Bike Fit Bike Dynamics Vs Cadence Sport

clc2005

I am looking for another bike fit after getting one a few years ago at a large London based cycle fit specialist which I wasn’t too impressed with. I am 6ft, 72kg with average to poor flexibility and they advised a 4cm saddle to bar drop and a saddle to bar reach of 52cm. Looking at bikes available I would have had to buy a bike with a very short Top Tube say 52cm but this would also sport a very short Head Tube resulting in a huge saddle to bar drop. I never employed their measurements as I would have required some weird 45 degree upturned MTB stem.

Anyway, here I am in 2010 looking for another bike fit as I get aches and pains which hamper my cycling quite a bit and I would like to complete a sportive or two next year. I have currently short listed Bike Dynamics (great informative website) and Cadence Sport. Does anyone know the difference between the two outfits? From what I have read, Bike Dynamics uses high speed video capture for a dynamic fit and I also know Cadence Sport is Adrian Timmis from the old Halfords ANC TdF team (I’m showing my age now!) who also offers his services a cycle coach so both seem good. The bike fit prices are £135 for Bike Dynamics (Dynamic fit + Shoes and Cleats) Cadence Sport is £100 for a fit and custom footbeds. Cadence is about 15 miles down the road from me Bike Dynamics is about 60 miles away. My question is, would both outfits give me a superior fit in comparison to my bad experience in London?

Cheers Chris

EyesOnly2010

Hi Chris,

Where exactly are you based? ? ?

I've just booked myself in for a Fitting Session at Epic Cycles near Tenbury Wells.
http://www.epic-cycles.co.uk/FAQ.html#Fitting

They come very highly recommended by a number of the members on here and charge £50.00 for the service, which is taken off the cost of your bike if you buy from them!

I've already got my Bike, but I want to ensure that i have the correct setup as i'm completely new to Road Bikes and don't have the experience to know what feels right for me yet!

Anonymous

I had my fit(s) done at Cadence Sport.

Fantastic service which includes moulded footbeds (will never ride my bike without them in now!) and angled cleat shims if required. (I required them, one leg is longer than the other.)

The position he got me in got rid of numerous niggles to my knees, lower back and shoulders together with an increase in power.

Brilliant stuff!

Adrian is an ex-pro of the highest level and coaches (and fits) several top professionals now...

I know several other on here who have had the same experience as me...

clc2005

Cheers NapD

I may go with Cadence as I can ride out from Derby as it's not too far. Nothing against Bike Dynamics but it means putting the bike in the car and driving 60 miles.

Out of interest what form did the fitting take? Was it along the lines of i) interview, ii) check flexibility, iii) ride current bike setup on trainer, iv) make adjustments, and v) fine tune?

What changes did Adrian make to your setup? I assume it was a change of seat position fore-aft and height? I currently run a large saddle setback of 95mm as that allows me to get the power out when seated on climbs however, I feel this also gives rise to my lower back pain.

How far in advance did you have to make your booking?

Cheers Chris

Anonymous

clc2005 wrote:

Cheers NapD

I may go with Cadence as I can ride out from Derby as it's not too far. Nothing against Bike Dynamics but it means putting the bike in the car and driving 60 miles.

Out of interest what form did the fitting take? Was it along the lines of i) interview, ii) check flexibility, iii) ride current bike setup on trainer, iv) make adjustments, and v) fine tune?

What changes did Adrian make to your setup? I assume it was a change of seat position fore-aft and height? I currently run a large saddle setback of 95mm as that allows me to get the power out when seated on climbs however, I feel this also gives rise to my lower back pain.

How far in advance did you have to make your booking?

Cheers Chris

1. Nice cup of coffee.

2. Chat.

3. Ride on trainer and your bike.

4. Out come the lasers and measuring devices.

5. Adjust

6. Fine tune

7. Reap the benefits to some tune!!

My appointment was about 10 days in advance.

I was moved down and back, the footbeds were a revelation, the cleat shims made a HUGE difference as it ensured straight leg tracking and adjusted for the leg length discrepancy I didn't know I had...

