A Bicycle Fitting at Cycle Center of Stamford

Nate Rex at Cycle Center is a master at Bike Fitting

Before I had started shopping for a bicycle this time around, I hadn’t heard of a “bicycle fitting” beyond a seat adjustment.  Since I was now becoming a more serious cyclist, however, the concept was now prevalent in articles I was reading and shops and exhibits I frequented.  And, as with most things regarding amateur sports these days, the advanced computerized methods available to professional athletes are now readily available to us amateurs.

Besides a great staff – I met and talked with many of them throughout the process – Cycle Center in Stamford, CT offers a free computerized fitting with your bicycle purchase.  Most of the shops I visited still charged something for this service even with the purchase of a bicycle in the price range I was shopping for so this became a key reason for purchasing my bicycle from them.  In addition, through out the process they had taken a lot of time to educate me and had a very low key approach to sales.

Nate Rex is their certified master bicycle fitter and, according Cycle Center’s website, was one of the first 20 bicycle fitters in the in the nation to become certified for a fitting process called BG FIT which was developed by Specialized Bicycles.  According to the website, Specialized worked with medical professionals, doctors, and physiologists to develop the system “to help cyclists ride faster, longer and in greater comfort, while reducing the chance for injury”.  They have a school that was developed by Dr. Andy Pruitt of the Boulder Center for Sports Medicine.

Nate has been working in bicycle shops since the age of fourteen and it’s apparent that he truly loves his chosen profession.  I think one of the loves of his life besides his wife and child is the BG FIT computerized system he uses for a bicycle fitting!  Nate showed me the manual method he used to use for a fitting and, being a lover of all things tech, I also became infatuated with the video computerized program.

Nate had me ride my 51 inch framed bicycle on a Cycleops trainer and took a video of me riding before any adjustments.  In the before image that you can see that on the left, I’m a bit hunched with not enough extension. The first obvious adjustment required was the height of my seat.  My long legs actually would require a 54 inch frame.  The next obvious adjustment required getting my short torso to not have such a long reach.  Nate said that my torso actually would require a 48 inch frame.  So for that adjustment, Nate swapped out the handlebar post to something smaller.  With each adjustment I was hopping on and off the bike for a video analysis that allowed Nate to instantly measure the precise angles of my legs and arms.  He also adjusted my cleats and fit me in a way that would help with the bike to run triathlon transition.  In the after image, you can see that my spine is more neutral, allowing my weight to be more evenly distributed.


The "Before" and "After" videos of my bike fitting

Nate spent a good hour or so with me.  Apparently, I’m a tough fit with my long legs and short torso – and that’s why a Women Specific Design (WSD) is the best for me.  Nate said I’m actually borderline on requiring a custom fitted bike for the optimal fit.

I rode my new baby home from Cycle Center meandering through the back roads of North Stamford.  I had mapped out my route to avoid highly congested traffic roads and to take it easy on the hills.  Unfortunately the map didn’t mention the grooved pavement I encountered and, not knowing an alternative route, I proceeded anyway figuring how long could it be?  It was long!  Probably about 3-4 miles of an uncomfortable ride!  While the remaining 5 miles was smooth sailing, I’m obviously looking forward to my first “real” ride on my new baby.