David Bowden, you're the brains behind Velogicfit please tell us a bit about yourself? Where are you from, and what do you do? I’m based in Cambridge, New Zealand with easy access to quiet country roads and some good MTB parks not too far away. I’m the technical director for velogicfit – essentially I come up with the product ideas and manage them through the development process. Additionally I consult to Profile Design for aerobars/handlebars so that I can get fit focussed products out into the market with worldwide distribution.
Can you take us through a typical Velogicfit based bike fit?
Using 2D or 3D Motion the process is much the same:
- Set up the bike and system
- Discuss riding and injury history with the rider (usually they’ll have filled out a questionnaire prior to the fit as well)
- Measure the bike – (digitally in 3D Motion)
- Perform the initial motion capture to establish the riders current position
- Make changes based on the information, then capture again
- Make changes and test again until a satisfactory outcome is achieved – in terms of both the metrics and the riders feedback
- Measure the final bike setup
- Complete the report covering what happened in the fit and recommendations for the future
If also using 3D Aero the number of position trials increases as you try to balance aero and motion considerations for the optimal position.
And the Advanced Bike Finder comes into play if the rider wants a list of bike recommendations in the report.
Can the system deal with problematic physiology or injury?
This is entirely up to the fitter. The systems just deliver information. To give a couple of examples:
- The knee tracking data in 3D Motion can show whether the rider is suffering impingement at their hips – which allows the fitter to choose an appropriate change. Sometimes this will be cleat position, or opening the hip angle (higher bars) or altering pelvic rotation (saddle setback or saddle choice).
- The joint motion metrics can identify instability that increases risk of injury.
When a rider presents with an existing injury the 3D Motion system is the best choice for narrowing down the possible causes.
Are there any cyclists who have gone on to success after a Velogicfit?
Generally they were successful before a fitting! Training and dedication are far more important than bike fit in that regard. However, bike fit can certainly make the difference between enjoying cycling and not or the difference between peak performance and not quite hitting your goals.
I’ve fitted riders of all levels and I know that our fitters around the world are doing the same, with good results.
Combining the bike fit with 3D Aero, we are able to determine which position is most efficient and most aero for that rider. Many cyclists and triathletes have appreciated finding out their fastest position without having the cost of wind tunnel testing. We frequently find that lower and narrower are not necessarily faster – not everyone reacts well to a more aggressive position.
Tell us about the advanced bike finder feature.
The Advanced Bike Finder is an online tool for stores that allows them to produce a list of bikes that match a riders requirements. Brand, material, price, purpose can all be filtered for. Of course, the primary aspect is fit and the system will generate a list of precisely matched bikes based on either bike measurements (from an existing bike or fit data) or a more basic sizing based on body measurements.
We’ve designed the system to deliver an optimised recommendation that balances matching the fit with the handling requirements of the intended discipline. For example – road race bikes chosen to be slightly smaller, more nimble frames. Whereas MTB Enduro frames chosen to be long reach allowing short stems for predictable handling.
And we can generate tri/tt bike matches with precise aerobar setup information, including for superbikes like the Cervelo P5 & P5X, Trek Speed Concept and Giant Trinity Advanced.
I think I can safely claim that we have the most powerful bike finder system available – the amount of data we process to generate optimised results is unique in the industry and no one else is even trying to do tri/tt bikes the way we do.
What are the five most important benefits of the Velogicfit system for a bike store?
- Accuracy – we don’t use harnesses or draw on lines manually, every aspect of our development is focussed on providing the most repeatedly accurate products. Manual measurements or visual assessment simply can’t match the precision of the data we generate.
- Cost effectiveness – we have always challenged our developers and ourselves to make our products compelling for bicycle retailers, which means they need to add value to the ROI of bike fit for the store, not become an overhead. We have achieved this by running a lean, smart development process to keep costs down without compromising the level of innovation and quality of the products.
- Wow factor – the feedback from customers to our stores is always fantastic. Riders love seeing themselves on the screen and understanding why changes have been made to their position because of the information they can see (and feel). Having the right tools improves the customers perception of the service and justifies the expense of seeing a professional.
- Easy to use – the fit systems have been designed by bike fitters for bike fitters, they are intuitive and help you to speed up the fit while providing a professional service. With training to understand the data provided, our products are an easy way to raise the calibre of your bike fitting service.
- Training – every course that Velogicfit have delivered around the world has received positive feedback from attendees. They walk away from the courses with a greater understanding of bike fit, as well as the specific skills to use velogicfit products effectively. And we cover how to generate revenue by doing a good job, rather than by foisting products on the customer.
