Dear Kevin,

I am doing a time trial and want to know the fastest way to do the race. Should I take it easy on the uphills and then ride fast on the downhills to let gravity help me?

Melody

Dear Melody,

You have it backwards. We don’t have a lot of horsepower as humans but do have enough power to maintain speed easier than to accelerate. This plays out two ways on a time trial. First, you want to hit the uphill hard. You can recover on the downhill part or the flat, but anytime you are heading up, it needs to hurt. Secondly, Lance was showing us some tricks in the Tour this year, by standing, but keeping his back flat and staying low, to get an increase in speed. He would then sit and hold it until the speed dropped back.

A short triathlon requires the same efforts as a time trial, staying aerobic, but just barely. It is only when you start going from Sprint to Olympic distances and then beyond, that your efforts need to scale back to keep you energized for the run.

Practice in pacing is critically important in time trials and you need to be able to do a Negative Split, or finish the race a little faster than you started. Most people make the mistake of going out too hard at first and blowing up, then having to deal with a slow race and a bad attitude. Perfect practice makes perfect!

Kevin

Dear Kevin,

I have seen some of my friends’ bikes after you did a fitting on them. They don’t look right. The stem is short and upturned and they don’t have that aggressive look they used to have. Are you doing this just to sell a new bike?

Jason

Hi Jason,

You are quite observant that many people end up with short upturned stems on bikes they purchased before seeing me. I am not trying to force people to get a new bike by making their current bike ugly, but you are not the first person to comment on this. The real reason I have to put these crazy looking stems on existing bikes is, the owners bought the wrong size and they want to be more comfortable. They figured that a bike that is more comfortable but less attractive is better for them, although I have had a few people revert back to the old setup because they figured the bike’s aesthetics was more important than their comfort.

Most of the time, you go into a bike shop and eye a cool bike and you want it. If it almost fits, they move the saddle forward until their reach is acceptable and they send you out the door. The bike feels fine, since it is new and everything works great. The bike shop is happy because they made a sale. After awhile, you may find that the bike is not quite as comfortable on long rides or for other reasons and then see me. I am then tasked with making it work.

At the end of the day, our BalancePoint Fitting system works on getting you balanced on the saddle first, then locating the handlebars based on that saddle position. This is what causes the stem to sometimes be the one part of the bike that has the extreme modification. Sometimes we even need to put a steerer extension on the fork to raise the bars higher. Even with these measures, success is not guaranteed.

Some people just don’t care what the bike feels like as long as it looks cool. I can’t help them. Others want their existing bike to be perfectly fitted and I can get partway there most of the time. Like it or not, getting all the way to the perfect position is what makes the real difference and it usually takes more dissatisfaction with the modified bike (or the commitment to wear out the bike, good, bad or indifferent) before a new bike is considered.

The consumer is the one with the least information and the one spending the money. I just try to help those who will let me help them and find the following: If they need a custom frame, they have the highest satisfaction long term by getting one. If they don’t, our fitting system can prove that a new bike is not necessary.

Here, we don’t judge the beauty of the bike when modifying it. We just try to make the owner of the bike more comfortable and efficient. If we have to really modify the bike, it isn’t pretty sometimes, but pretty is as pretty does. Thanks so much for your observations.

Kevin

Kevin Recommends

We only recommend products,  services or companies that we have actually tried or worked with personally. A recommendation, like a reputation, is very important and we do not take this responsibility lightly. The following links are to our friends at the Cooper Aerobics Center in Dallas. Dr. Kenneth Cooper is considered “The Father of Aerobics” and has put together a group of world class companies that have a direct impact on us as cyclists and as professional people:

Cooper Complete – We have arranged for 10% off anything you buy from Cooper Complete if you put “KGS” in the coupon link and then “recalculate”.

Cooper Clinic - The world renowned Cooper Clinic is starting to create medical exams and services aimed at professional adults who ride bicycles.

Cooper Fitness Center – The Cooper Fitness Center has a special strength training introductory program for cyclists.

These links are to our frame builders and other providers that make KGS Bikes the premiere fitting studio and cycling boutique in the world:

Co-Motion Cycles – We’ve long enjoyed a reputation for building tandems that simply handle better.

Guru Bikes – Our approach is based on combining the best of both worlds: cutting edge technology delivered by hand and with an old school attention-to-detail.

Kirklee Bicycles – KirkLee is an up and coming great framebuilder from Austin.

Parlee Cycles – Simply put, PARLEE frames are the best built and best riding carbon fiber frames available today, at any price. They are functional works of art.

Red Licorice Events – The “Sweet and Twisted” team that promotes Austin’s best athletic events. KGS Bikes is an ongoing sponsor of triathlons produced by our friends Erin and Leilani and we are thrilled with the relationship.

Sem Custom Paint – Dave Sem is the best extreme detail painter in the world.

Serotta – Only Serottas have the extensive engineering of our proprietary Colorado Concept tubing design. It’s the foundation behind the unique ride of each and every Serotta.

Source Endurance – They are teaming with us to provide physiological testing, data analysis, training consultation and long-term coaching. They have two state-of-the art labs, one in Austin and one in San Marcus. We are proud to recommend them and invite you to check them out.

Storck Bicycles – Numerous innovations in frame and component design that are standard in the industry today were developed, patented, and introduced by Storck Bicycle.

Tacx – Home of the Fortius Virtual Reality trainer. This is the trainer component of our “Ultimate Spin Bike”. Tacx also makes many other fine products. KGS Bikes is an Authorized Tacx Testing Center.

Topolino Technology – Our wheels embody this ethic: A fundamental redesign of wheel construction to take advantage of extraordinary materials with amazing properties, yielding a wheelset that performs like no other.

Zinn Cycles – For more than a quarter of a century, Zinn Cycles have been working to make cycling more enjoyable for customers, and that commitment remains at the heart of everything they do.

About KGS Bikes and Kevin

KGS Bikes is known around the world as the premiere bicycle fitting studio and cycling boutique. Kevin Saunders, President, has over 25 years experience in bicycle fitting and high-end bicycles. He also has a broad knowledge of anatomy, structural engineering and industrial design. In addition to fitting services, KGS Bikes sells bicycles from Parlee, Serotta, Zinn, Co-Motion, Storck and Guru. They also feature Lew wheels, custom shoes by Rocket7 and the best available components from around the world. Visit kgsbikes.com for more information, including beautiful photography of the bikes carefully created for their owners.

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