KGS Bikes sponsored the Sweet and Twisted Triathlon in Austin yesterday and we had a tent set up so we could chat with folks after the event while they were enjoying the food and drinks and conviviality. While I talk a lot about the way people defend their bikes and their bike shops, I overheard a discussion that was going on a few feet away between one of my clients and another competitor. The discussion centered around the athlete’s complaint that her hands were going numb in 5 miles when she got on the bike and that she had significant saddle and back pain.
I heart my bike, through hand numbness and saddle sores, through back pain and sore knees. Photo, FCL on Flickr
My client mentioned that she may not have the right size bike or that it may not fit and the woman instantly defended her bike. When questioned further by my client, it was apparent that she somehow was the one who either didn’t deserve a bike this nice or was deficient in some way. She would not admit that any part of her discomfort could be the fault of the bike or of the bike shop that she patronized.
I bet the big bike companies would love to have this woman’s testimonial. No matter what discomfort or problem with the bike, she unconditionally loved her bike. She will probably never darken my door and that is too bad, because I think the riders are much more important than the bike. It makes perfect sense under this model to describe X bike as winning the Tour de France, Y bike as winning the Hawaii Ironman. It’s not the rider, but the bike, or is it? Could the bike win without a rider? Just check the latest wind tunnel data!
Food for thought. Thanks for reading and I hope you find time to post a comment.
Originally posted 2009-08-17 13:24:32. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
In awe of his bike - Photo: Now and Here, from Flickr
I get calls every week asking if I can “fit” someone to their bike. This is the way most people view the process in my opinion. They may not even own the bicycle yet, as they may see one in a bike shop, read about it in a magazine or be exposed to advertising and marketing. They may have a favorite cycling team and are enamored with the concept of being able to ride the “same” bike as their favorite bike racer or triathlete. Let’s face it, many bikes are so gorgeous that you just want to be a part of the crowd who has one!
It is well known that people get very attached to their bicycles and this is why bicycle marketing and peer pressure works so well. I have a very high success rate with my fittings but the ones where I failed involved one of two things; either the client could not be made aware enough of changes in position to allow me to find their ultimate best dimension set, or they would rather be less comfortable or efficient as long as they didn’t have to modify or reject their bike! This is why I wrote this article. My question is, do you own the bike or does it own you?
The first case, lack of awareness, is thankfully rare. I believe that just like an eye exam, people sometimes can’t (or won’t) permit themselves to discriminate between one position or another. I would surmise that ophthalmologists encounter this periodically where a patient just can’t tell what lens makes the eye chart easier to see. I am constantly learning new ways to help people get the most out of fittings but this phenomenon proves my point that fitting bicycles to people effectively is not easy.
The second case is more interesting. This involves three instances where my clients brought in their own bikes for a fitting. I did the standard procedure, 1) measure their bike, 2) do the actual fitting procedure on my custom sizing cycle and 3) take those measurements and attempt to set up the existing bike to those dimensions. These were all triathlon bikes, two Cervelos and one Trek. The solution in all the cases was to move the saddle back and to shorten the reach while raising the handlebars. The rider’s comfort and power increased, but at a cost. The cost was the beauty of the bike! Their beautiful baby now looked like “Frankenbike” and in two of the three cases, they rejected the fit in favor of looks or a more “aggressive” position.
I wonder about the claims of an “aggressive” position because I can easily disprove many positions by two key criteria: comfort and power. So, if you own the bike, you treat it as a tool to help you perform your sport. If the bike owns you, the burden is on you to adapt to the bike and you are being disrespectful to it and its designers by modifying it. The added twist of peer pressure can make the acceptance of a modified stock bike very difficult. I have heard reports of people being ridiculed at triathlons when they show up with their bike, knowing it is comfortable and fast but also having seeds of doubt sewn by their competitors and peers. Some people can handle it, some can’t, I have discovered. I think it boils down to who owns who in the relationship of bike to human.
There is a balance point in this mess and paradoxically the custom bike that is expertly designed for an owner is both owned by the rider and appreciated for its beauty and performance. The industry doesn’t promote custom bikes for two reasons, however. The first is, mass produced bikes are much more profitable. The manufacturers can design bikes around bike racers that they sponsor and then have a built in demand for them regardless of their usability by the consumer who may be 20 years older than the racers for which the bikes are designed.
