Featured Bike Fitter

Paul, it helps to have a 400 horsepower race car designed in a wind tunnel in front breaking the wind for you. Thank you for this opportunity to expound on a few of my ideas by the way.

Fitting cyclists, coaching cyclists, collecting and restoring vintage sports cars and antique bicycles.

It has been an evolving process that started about 30 years ago. I call my certification program FiTTE, an acronym for Fitness, Training, Technique, Equipment. The evolution has taken me in a different direction from traditional bike fitting. I prioritize each fit, making both mechanical adjustments to the equipment, and physical adjustments and stabilization exercises for the body. That completes the hypothesis and allows me to fine tune the bike and body in a far more effective manner than traditional fitting. The process is documented with Spin scan software and it's not unusual to see a 20-25% gain in wattage with a decrease in heart rate.

I have been using the Big Meat Cleat Wedges ever since they were introduced, before that we corrected varus and valgus misalignment with custom sliced leather shims.

You may not appreciate my answer, because I've never been very good at playing follow-the-leader. I have been using wedges since the early '80s. Contrary to established protocol, as promoted, I use the wedges in exact opposition to the manner described in your literature. I prefer to answer to the higher authority of anatomical alignment, which contrary to the diagram is perfectly linear in nature. I prescribe to the belief that the most direct application of power is a perfectly linear vector. If that force vector delineates in any fashion, power is lost. I therefore use the wedge to correct and flatten the foot on the pedal. For a fitter who uses and understands the Spin Scan software program, and can document results through Watts Up, the power advantages are obvious in terms of improved average torque angles, percentages of power, and mostly through rider feedback. We must consider all of these variables and not simply the tired old hand-me-down doctrine of dogma.

I fit cyclists from all segments of our sporting society, from the kids on the UCSD cycling team to a seemingly endless array of people with physical problems: knee issues, to fine tuning prosthesics for a physically challenged cyclist. I do volunteer clinics for the Challenged Athlete Foundation here in Encinitas. We work with ultra-distance specialists training for RAAM. Pure road riders and triathletes make up the bulk of our clientele, but we also work with track riders, MTBers and recumbent cyclists. One of the most common scenarios is for someone to fly into San Diego, work with me for a few days on fitting, soft tissue manipulation and the requisite body balancing sessions which include a vast array of complimentary stretching and specific strength training. This is where we really make a difference. This spring I saw a few young riders increase their wattage by as much as 60% with a stabilized and in several cases lowered heart rate. The athletes that I've adjusted have scored over 155 national championships and 12 world titles. Very cool!

I'm extremely proud of Brad Huff, a fellow Missourian who rides for Slipstream. I've worked with him since he was a young kid and watched him win the Madison, the elite and pro criterium championship and most recently a bronze in the world cup. He's the first male track medalist since Marty scored in the '80s. That's interesting because, that is who I had in mind when asking this question. My main perspective with Brad is that he is exciting to watch and so many cyclists are just not that exciting. I would go watch more races if we had more Brad Huffs around.

The Pan Am Games Road Race Gold in Cali in '71. Significant in that it brought real money into the sport, and no other American rider has done it, before or since. I'm also proud of my win in the Ironman World Championship triathlon in '81.

As for tactics, Butch Martin was probably the best road coach, but Kudos to Eddie B who was a great source of knowledge during those dark years. I never really worked much with Eddie, after 1980 I became a triathlete.

They are both great champions and should be revered as such. It's pure irony that they both overcame death-defying physical challenges to reach the pinnacle of their successful careers.

Innocent until proven guilty. Nothing new to add to that fire. In my mind, Floyd is a victim of circumstance and I respect him as an athlete and as a human being. His '06 season including the disputed Tour victory was simply phenomenal. WOW, I didn't even think you would answer this question, but I do feel this might be the first time any athlete really might be innocent.

Treat the bike as a holistic method for improving the quality, utility and longevity of your life.

Why start a question with a negative? I like everything about bikes, but I'd say, at least in most of the rest of the country, our lack of trails and designated multi-use roadways is a big stumbling block to riding them. Well, I did not mean to be negative and probably should have reworded that question as I really was looking for something like - what would you change or would you like to see changed on or with bicycles?

Get involved in the science of soft tissue release to complement your fitting skills. Learn FiTTE, it's a far more satisfying and significant performance enhancement process than just turning allen bolts and sliding a plastic goniometer.

I have a lot of them, but germane to this conversation, I'd just add a line from Albert Einstein who said, "Imagination rules the world, it is a preview of life's coming attractions." I like that, thanks for sharing it with us.

Helping my brother launch the emerging sport of Water Cycling. We also build lightning fast pedal-powered water cycles, I guess I forgot to mention that.

I'd like to use this forum to challenge any and all bike fitters to a competition to see just how all of the other systems stack up against FiTTE. Something tells me there might not be too many takers... Still competitive, I see. I guess that is something that never leaves a lot of us who have raced. Not sure if I can use my own forum here, but I am game. I feel that the worst that can come out of this is, I or we, learn something. I'm not sure there really would be a loser. Kind of lame to use that wrap up but what can I say?

Fitting cyclists without adjusting their bodies is like slowly watching the dessert cart go to the next table. You bring up a good point. Bike Fitting really is an evolving process and we often do not get a chance to work over time with cyclists. Few of us fit, coach and more - so we Bike Fitters need to be more synergistic with coaches and perhaps Physical Therapists, Trainers, and so on.

I am proud to know you. Thanks, Paul Swift.