You may have noticed some renovations happening around Broad Street Cycles over the last couple months. If you’ve been in lately, you may also have noticed a sharp increase in the number of lasers. That’s because, after a huge amount of work by our secret-reno-ninja Renny to clear floor space, our new super-science-bike-fitting-machine has arrived! Prepare to be amazed! Amazed, and improved. Improved by science. (Not the cold, callous, unbending science that people south of the border find so threatening. This is a warmer, more human, dare we say ‘welcoming’ version of science. But there’s still lasers.)
What is the Fit-O-Tron 9000? Well it’s actually Shimano’s bikefitting.com system and, as you would expect from a Shimano system, it allows for an incredible range of details, all the way down to a very trick Left/Right pedal power analysis option. Not immediately keen on the idea of a ‘by the numbers’ fit? You’re all unique and beautiful snowflakes, and we’d never dare suggest otherwise. But bike fitting has come a long, long way, people. It’s no longer putting a couple numbers into a mysterious black-box and obediently following its commands. You can do a straight forward, baseline fit, and that might be all you want or need– but even that is now more nuanced than height, reach and inseam. But the exciting bit is the system’s surprising flexibility: it not only allows you to prioritize the type of riding you want to do, but incorporates input throughout the fitting process. Want to prioritize race or TT position over all else? Sure. Are you more concerned with agile handling on fast, winding descents? Right there with you. Want to get rid of a nagging discomfort and ride longer? Absolutely. There are so many options with the bikefitting.com system that Parker has been on a week-long numbers-based sugar high.
Why should you be interested in the Fit-O-Tron 9000? Bike fits are for more than just going fast! They can definitely do that, but they can also help you be more comfortable on a bike. They can help you avoid or accommodate injury on a bike. Basically, they’re all about making your bike fit so that you can spend more time riding. Whether you use that time to work your way up Strava leader boards, get your aero position to look just like Chris Froome on Sky’s 2018 TT bike, or go on long summer rides to the new distillery previously out of your comfortable ride range, that’s up to you. We’ll have more details soon on exactly what fitting services we will be offering. Stay tuned. Think a bike fit might be for you and don’t want to wait? Stop by and talk to us!
Things we’ve learned in the process of acquiring Fit-O-Tron 9000:
- How to fit bikes with science. We’re still fans of slammed stems, aesthetically, but now we can tell you when that might not be the best option and, more importantly, we’ll be able to use the systems large screen display to take you behind the wizard’s curtain and show you why.
- When you google ‘futuristic robot operating theater’ some really crazy stuff comes up. I’m not ready for the future, friends. Your impulse right now is go open a new browser tab. Don’t do it. Google knows more than you want to. Suddenly the idea of a youthful resident fresh out of med school, or even some sort of frontier moonshine/stick/sewing needle combo seem like totally acceptable, even calming options. My gut reaction was a follow up search for ‘How to join Church of Christ, Scientist’
But don’t let the prospect of robot surgery worry you. Our computer overlords are not only benevolent, they’ll make you faster on a bike! Just kidding, we still totally have control over the system…