The other problem with custom bikes is in the initial design of the bicycle based on fitting data. The computer term, GIGO, or Garbage In, Garbage Out, applies to custom bikes in a big way. The traditional Local Bicycle Shop, or LBS, has a business model as follows. While they do sell bikes, they make their money on accessories and repairs. Thus the LBS paradox. Since bicycles are harder to sell, harder to fit and have lower margins, fewer and fewer people are truly qualified to professionally sell bicycles! This explains why the LBS typically has younger, less expensive personnel and they sell on price rather than value.
The term Bike Fit is the hot phrase in the industry now and it seems everybody is a fitter. I have studied this paradox and have come to the following conclusions. First, I don’t stock scads of accessories, but do have the expertise to design a bike around a person so well that the people that do experience my services are very happy. I also find that if someone just wants the least expensive commodity bike that there will always be a less expensive one. Finally, since people are looking for the best deal, I ask that they consider who owns who; if you own the bike, the best deal is a bike designed for you. If the bike owns you, the best deal is a bike that you can worship and admire independently of its actual performance for you and with you. Either are ok, but learning which camp you are in is very enlightening.
Thank you so much for reading and I look forward to seeing your comments!
Originally posted 2009-04-14 08:01:21. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
I was a former track sprinter and even though I rarely get on the track anymore I am so excited to see the big boys (and girls) do it right. Here is a You Tube video from the Track World Championships, showing Malaysia’s Azizulhashi Awang against France’s Gregory Bauge, race won by Azizul. Video courtesy of Eurosport.
BTW I think triathletes should all ride the track! They don’t necessarily need to do sprints, but the ability to deal with the banked turns gives one such tremendous bike handling skills that going in a straight line on the road becomes second nature. Pursuit or kilo anyone?
Originally posted 2009-04-02 18:11:14. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
It seems like the first week of 2009 was just a day. It appears many folks are scrambling right now.
I have had some interesting conversations with clients and wanted to share two with you. The first story centers around a client who travels a lot, so only visits infrequently. When he strolled in to look at the latest bicycle I had created for him, I asked if he still intended to put this bike in the race trailer for his racing cars. He surprised me by stating that in today’s economic environment he was pondering whether to race his car this year. He said, “Why should I sell stock to race my car when I can ride my new bike and lose 40 lbs?”
We can’t argue with that logic, Our friend understands leverage and the value of getting a nice bicycle to get back in fighting shape; today’s business environment demands it.
Another client has a nice automobile collection and is faced with a decision to make: “Do I sell stock or sell the Ferrari?” She was telling me about her situation and while spelling out the details, came to a decision about what to do. “If I have to sell the Ferrari, at least I can get a bike and keep my health.”
She bought another bike over the phone. The point of all this is, I see a trait that successful people have. When times get tough, they get creative and work their way out of trouble. Vince Lombardi once said, “Fatigue makes cowards of us all.” These people are getting their action plans developed and want a safe, intense, enjoyable and sustainable exercise program to de-stress and condition to improve their capacity for work.
Bicycling creates this kind of training environment and as such is a great foundation with which to base an exercise plan. If you add a Tacx Fortius Virutal Realiy trainer you get the best of both worlds; a custom bicycle that is an extension of you as well as the worlds best custom stationary bike.
Success is contageous! Join others who are making high-end bicycling part of their success strategy. Besides cycling being praised as the “New Golf”, our mission is to show people The Fountain of Youth. Now is a time of extreme leverage. You can move forward or get passed up. I invite you to let me show you how to turn a high tech toy into a tool for success.
I look forward to working with you in 2009. Here’s to success!
Originally posted 2009-01-10 11:18:50. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
I have been a cycling advocate for over 25 years, writing and preaching to all who will listen (and some that won’t!) about Claim your Lane! and Share the Road! I have never been a huge proponent of building more bike lanes because of the expense, the problems in maintenance and the associate collection of [...]
Forbes.com just posted a blog article on triathlons called “World’s Most Grueling Sporting Events“.
Its not often that this sport is mentioned in a major financial or business journal, but triathlon is so perfect for business people. Barriers to entry are relatively small and continued growth is possible. The business benefits of increased processing power, increased [...]
I spend a lot of time researching high end bicycles and try to find the best of the best. My idea of true high end bicycles are those who perform as well as they look. I am aware of certain bicycle racers who look down on my bikes and those of my clients, calling us [...]
As you know, I am a big fan of Topolino Wheels and before I headed out for a ride had to mention that they have a feature on ROAD Magazine’s site.
Check it out, as it talks about their new all black spoke models.
My good friend Jen Benepe is covering the Tour De France this year and I am going to post links to her blog every day to give you updates. She is a journalist and also is the creator of hotvelociti clothing, who supplies our KGS Bikes jersey.
Here is the first post, titled TDF 2009: Cancellara [...]
