CURRENT NEWS

The BikeFit Tour annual stop in Auburn, Alabama - October 24th and 25th

The weekend's main mission is to participate in the Chris Hinds Memorial Bike Ride and to provide as many bike fits as possible to the Auburn Flyers Collegiate Cycling Team, a team whose early years were significantly influenced by Chris.

The Chris Hinds Memorial Bike Ride (aka Tour de Has Been) started with the ribbon cutting ceremony for a new South Donahue Multi-purpose path. Attending were the Auburn Mayor Bill Ham Jr and Auburn University President Jay Gouge PhD as well as Aubey, the Auburn Mascot.

Paul Swift was able to work with several cyclists on the Auburn Flyers Cycling Team on Friday, the day before the ride. In addition, avid cyclist and commuter Lindy Briggs joined us. Lindy is Director of the Auburn University Sustainability Initiative. This is the group that spearheaded the new bike path around campus. It was a pleasure to be able to help one of the lobbyists that support cyclists having the ability to get around safely on our bikes.

One of our newest Bike Fitters, Llew Hughes from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, drove over to learn and assist with the bike fits. We are grateful for his help and generous donation to Story Book Farm, the benefactor for the Chris Hinds Memorial Bike ride.

Neuvation Cycling hosted our BikeFit Tour Stop in San Luis Obispo, CA, Oct 8th-10th

It was a pleasure to reunite with long-time friend and associate as well as industry icon, John Neugent. John had supported me as a cyclist via sponsorship in the 1980s and 1990s. Our paths go back to John's working at Sachs USA. I also worked with the late Dr Ed Burke as consultants for John when he was working with Trico Sports.

Now John heads Neuvation Cycling which started with "great wheels at great prices." Today Neuvation Cycling also offers "great bikes at great prices." Although they primarily sell bikes online they wanted to improve customer service and get a better understanding of the intricacies of bike fit. The "they" I am referring to are John, and Tyler Cannon. Tyler is the young blood at Neuvation and will be the primary bike fitter. Although Tyler may be young in age he brings a fairly long cycling background. including past bike shop experience.

Please click through to John's Neuvation Cycling Blog to read what he thought about the Bike Fit Training, as well as watch the videos for the basic or simple bike fit tips you can do at home.

Congratulations to our new BikeFit Pros!

Tyler Cannon BikeFit Pro

John Neugent BikeFit Pro

Tyler adjusting a cleat

NEWS RELEASE - Woodinville, WA, & San Francisco, CA, USA - October 17, 2008 - Bike Fit Systems forms partnership with BreakAway Performance Training Center of San Francisco to bring Professional Bike Fit Education to the West Coast.

BreakAway Performance will be recognized as a Bike Fit Systems (BFS) Regional Bike Fitting Education Center. This state-of-the-art performance training facility is located in the heart of San Francisco.

Bike Fit Education certification workshops will be offered several times throughout the year. The focus will be hands-on training for bike fitting with emphasis on the foot-pedal interface and proper biomechanics. Workshops are open to those interested in bike fitting, including those fitters that have already taken other classes, coaches, medical clinicians (PT, DC, PTA, ATC, etc, CEUs available).

According to Founder, Joel Ramirez, "the BreakAway Performance model is designed to partner with experts in performance fields to provide the highest level of education. Director of Education Katrina "Kit" Vogel MS, DPT, and National Cycling Champion, Paul Swift bring credibility to the world of bike fitting. Most people bring on educators who use their products but we went right to the source. BFS creates many of the products and fitting techniques used in the world today. We are excited to be working with these leaders."

2008 Certification Dates:
Time: November 15th & 16th , 9-6pm - Flyer and Reservation Form (PDF)
Place: BreakAway Performance - San Francisco
*More dates throughout 2009 and 2010 to be scheduled soon.

See more at www.bikefit.com and www.BreakAwaySF.com

We are back from INTERBIKE 2008

Woodinville, WA - September 29, 2008 - We had a fantastic time last week at INTERBIKE 2008, in Las Vegas. Thank you to everybody who stopped by our booth. It was great to see old friends again, put faces to the names of our newer contacts, and to make new friends. We are looking forward to expanding our relationships with all of you.

"Super Dave" Osborne, of Roadcycling.com stopped by for a quick interview, which you can read on his Interbike Briefs page.

Our friends from CyclingNews.com also stopped by and took note of our new products, the ITS Wedges, and LL Shims, as well as, of course, the classic Cleat Wedges.

