Bike fit clinic Image by jcomp / Freepik
LEE PRESCOTT FROM THE VELO ATELIER BICYCLE STUDIO IN WARWICKSHIRE, UK, HAS A BACKGROUND IN ERGONOMICS AND BICYCLE DESIGN. HE SHARES ONE OF HIS MORE SUBTLE BIKE FITS FROM RECENT WEEKS.
Cyclist gender: Female
safe limits, so restriction of the iliac artery was
Age bracket: 45-55
ruled out.
Discipline: Road
Focus turned to the client’s shoe setup. Firstly,
Level: Experienced club rider
she was measured correctly with a Brannock
Complaint: Exponential foot numbness after
device, which showed that she was a B width
one hour of regular cycling
on both feet. Her shoes were standard last Sidis, which looked to be wide enough for her.
This rider came into the studio for an initial
However, the standard Sidi Insoles were being
assessment and was getting increasing
used, which didn’t match her extremely high
numbness in her feet after one hour of cycling at
arch (see photo, next page). Due to this she
any intensity. It was affecting both feet and
suffered from a little over-pronation. The rest of
would continue even whilst resting at coffee stop
her foot was a little hypermobile.
breaks. After getting home the pain would subside within five minutes.
Theory Based on the basic information it looked like
Bike fit Observations
the shoes should be fine apart, from the insole
A check of the client's overall position on the
not being quite supportive enough. Lee’s theory
bike showed no obvious issue: It was well
was that given the symptoms the problem had
balanced and muscle recruitment was well
to be due to a restriction of the venous system
distributed by the saddle position and body
of the foot. All signs pointed to a restriction of
angle. Her closed hip angles were well within
blood flow causing the numbness. The fact that the numbness continued until the shoes were
