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Old 06-19-17, 03:13 PM
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carleton
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DIY Bike Fitting for Track

Hi, all.

At some point in time, just like we should all learn to do maintenance on our bikes, we should also learn how to fit ourselves on our bikes. While I do believe that paying for a good bike fit from a professional can be worth it, there are times when it may not.

Ask any bike fitter to fit you for your track bike, and probably all of them will say, "Sure!" thinking that it's gonna be just like fitting for a road bike.

Bike fitting for track is similar but significantly different than for road which is why I recommend asking the fitter if they are familiar with fitting riders for track and if so, how would they describe the differences when fitting for track sprinting, mass start, pursuiting, and all-around. If they launch into a 30 minute explanation, then you've found your (wo)man! If not, beware!


Why the difference?

Because the difference between fitting for track vs road bikes is like the difference between fitting a crit bike vs a touring bike. Why? Because the physical and time demands are different.

Just like a touring rider may ride for days vs a road rider riding for 3-4 hrs, a road rider riding for 3-4 hours is also different than track rider riding for 20 seconds up to 15 or 30 minutes.

Also, the same goes for time trial aerobar fits. A triathlete may be in aeorobars for an hour. You might be in your aerobars for 30s (500M), 60s (kilo), or 3-4.5 minutes (pursuit). BIG DIFFERENCE.

Now, maybe you'll see why going with the guy at the local bike shop that fits all of the roadies and triathletes may not put you in the best position
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