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BICYCLE FIT TESTIMONIALS & FAQs

NICE PEOPLE SAYING NICE THINGS ABOUT BGI FIT SERVICES

“Frank, this is an overdue "thank you" for the wonderful fitting you did for me. The ride was improved tremendously.”  
– Jason S.

“…I had to write and let you know how pleased I am with the experience of working with you. I have to say from my very first ride I saw a tremendous difference in every aspect of riding. On our Monday group ride, I was the talk of the group and whooped up on a couple of the younger riders that I had [been unable to] before. I actually had a guy last night ask if I was juicin’. Of course, I just smiled and led him out for 28 miles.”
– Tom B.

"Frank, I just want to let you know I now have over 500 miles on my new Trek Madone 5.2 SL. Your fit has been EXCELLENT! No numbness, pain or discomfort ANYWHERE. I typically ride 25-30 miles per ride. I'm looking forward to a longer ride soon! Thanks for a GREAT FIT! It truly makes cycling fun when it is comfortable! A True Fan."
– Jeff M.

"The fitting we did last spring helped out a lot. I felt a lot better on the bike this past year, and spent a lot more time on it (3000 miles)...I really think that the fitting session with you [was] worth every penny."
– Matt J.

"Well, after getting a couple of short rides in, I can tell you that the power to the pedals and my overall performance has increased greatly due to the adjustments you made to my bicycle...I want to thank you again for the excellent and professional job that you did with my fit and I have recommended you and your fit service to two friends already."
– Lance M.

"I will always remember my Ride Across America. The bike played a very significant role and for that I give you all the credit. Thanks again!"
– Mark R.

"I feel more comfortable and improved my sprint triathlon bike time in my first race of this season. Thanks for your exacting methods."
– Dan P.

“Amazing! No more neck pain. I have thoroughly enjoyed riding again. You are the miracle man!"
– Julie M.

SIZING VS. FITTING - WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?

It’s really quite simple. Determining what frame size you should buy is sizing. For a few bicycle styles, an experienced salesperson can “eyeball” you and know the correct size. For many styles of bicycle however, especially road models, BGI uses a system developed by BGI’s Lead Fitter. It involves gathering some basic body measurements and then processing them through our proprietary software. The software translates your body proportions into bicycle frame proportions; in other words, finding frames that match well with how long your legs and torso are. A computer based BGI Bicycle Sizing takes just a few minutes and is free for BGI customers.

The detailed positioning of the frame components (e.g. saddle, stem, handlebars, shoe cleats, etc.) can allow you to ride in your most comfortable, efficient and powerful cycling position.  Tailoring your bicycle to your body is called fitting. BGI bicycle fittings take from 1-3 hours.

Don’t be fooled by bike shops who include a “free fitting” with purchase. Nearly always, their “fitting” is 5-10 minutes of watching the customer pedal around the parking lot or sitting on an indoor trainer. Even the most basic BGI fitting requires about an hour of measuring and adjusting. Plus, at the end of your BGI fitting session, you receive detailed data showing your bike’s final setup measurements.

WILL A BGI BICYCLE FITTING MAKE ME FASTER?
Of course, there can be no guarantees of increased speed, but it’s very typical to hear cyclists report that with the same effort, they're riding 1-3 MPH faster after their BGI fitting.

HOW IMPORTANT IS A CLEAT FITTING?
Your feet are your most important contact points with your bicycle. Not only are your feet under more pressure than your hands and posterior (your only other contact points with the bicycle), only the movements of your feet propel the bicycle forward (except for wonderful downhills of course). Pedal cleats control the position of your feet over the pedals. Most importantly, the basic fore/aft positioning (combined with other adjustments) of your cleats determines whether your feet will be pushing on the pedals efficiently. Try walking up some stairs – first on your toes, next on your heels and finally on the balls of your feet. Obviously, the last method is the most efficient and comfortable. That’s because the human body is built to be more efficient using the ball of the foot to run away from predators; it also works better on stairs and bicycles. Our feet are very sensitive to even slight variations in position over the pedals so cleats must be positioned to millimeter accuracy. BGI has the tools and experience to do that.

Most people do not have metatarsal heads (the ball of each foot) that sit naturally flat on the ground (i.e. perpendicular from the lower leg bones). That’s good since it makes a smoother transition onto the ground when running and walking. The pedal surface, however, and with it the cleated cycling shoe, does sit parallel with the ground. That natural tilt in the forefoot means there’s a wedge shaped gap between the surface of the ball of the foot and the insole of the cycling shoe. When pushing down on the pedal, initially pressure will be focused on one side of the foot (usually the outside) but as the foot flattens out inside the shoe on the downward pedal stroke, the connective tissue pulls the knee sideways toward the bicycle. The knee moves the other direction on the pedaling upstroke. 

That inward and outward movement during every pedal stroke frequently causes pain on the outside and/or inside (lateral surfaces) of the knee. Uncorrected, knee injury is very likely. Special cleat and/or insole wedges fill that gap making the foot stable inside the shoe and thus minimizes or even eliminates lateral knee movement. This reduces stress on the feet, knees and hips. The odds of injury are minimized and the efficiency of the pedal stroke is maximized.