nicomachus.net

Phillip Barron
The Herald Sun
January 12, 2006

CARRBORO — If there’s an ideal Platonic form out there for everything that exists in this world of imperfect approximations, then there’s got to be an ideal bike for you and me. Now, how are you supposed to go about finding that bike?

Nestled in an upstairs unit of a converted warehouse in Carrboro may be the first step on the journey. Cycling Specifics is not your average bike shop. In fact, it’s not really a bike shop at all. “We’re more of a cyclist’s resource center,” says co-owner Laurin Stennis when she invited me in for a fitting.

When you walk in, the warm colors of the exposed brick walls and the smooth, worn hardwood floors welcome you and your bike to two-to-four hours of the most attention you’ll ever receive together. What CS does is make sure that you’re riding a bike that suits your body and your cycling needs.

“Most of our clients come in for a fitting,” says Lori Hoeffer, the other half of the CS team. She’s referring to a process built around bicycle manufacturer Serotta’s philosophy that the bicycle can and should be built to the body that will be riding it. A personalized fitting at Cycling Specifics yields enough details for Hoefer and Stennis to do one of two things: order for you a custom built bicycle or properly configure the components on your existing bike.

In the course of a fitting, Stennis and Hoefer measure your body, they record the current configurations of your bicycle, and determine your current strength and flexibility. They take into consideration what kind of riding you do and plan to do. It’s the most thorough, scientifically sound, and technologically savvy bike fitting you’ll experience.

Hang on, it gets complicated.

One of the essential tools they use in the fitting process is something called the SizeCycle.

“The SizeCycle helps us find your ideal points in space,” says Hoefer. “It’s Serotta’s infinitely adjustable sizing tool.” A stationary bike where every angle is adjustable and each clamp is a quick-release, the SizeCycle can mimic the frame geometry and size of just about any upright bicycle.

Using it, Stennis and Hoefer can find your ideal seat height, handlebar position, and top-tube length among other details. As we’re dialing in the size of my Platonic bike, we’re making adjustments down to the millimeter.

If you visit CS to get help adjusting your own bike, they are able to chart these ?ideal points in space with X/Y coordinates, and carry them over to your bike,? says Hoefer. They’ll adjust the seat and seat post, stem, and handlebars as much as they can. If your frame is close enough to your ideal, something as simple as replacing your stem or adjusting your seat post can make could make a big difference to your riding.

“Two or three years ago I began to experience neck and hip problems from cycling and was considering going to a more upright bicycle or finding another form of exercise,” says CS client Mary Sugden of Carrboro.

“During peak cycling season for the past two years, I was making weekly trips to either a massage therapist or physical therapist,” she adds. “But after making the necessary adjustments to my bicycle based on the measurements from the fitting, my cycling efficiency immediately and drastically improved. Best of all, my neck and hip problems associated with riding are now almost non-existent.”

While the price tag of an Independent Fabrication (steel or titanium), a Serotta (steel, titanium, or carbon fiber), an Orbea (aluminum), or a Parlee (all carbon-fiber) may give you reason to pause (a true custom frame starts at around $1700 and complete bikes can top $8000), Stennis invites you to think about this. ?A custom bike is one you keep forever,? she says. ?People get the new bike itch every two or three years for a reason, and that reason usually has something to do with your comfort on the bike. When people get a custom bike, they keep it.?

Sometimes, after all is said and done, they have bad news. Like the fact that my commuter bike is just too small for me. Well, I really can’t complain about a 1970s frame I bought used for a whopping $10.

But the bad news can be good news. They helped me diagnose the recurring pain between my shoulders. And, perhaps the best news of all is that I have professional advice backing me up when I say I need a new frame.

Hmmm, and you say the Indy Fabs come in whatever colors you want, right?

–
Cycling Specifics ? (919) 933-4831 – moved at the beginning of January; their new location has less exposed brick but more space for titanium and carbon fiber eye-candy and fewer stairs to climb.