Road Bike Racing - I'm fit to be tied in knots, now need a pro fitting

Alrighty, I've had it. Well.. not really - but close. For near to two years one of the things I've done to keep the body comfy is a monthly massage with someone that can really work kinks and knots out. With 4 different masseuses (masseusi?) I've had a common issue. My left quad is always exceptionally more tender than my right. I can take all sorts of pressure on the right leg, but the left one takes little to have me flinching.

There has to be a reason, so I'm going to look to get a pro bike fit done. Money is the lowest issue on the totem pole. The number one issue is someone who isn't going to jack up my position on the bike. It might be something as simple as an insole insert for all I know. I'm really nervous about having someone screw up the position on the bike where I'm so comfortable where I am right now from minute 1 to hour 5 on the bike.

I don't want the "1 day class on the ruler" type fit. So, if you have someone in the Richmond to Baltimore range that is worth the drive, gas and cost, let me know. I'm coupling this with the search for some serious flexibility training in the off season and want to fix this problem.

Two options I have alot of familiarity with:

Pierre Pelletier/Susan Hefler of (Hefler Performance Coaching) HPC, they work out of spokes in Vienna, VA. Pierre is the best massage therapist (only one I use), former pro cyclist, former soigneur, very gifted in biomechanical knowledge, and they both do great with bike fit. He does massage in the Herndon Massage Therapy Center. Susan is a coach I worked with for about 3 yrs. until recently (now - stopped because of financial considerations) who raced on a national level for years and really knows her stuff, she also does bike fittings. http://hpcoaching.com

Other is Matt McGoey of All American Bicycle Center in Damascus, MD. Matt is very trained and experienced with bike fit (has done a # for me as I've evolved as a cyclist). http://www.aabikes.com

Feel free to contact me via PM if you want additional info.

I've always been interested in the Wobble Naught system. Anyone got a read on the DC area's only Wobble Naught fitter, BJ Basham? I know he doesn't use the motion tracking or muscle sensors. A fitting with him is expected to take about 2 to 3 hrs. Maybe he's your man, NomadVW.

http://www.wobblenaught.com/

http://www.peakscoachinggroup.com/coaches/cycling_coach_bj.html

drive north to your shop and see roger and mark

see a physical therapist first to shed light on soreness. gotta be more there than bike fit.

I've heard more than a few good things about Cadence in Philly, run by former Olympian and cycling coach, Brian Walton.

One of my other teamates say he got a pretty good fitting from our sponsor shop Bike Doctor in Arnold, MD (A few miles north on Rt-2 off of RT-50).

And still others say Josh Frick is pretty good too, with his new start up Cycle Life.

Just put a picture on here. We'll figure everything out. :P

If I was looking for a fitter I would go with the Wobble Naught fit as well. Some local racers I know have recently had it done and the position changes are major to guys that are cat 1's and 2's been racing for years.

Hit the archives at cyclingnews.com ... TONS of discussion of fit issues and unequal lateral concerns - whatever fitter you go with, it's best if you go in educated.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/fitness/#qa

If you are comfortable on the bike for 5 hours I am not sure you have a fit issue. Does your left leg give you any trouble other than when it is being massaged? Be sure to measure and write down your exact bike setup so you can go back to it if you don't like any changes you make.

Since I have a chronic knot in my left vastus lateralis muscle, I would say that your bike fit is probably ok if the muscle soreness is the only problem you have. The more likely problem is some asymmetry in your body composition and/or biomechanics (functional or physical asymmetry) that causes you to overtax certain muscles. I'd say that before you look into changing your fit, to have more frequent massage done to see if you can really loosen up and heal the muscles. Some of us just need more regular maintenance like that. I know I do, so I'm going to check out MDcatV's masseur as soon as I get the chance. My massage therapists back in my hometown tell me I need a lot more regular maintenance. If you are comfortable on the bike for 5hrs, your fit is probably as good as it's going to get. A good massage therapist and/or physical therapist might be able to tell you if the problem is stemming from somewhere else, such as your pelvis. If one hip is tight, then that could affect your pedal stroke. Or, maybe you're favoring the other side unintentionally. On cyclingnews.com, the fit expert says that a lot of cyclists drop their right hip, but if your left leg is the dominant one, like mine, then maybe you sit crooked off to the left. Maybe those hamstrings are too weak or too tight, so you're overloading the quads. There are a lot of possibilities, but I'd get yourself thoroughly checked out first before messing with the bike.

