Fitting with Donny

I went down to Rassy's for my final fitting with Donny Quixote on my new 'cross bike. It is one sweet looking bike! The fitting went well, and was very interesting process.

The first step was to confirm measurements from the initial fitting, and take a couple of additional body measurements (thigh length, number of teeth, distance from the sun. OK, kidding about the last two - but it was very thorough) . We then talked about and tried a couple of different stem lengths/angles/heights. No surprises so far.

Then he set the saddle height. It was a good 1.25 inches higher that I am currently running. Wow, what a difference! It's going to take some getting used to, but I think I will have a lot more power because of this change.

My current (low) saddle height was a result some IT band trouble that I had experienced last winter. I did a little research and found that improper seat height could cause the problem. I got a saddle height formula from a book somewhere, and set all my bikes according to the formula. It felt low, but I didn't want to change too much, because it was from a book, so it must be good. To compensate, I had moved my saddle way back in the rails. It felt weird. The new saddle height feels much more natural and powerful. In reviewing Donny's measurements, I measured my inseam wrong, so that threw everything else off.

The other big change Donny made was to move my cleat position forward on the shoe, under the balls of my feet. I'd never really given my cleat position much thought, but I can feel the difference.

Donny also gave me a few things to watch for when trying out the new setup, and told me to call if I had any questions or problems. We then swapped out of few of the parts (seat and tires), and I was on my way home with my pretty new ride.

Thanks to Marc Hollander and the 'cross mafia for organizing the bike raffle, Rassy's for donating the bike, and Donny for donating the fitting. It's been a fun deal to be a part of.