Retül bike fitting is the most accurate bike fit tool around, so when Vankru Performance Cycling became a team partner it was clear we were going to make some huge steps forward this season. Garth Kruger who owns Vankru is not only one of the leading fitters in the UK, he is a former racer himself having raced in his native South Africa and across Europe. His sharp eye for detail and peloton experience, combined with real-time 3D measuring system that tracks 8 LED probes attached to key joints on your body makes the perfect combination.
The first rider into the Southampton based fitting studio was Jessie Walker. Jessie is a 2nd year junior rider and is new to the Matrix Fitness – Prendas team for 2012. The daughter of Milk Race winner Chris Walker, Jessie has some excellent people behind her so it was going to be a case of looking for marginal gains to take Jessie to the next level. Jessie did have some issues on the bike including a little knee pain, and with the chance to do the Retül bike fit on her brand new Velocite bike, it gave her a perfect chance to clear any problems and start the season with a clean slate.
One of the key benefits for the team is the data is yours to keep, to provide to the team mechanics and ensure that her perfect set up is replicated across all the riders bikes, including track and road bikes. The bike fit started by looking at flexibility, core strength assessment and lower limb anatomy check. It then moved on to check shoe and shoe cleat position. Once this has been done, the rider is fitted with accurately positioned motion-capture dots and LEDs on 8 anatomical positions.
The Retül system is able to take both vertical (up and down) and lateral (side to side) measurements, thus providing a three dimensional recording. It records 29 full sets of body data per second, so it produces a huge amount of data in a short period of time. It captures key measurements such as knee angle, position of foot, back angle etc. This is the data the fitter uses to analyse your riding style, for example, the way you usually move your hip or knee might have a significant effect on your riding.
Jessie had some position adjustments made to her bike as well as changes to her cleat position. Following the fit, Jessie had a 2 hour spin on the bike and felt the difference already; No knee issues and totally pain free riding leaving her ready to race in Holland this weekend with the British Cycling Olympic Development Plan.
The Team is leaving the UK on 28th March for a training camp in the South of France in preparation for the first races of the season. With a good mix of races in the UK and classic races in Europe, the team has a lot of challenges in front of them. As the team looks to take the step up to Professional registration in 2013 and is actively seeking new partners, it’s a very exciting time for the team on and off the bike. With new partners like Vankru, we feel we are in good hands.
You can find more information on Vankru at http://www.vankru.com
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