FIST Clinic Notes
By Rich Strauss

I recently attended Dan Empfield's bike fit clinic: Fit Institute Slowtwitch, or FIST. Dan is the founder of Quintana Roo and the inventor of the tri-bike. Here are my notes from the clinic:

As a bike fitter, you begin with the assumption that the rider is a triathlete and therefore wants to be in the "optimal" tri position. The participants considered many words until we settle on the term optimal.

Optimal Tri Position

The bike fitter moves in a clockwise direction, from the right side of the bike. You start with cleat position and move clockwise from there:

1. 78 degree seat tube angle. This is the starting point.
   
   
2. Pedal spindle aligned to first metatarsal, or the ball of the foot.
   
   
3. Knee angle of 145-155 degrees. Fiona, a PT and bike fitter from Canada, had some great input about these first two factors. In short, the common pedaling technique of pointing the toes downward at the bottom of stroke is usually caused by a saddle that is too high. The athlete is reaching for the six o'clock position. She also called to my attention the relationship between hamstring flexibility, saddle height and the hip angle: an athlete with poor flexibility should be set up with more bend in the knee (lower saddle). This relieves some pressure on the hamstrings and lower back, allowing the athlete to be in a more comfortable, but still aggressive, riding position. This stuff is where the "art" of bike fitting comes into play and her PT background is very useful.
   
   
4. You then seek to "get your 90's": 90-degree angles formed by torso and leg (hip angle), upper arm and torso, and by the elbows. However, you skip the hip angle and jump to upper arm/torso angle and elbow angle. Dan says he has found that riders naturally seek these angles, as they provide bone support for the body weight, instead of muscle support. In other words, the athlete will naturally seek to support his weight on a stable column of bone, formed by a right angle of the upper arm and torso, instead of supporting his weight muscularly. Get these angles first, then come back to hip angle.
   
   
5. Ask the athlete to ignore the placement of the aerobars and just put his hands where they naturally want to go.
   
   
6. Aerobar tilt is largely a function of rider personality. An aggressive rider might want the bars tilted downward, as they feel they use the bars to get better leverage. A more relaxed rider (Dan calls it "whispering louder") will want the aerobars level or even tilted up.
   
   
7. Finally, you then adjust the drop between the seat and elbow pads to the rider's comfort, while shifting the seat fore and aft to retain the 90 degree hip angle. You take the athlete to where they feel the best combination of aggressive position and comfort, and then make the position less aggressive by a notch or two. This gives the athlete some room to play with on the fork tube by removing spacers as the season progresses: as spacers are removed the athlete assumes a more aggressive and aero position. Dan says that discomfort usually comes in three flavors:
   
   
   • Numbness or discomfort in your privates. This is usually an equipment issue and can be remedied by trying out different saddles.
     
     
   • Neck/shoulder pain or fatigue. This is an endurance issue and usually goes away after a few rides.
     
     
   • Lower back tightness or fatigue: lack of flexibility or sub optimal upper arm/torso angle. In the later case, the athlete is using his lower back to support some of his body weight, causing fatigue.

Three Examples

You begin with these assumptions and optimum parameters. Then by qualifying the subject, you either retain the optimal tri position or work backwards along the spectrum of bike fit: from optimal tri position (most aggressive) to "multisport position" (less aggressive) to a modified road or "slam" position. During this qualification process you assess the subject for flexibility, "thinness," what they want to get out of the sport, what they want to do with their bike, etc.

"Aggressiveness," as it relates to riding position, is largely defined by the vertical drop between the seat and elbow pads, and therefore refers to the size of the rider¹s frontal area exposed to the wind. Once you approach the problem from this perspective, it is apparent that not everyone is built for or needs to be in this aggressive tri position and should there for be on either a multisport or road bike. These bikes allow you to "maintain your 90's" (again, hip angle, upper arm/torso, elbows) in a more comfortable position better suited for the athlete.

Three examples:

1. Kona AG qualifier: very fit, athletic with aggressive goals. Wants the most aggressive/aero position possible and has the flexibility and low body fat to achieve it. This person would be best served on a tri-bike (78+ seat tube) in an optimal tri position.
   
2. MOP'er, wants to race tri's but also ride in the local road races. Maybe carrying a little extra around the middle. Probably best served with a multisport bike in a multisport position, allowing him to participate on multiple roles. Seat tube angle of 74-76+ and small elbow pad drop, relatively to tri-position.
   
3. 65 year old woman carrying a few extra pounds. Not very flexible or comfortable in an aggressive riding position, as her lack of flexibility and extra layer on the tummy will make it difficult for her to assume an aggressive riding position. Would probably be best served on a road bike with a slack seat tube angle and shorty aerobars, like Jammer GT's. This will allow her to maintain her 90's in a more upright riding postion.

After you have fitted the subject to the bike, you then take these measurements:

1. Saddle height, measured from the center of the bottom bracket to the top/center of the saddle.
2. Nose of the saddle in relation to the bottom bracket: centimeters behind or forward of the BB.
3. Distance from the saddle nose to the end of the aerobar.
4. Distance from rearward edge of elbow pads to end of aerobars.
5. Vertical drop from top of the saddle to the elbow pads.

At this point, you have essentially measured where the athlete's contact points are in space, relative to each other: feet, butt, elbows and hands. Your next step is to then either:

1. Put a new bike underneath these measurements.
   
2. Or achieve these measurements on their existing bike by adjusting saddle position, stem length and drop, spacers, etc.

Conclusion

The desired endstate of the fit process is an athlete with a bike and fit combination that matches their body (its capabilities and limitations), personality, and goals in the sport. Where an athlete lands on the continuum of tri-position is entirely fine. It's all good. However, the athlete must be educated about what his best and appropriate fit is, given the limitations of body and equipment. Not everyone needs to be on, nor should be sold, a tri-bike.

I'm working with Hank Iglesias at Edge Cyclesports in Laguna to provide bike fitting and personal coaching sessions to SoCal athletes. If you are interested, please contact me for more details: rich@cruciblefitness.com.