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CUSTOMER COMMENTS and ACTIVITIES
Highlighting our customers cycling and sports accomplishments.
Ann's Awesome Alert (AAA) #1
I've noticed that I probably say "awesome" too much, especially while I'm on the phone with total strangers during my workday. Nevertheless, there are things that are really outstanding -- so I thought I'd pass them along.
So for the inaugural AAA, I've chosen my bike fitter, Mike. You can find him at http://bicyclefitrx.com/. If you are in the Kansas City area, this is one of the best bike investments you can make.
I found Mike on Slowtwitch, since he was the only listed FIST fitter in the KC area. I actually first contacted him while I was still in Poland and scheduled my fitting before I even returned to the US. I wasn't in any pain while riding, but I didn't have confidence in my fit, especially given the addition of the aerobars and the Fast Forward seatpost. (Being a complete newbie to cycling and the language barrier made me doubt almost everything.) I was super impressed when he busted out the lasers to check my kneecap tracking. So when I bought my new tri bike, I obviously called him up. I am now much more comfortable on the tri bike during long rides.
In addition to being such a great fitter, Mike was a great resource in my hunt for a tri bike -- I could e-mail him my questions and concerns and he would respond with in-depth answers so I could make smart decisions. It was great to have a 3rd party "consultant" who wasn't swayed by trying to sell a certain brand of bike.
So as I said, if you are anywhere remotely close to Kansas City, Mike is the man to call!
“Bicycle Fit Rx has a unique approach to bicycle fitting. In addition to looking at the angles of my legs, hips, and arms, which is what a typical bike fit consists of, they also looked at my alignment. Everything from the way my knees line up with my feet throughout my pedal stroke to how my foot contacts my shoe and puts the power down. These adjustments have made my pedal stroke smoother and leave my legs less fatigued because I do not have to overuse the muscles that keep me aligned. In retrospect, it is a common sense approach to a bicycle fit that is so comprehensive that it is hard to believe it is not the industry standard. Great leaders always shake things up in their industry and challenge the status quo by applying new logic to an old way of thinking. That is exactly what Mike Irwin has done with Bicycle Fit Rx.”
Brad Hamilton
Age group triathlete
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"My fitting with BicycleFit Rx was the most comprehensive review of not only my positioning on my bike, but my posture, alignment and body motion, both on and off the bike. Mike takes a unique approach by combining his years of experience in the cycling industry and his training in body mechanics. Mike took the time to understand my goals and purpose for being on the bike and customized a fitting to help me with those goals. The payoff was the strongest legs I have had coming off the bike in the Kansas Ironman 70.3. My only regret was that I didn't call BicycleFit Rx sooner."
Chris Kelly
Kansas Ironman 70.3
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"I started out riding my Giant Hybrid. I didn't log many miles at all but was already noticing a little knee pain. I really wasn't aware of the whole "fitting" process but a friend of mine referred me to Mike at Bicycle Fit RX. Once I started logging more miles I purchased a cyclocross bike and went through the fitting process. It was amazing the difference in short term and long term comfort. The 100 miles I logged on the Giant were painful whereas the 1000 miles I logged on the bike that I was fitted for was relatively pain free. It was quite the process and took several hours to complete. Mike was amazingly patient and attentive to all my litany of aches and pains. Mike's attitude is one of a person who really enjoys what he does and I found the process very enlightening. I couldn't tell you all he did and how it works I just know that I will be able to bike for many more years and log many more miles with a lot less pain because of Mike."
Georgia
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"My experience with BicycleFit Rx has been a very positive one. I ride my bicycle for the exercise and enjoyment. I rode about 2,000 miles last year and plan to increase that to about 3,000 this year. Much of my riding is to train and stay in shape for an annual ride that I like to do called RAGBRAI.
I got fitted for my cyclocross bike about 2 months ago by Mike and noticed a much more comfortable ride immediately on a 62 mile Amelia Earhart ride out of Atchison, Kansas. I used to deal with some knee pain especially while pushing up the hills. This was my first time to do a ride with some length and hills without the pain.
Last week I completed my annual ride across Iowa and put on just over 500 miles in 7 days. It was for the first time a pain free ride on the same bike that I used last year.
The pedal and stem changes that Mike recommended definitely paid off. My left knee had been quite a ways out of alignment and by purchasing pedals that have variable spindle lengths, we were able to get my knee to line up with my foot and take the pressure off of my knee. A shorter stem also allowed me to ride in a more comfortable position which eliminated my past neck and back pain on long rides.
The whole bicycle fit experience was very pleasant and the results have been excellent.
I would definitely recommend it to anyone that spends a fair amount of time on their bicycle."
Tom Bridges
2009 RAGBRAI, Three time Ride Accross Iowa Finisher
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"I’ve been riding bikes for the last 20 years with varying levels of dedication. After my first 2 years of riding, I had assumed I had hit a speed ceiling of about a 16 mph average on any ride longer than 20 miles. I was never limited by my lung capacity or leg strength, but my knee pain never let me push big enough gears to go any faster. So I relegated myself to spinning at a cadence of 90-100 to get my 16 mph and lived with it.
During the fit Mike was able to identify several adjustments to foot position and angle as well as adjusting my pedals to properly align my knees and ankles. Within the first two weeks I was able to push an 18 mph average over 30 miles with no knee pain whatsoever. I am now shooting for a 20 mile average, because that is I have told myself I get a new bike.
The most gratifying benefit was being able to ferry my 14 year old niece across Iowa on RAGBRAI 2009 on the back of my tandem bike. As anyone who has had the pleasure of riding across southern Iowa knows, the gear does not exist that will allow you to easily spin of the Loess hills. This year however I was able to climb every hill with virtually no knee pain. I attribute this directly to Mike’s fitting, especially since last year, pre fitting, I pedaled just myself across Iowa and only accomplished it with the help of 2400 mg of Ibuprofen every day for knee pain.
My only problem with Mike’s fitting is I didn’t have it 18 years ago. Thanks for the new lease on riding Mike; finally I feel I’m only limited by my willingness to train."
Will Jennings and Co-rider
2009 RAGBRAI, Three time Ride Accross Iowa Finisher
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