Bike Fit at Peninsula Orthopedic Associates PT

A couple months late to share this (oops), but here's the follow up to 2 posts ago:

We lowered James' seatpost almost 2cm, brought the saddle back a few mm, adjusted the saddle tilt, and also moved his cleats back.

The result? Better weight distribution between all the contact points, less toe pedaling, more glute max recruitment, and a happier, more powerful rider!

🤗 Things you love to hear:
"riding the bike feels so amazing"
"I've never felt so comfortable in the drops, or even just pedaling"
"didn't even know it was possible to feel this comfortable on a road bike"

During .goel's bike fit this weekend, we adjusted just about EVERYTHING on the bike:
- cleats moved back and out
- saddle position raised, moved forward, and tilted down a bit
- trialed stem lengths/angles with the Stem Sizer, settling on simply flipping her current stem
- repositioned her levers higher onto the handlebar for a better transition between tops/hoods, while rolling the handlebar down accordingly

What's interesting to me is that despite all these changes, Purvi's before/after positions (not shown) don't look all that different! Yet this new position allowed her to feel confident riding in the drops while finding comfort all around.

Other than his sweet button up shirt jersey from , what do you observe with James' initial position?

He complained of toe numbness, occasional dull knee pain, mild saddle discomfort with his Power Mimic saddle (sized and sold by his LBS), and has moderate hamstring tightness L>R.

🎶 rmmm rmmm rmmm rmmm 🎶
Someone's ready to shred a lil gnar now!

📢 This is your regular reminder that bike fits aren't only for the roadies -- MTBers can benefit too!

⚡🚲 We had our first e-bike roll through our doors this weekend!

I've grown increasingly fond of e-bikes lately, especially when I see someone in flip flops dropping me on climbs 😩. So much so, that I just ordered my own e-bike for my 10 mile commute! 🚵

Once you get past the silly mentality of e-bikes as "cheating", it'll open your eyes to the amazing utility of e-bikes. It helps older adults such as Ted here continue to stay active and climb the nasty hills of the Bay Area without killing his cranky knees, allows commuters to get to work without needing to shower, and of course, reduces your carbon footprint if you can replace some trips where you'd normally drive a car like picking up groceries or dinner.

What's your thought on e-bikes? Do you want one? Already rocking one yourself? Leave a comment!

🔢 Numbers don't tell the whole story‼️

The use of dynamic motion tracking 📽️ to measure joint angles while pedaling can be extremely useful as it allows us to obtain information we can't as accurately observe by the naked eye 👀. But relying on those numbers alone isn't good bike fitting!

Any rider could be positioned at the average number for all joint angles but could feel as uncomfortable AF. We're all unique individuals, not programmable robots. 🤖

🙅🏻‍♂️ The numbers don't tell me if you're constantly shifting on the saddle to find stability, if your pelvis is too anteriorly/posteriorly tilted, if your big toe is going numb, if you're feeling pain, etc.

I like using these motion tracking tools to get a baseline understanding of how my clients are moving and grooving on the bike. But from there, it's about using clinical judgment and applying the biomechanical knowledge 🧠 I've learned over the years as a therapist to make the changes needed to helping the cyclist in front of me find comfort.



Cycling events and races are starting back up! Don't wait to get your bike fit with us. Book your fit at www.poabike.fit or schedule an appointly directly on our profile page!

🦶🏼There's a couple common reasons for pedaling with excessive ankle plantar flexion (foot pointing toe down):

1⃣ Saddle is too high, so you're reaching for the pedals by pointing the toes down to "extend" the length of your leg
2️⃣ Cleats too far forward, so your 🧠brain is trying to find a stable platform to get on top of the pedal axle for power transfer

In case, it was the latter. Adjusting the cleats back not only brought her ankle to a more neutral position through the power phase, it improved her hip & knee extension, while opening up her hip flexion angle at the top of her pedal stroke.

The opened hip angle helped reduce the strain on her low back, which bothered her only when climbing.

Don't wait -- schedule your bike fit today at www.poabike.fit!

Sacheth is looking and feeling more comfortable on his bike! He was fortunate enough to find this luscious purple Emonda ALR 5 last fall.

We improved his knee extension at the bottom of the pedal stroke, gave his saddle the gentlest of tilts, and granted his shoulders/upper back some relief from working too hard to reach the levers.

Let us help your bike fit to YOU so you can ride harder without having to work *too* hard!