Email: info@stevehoggbikefitting.com
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Cycling Résumé
Thank you for your interest in a bike fitting with Colby Pearce. Below are some things you should know if you are considering a fitting, or if you have already made an appointment.
(Please see Colby’s website for the latest options and pricing.)
Fitting Options:
Integrative Fitting is a product created specifically to help athletes who have unresolved challenges on the bike, or who want a complete holistic overview of their relationship to health and cycling. These athletes have frequently been to one or more fitting sessions and have not found a solution.
Athletes who book an Integrative Fitting often struggle with pain on or off the bike, or a sensation of asymmetry or “twistedness” that detracts from their enjoyment of riding or expression of potential on the bike.
It is a six hour, comprehensive in person session fit session. The price is $1000.
Hourly fitting is a service intended for clients who have specific issues they would like to target, such as cleat placement, saddle selection, or postural refinement. This is the ideal choice for a rider who feels “mostly dialed” but wants a tune up or a refinement of their existing set up. Appointments can be booked in ninety minute increments. The client will only pay for the time we use.
Virtual fitting is a service for athletes who would prefer to work virtually.
The session will begin with a questionnaire that will help me understand the context of the athlete’s goals for the fit, and any challenges the athlete is experiencing on or off the bike. After I have analyzed the completed questions and video footage provided by the client, we will discuss what I have observed and, and I will suggest a course of action for any changes. This video consultation will take approximately one hour and is included in the fee of $300.
Understand there are limits to virtual bike fitting sessions and thus the service I can provide is not as complete as in person.
Payment:
Payment will be due at the time the fit is completed. Personal checks, cash, PayPal, or credit cards are accepted. Cash or check are preferred methods as to avoid any surcharges.
Guarantee:
If you are unsatisfied with your fit, and we are unable to resolve your issues on the bike with subsequent follow up appointments, I will refund your money. You are paying me for a result, not an attempt. Bike fits are expensive and I have heard many stories of riders who get fit and then change everything back to the way it was two weeks later because it “did not work out”. This is an unacceptably low standard in the bike fit industry in my opinion and I work to achieve a higher level.
Mechanical Services:
The Service Course is on site to provide mechanical services as required, but fees may apply (cutting steerer tubes, seat masts, etc). For rate information, see their website at www.thebouldersc.com. They are the best shop in town to get your sled dialed so if you need work, come see them. Please have your bike in good working order for the fit so we can focus on the task at hand, rather than repairs. This means if your seatpost is frozen in the frame or bolts are stripped, deal with these issues before you come in for a fitting.
Off The Bike vs On The Bike:
Keep in mind that there is a difference between “issues on the bike” and physical or structural issues which prevent an athlete from achieving optimal position, or riding pain or discomfort free on a bicycle. Some of what an athlete brings to a fit may be out of the domain of my area of expertise, and therefore may require additional modalities in order to improve function. I have a network of health care professionals in Boulder including a physical therapist, acupuncturist and massage therapists, and I may provide referrals. Have confidence that my methodology is not to dodge a bullet by sending you somewhere else, my intent is to work with integrity and help you get comfortable and fast on a bicycle. This requires a holistic approach to the athlete.
Post Fit Adaptation:
You should expect an adjustment period of up to three weeks after your position changes are made. The adjustment time will vary depending on how much change is made, how heavy your training and racing load were before the fitting, how adaptable to change you are as an athlete and as a person, and how much intensity and volume you do following the fit. This may mean reduced training load, volume, or changing competition schedules. If you are concerned about the timing of your fit and how it may impact your training or competitive calendar, email me and we can talk specifics.
Three steps forward, one step back: understand that even if your new cycling position is superior to your previous one, you may go slower and experience soreness initially as part of your adaptation. If you are a high volume rider or have been cycling for many years, thousands of pedal strokes have contributed to neural programming and patterning which have been ingrained in your movement, and it may take time to find fluidity and efficiency in your new position as those pathways are reprogrammed. Your short term performance may be compromised as a result of changes made to your position.
Please bring with you:
Footbeds: If you don’t have any footbeds or orthotics in your cycling shoes and are planning a fit, please contact me in advance. The basic foam liner which comes with most shoes is not a footbed. Some shoes now come with a moldable liner which may include interchangeable, modular arch supports. If you have these, bring all the arches which were included. Proper arch support is essential to a complete bike fit. I may recommend that you purchase some footbeds prior to the fit and can provide suggestions. I have a limited selection of footbeds for sale in my shop but I can’t guarantee I will have all sizes in at the time of your fitting.
If you are a runner, bring your running shoes and any footbeds that go with them.
I may send you a client questionnaire in advance of your appointment in order to get background information and a bit of physical history.
Food and Drink:
Because of the length of the fit process, it may be a good idea to have some snacks on hand so you don’t get hungry. We have water and tea at the shop for customers at any time but if you prefer another source of liquid, feel free to bring it. Sometimes we have some calories around the office but there are hungry mechanics here also!
Notes on Equipment:
Panache Cyclewear Discount: Any fitting client is welcome to take advantage of a one time, 20 percent on site discount on any Panache Cyclewear they wish to purchase at the time of their fit. To check out the super cool clothing they make, visit www.panachecyclewear.com.
Thank you for your interest. I look forward to working with you soon.
COMFORT+EFFICIENCY=PERFORMANCE
Address:
Pearce Coaching and Fitting
3980 Broadway St Suite 202
Boulder, CO 80304-1161
Phone: 303.884.8088
Email: colbypearce@mac.com
In February 2012, I flew to Sydney Australia to be mentored by Steve Hogg as a bike fitter. For three and a half weeks, my exclusive purpose was to live and breathe bike fitting. I absorbed as much information and experience as possible from Steve during this time. The apprenticeship was invaluable and now I am fitting riders using Steve’s philosophies as a basis for my methods.
Steve is without a doubt one of the best bike fitters in the world. His methods are unconventional by some standards, but they have been refined over years of trial and error with thousands (yes, thousands) of clients. Steve has taken the time to research alternative methods to bike fitting and connect the dots in many methods which most fitters have not explored. His fitting methods do not use a “fit system” or pre-generated formulas, but instead rely on precise cues from the structure of the rider, in combination with a detailed physical assesment. His basis for fitting is founded on establishing clear proprioceptive communication throughout the body, especially between the feet and the cerebellum. The end result is optimal position for the athlete based on their individual needs, cycling goals, and abilities.
The best bike fitters use a blend of old school observation and new school science where it is appropriate.
Steve fits his clients on a Money Back if not Satisfied basis. If the client is not happy with the services performed, and a satisfactory solution to any ongoing problems is not found, a complete refund is issued. In my experience, very few bike fitters offer this guarantee and I have elected to embrace this feature in my own fitting business. I think it is a means of doing business with integrity and genuine intent to help others.
Of course, some clients may have on the bike issues which can only be improved or solved off the bike via body work, yoga, stretching, physical therapy, massage, or other means. I am not suggesting that a bike fit will solve all of your problems, or that 100 percent of your problems on a bike can be solved through a fit. To this end, Steve has assembled an extensive network of trusted practitioners to whom he refers clients when they need additional services. I am in the process of acquiring a similar network here in Colorado.
Many times I have heard stories of riders who have had fits, ridden in the new position for a week or two, and then reversed all the changes to where they were. I don’t expect to do everything perfectly (although that is my aim) but what I find unacceptable is both the fitter and clients’ acceptance of this wasted exercise. If hundreds of dollars are paid for a professional service, in any other field if it was less than perfect, the consumer would throw a fit. Cycle fits should be held to no lesser of a standard.
