Behind the scenes: Specialized XCO team camp 2020
Waylon Woolcock, fitting Haley Batten on her S-Works Epic full suspension mountain bike.
A question we often get from riders is whether or not getting a fit on their mountain bike is worth the investment. The answer to that question is of course always yes, because no matter what type of riding you are doing, being in a proper position is going to help you get one step closer to achieving your goals on the bike, whether you are sending it on the trails or putting miles on the road.
Earlier this year, our crew of dedicated Retül fitters made a trip to the Specialized cross-country MTB team camp to help dial in the riders positions and ensure they were properly set up on their bikes for the upcoming season. This was a huge step toward educating these pro athletes and support staff on the importance of a proper bike fit for cross-country racing. “We have fit a lot of XC MTB riders in the past, but fitting has never been embraced at the team-level. Riders are usually on their own to develop their own positions.” Informed Todd Carver, co-founder of Retül and Head of Specialized Human Performance. “We have a large database, and therefore the individual fitters are backed by science right from the start. This creates trust and gives Retül fitters a strong advantage when discussing fit with an elite XC mountain biker.”
Todd Carver discussing cleat placement with Florian Vogel.
Long time Swiss XC racer Florian Vogel, who is now the technical director for S-Racing, commented several times that he has never been part of anything like this in his 20-year history of professional racing. “It was amazing to have that kind of support as a team,” stated Vogel.
With mountain bikes, it is important to include other metrics into the fit due to the suspension systems of the bikes. Two of the mountain bike engineers from Specialized attended the camp specifically to focus on making sure the suspension systems of each bike were set up properly. “They were there literally setting the bikes up before the fits to make sure the suspension sag (rider seated on the bike) is what they intended,” said Carver. Marcel Keyser, a member of the applied technologies crew at Specialized, even brought along a slew of potentiometers and amplifiers to instrument the bikes for suspension performance tracking out on the trails.
Before the riders even got on their bikes, each of them went through a pre-fit interview and physical assessment to discuss their needs, wants and any problem areas they might need to address. “Determining and understanding the goal of each fit is the most important part of the process.” stated Waylon Woolcock, South Africa Retül Fit manager. “The pre-fit assessment is like collecting the puzzle pieces that come together during the on-bike fit process. Sometimes riders will learn things about themselves they never knew, and each rider's body has some unique quirk of some kind.” Stated Woolcock.
The team also utilized the Retül Digital Sitbone Device (aka DSD) to accurately measure each rider’s sit bone width, allowing the fitters to prescribe the correct saddle based on each of their individual riding styles. Most professional riders have a preference on the saddle shape but almost always follow the fitters recommendation when it comes to saddle width. “We currently see all the women on the team using Power Mimic and men on a mix of Power, Power Arc, and Romin Evo.” Informed Woolcock.
After establishing each rider’s goals, and understanding their physical abilities and limitations, then the fitters were able to start collecting real-time dynamic data on the bike. “During the fits, I aim to keep the rider informed. Some pointers on the system help them to see and understand changes that are made. This reassurance goes a long way mentally, important for any level of rider.” Stated Woolcock.
Waylon Woolcock discusses the Retül data captured during Haley Batten’s bike fit session.
But, it is not necessarily all about the numbers. During a Retül fit, the fitter is not only focused on the normative ranges shown by the Retül software, but they will also be looking at visual cues and rider weight distribution on the bike. “I like to take a holistic approach to my fits. We look at how the rider looks and interacts with the bike. We also take into account rider feedback and opinion. Lastly, we used the Retül data to quantify the rider's position and the changes we make. The combination of these elements resulted in a personalized fit outcome,” informed Woolcock.
Florian Vogel even went through his own Retül fit experience during team camp, and made some pretty significant changes to his position on the bike. “We did some little tweaks on the saddle setback and went a little bit longer in the stem. The longer stem now feels even more natural and comfortable as before where I was a bit shorter on the bike.” Vogel goes on to say, “The biggest suggestion and kind of an eye opener was going back to 170mm cranks which biomechanically seem to fit me better. I’ve always been on 175mm cranks, but since Todd suggested I go back to 170mm based on the data, I must admit I was a bit skeptical, but then I gave it a try and it feels so much more natural and faster. Definitely the biggest change we made!” Even riders such Florian, who have been riding and racing for over 20 years can always learn something new about themselves and be confident in the changes made to their position on the bike with Retül.
Todd Carver using the Retül Zin tool to capture a rider’s final bike position.
Once both rider and fitter are happy with the changes made during the fit, capturing the bike's dimensions is key. Using the Retül Zin tool (aka the Retül “Magic Wand”) the fitter can capture these dimensions with millimeter accuracy by creating a digital mapping of the bike. Using the same tool, measurements can easily be duplicated to the rider's training or spare bikes. This made the bike set up much easier and more efficient for the team mechanics to be able to quickly and easily set up each bike.
“Definitely having all the riders data makes it so much more convenient for the mechanics when building up new bikes or changing parts such as saddles, handlebars, etc. And for the riders, they are now 100% sure that ALL their bikes are the same, perfectly set up and ready to go!” Informed Vogel.
Simon Andreassen gives Retül a thumbs up.
“It was great being able to work with such talented and humble athletes. Needless to say, the work we've done thus far with the team has been incredibly rewarding.” Expressed Woolcock. Even though racing has been put on hold for the time being, we are happy to know that these riders are properly set up on their bikes while they continue their training and ready themselves for what the future may hold.
View the complete behind the scenes gallery from team camp below:
