With all the news about mass marketing fitting jigs, etc... Perhaps more truth from a guy who is really doing his homework! A quote from a guy who has been earnestly been looking for the Holy Grail of bit fit ( London-based fitters). Is bike fitting like the
Monty Python of what's perfect?
We know that a person must learn how to pedal! You must learn the skills for what it is you wish to do! We know many don't like how a super stiff fitting jig puts them in a perfect position! No kidding, a fitting jig is so independent from a bike you ride!
Their first stop is a French-controlled castle where they believe the Grail is being held. After being insulted in mangled
Franglais, they try to sneak into the castle in a
Trojan Rabbit, but this plan goes terribly wrong when they forget to hide inside it first, and the rabbit is subsequently catapulted back at them. Arthur then decides the group should separate to seek the Grail.
Concurrently, in a manner of "breaking the
fourth wall", a modern-day historian is describing the Arthurian legend for a television program. He is suddenly killed by a knight on horseback, triggering a police investigation.
Each of the Knights encounters various perils on their quest. Arthur and Bedevere attempt to satisfy the strange requests of the dreaded
Knights who say Ni. Sir Robin narrowly avoids a fight with the Three-Headed Giant by running away while the heads are arguing, causing embarrassment as the bard following him sings "Brave Sir Robin ran away". Sir Lancelot accidentally assaults a wedding party at Swamp Castle, mistakenly believing them to be holding a lady against her will, only to discover an effeminate boy. Galahad is led by a Grail-shaped beacon to Castle Anthrax, populated only by women who wish to perform sexual favours for him, but is "rescued", somewhat against his will, by Lancelot.
The Knights regroup and travel to see
Tim the Enchanter, who points them to caves where the location of the Grail is written on the walls. To enter the caves, the group is forced to defeat the
Rabbit of Caerbannog using the
Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch. They enter the cave and are attacked by the Legendary Black Beast of Aaaaarrrrrrggghhh, which devours Brother Maynard. Arthur and his Knights flee and barely escape by virtue of the beast's animator suffering a fatal heart attack.
With their final destination known, the group travels to its last peril, the Bridge of Death, where each Knight is forced to answer three questions by the bridge-keeper before they can cross the Gorge of Eternal Peril; Sirs Robin and Galahad fail and are thrown into a chasm below. Arthur, at his turn, accidentally tricks the bridge-keeper, who is thrown into the chasm himself.
Lancelot becomes separated from Arthur and Bedevere, and is later shown being arrested by police for the murder of the historian. Arthur and Bedevere travel to the Grail castle, which turns out to be occupied by the same French forces who insulted and drove them off earlier. The Knights amass a large army and prepare to storm the castle, but just as they begin to charge, the modern police arrive on the scene. Arthur and Bedevere are arrested, and one of the officers knocks the film out of the camera, putting an abrupt end to the movie.
"Over these sessions I’ve had fittings using the Specialized / Andy Pruit BGFit system, two using the Retül system (which I am also qualified in using), twice at CycleFit in London (one at Covent Garden and one at Pearson Cycles who are trained and licensed by CycleFit to use their name) and once at Baum before they built my Corretto. The next one will be with my physio who is also a trained and well practiced bike fitter.
So system which do I prefer?
In truth, none of them. I have always taken on the advice of the person doing the fitting, ridden my bike for a while post-fitting (which you should always do, and for long enough to settle into the changes) and then tweaked my position for comfort where I still didn’t feel right / wasn’t comfortable post-fitting / felt better pre-fitting / come to a compromise. Each fitting has contributed some useful info, and each fitting (with the exception of one) left me with doubts about the fitters understanding of my issues and / or knowledge of what they were doing. One of them in particular (and I’ll keep that to myself for now) I would only ever use through a VERY experienced fitter too…"
- "Consider this also: Have a good day, be happy and relaxed, then go for a bike fitting – you’ll probably end up in quite a different position than if you were tired, stressed and unhappy. However, during your fitting you’re sat indoors on a trainer or fitting jig so in reality either way your position will probably be slightly different when you’re out on the road anyway. You will sit differently on the bike depending on how you’ve slept, what your stress levels are like, how happy you are, who you’re riding with, what type of ride you’re doing etc... Given that’s the case, how can there be such a thing as ‘perfect fit’?"
True, there in only motion in and out of balance, there are zones of contacts, it also takes the mind to know how to move and when! Coming soon!