If you are comfortable on the bike for 5 hours I am not sure you have a fit issue. Does your left leg give you any trouble other than when it is being massaged? Be sure to measure and write down your exact bike setup so you can go back to it if you don't like any changes you make.

No problems with any particular leg or muscle group at any time. I only notice it when it's being worked on like that. I don't feel like I particularly favor a leg. I have really paid attention over the last few months if I get fatigued more in that leg or if I get overall muscle soreness more in that one and I don't think that is happening. I mean... today it's a little more sore but that's typical the day after a massage. Lots of good thoughts. It's hard to consider how I could feel better on the bike. Quite truly, if I felt better you'd have to consider the bike a part of my body.

Maybe I'll just ask some questions when I go and get a TT fit done. I've been pretty sure I was going to do that anyway. We'll see. Definitely lots of research to be done.

Does your PM give you data that would tell you if you are putting out more power with the right leg than left? If it does, that might be an interesting bit of information to add to the mix.

Also, some video of you cycling might reveal if you have anything asymetrical in your position or pedal stroke.

I had a massage yesterday too. I also have one side that was much more tender then the other. The massuese told me its pretty common in cyclists. In my case, I need to go more often to get some of the tighness to soften. A friend that races in the domestic pro ranks and does the week to 10 day tours goes atleast once a week. So its nice to hear Im not the only one who was tortured yesterday. :rolleyes:

I used this guy as a trainer last year (dropped because of work / time conflicts, but I thought he knew what he's talking about). I think he's in Annapolis now.

http://www.fitness-concepts.com/index_files/Page941.htm

Since I have a chronic knot in my left vastus lateralis muscle, I would say that your bike fit is probably ok if the muscle soreness is the only problem you have. The more likely problem is some asymmetry in your body composition and/or biomechanics (functional or physical asymmetry) that causes you to overtax certain muscles. I'd say that before you look into changing your fit, to have more frequent massage done to see if you can really loosen up and heal the muscles. Some of us just need more regular maintenance like that. I know I do, so I'm going to check out MDcatV's masseur as soon as I get the chance. My massage therapists back in my hometown tell me I need a lot more regular maintenance. If you are comfortable on the bike for 5hrs, your fit is probably as good as it's going to get. A good massage therapist and/or physical therapist might be able to tell you if the problem is stemming from somewhere else, such as your pelvis. If one hip is tight, then that could affect your pedal stroke. Or, maybe you're favoring the other side unintentionally. On cyclingnews.com, the fit expert says that a lot of cyclists drop their right hip, but if your left leg is the dominant one, like mine, then maybe you sit crooked off to the left. Maybe those hamstrings are too weak or too tight, so you're overloading the quads. There are a lot of possibilities, but I'd get yourself thoroughly checked out first before messing with the bike.
jmho. I was thinking hip too, and only speak from personal experience. I saw a pt years ago about slight hip soreness from golf. They poked and proded forever and said my right leg was considerably weaker, much less muscle tone, and way tighter than left side. Hip got so inflamed/tight my right leg was slightly shorter than left. I was shocked what she pointed out and mostly because I always thought I was objective about pain and body strength proportion and didn't feel that bad.
ymmv

well i have been wondering about the specialized 3D advanced fit. it looks pretty advanced and I think i'm going to have it done. you have a specialized dealer in warrenton.

FWIW:

I had a back/leg issue a few years ago that destroyed half a season. A PT fixed me up with manipulation and stretching. It flares up a bit from time to time but I can control it easily now by doing the stretches.

Adjacent to that I found the root cause were some symmetry issues on the bike set up. Cleat offset wasn't perfect between the two shoes, and my controls weren't in perfect height alignment. That twist caused major problems, those problems didn't resolve with getting the bike set up correctly.

And now I'm on a regimen of stretching and using the foam roller every evening. I've found the roller is even better than massage in many ways, because you can focus on areas that you know are tight. Definitely cheaper.

All stuff worth exploring, if you do go the bike fit route, I'd love to hear the feedback.