Day 1, before the opening - the calm before the storm...

Kit Vogel takes part in Advanced Study Clinic

In July, Kit joined forces with Dr. Massimo "Max" Testa (TOSH: The Orthopedic Specialty Hospital; Salt Lake City, UT) and Chuck Brockman, MPT, OCS (Therapeutic Associates, Inc; Bend, OR) in Seattle for a weekend of lactate testing and bike fitting. Max is the former US National Team physician that still made house calls to his non-cycling patients in Italy.

Most of the cyclists at the mini-camp were members of the Lakemont Cycling Club and Lakemont Ladies Cycling. The day included bike fitting, ear poking to detect changes in lactate as the cyclists reached their lactate threshold, spin scans to detect changes in efficiency and lots of greasy hands working on bikes.

Max, originally from Italy, is a legend in the cycling world. It's pretty wild to spend the day with Max in a 15x20 foot room and get to know him for "just Max," the genuine person. Over dinner that night, his stories abounded with tales of being chased by rednecks in big trucks, sleeping in school houses during the Tour de France, and cheering on his friend Ivan Basso on the roadside during the Giro de Italia.

Thank you to Lakemont Therapeutic Associates, Inc for sponsoring this great event. We all look forward to next year in Bend, OR!

Nicole Cooke Rides to Gold with BikeFit Systems Cleat Wedges

Nicole Cooke of Great Britain won the Gold Medal in the Women's Cycling Road Race at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games - and she had been fitted with our Cleat Wedges by our friends at CycleFit UK. Be sure to check out the postcard she sent them, on the CycleFit UK homepage.

Trek of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh, PA - July 1 & 2, 2008

Don Mosites BikeFit Pro

Marry Heyne BikeFit Pro

Samuel Kaufman BikeFit Pro

Christian Schott BikeFit Pro

The BikeFit Tour made a stop in Pittsburgh, PA July 1 & 2 to work with a Trek Dealer.

Four of the staff at Trek of Pittsburgh participated in two days of BikeFit Pro Education and Training with Paul Swift of Bike Fit Systems. Trek of Pittsburgh is driven by Don Mosites, businessman and passionate cyclist.

The BikeFit Pro Education Training reviewed the fit of several cyclists as part of the "hands-on" course, going through real world scenarios, which is an important part of the BikeFit Pro Educational process.

An overview of bike fit was covered. The diverse group Trek of Pittsburgh staff offered plenty of interjection from their vast previous cycling knowledge, which allowed for a thorough approach and review. Previous cycling experience is not a requirement but in this case it increased the learning rate of our BikeFit Pros.

Becoming a familiar face at many Trek dealers, Paul and Bike Fit Systems are making their way around the world offering in-house hands-on BikeFit Pro Education. The continued growth of consumer awareness regarding the importance of bike fit has dealers looking to provide improved services in this area. No longer can a dealer just try to make a cyclist look good but they must also help them feel more comfortable and be more efficient on their bicycle.

BikeFit Pro participants included Don Mosites, Marry Heyne, Samuel Kaufman and Christian Schott.

Paul also provided a lecture for store customers on the evening of July 2 at the Shadyside location for Trek of Pittsburgh. Paul provided some insights to Bike Fit and why Trek of Pittsburgh is a leader in the local cycling community. This event was attended by a large group of customers and involved lots of Q & A time with Paul.

Bike Masters - Omaha, NE - June 23 - 25, 2008

Dave Reinarz BikeFit Pro

Tim Wilson BikeFit Pro

In Nebraska there is a bike shop called Bike Masters which has been putting in a wonderful effort to increase customer service across the board, and Bike Fit Service is a big part of that. When you walk in the shop there is an area to sit and view catalogs of the bikes and dedicated accessories carried in the store. Off to one side is a huge dedicated bike fit area. This area has a well laid out atmosphere for cyclists getting bike fits.

For three days this area was monopolized with one bike fit after another. Meeting and befriending cool customers during a bike fit is truly one of the highlights/benefits of the whole experience.

Dave is the main man behind this effort at Bike Masters, followed closely by Tim Wilson. Both clearly exhibit their affinity for cycling in a bike fit session. Not only is the shop comfortable, you will feel at ease in their care.

We welcome two more BikeFit Pros: Dave Reinarz and Tim Wilson. This is a shop worth visiting in Omaha, NE.

