My Bike Fitting

My Bike Fitting

There was one episode in Philmofo shoutbox on inquires about choosing the perfect geometry, particularly, the handlebar and the stem, which would lessen the stresses on long rides.

I was one of those people who experienced these pains especially on my upper back and arms.

At first I thought that the problem was simply due to improper positioning or ‘how I sat,’ but upon listening to the ‘Philmofo Superstars’ share their experiences, I came to understand that there was something in my bike that I needed to change.

Mr.Bruce Munoz, founder of Philmofo, in a way advised us to get a bike fit.’ Well not in those exact words, but more like “Regaluhan ninyo ang mga sarili niyo at mag pa bike fit kayo.”

I noticed that there were a lot of interests in this topic. Questions cropped up left and right which were answered as quickly as the next question came. A good majority of the questions geared towards how to get a bike fit, how much would it cost and more importantly where to get it?

Few days after, I got a forwarded email from a good friend of mine about a brief description of bike fitting. Comelec Commissioner Atty. Goyo Larazabal who happens to own Bike Town Cyclery aka BTC was quoted:

Bike Fit is important and can make one’s cycling experience enjoyable.

Speaking from experience, Bike Town Cyclery actually uses three fit systems:
1. www.bikefitting.com
2. Bike Fit System of Paul Swift
3. Bike CAD Pro

The fit system used by BTC applies to Road, Tri, MTB and Cross.

I emailed Commissioner Larazabal and requested for an appointment so I could get a bike fit from BTC.

He instructed me the following:

1. Bring your bike/s.
2. Bring the shoes you use in biking (cleat shoes)
3. Bring slippers too if you aren’t already wearing a pair.
4. Wear a sleeveless shirt and cycling shorts for easy measurements and markings.

Atty. Goyo welcomes us in Bike Town and told me I would know if my bike frame is right for my size after getting the bike fit.

The process begins with the introduction to Mang Jun and Elaine.

Elaine asked me to fill up the information sheet before Mang Jun would brief me as to how the whole system works and what procedures we will be doing.

Mang Jun, Bike Town’s head wrench man, checking the information sheet.

The Bike Fitting Tool

Mang Jun taking measurments of my feet to get the proper position of the cleats in my shoes.

Mang Jun put my bike fit measurement in the information sheet then gave it to Ellaine and waited for few minutes and voila! got the size, measurement details and information sheet of the final set-up of my bike.

Mang Jun performed adjustments in my handle bar, saddle and seat post. He told me, I got the right frame but the length of my stem needs to be changed from 50mm to 80mm.

I took my bike for a quick spin around the store after the adjustments were made and it felt great! It just fits better

Atty. Goyo thanked me for choosing Bike Town Cyclery for my bike fit.

The whole bike fitting process took more or less about an hour. I was relieved to know that I had right bike frame size so I wouldn’t need to change it anytime soon.

I sat on my bike’s saddle when I got home and I realized that at the end of the day… I would still go back to a biker’s basic question. Am I comfortable when I ride my bike? Good thing is that now, my answer is YES.

I would definitely recommend that you get yourself a bike fit even before you try to splurge on your next upgrade or if you plan to buy a new bike or frame in the near future.

So how about you… when will you get yourself a bike fit or have you gotten a bike fit already? Please share your bike fit experiences as well.

Bike Town Cyclery

Bike Town Cyclery
2240 Chino Roces Ave., Makati City
Metro Manila, Philippines 1200
Tel: 387.21.73
YM: biketowncyclery
Email: biketowncyclery@gmail.com

Bike Town Cyclery is now a member of NBDA (National Bicycle Dealers Association), a leading non-profit organization of quality specialty bicycle bike stores in the USA. BTC is the first Asian member of NBDA, signifying BTC’s commitment to raise the level of service to cyclists.