On November 11th I had the opportunity to get a bike fit from the infamous John Cobb at Fitness Fanatics. He has literally worked with everyone from Tour de France pro cycling teams to Lance Armstrong. This guy has spent more time in a wind tunnel than anyone else in the sport. He's incredibly knowledgeable about the delicate balance between aerodynamics and power output, and has helped countless riders reach beyond plateaus with simple bike position adjustments.
I was somewhat skeptical that I could get a more aero position since I had been fitted in the past and was fairly comfortable on my bike, especially after doing a few half and full ironman triathlon races. I showed up for my appointment and was one of two other cyclist getting fitted at the same time. John asked me a few questions about my cycling background, any problems and my goal for the fitting session. I responded with the typical answers of wanting to go fast like Lance Armstrong. Then he started his 'black magic' assessment by watching me walk barefoot and doing some basic strokes on my bike.
He quickly started taking apart my aero bar setup saying that he could get me at least a few inches lower and more aero. I was concerned since my knees already felt like they were hitting my stomach and causing discomfort on my seat. He then proceeded to adjust my seat a few times. After about 45 minutes I started to get that 'pro fit' look and felt faster pedaling on the bike trainer.
He made some suggestions on rotating my hips forward to get the proper muscles in my leg firing properly plus reducing my lower back discomfort. I was able to lay in my new aero position and 'hammer' my pedals pretty hard with out any discomfort in my saddle, knees hitting my stomach and be about 2 inches lower. John did suggest getting a new set of aero bars (ie. Profile T2+ cobras) to get my hands lower.
In the end, I was suprised and very happy with the whole experience. My only drawback the weather outside won't let me the chance to ride my bike on pavement to truly test the comfort and hopefully speed gains with the new postion.
Here are some good articles on John Cobb:
1) http://www.byrn.org/gtips/cobb_fit.htm
2) http://johncobbresearch.com/