Diaz Human Performance - Camarillo, CA - June 15 & 16, 2008

Richard Diaz BikeFit Pro

When you see the words "human performance", several different ideas may come to mind. When it comes to using the words "human performance" at Diaz Human Performance (DHP), I can tell you it really brings the meaning to a new level.

DHP is a special place. Not only do they work with athletes, but everyday people. Richard of DHP specializes in helping everyday people perform exceptionally.

Richard has this ability to help his clients simply move much more gracefully and efficiently than their past limitations allowed. In other words, awkward movements for many become a thing of the past. To try and describe some of the scenarios simply pales in comparison to seeing some of this in real life or watching his videos. We strongly suggest if you are in the Camarillo, CA area, this is one place you must see.

Richard is now adding Bike Fitting to his repertoire. Having catered to many cyclists from a training aspect, he is now applying his abilities in walking and running diagnostics to cycling. Richard has a keen eye for finding asymmetries and other issues. DHP quickly is becoming a place to be recognized in the bike fitting world.

Lastly, Richard has a very cool form of data capture with software by Sports Motion. When you go for your assessment you will enjoy this value added feature that he offers.

Bike Fit Training - Woodinville, WA - June 6 & 7, 2008

Dean Peterson BikeFit Pro

Russell Stevenson BikeFit Pro

Dean Peterson and Russell Stevenson visited us at an affiliate location in the Pacific Northwest -- Woodinville Bike Shop in Woodinville, WA, for 2 days of intensive bike fit training.

Dean Peterson is Head Coach at Marian College in Indianapolis, IN.
Russell Stevenson is a Coach/Founder of Cycling Northwest of Seattle, WA.

For Paul, it was a pleasure working with both of these coaches, as there is a real passion for cycling that bleeds into their approach to Bike Fitting. Within the 2 days of training, 8 cyclists passed before them, each were part of the "hands on" education. These real world participants are an important part of the Bike Fit Educational process.

A complete overview of Bike Fit was covered. Both coaches (both are active racers as well) were able to interject their previous, vast cycling knowledge, which allowed for an advanced approach and review. While not a requirement, cycling experience can really speed up the learning process for many in the Bike Fit profession.

They both are great examples of cyclists expanding their knowledge to be able to share more of the sport with others. This is directly in line with the Bike Fit mission to help more cyclists experience the joy and wonder of the sport.

If you are in the metro areas of Seattle or Indianapolis and are looking for a good Bike Fit (or some coaching) these two are great people to contact.

SlowTwitch F.I.S.T. - March 12, 2008

More Slow Twitchers - Foot Pedal Interface Training

Becoming a familiar face at Slow Twitch Tri Bike Fit training is Bike Fit System's owner Paul Swift. This past March Paul worked with another group of FIST trained fitters that added Foot/Pedal interface education to their repertoire.

This training was conducted by Paul along with Aron Gadhia from Los Angeles assisting. The FIST groups are getting larger and by having Aron we are able to maintain as much individual time with each fitter. Aron has been training in The Bicycle Fitting System for years and came up via the apprentice program Bike Fit Systems offers.

The number of Bike Fitters completing their offering with an understanding of this important connection continues to grow. This is in part due to cyclists also realizing it is more important than to just look good on the bike but also be able to pedal comfortably and with power - that is the solution. Remember, a small percentage of increase in a cycling time split equates to much more time in a run or swim with same percentage of improvement. In other words a faster bike split makes up more time overall than a faster swim or run.

This is often achieved with less effort by simply getting a good bike fit. So remember when you get a bike fit, if your foot/pedal connection is not addressed then you did not getting a complete fit.

Our hats are off to Slow Twitch for realizing this about Bike Fit and bringing in a more complete education for their fitters.

Here are a few of the fitters we had the privilege of work with on March 12:

• Cathy Penna - Brielle Cyclery, NJ
• Vince Boyer - Village Cycle Sport, IL
• Jason Eberhardt - Village Cycle Sport, IL

St. Mary's Duluth Clinic - April 26, 2008

St. Mary's Duluth Clinic jump-started their bike fitting program with a HANDS-ON bike fit training class from Kit Vogel, of Bike Fit Systems.

Kit spent the weekend training the physical therapists at SMDC (Sheree, Robyn, Sonja and Pat). Nancy Nesbit DPT, LMT, CSCS also joined the class from Back-n-Action Physical Therapy (Park Falls, Wisconsin). The bike fit class focused on analysis of cycling biomechanics on road and mountain bikes with a HANDS-ON approach. Each participant analyzed the cyclists' biomechanics, individual body architecture and proceeded to make the appropriate adjustment to the cyclists' bike and cleats.