Mike67

I went to see Adrian at Cadence Sport on the recommendation of NapD

Firstly...thanks NapD and of course Adrian for a revelation in my bike riding.

I was moved up, back, cleats shifted and a shorter stem recommended (now fitted).
Adrian even lent me a saddle as my previous one didn't have enough adjustment (short rails).

From all the adjustments made I am surprised how I managed to ride at all beforehand

Seriously though, my previous knee niggle has gone, my feet feel so comfy in the footbeds, with no hotspots and best of all have taken minutes off my 10 and 25 TT times (I ride my road bike in these).

Previously I must have been wasting so much power just compensating for my poor position.

Highly recommend getting it done especially if you've been fiddling around with position and it doesn't seem to be working (I did a lot of fiddling )

pmannion9

On NapD recommendations and other posts on here I went to see Adrian at Cadence Sports yesterday.Amazing service and great value for almost 3 hours work...

I have had some serious alternations to my bike...
Mainly huge height change in saddle.Wish I had a bike fit done when I originally got the bike.
Also saddle I was using was too wide. Adrian kindly gave me a saddle to try and this has been a revelation even after very short use...

The way I look at these things - coming from an enthusiastic cyclist point of view - is that most of performance is down to the ability and fitness of the rider and so spending a £100 on getting bike and rider position setup correctly is better than any upgrade .

danowat

Would this service be worthwhile for a new(er), rider who doesn't have elite asparations?.

It would be an effort to get to one, but if its worthwhile.....

Percy Vera

I don't think bikefit is to do with elitism, more to do with comfort, aerodynamics and injury prevention.

danowat

:oops: , I didn't mean any offence
What I meant was, is it worth the £100 and the 6 hour round trip for someone how only does 100-150miles a week, and a handfull of sportives a year?

Percy Vera

I (like hundreds of others) rode a bike for 15yrs without a bikefit by an expert.
You could ask members of your local club for tips & tricks.
You could read up about it online.
or
You could make the 6hr round trip or find someone closer.

It's up to you...

Mike67

danowat wrote:

:oops: , I didn't mean any offence
What I meant was, is it worth the £100 and the 6 hour round trip for someone how only does 100-150miles a week, and a handfull of sportives a year?

I do similar mileage to yourself Danowat and don't have the lifestyle (family, young kids, working away regularly etc etc) to even aspire to elite aspirations

I did the bike fit because I knew things weren't right and had messed about so much that I didn't know what to change next.

A 6 hour round trip is a long way, but if you're willing to do it or find a place closer to you, and you're struggling to find the right position etc then it's well worth it.

It has allowed me to enjoy my limited time on the bike that much more and also to see improvements in my local club TTs. I'm no racer by any means but it's always encouraging to see improvement.

danowat

Thanks Mike, thats helpfull, I can see that a bikefit session will be one of my next upgrades.

bobinski

Great thread.

Can anyone recommend somewhere in London where i can get a bike fir at a reasonable price?
thanks

clc2005

Yes Thanks to everyone for the good adice and info. I'm going to give Adrian a call early next week for a fit session. To put Adrian's service it in to context, I actually paid £150 for a fitting + £50 for custom Sidas Conformable Footbeds + £50 travel around 3 years ago from a reputed cycle fit company in London (I won't recommend these to you Bobinski!). This fitting lasted a maximum of 1 1/2 hours and came up with some fit dimensions which couldn't be achieved in the real world. They also suggested a small setback which affected my power output on climbs. So Adrian's service looks excellent value and comes highly recommended from you guys - Cheers again Chris

NickStan

Had a bike fit by Adrian a couple of weeks ago.

What a spectacular service.

I am in the typical senior (older) 150 mile per week (ish) group

Having riden for years with various nigles and pains in my left leg and arm.

I expected a quick measurement and assesment to have the bike set and be on my way in half an hour or an hour.

No way - Adrian made no imediate assumptions instead he spent time meticulously preparing and fitting the footbeds and then assesed my present position and the best part of two hours carefully and systematically adjusting my bike, shoes and position to achieve an optimum position.

