For triathlon specifically, it is essential you find someone that knows how to fit you to a time trial bike. You can’t just rely on the bells and whistles of a Retul computer. It is about maximizing aerodynamics and power while being able to hold the position and run well after finishing the ride. This requires a professional fitter that has worked with a wide array of triathletes at all levels and knows the results of their fits. In other words, they maintained contact with their clients and received valuable feedback as to what worked and what didn't.
Enter David Luscan, formerly a Virginia State Time Trial Champion and professional bike fitter trained by the original designer of time trial bikes, Dan Empfield. Initially, I am not really sure how I linked up with Dave on Facebook, but I took note of his posts for the last year or so. He regularly posts before and after videos of his clients with detailed discussions about what changes he made. What I was seeing in the “after” videos is what I was looking for after looking at my post race pictures. Dave then posted about his book, “The Misfits Guide to Basement Bike Fitting.” I ordered it for Kindle and devoured it! I checked every one of my dimensions to the orthodoxy that he explained and low and behold, things were clearly in need for adjustment to be the most aero, yet still powerful.
It took several months to figure out how I was going to arrange driving to Richmond, VA from Baltimore (3+ hours depending on traffic). But with everything that God is behind, opportunities started presenting themselves and we set a date. We met at one of the coolest bike shops I have seen, combined with a grocery store called, Outpost Richmond (www.outpostrichmond.com). Dave works out of a corner of this shop which included his fit bike.
The experience with Dave was very different than my three previous fits. He is casual yet direct and a has a wizard of a brain that can crunch calculations in his head to the millimeter of adjustments to be made. If one angle changed here, he knew the height or reach adjustment there. That proved his experience to me. He explained every move like going to the eye doctor, move a little bit in one direction until it does not feel right and go back a few steps. Oh, and amazingly, we used a fit bike! In the previous fits, I was never put on a fit bike despite it sitting right next to me while doing the fit. They just worked with my current set-up and assumed I was looking for a tweak here and there, even though I was crystal clear I was looking for more!
Saving the intricate details of how we got there, fast forward to post fit. We made huge changes. When it comes to the human body, these are measured in millimeters. I had a few changes amount to more than a centimeter (that is 10 mm!) This was not just dialing in a fit, this was blowing up what I came in with and moved everything. Below are all the images for the before and after including the dimension sheets.
Ok, ok, so what does this have to do with discipline? Well, I have learned in my previous fit attempts, that it takes time to adjust to a new fit. However, those fits were pretty micro compared to this one and I was pretty much "ok" to go within two weeks. However this go around, I am really focusing on remaining disciplined with my adjustment period. For the last two weeks, I have done almost every minute of every ride in zone two power. Additionally, I am still waiting for my 160mm cranks to arrive, so I have additional adjustments coming up after they are installed on my bike. Preseason is critical for building strength and preventing injury, I don't want to start this season off with an injury.
To find David Luscan, here are some links to get you going:
Here is a link to his book on Amazon:
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