The bike: A Cannondale Synapse 2018. This one is a beauty with a custom paint job. It features the sublime British Racing Green laced with gold.
Groupset: Ultegra
Reason for a bike fit: Preetam complained of pain at the base of the neck and between shoulder blades. More, he felt that he was not generating sufficient power. (Note, for a rider to be able to make this assessment, they would have ridden sufficient miles on that bike. And so, they know their ability, their output and the bike’s ability)
In Preetam’s case, Pavan noticed that a knee was falling inward. In the outside of the same foot, Preetam was experiencing mild pain. He was seated too far back on the saddle with too much of a reach to the bars. This also explained why he felt a stretch in the neck and shoulder area.
The solution was to insert a foot wedge to correct the knee falling in, which addressed the foot pain.
Step 1: Do an assessment of strength and core and sitbone width for the first 15 minutes. A series of questions are asked to understand
- What does the rider want out of their bike?
- What are their cycling goals?
- What do they perceive their cycling fitness levels to be?
The bike fitter assesses the rider broadly on –
- Form on the bike, including pedal stroke efficiency,
- Position on the saddle,
- The reach & drop of handlebar,
- Heel drop,
- Cleat position,
- Knee tracking and a few more parameters.
To bring the rider to a position of maximum efficiency that is compatible with comfort and is in line with their cycling goals, the fitter will work on saddle height, saddle set back, saddle angle, choice of saddle and reach & stack (primarily determined by choice of stem, stem angle, handlebar width)
Crankmeister Bicycle Works 