The Conte's Bike Fit Experience

Ready for the weekend? This week I missed most workouts (other than swimming), as my mom was in town. Very fun to see her. And since she lives on the other side of the universe, it was no question to skip some workouts to be able to have the chance to hang out with her.

Will the extra rest pay off? We'll see when it comes to ride Skyline Drive on Sunday. Combine the extra rest with tonight's bike fit, and I should be ready to kick some ass.

I wasn't quite sure what to expect from the bike fit. I've never had one before. I knew naturally they'd take some measurements and adjust my bike accordingly, but not sure to what extent.

After long rides, I suffer from knee stress and lots of shoulder discomfort. I know that some discomfort is expected after a long ride, but I knew that I was in worse shape than the norm. Not good. So Conte's began doing measurements on me and the bike. I almost felt like I was visiting a physical therapist. They got my flexibility and my leg angles and whatnot.

The first adjustments were to raise my saddle and move it forward. I felt the change there instantly. As a result, I was more on my butt and definitely felt more at ease with my pedal stroke.

Next was alleviating the shoulder stress. We found that my stem was way too long and put one that was about 1/2 the length on instead. It allows me to place my hands on the hoods more (i.e. proper form), rather than on top of the handlebars as I typically have been riding. Also, my handlebars are way too wide, forcing me to reach out wider than my shoulders, so Conte's will be replacing those within the next 24 hours.

My pedal cleat positioning also forced me to tip my knees in toward my top tube while biking. There was a bit of a challenge to adjust my cleats, however. My cycling shoes are so old (over 5 years), that the cleats were rusted in and somehow permanently fused to my shoes. I never thought about cycling shoes really having a lifespan, but I guess they do just like any other shoe. He convinced me it was time for a new pair. The new shoes are sw-eet! We also put orthodics and shims in my shoes and they feel great!!

It took a while for me to experience my new shoes, however. You see, I use Time pedals. They aren't very popular, but I like them. Because they are less common, Conte's did not have the corresponding cleat for them. Hmmmm... So, in order for them to finish my bit fit and make me a happy person for this Sunday's ride, they ventured off to another bike store on a quest for cleats. Meanwhile, I got to hang out, read the paper, chat with Meredith (as she's the store manager for the newly opened Potomac River Running store adjacent to Conte's), grab a Clif Bar, talk on the phone.....

Anyway, I hope it'll all pay off. Certainly was a bit of a pricey evening. Will it all wind up shaving an hour (or more?) off my Ironman bike time??