Once everything both appeared corect to Adrian and also felt right for me Adrian even gave me tips to set up the same position on other bikes simply and consistently.

Adrian followed up with text messages to ensure all was well.

Highly recomended and excellent value

stonehouse

Can anyone recommend somewhere in London where i can get a bike fir at a reasonable price?
thanks

The Bike Whisperer in Ealing, worth every penny.

Anonymous

Ada (cadence sport) did a fit/footbeds on some new shoes yesterday for a certain pro who happened to win a tour series race in Peterborough tonight...

gbs

stonehouse wrote:

Can anyone recommend somewhere in London where i can get a bike fir at a reasonable price?
thanks

The Bike Whisperer in Ealing, worth every penny.

+1 for the above; I had v valuable advice from Scherritt and Corrinne. They even fitted white bar tape that has stayed white!

ScottieP

After deliberating about a bike fit for about a year (mainly due to the prices) - I've now booked a bike fit with Adrian at Cadence Sport too. He's obviously pretty busy as he can't see me for a month - but I'm looking forward to it.

bobinski

gbs wrote:

stonehouse wrote:

Can anyone recommend somewhere in London where i can get a bike fir at a reasonable price?
thanks

The Bike Whisperer in Ealing, worth every penny.

+1 for the above; I had v valuable advice from Scherritt and Corrinne. They even fitted white bar tape that has stayed white!

will give them a call. Been reading good things here and elsewhere.

Thanks!

Coach H

Visited Adrian yesterday and I have nothing but praise. Well worth the money and 120 miles each way trip.

Whilst my new position is still to be tested on the road I can only say "Do it"

Be warned you may lay awake the night after wondering 'how can I have had it set up so wrong without noticing?

Anonymous

Good to hear more people are getting what Adrian is doing!

Coach H

NapoleonD wrote:

Good to hear more people are getting what Adrian is doing!

The person to really thank is the guy who recommended Adrian to you in the first place.
I remember the thread but not who it was.

Anonymous

Coach H wrote:

NapoleonD wrote:

Good to hear more people are getting what Adrian is doing!

The person to really thank is the guy who recommended Adrian to you in the first place.
I remember the thread but not who it was.

Nor can I, not heard owt from him since!

He must've been like the Jim Morrison character off of Wayne's World 2. Or the whispering spirits in Field of Dreams...

Percy Vera

Probably some guy full of sh*t - NapE was it?

Been to Adrian a couple of times now, and have now signed up for his coaching.

Anonymous

Found him!

It was Bobbymeister!

All hail Bobbymeister!

ScottieP

Last week I made the trip up from Kent to see Adrian Timmis too and was glad I did. My bike position has been changed quite a bit and I'm much more comfortable on my bike.

For anyone who's interested I've written a "review" on my blog:

http://girodilento.posterous.com/bikefit-with-adrian-timmis-of-cadence-sport

For me it was definitely worth the trip and Adrian is a lovely bloke too.

I think it's great value too.

taz3611

I had a bike fit with Adrian from Cadence Sport today. Everything said so far in this thread is true. Really great service. Very relaxed atmosphere and good value considering how much time (3hours for me) Adrian spends on getting things just right. For me, that was saddle and post position tweaked, bar and stem position changed, cleat position sorted with wedges and finally, custom moulded insoles. In all, I'm really pleased I went to him. Would recommend to anyone.

red dragon

I have used Racscene in Barnsley for a bike fit and the result was outstsnding, tweaks here and there made a big difference. All power developed going through to the transmission. Well worth the cost, time and effort.

FergieTT

I drove all the way down to Bike Dynamics and it was worth every boring mile on the M6. Sounds very similar to what happens at Cadence sport. Very detailed measurements and fine tuning, fascinating to see yourself on video. We only seemed to make very small adjustments but I felt much freer and more comfortable.

Best thing was my next race, a 25 where I beat a couple of guys who have beaten me all season.

I'd say both these places are excellent and well worth it.