#1 THE BIKE FIT
COST PER SECOND £7.35 TIME SAVED OVER 40KM 51 secs, plus efficiency gains
“A bike fit is absolutely where your journey starts,” says aerodynamicist Stephen Roche ( thebiketailor.com).
“The common mistake cyclists make is often with their bike position. If you’re riding in the right position, your power output will increase, making you more efficient, comfortable and sustainable overall. It’s personalised to the rider, and the results I’ve seen with my athletes is proof enough. Small refinements make all the difference.”
So, what fundamental changes and marginal tweaks can Roche make to my bike position? After a deserved ribbing about the state of my bar tape, Roche asks about my cycling aims and injury
“If you’ re riding in the right position, your power output will increase, making you more efficient and comfortable”
history. To improve my endurance riding speed without aggravating my dodgy knees and Yoda-esque posture is the aim. Roche analyses my setup and raises my saddle height by 0.5cm. While he recommends that I buy an in-line seatpost (available from £15 online), he moves my saddle forward by 1.5cm and encourages me to hold my hands further along the hoods.
These seem minor tweaks, but they’re changes that have since increased my riding efficiency (making that cost per second total far lower) and comfort on long rides – Roche also suggests yoga and proper warm-downs after rides. There are also instant aero benefits due to a decrease in my frontal profile, shaving 51secs from my 40km sportive time when riding at 25km/h and a yaw (effective wind) angle of 5 degrees. Prices for a Silverstone wind-tunnel bike fit with the Bike Tailor start at £375, with his non-tunnel fits starting at £200.