2013
07.05
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“The Perfect Fit begins with an understanding of the athlete’s ambitions and abilities in order to educate them on achieving their goals and ultimately building a position that maximizes power, comfort, and handling without losing the bike’s ability to evolve with the rider.”

All fittings begin with the Pre-Fit interview, which is designed to gain a full understanding of the client’s athletic, physical, and medical history, this will provide a good head start in the determination of any physiological challenges, physical limitations, or neurological muscular patterns that may need to be addressed during exertion and pre-exhaustion. Physical and competitive goals, body image, lifestyle habits and personal anatomy also play a VERY important role to discern the appropriate starting point in an evolving biomechanically friendly position for each individual rider. Everyone is a “snowflake”.

The interview is followed by a full justification of our philosophy and protocol. We have proudly named our proprietary procedure “Biomechanical Bicycle Positioning” (BBP). We continue the conversation with a digestible explanation of pertinent information; including but not limited to several interactive demonstrations of muscular recruitment patterns, proprioception, true core and the effects of the twists within bones.

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Moving on to testing and assessment, beginning with full body measurements, and continues with flexibility, range of motion, muscular engagement, functional movement screens, torsion, and most importantly pelvic obliquities are addressed and corrected though our proprietary technique “hip pop”. If the hips are not aligned all hopes of a perfect fit are lost.  Most people have a pelvic imbalance that needs to be adjusted to assist in the formation of full body balance.

Conclusion of the pre-bike fitting is an evaluation of the complex human foot, as the base of stability and form; several aspects need to be considered. These include the medial, longitudinal & lateral arch, forefoot Varus or Valgus, and neutralization of motion with Talonavicular and Talocalcaneal congruency. We provide a variety of semi to full custom foot beds formed in the power position on the bike, along with other means to build an ideal platform and ensure a proper starting point in an ascending technique working our way up the body, cleat placement first.

On to the bike with consideration to the style and duration of activity, we utilizing the knowledge from our discoveries to follow the natural flow of the human animal while adhering to the applied physiology and learned functional movement of the athlete, we position our clients onto themselves in space as the active moving machine, then build the bicycle up underneath them to support them within the parameters of control, safety, and maximization of performance with sustainability.

With an element of prehabilitation and education we instruct our clients on correct cycling form, pedal stroke, how to improve their muscular employment, vestibular abilities, pelvic congruency, relieve muscular tension and many supplementary cycling related skills and life practices as needed to each individual rider to guarantee increased performance, safety, and enjoyment, along with long term life extension benefits. Clients are welcome to return at no additional fee to tweak their position as their fitness levels change, and or the distance, terrain, or riding frequency is altered, considerations are also made as required due to ageing and degeneration.

Our services, The BBP protocol, and the post fit feature can be employed on any style or brand of bicycle. BBP can be used to modify an athlete’s current position with re-configuration of their existing bike or can be the first step to an entirely custom cut to measure Elite Bicycle, hand-crafted in American, With every component individually selected to suit the riders needs and tastes with the client’s choice of first-class custom finish. Athletes we fit are also welcome to use us as a reference to purchase and position any future bicycles acquisitions regardless of brand.

The following is a little bit of additional information.

BBP, created by master bike fitter David Greenfield, mimics a few elements from some other key theories however the overall concept is a bit different in that it is based on the natural flow and functional movement of each individual athlete. Thus BBP cleat position, for/aft, knee, hip, shoulder, and elbow angles, plus the point of reference used may differ slightly from others.

What makes the protocol so special is the pre-hab aspect to ensure a reduced chance of injury, and the ability to help correct pelvic obliquities (a proprietary technique that master bicycle fitter David Greenfield developed over the years) and teach the athlete how to maintain neutrality in the pelvic cradle. Please note that if the pelvic cradle is out of symmetry it will cause a virtual leg length and for/ aft difference from the left and right side.   There are many things that can cause this imbalance however maintenance is rather simple.  Additionally there are a few preventive measures that can be made for some athletes who need extra care.

 Example: an athlete who predominantly breaths to one side when swimming, tends to create greater tension in the corresponding Latissimus dorsi (the Lats) the lats have an origin point that connects the pelvic crest. As the lat contracts with heavy use (on the one side) it pulls on the pelvis out of alignment.  This instance and its potential effect on the overall comfort, performance, and balance of the athlete, is first made aware of during the interview process were the question of “do you Bi-laterally Breath” very important. It is further investigated and most likely confirmed on the table with a specific lat engagement and flexibility test. If tension and imbalances are discovered the BBP technician teaches methods to correct and gives the client a take home sheet of exercises and stretches for their exact needs of all inefficiencies throughout their body that is found during the BBP discovery, and some useful practices to ensure athletic advancement.

Part of the BBP philosophy is that balance is key in all aspects of the athlete’s life and body. Thus during the fitting process the technician will explain to the client the importance of deep sleep vs. hard training, proprioception vs. vestibular connections for long term safety and immediate control, safety, and the ability to accelerate on the bike. Equality and balance between the force partnerships of muscles in each system. Balance between the two sides of the body.  And the corner stone of the BBP system, balance in the pelvic cradle as it is the center link to all the working parts.

Additionally, Cycling techniques on the bike, neutral spine, kinetic vs neurological engagement, and how certain neurological process effect cycling, are all conveyed through verbal, visual, and physical means throughout the fitting to ensure proper digestion as we are all “snowflakes” and we all learn though different means.

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Over the years Elite Bicycles and the BBP protocol has continually been rewarded through its hard efforts in custom bicycle design and or its advanced fitting services with USA and Foreign National and World championship titles in many of the athletic endeavors its supports. This includes both Professional and Age Group categories.

Multiple Ironman and Ironman world championship wins

Multiple ITU triathlon world championship wins

Olympic top ten finishes

Multiple Duathlon World Championship wins

UCI Track world champion with a world record

Multiple USA national and foreign nations, Triathlon and Duathlon championship wins

Multiple USA State and National cycling championship wins

Multiple USA national Track championship wins

Multiple Domestic Pro and Pro Tour riders have utilized the BBP services in advanced fitting.

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Master fitter David Greenfield is available for tutelage and certification of the BBP protocol. This includes but is not limited to education in theory, interview and discovery skills, anatomy and physiology, body measurements, analysis and assessment of multiple repeatable, reliable and recordable tests, pelvic corrections and neutralization of the complex human foot, application, framing, tools of the trade, use of Bikefit brand products, use of a measuring devise both static and dynamic, guidelines, additional Organic tests and conformations of congruency and the ability to educate the client. The initial instruction will take a full week at either our or the pupils location.  All students may to return for any continuing education they desire, furthermore any supplemental communiqué, questions and inquiries of new information are not only invited they are encouraged.

The Elite Bicycles practitioners of the BBP protocol both enjoy an open door policy on communication of the advanced cycling science. All who are interested in conversation about this protocol and practices are welcome. Please feel free to contact David (david@elitebicycles.com) for a personal bicycle fitting appointment or to investigate the opportunity to become an authorized BBP specialist.

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This post was written by: DGG
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