Retul bike fit - 6 days on

Earlier this week I underwent, which makes it sound somewhat of a medical procedure,  a Retul bike fit to help iron out and fix a few problems in my knees and lower back.

Well I'm happy to report that after 6 days in the saddle I'm still glad I spent the cash.  My new position on the bike feels more stable and secure with a noticeable decline in movement across the hips during the pedal stroke.  While it's perhaps to soon to assess relative increases or otherwise in efficiency (i.e. HR and Watts at a given speed) I'm confident I'll be able to demonstrate this in the positive within a month or so.

All in all, a fine week.

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Weekly Totals:

- Time in saddle: 7h 47mins

- Distance covered: 266.4 km (roller or turbo)

- TSS: 366

A Retul Bike fit at Primera

A trip to the sea side in the rain

I find myself towards the end of the work holiday year with days off still to take.  As I'm not able to carry more than a few vacation days over into the next holiday year I often take a few early or late November long weekends.  This is precisely what happened on Monday, a day where I found myself in Bournemouth to take in the sights of the peer, the slot machines and the golden sands.  The other, and more important reason for this seaside visit in the rain was to have a bike fitting with the good people at Primera Sports.

Recent bouts of minor, and seemingly healed, injuries aside, 2011 has been relatively uneventful on this front.  I rode for most of the summer without any major pains or niggles which for me and my past history (3 ops on the left knee and 2 on the right) was most welcome.  Naturally I'm keen for this good fortune to continue, particularly as I'm in the middle of a winter training that's using intensity rather than volume as the driver for physiological adaptations. 

It's this higher intensity that caused me to seek out a decent bike fit.  While of course I could use Google as my guide I'd rather spend some cash to know, and here's the important bit, to see I'm riding in the most efficient and injury reducing fashion as is possible.

To this end I chose the Retul method over something such as Specialized BG Fit and while I'm sure both would be more than suitable, the Retul method's use of 3D image capture means I'm 100% sure everything's as right as right as can be with not a plumb line or knee angle measuring device in sight.......

The Fit

The fit takes place in a little alcove of the shop that fits the Retul image capture device, a turbo trainer and plenty oh proactively positioned highly priced bike loveliness.  Anyone for a Lightweight wheel set or a Dogma frame perhaps? 

Anyway, the fit started with the chap explaining what was going to happen and giving a basic overview of the science and rationale behind what we were looking to achieve.  We then spoke of my goals, riding style and injury history before undertaking a few tests on my flexibility (legs straight with hands flat on the floor). 

We then moved onto the next stage which saw LED markers attached to 8 points on the body (the wrist, elbow, shoulder, hip, knee, ankle, heel & joint of the little toe).  This all complete I jumped on the bike and pedalled in my natural style which enabled the Retul system to build an exact anatomical profile of my pedalling style for comparison with what it "should look like".... so to speak.

Above: Screen grab of Retul image capture (not mine by the way)

Above: Overview of LED placements (again, clearly not me)

Having captured this data the chap went on to make a few changes here and there on the bike before I jumped back on and did the same thing again.  This went on on for a good hour or so until we were both happy with my new riding position.

Once this was complete I went off for a coffee and left the chap to take precise machine led measurements of my bike and its set up so I'd be able to recreate what we had achieved on any given bike in the future

So what changed? 

We concluded I was riding the right size frame and had a correctly sized stem for my height and flexibility.  My cleat position and was also in the right place and didn't need touching.  We did make a 20mm reduction in saddle height while also moving it forward 15mm which I suppose is quite an adjustment.  It's hoped this will improve efficiency and offer more stability throughout the pedal stroke which in turn should enable me to produce a higher rate of Watts for a given heart rate.

Conclusion

With 4 hours post fit riding in my legs I can certainly feel the difference.  The lower and pitched forward saddle position has given me a feeling of greater stability - my hips certainly feel stronger in the pedal stroke with less side to side rocking motion than before.  As for efficiency and Watt creation, it's too early to tell.  I'll certainly be looking at the data over the weeks and months.  Perhaps I'll report back on my findings come the spring time.

At £148 a session it's clearly an expensive option (Specialised BG fits seem to be around £120 give or take) although for now I feel it was value for money.  The fit was well organised, professional and actually quite enjoyable. 

While it's still early days at the moment I would recommend the service to others.  Riders seem to be happy to spend a good couple of grand on a bike and hundreds on shaving a few grams off a set of wheels.  For me, I'd rather spent the cash on this type of fit and perhaps but back that Mince Pie come the Xmas period.

  

Getting a little bit older

For the most part, I’ve had a relatively quiet week form a work wise and riding perspective.  I’m getting through a 3 month notice period before joining a new firm in the New Year so perhaps the lack of work isn’t too surprising.  The lack of riding on the other hand, well that wasn’t so expected.

Earlier in the week my wife gingerly suggested I was “perhaps” training a little too hard.  After all, she said, “you’re not 23 any more”……

Fair enough.  The little quip on the age will ring true with many people and none more than my good self.  Of course, she’s spot on.  I’m not in my 20’s, a time where I spent the best part of 5 years at University where for the most part I lived the life of a professional athlete.  While I never made it to the big time so to speak it did enable me plenty of training and recovery time.  

