Getting Fitted For a Road Bike

I never thought I would get fitted for a road bike. Especially after my first experience in a spin class that was completely dreadful with two days of walking funny and not being able to sit. And after I claimed I was dying after my first triathlon.

I have been thinking about how to take my triathlon experience to the next level, i.e. place in my age division. Of course there's the obvious, train to be more efficient at all three disciplines. Then there's the equipment side of things. Better gear. Improving my bike is definitely one piece of equipment that can help me.

Apparently, there are all kinds of special angles and sizes of bikes that affect your power on the bike. I went to East Coasters today to get measured and find the right bike for my body. It was a great learning experience, to say the least. The biggest ah-ha moment was during the discussion of the pedal cycle (like looking at a clock face) and understanding the muscles involved at each point during this cycle. With the incorrect fit of the bike I used last year and the fact that I didn't have clipless pedals, I wasted about 1/2 of the power I was putting into the pedal. Wow...all that hard work I put into the bike was giving me half of the results!

Just by getting the fitting done, I think I learned twice as much about the road bike than what I knew before going in the store. What's next? Well, I am waiting for the measurement results and analysis on cost to either enhance my bike to fit me or purchase a new bike. Once I get the results back maybe I can convince a company to sponsor me so that I can afford the enhancements or a new bike. Any takers??? ;-)