Enlightened Fitting

Forget normal bike fitting.  Performance is a buzz word that sweeps real world concerns under the rug.  Speed comes first in performance based fitting, which means a numb crotch is second fiddle to how ‘fast’ you are. That’s like saying you have a car that’s super fast, but the seat hurts your back after 2 minutes of driving.  In the 15-30 minutes you’ll actually ride in that aggressive position during a normal bike fit, chances are your hands won’t go numb, but they will on the road.  Starting with speed as a fit objective is crazy, unless you are paid to race your bike.  Hiking shoes don’t start with hiking speed as an objective, they start with a fit that allows you to comfortably hike longer, without pain.  Cycling fit should based on the same objective: riding without pain.

The keys to our achieving Enlightened Fit are in the touch points:  Where they are, what shape they have, and what material they are made of.  

There are 3 primary touch points, and 2 secondary ones. The saddle, handlebars (including grips + bar tape), and pedals are the primary points.  The shifters and brake levers make up the secondary points.  These touch points are the main components you physically come in contact with on a bike.  Every aspect of these touch points needs to be considered:  What is the physical height of the bars and saddle, reach or setback, and tilt?  What shape do they have, and are they strong enough? What material are they covered with? Where are the brake levers placed and what angle do they live at?  If these things are not considered on each touch point, the bike will uncomfortable as heck and no fun to ride.  You might might be able to convince yourself that it’s ok, but if you have to do any justifying, you know deep down something’s wrong.  Enlightened Fit makes you want to ride your bike. 

Analog believes bikes are tools to discover the world.  As such, bikes should feel good to ride, so that you want to ride them. We do fit consultations in-person or remotely. We’ve done over 350 fits with traditional fitting protocols (F.I.S.T. and Fit Kit Certified, Guru fit machine certified), and from this, we’ve learned a whole bunch about how bikes and bodies interact, and just as importantly, ways they don’t work together. We’ve taken lessons from years of traditional fitting, researching, riding, and questioning the current paradigm.  And by all that experience our fit process has been boiled down like sap to real maple syrup.  From Enlightened Fitting comes speed, efficiency, and most importantly, the desire to ride more. 

The fit process starts by gathering information and asking questions. From there we’ll make fit recommendations. As needed we will source and ship parts. If you’re local we’ll get you out on a test ride with a bike that reflects those recommendations and do the labor in-house.  Email us to get the Enlightened Fitting info packet and initial fit questions.