and keep the back wheel from spinning.
NYVC That's interesting. I'd think you'd want a slightly lower 'cross saddle height to avoid painful remount accidents. You're saying that 'cross saddle height should be the same as road?
CU I'm actually saying the cross height is higher than the road. You just need to practice remounting to save on ugly accidents. The theory is you need more torque than usual seated, because this is how all the climbing is done and you can't come out of the saddle to develop the torque as road cyclists do, because you’ll lose traction.
NYVC While we're on the topic of seat height, most people advocate making changes in small increments. You make the change and that's that. I was surprised that I needed no adjustment period and felt no pain, even though it was a massive change. It's as if you're saying 'this is the right position and you should get into it asap'.
CU This is a tricky one. Yes I try to get people into the correct position asap. I find most people can do it straight away. The theory is that it is where your body is most stable/relaxed and comfortable, so it should want to sit in the new position. Occasionally I get people who are so inflexible (in either body or mind) that I need to adjust them slowly, then the solution is a target rather than "this is your new position". I fit a bunch of pro's earlier in the year at the end of their training camp – they had problems because they had just ridden 800 miles in 8 days, so the new position was a slow adjustment. But I find in general, most people can go straight to it.
NYVC So, were the pro’s all too low as well?
CU Actually they were a mix, I think in general they were too low as it was a team of flat race riders. They had decided that they couldn’t climb, so they were going to race on the flats. In actual fact with their new position, they could climb and had a well rounded season.
NYVC Now to the front end. What are the general principles you use in setting the front end?
CU One thing to remember here is that the front end is about the length of your spine and arms. You should not move the saddle to get the body length you are looking for. We always set the saddle first, which puts the engine in the right place. Then we think about the front end. Firstly we set the length up so the muscles of the body are relaxed, as before if you stretch them out they won’t be able to work for you. We also want the length to be just right, so as you are able to sit with a straight back.
NYVC It seems like you generally drop the bars, and sometimes shorten the stem. First of all, is that correct, and if so, why?
CU I don't know if there is a trend of what happens with the front end. I do get the feeling that people don't lower their handlebars enough because they are worried about flexibility or lack of it. What most people don't realize is that flexibility is not as much of an issue as they think. The trick is rotating the hips forward. So part of the reason I get a lower handlebar height is to encourage hip rotation. We have found with the hips rotated further forward, the muscles in the quads fire better.
NYVC When I was spec'ing my Seven I had to practically arm wrestle them to keep the head tube short. They insisted that you get more power with a more upright position. If they got their way I would've had a headtube so long that the lowest possible handlebar position would've been about 2 cm above your recommended height.
CU I don't know what they are thinking there. Or what they have used to prove this claim. If you developed more power with a higher handlebar height, why would TT bikes, pursuits and sprinters have dramatically low handlebar heights?
NYVC Speaking of TT bikes, what are the fundamental differences between TT fit and road fit?
@##=#<2,r>@##=#CU The TT fit is slightly different to the road position because of the different body position to aid in aerodynamics. The first thing is to roll the body forward in to the aero position first displayed by Greg Lemond in the Tour de France. There have been many studies done proving the aerodynamic benefits of this position. When in this position you have to be aware of what happens to your skeleton. Rolling your body forward and down rotates your hips further forward and results in a higher hip position. This means you require a higher saddle height. One of the tricks is getting the reach at the right distance. The aim here is to get as comfortable as possible, because more comfort equals more power. The most comfortable reach is when the top half of your arm is almost vertical. When this position is achieved the bone in the upper portion of your arm supports your body weight, resulting in less stress in your upper body – less stress and energy used in the upper body means more power to the pedals.
NYVC Do you mean lower hip position? A higher hip position would seem to require a lower saddle to compensate.
CU I mean when you rotate forward, your hip joint moves up because of the shape of the pelvic bone. Therefore your saddle needs to be higher to support the pelvic bone at this new height, it also has to do with the different angle your pelvis now hits the saddle.
NYVC I got the feeling that unlike the road position, there's a lot of room to play around with in a TT position. You could alter the STA, bar height, stem length quite a bit and still get good positions.
CU The TT position appears to have more adjustment or more room for interpretation because of the process in setting the front end. Rather than go with calculated numbers, I like to line the person up with the laser, because you're really limited to one position while riding a TT. It's nice to see the person in the position for a while to make sure they don't wiggle around too much. The actual room for adjustment is about the same.
NYVC So it's actually fairly rigid, but done more visually than mathematically?
@##=#<3,l>@##=#CU That's correct - Interestingly the TT position is not that different to a road position. After getting your legs in the most efficient position on the road bike, why would we change it for a TT setup? Basically the changes compensate for the aero front end. Also in the front end setup, the biggest mistake I see is people trying to get their elbows too close together for obvious aero advantages. The problem here is that it means the shoulders are placed under stress to hold your body up. If you slide your elbows out so the upper portion of your arm is vertical, the bone structure holds the weight and your muscles are relaxed. It is worth noting, that in most cases this position leaves the elbows inside your hip line, so there is basically no aero disadvantage. A great example is David Millar winning the ITT Champs last year. See how wide his aero bars are.