Clearly those times have moved on. As a new(ish) father and with a full on decent job my priorities have naturally changed.  Furthermore, and most worryingly, as I get to the wrong side of my mid thirties my body is starting to misbehave.

While I’m far from the age where a fart cannot be trusted I’m certainly noticing my powers of recuperation and recovery are far from ideal.  This is perhaps why I’m typing this with a belly full of anti inflammatory pills and an ice pack behind my left knee.

I fear the return of trouble in the meniscus, something which I was first operated on some 12 or so years ago.  So then, I await a trip to the MRI on Monday.  As you can imagine my fingers and toes are all crossed.  Hopefully my Marmotte 2012 isn’t over before its really got going.

Cyclefilm's La Marmotte DVD

Awoke to the first reasonably chilly morning of the impending winter and rather sheepishly I made the decision to forgo a ride in the frost to one on the rollers in front of the TV.   Aside from the inclement whether th either thing keeping me indoors today was the morning post which with it brought the CycleFim's Marmotte reconnasance DVD.

Above: Cyclefilm's La Marmotte DVD cover

I've written about some of Cycleflim's work in the past so knew what to expect from the off and as before, this DVD doesn't disappoint.  

As before the DVD offers informative in ride commentary from the as ever magnificantly sprightly Mike Cotty who the most part manages to find the delicate balance between joviality and seriousness without slipping towards the patronising.   

Through Mike we see all the climbs, descents, food stops and even the odd bit of flat road which all create a sense of context to the event.  No doubt I'll be returning to this DVD many times over the forthcoming weeks and months as its something that can be enjoyed again and again.  

If I had one minor gripe it would be the choice of back ground music in some of the scenes which on occasion is a little repetitive for my humble tastes but of course, thats only me.  Others my love watching Mike climb the Galibier to the sound of what I can only describe as a 2 bar loop featuring (perhaps) a kazoo.... 

In summary - riding La Marmotte or perhaps simply riding over the hills this covers?  Then perhaps this DVD should be on your Xmas shopping list.

November brings the Rollers

Welcome to November and with it the end of British Summer Time, lets all say a big welcome and hello to the annual flu season, lots of leak and potatoes soup and to 5 months of leaden skies and early afternoon darkness.

November is also the month where I dust off the rollers, the turbo and settle down into a routine that sees gives me many, many hours of indoor saddle time with only the TV or the iPod for company.

For the most part I have no objection to this type of training.  I find it highly effective for building a base with which to work on come the spring. 

You cant free-wheel, you cant hide in the pack and effort (ie wattage) is easier to maintain a given sweet spot than days out on the road.  

It's great for an hour spinning at 230 watts, for tackling the 2 x 20min threshold sessions or even for replacing the long weekend ride. 5 hours on the turbo?  No problem.  Nice and easy.

That said, please..... roll on March.

Above: The rollers, my road until Spring




A Cure for the Common Cold

I've had a mildly annoying cold for a few days.  My nose is drippy, my throat like sand paper and I'm perhaps a little achy too.

 

My wife and work colleagues tell me I'm grumpy, slow-witted and generally a bit of a grump.  Of course, some would say I'm like this for much of the time, but with fewer snotty hanky discards.

 

As for training well its been business as usual although at a slightly lower pace than planned.  I know many people tend to avoid training once the nose starts to run although I find getting on the bike noticeably improves the mood.

 

Of course, this might have helped too.  Man Flu, I spotted it in Tesco this morning when looking for some night nurse.  Very apt. Tasted nice too - not that my taste buds are up to much at the moment.

Above: ManFlu Shots

 

Heart Rate vs Power

For the best part of a year I've been boring anyone keen or otherwise on the sport with my love for training with power (ie wattage).

Last October I rented a simple powertap unit from the good people and CyclePowerMeters and after a few months convinced Mrs T that I really, really needed to spend the best part of £700 on getting my very own.

Above: My PowerTap SL+

Heart Rate vs Power

So what's wrong with using the traditional HR model for training?

Well nothing really.

I used HR as the key measure of physiological response to training and exercise for many many years although its use has limitations namely that its confounded by variables that act upon it which in turn lead to inconsistencies.

Bodily hydration levels, air temperature, tiredness, caffeine, how well you slept last night and many other variables which can all combine to reduce its effectiveness as a training tool. On the other hand, power as a measure of physical exertion isn’t confounded by such variables.  300 watts is 300 watts.  Period.

This is most apparent for interval sessions where HR lags behind effort which means it's a poor measure of work done in the session. Hopefully the graph below demonstrates this. 

In this 2 x 20min interval session my HR as shown by the red line clearly rises over the course of the two 20 min intervals whereas the wattage I produced, the yellow line, remained essentially consistent throughout.

Above: 2 x 20min interval session - HR in red, power in yellow & speed in blue

For measuring performance and providing feedback on effort there's really nothing better for pro or amateur hobbyist bike riders alike.

So how do I use my PowerTap?

In essence, I use it for 3 things:

• To guide and pace effort for intervals and rides out on the road and on the rollers
• To track changes in fitness vs physiological strengths and weaknesses
• For motivation to train harder and to make indoor work a little less dull

So really that's it.

There are of course other uses of a power based training system which perhaps I'll look at over the course of this little blog.   Should anyone want to know more I'd point you in the direction of Training and Racing with a Power Meter which explains all in a far better way than I ever could.