"Anything worth doing is worth doing right": The Science of the Bike Fit

By Eric Hill -

As the old saying goes, “Anything worth doing is worth doing right.” I would say that for a large majority of cyclists, this is a motto that we follow in our day to day routines. We are purposeful in our eating and sleeping patterns, analytical in our workout routines, and critical of our fashion. Cyclists are the definition of a “Type A” personality. But where do you stand when it comes to the “little things” that you have control over and can have a huge impact on your performance?

22,837 revolutions. That is the number of pedal strokes I took in last week’s 4 hour ride. Each pedal stroke drove me forward, consuming a portion of the limited amount of my body’s energy to fire my muscles, converting chemical energy into mechanical energy. In cycling, efficiency is key. That is why we spend thousands of dollars on equipment, to conserve that extra little bit of energy for the right moment to attack and seize the moment.

After having worked in a bike shop for 8 years, I can confidently say that one of the most overlooked elements and details of setting yourself up for success, getting the most out of your body, and enjoying an injury free season is getting a bike fit. The bike fit is a complex, scientific process that requires a deep understanding of anatomy and physiology. For many shops and bicycle consumers, the procedure is grossly simplified to the “stand over the top tube” method, getting in the saddle and finding a saddle height that leaves a slight bend in the knee, and arbitrarily maneuvering any number of components of the bike to get a flat back and slight bend to the arms. This is fine for your ride around campus or quick trip to the local grocer for a gallon of milk, but if you are even slightly serious about training, whether it be for personal health, participating in a local Gran Fondo, or racing at an elite level, your bike fit can have a great impact on what you are able to get out of yourself.

The bike fit is a complex and scientific process, requiring a deep knowledge of anatomy and physiology, bike geometry, and aerodynamics. There is no “one size fits all” fitting procedure. Everyone has a distinct anatomy, each individual has a unique medical history or level of flexibility,  every bike has a different geometry, and every rider has a specific set of goals. All of these elements must be taken into consideration during the fit process. Adding another level of complexity is understanding the way our muscles fire and interact with one another in a way that we are able to most efficiently tap into our energy sources to draw the maximum amount of power.

At Badger Orthotics, a proud and long time sponsor of Project Echelon, owner John Huenink has been working on perfecting the craft of bike fitting for over 25 years. I have known and worked with John as a cyclist since I was 15 years old. He was actually my first employer and cycling mentor, helping me buy my first bike and giving me some gear to get me started, showing he is also invested in the development of the sport. John is a master bike fitter and has been trained by several different fitting academies. He understands the complexity of the bike fitting process and has taken it to new levels of understanding and application, applying his learning and knowledge from each of the fit academies to meet your individual needs.

One of John’s greatest passions for the past several years has been looking at the foot and how it interacts within the shoe. Cycling shoes have evolved a great deal over time, but they have historically been designed with the physiology of the foot in the context of bipedal movement (walking) in mind. John is challenging that practice in order to create a customized orthotic design specific to cycling and carbon footbed cycling shoes that capture the foot in what we call “Relaxed Rigid Lever”. By capturing the foot in its natural lever arm an increased amount of force can be applied to the pedals.

Thirteen years ago, when I first started working with John, he was custom cutting, shaving and gluing cork pads underneath the shoe’s insole. It was a start of something great. He has, and continues to work on, perfecting his craft and developing new iterations of this idea. Each time, the product has become more customizable, comfortable, and breathable. More importantly, the advancement of his work continues to have direct correlations with my improved performance, power numbers, and comfort level on the bike. For most fitters, the knees are their visible and tangible points of reference to understand the pedal stroke. Using the system John has created, in collaboration with the innovative engineering partners he has shared his work with, they are starting to understand how the foot articulates within the shoe, how the foot directs the leg, and ultimately how to more efficiently transfer power from the human engine to the bike.

22,837 revolutions. That is a lot of pedal strokes… I take the time to eat, drink, and sleep right. Heck, I even take the time to line up my bib shorts with my tan line each ride. If you are like me, “anything worth doing is worth doing right,” so you might want to consider paying a visit to John. Take some time to get properly fit with “you” as a rider, your goals, your physiology, your personal history in mind… You never know, that engine of yours might be more capable than you thought once you give it a tune up!