NYVC The fore/aft position of the arms is based on that same principle as well, right? Using the skeleton to support upper body weight instead of muscles?
CU That's right. Use the skeleton to help support the body. There is also a trick in the fore/aft position of the elbows. If you can get the upper portion of your arm close to the same angle as the steerer tube, you'll have an easier time steering the bike while in the aero position. Again this saves some energy while riding.
NYVC That's a really trick concept. Just so intuitively obvious. Between that and having my head a little further back I definitely noticed that the bike tracked very easily. Now, a dedicated TT frame compensates for the forward weight shift. Do you fit people differently when they do a quick conversion of their road bike for a TT?
CU I use the same basic concepts of stacking the skeleton. But there is less movement available on the Road bike to TT bike quick adjustment, so it tends to be finding a solution that the person can do easily themselves, and that gets them into a position that works.
NYVC One quick question for triathletes. Most triathletes ride steeper STA's than roadies, supposedly to save their legs for the run. You told me the exact opposite: move the saddle back to save the hamstrings. What gives?
CU Yes most triathletes have it backwards. A forward seat angle engages the hamstrings more when pedaling, and running is all about hamstrings. I'm not really sure how triathletes came to the forward seat angle, perhaps they thought it was more aerodynamic, but I am sure they didn't test which muscles are being used in different seat positions.
NYVC Now I’m all confused. The conventional wisdom is that tri’s ride steep for the run, and roadies ride shallow because they spend so much time on road bikes, and to conform to UCI rules. Barring any other considerations (running, UCI rules, comfort level), do you believe there’s an ideal STA for TT’s?
CU We believe the ideal seat angle for TT’s is 76 degrees. This puts the legs and body into the most powerful and efficient position. Your frame doesn’t have to be at 76 degrees though. With the aid of the laser I have, I can line any position up as if the seat tube was 76.
NYVC One more question before we leave the bike. You mentioned something about women specific saddles and rocking hips. Can you go over that again?
CU Women’s saddles tend to be wider than men’s saddles, which in theory makes sense, as women tend to be wider in the hips than men. The problem is that most women’s saddles are just too wide for their hip joints, the pivot points. So what happens is that they end up having to rock over each side of the saddle to be able to push the pedals.
@##=#<4,r>@##=#NYVC Ok, now that the bike is set up, on to the cleats. You were digging around the ball of the foot. What was that all about?
CU The trick is to find the Sesamoids, which are little bones in the ball of your foot, then place the cleat just off those so as to avoid hotspots in the shoes.
NYVC That pedaling fix you gave me is along the lines of 'don't use muscles that don't make you faster' as well. It's the best tip I've ever gotten and I'm surprised I never heard it or read it anywhere.
CU I think people are stuck in the ways of repeating what they have heard. It's not until you sit down and think about what you are trying to achieve that you realize where and when to pedal. We manage to prove this theory via sEMG technology. By using equipment that measure when and how much each muscle in the leg fires it became obvious that most people only use a couple of muscles while pedaling, and not the ones they really want to.
NYVC You showed me that I was using my calves, which was totally unnecessary. The funny thing is that I'd frequently cramp up in my calves. As far as using more muscles, is that related to proper knee alignment so that you're using both sides of your legs?
CU Yes, knee alignment helps use both sides of the leg. The most common issue we see is people pedaling with their knees over the top tube. With such a knee in pedal style the rider is only really using their VMO (the big muscle beside the knee on the inside) and don't use the VLO which is the largest muscle in the leg. Also rotating the hip further forward helps the other two muscles in the quadriceps group fire.
NYVC That’s where the Sole insoles come in, right? It really helped me straighten my knees out.
CU The soles will certainly help, but are not a total alignment fix. They are great at supporting the arch in your foot, which wants to collapse with every pedal stroke you take. The problem with the super high tech cycling shoes we buy is that the inner sole, or the piece between you and the technology, is nothing more than a piece of paper.
NYVC I feel as though this was an episode of Mythbusters. It’s scary how much accepted cycling knowledge is based on a house of cards. It’s even scarier how I was a stooge to every one of them.
CU Myth-busting – I often think that is what we are doing with this system. We are using high technology to prove without any doubt or guessing what the correct position on the bike is, and the best way to use it (pedal). So much of cycling is old wives’ tales, it’s just we choose to believe some of it as law. I mean, I’ve heard many times that the old guys would ride 100 miles with one water bottle to get used to it, to toughen them up. But none of us listen to that one. I think a lot of bike position and pedal technique is the same thing.

Luna's Nash tops World Cup in Roubaix, France.

Luna racers world class!

Katerina Nash tops women's field.

Van Den Brand takes over World Cup lead from Compton

Compton was absent from the starting line. Katie is suffering the

same leg cramp problems that troubled her last year! Ouch!!!

Georgia Gould teammate to Nash decided to take time off to focus

on the 2010 season in mtb.

As you know from history, when you had Gould or Nash on course,

you never knew who would win!

It makes you feel good to know and watch the Luna team, year after year

stand on the podium.

They really are among the strongest female

racers in the world in off road events.

One World Cup round remains and will be contested in Hoogerheide, in The Netherlands, next weekend.

What a season Katerina has had!

Full Results

Elite women
		Result
1	Katerina Nash (Cze) Luna	0:40:55
2	Hanka Kupfernagel (Ger)	0:00:13
3	Marianne Vos (Ned) Nederland Bloeit	0:00:52
4	Daphny Van Den Brand (Ned)	0:01:31
5	Sanne Van Paassen (Ned)	0:01:52