The Sports Performance Program at SMDC promises to be exciting and pro-active in keeping cyclists happy and healthy on their bikes. The physical therapists are working in conjunction with local bike shops for bike parts and consultation. Way to go SMDC!

Physical Therapy Continuing Education for Group Health Physical Therapists

On February 2, 2008, Kit and Paul worked with 14 of the Group Health physical therapists with HANDS-ON training for bike fit and implementing those skills into the clinical setting. This class (8 hours of CECs) included video analysis of normal and abnormal cycling biomechanics, anatomical structural analysis, differential diagnosis and hands-on training for altering the bike to address the dysfunction. The foot-pedal interface received special attention in addressing lower extremity biomechanics, especially for patella-femoral syndrome, ITB syndrome and a variety of low back pathologies.

Group Health continues to be a HUGE supporter of cycling in Washington State, including the Group Health Velodrome, Group Health Seattle to Portland Ride, and the Group Health Cycling Team, just to name just a few. We'd like to extend our continued appreciation to Group Health for all of their work and efforts for the cycling community.

Kit Vogel Leading a Physical Therapy Continuing Education Session at Group Health

Read about Bike Fit Cleat Wedges in Outside Magazine

Tuesday, April 15, 2008 - In the May 2008 issue of Outside Magazine, Bike Fit Cleat Wedges get mentioned along with Andy Pruitt's Complete Medical Guide for Cyclists. He offers tips on Bike Fit... and Outside's pick for shoes has BikeFit.com mentioned with the patented Cleat Wedges. Get a copy of the magazine today at your local newsstand. See the "Spring Cycling Guide" section, page 144.

Second Stage of 2008 Bike Fit Tour in Italy and Switzerland

As you may know, BikeFit Systems sells into several countries. Italy however, is one country that brings an extra something special to the table. Maybe it is the good food or perhaps the rich cycling history. But this might really be more about being able to crack the old world Italian cycling ideals with a product from the USA.

The Cleat Wedge has arrived in Italy and is drawing attention from the very best in the field.

Luckily, for this trip, our International Director, Andrew Weber, accompanied me (OK, chauffeured me around). Andrew grew up in Italy, so all I had to do was relax in the passenger seat. Here he is outside of his room at a cool hotel during the trip.

Here are some highlights from just two of stops on this journey throughout Italy and Switzerland:

Mapei Sports Medicine Clinic, Castellanza, IT

I knew there was something about this place the moment we walked in. There was a poster on the wall, which told me right away that these people get it.

Notice the feet and the areas of pressure. One diagram is while standing and one is while pedaling

Dr. Andrea Morelli was very gracious and showed us all around the facility. The wedges were seen in a few different rooms. Rumors suggest plenty of cyclists are going out the door with them on their shoes.

Ergomotion Center, Pontedera, IT

Fulvio Valentini BikeFit Pro

Fulvio Valentini is the man behind this operation. He has fit more top professional cyclists than any other facility I have visited. Interesting fact is that cyclists seek him out. Jerseys adorn the walls from all of the top teams in the pro peloton.

Fulvio embraced the wedges from the get-go. He was also very welcoming and invited us to participate in one of his bike fits. This was rare in Italy, as most places we visited seemed to close things off to prevent anyone from seeing what is going on. They are very private when it comes to bike fit.

On the left is a photo of a cleat adjustment template that Fulvio likes to use. Look for something similar from BikeFit in the future.

In my many years as a cyclist, then as a designer of cycling and bike fitting products, Fulvio is the one person I have met where it seems like we think more alike than anyone else. He has a plethora of widgets and gadgets, which he incorporates into his fit, yet it is not overwhelming. His approach is methodical and precise.

Bike Fit Tour 2008 kicks off in Canada

Andrew Gustafson BikeFit Pro

Dan Giberson BikeFit Pro

January 11-13, 2008, the Bike Fit Tour visited Natural High Fitness and Athletics, in Okotoks, AB, Canada - just south of Calgary.

One of the more "unique" places for bike fitting in the world is at Natural High in Okotoks, Alberta, located in the Great White North (at least during the cold winter months).

The program is driven by two of the calmest, yet most driven people I have had the pleasure to meet. They really took a methodical approach to this [Bike Fit] just like many of their offerings at the Natural High Fitness, or actually, Lifestyle Centre.

Natural High is owned by Andrew Gustafson and their cycling program is driven by Dan Giberson. Natural High has been training cyclists with CompuTrainers as well as the V-Bikes from Spinning. Dan and Andrew are both amazing at reading peoples' bodies, but were not sure what they were seeing with their cyclists, especially when the cyclist's mechanics were "just not quite right." With just a few tips, these two took to bike fit like no others I have seen. Combining their keen understanding of the body with their passion to help people, these guys just grasped the bike concept like they owned it. They integrated into bike fitters almost from the start.

It is rare I feel this comfortable with bike fitters and their ability to solve problems so quickly. We advanced through the training faster and further than I ever could have imagined.

If you ever get the chance, I highly encourage you to go experience this place and the people working at Natural High.

The Bike Fit Tour goes to Korea, works with Trek and Specialized Dealers

Dongkeon Lee "DK" BikeFit Pro

In December, 2007, the Bike Fit Tour visited five locations and conducted Bike Fit education training sessions for two days at each stop. Paul teamed up on this tour with Director of Education for Korea, DK (of Sanzler). This Korean tour was sponsored by Spo-World, the Bike Fit Systems distributor, and Sanzler, head of Bike Fit education.

The first stop on the tour was hosted by Sanzler, in Seoul. The first Trek Concept Store outside of America, also in Seoul, was the host of the second stop. MTB Life, located in the city of Jeonju, marked the middle of the trip. Trek and Specialized dealer Dream Bike, in Taegu, hosted the 4th training site. The tour's finale took place at Trek dealer, Kon Bike, in Seoul.

This marks the first Bike Fit tour of Korea, with future dates already being negotiated. Korean Cycling Magazines attended the first event on the tour. DK of Sanzler is the main person with the vision for Korea and has done a tremendous job for us. We hope to model more new distribution agreements in this fashion, as the feedback was great.

Bike Fit class at Sanzler

Posing for Bicycle Magazine of Korea, at Sanzler

Paul with the Korean Trek Concept Team, in Seoul,
after their Bike Fit Training session

Paul with DK, at the Seoul Trek Concept Store

The crew from "Dream Bike", Korea

Training session at Dream Bike

Attentive Dream Bike crew - nice hats, gentlemen! :-)

More SICI coverage

Wednesday, February 6, 2008 - As we were putting together a recap of last week's SICI event, one of our favorite dealers sent us a link to their blog. So, instead of hearing a recap from the horse's mouth, we thought we would just share Phil and Julian's experience.

Velonews coverage of Bike Fit Systems at SICI.

Tuesday, February 5, 2008 - Read about Paul Swift and Kit Vogel at the SICI Symposium in the Velonews Tech Report section. In both cases, scroll down the page that opens when you click the link, to find the relevant section. Kit is covered here, and Paul is covered on this page.

Pez Cycling News reviews Bike Fit services at CycleFit UK

Read about our UK partner, Cycle Fit, in London. This group has been with us for a long time and have had tremendous success with the wedges. In December of 2007, Pez Cycling News wrote a review of their services.

Dr Max Testa and Dr Eric Heiden host the US Cycling Team training and testing camp at TOSH

Woodinville, WA - January 18, 2008 - Both Max and Eric have been long time customers of Bike Fit Systems, using Cleat Wedges. Today they collectively represent TOSH (The Orthopedic Specialty Hospital). Read the USA Cycling article here.

For all of our Spanish speaking cycling friends

Spain - January 16, 2008 - Leading cycling online magazine in Spain arueda.com reviews The Cleat Wedge and Fore Foot Measuring Device to measure fore foot Varus or Valgus. Here is arueda.com's product review (in Spanish).

Bike Fit Systems pays Rashaan Bahati of Rock Racing a visit

Tuesday, January 15, 2008 - A recent trip to So Cal turns into a Bike Fit.

Rashaan Bahati of Rock Racing called me the other day to ask when I was going to be in LA again. The next day I finalized an unexpected meeting in Venice for the following week. After the meeting, I ended the night at his place, finally leaving around 9:30pm. I have known Rashaan since he was a teenager, but last year was the first time I really had a chance to work with his bike fit at a Rock Racing training camp. Check out his blog, which talks about some of his issues.

Here are several photos from our fitting session.

The one that looks like I am choking him is actually just us talking about his sore (big time tension) shoulders. Rashaan in the heat of racing action tends to scrunch up his shoulders. Looks like a shorter stem is in order but mostly a conscious effort on his part is probably needed. Note that his shoulders never hurt on easy rides...

Be sure to check out Rashaan's web site.