Last Updated on August 23, 2012 by stevehoggbikefitting.com
Jerry Gerlich recently completed training with Steve, and he is now certified to use Steve’s methods as a bike fitter. Here is his account.
First of all, let me start by thanking Vlad Glouchkov, manager of Castle Hill Fitness, and Gordon Yang, manager of Castle Hill Cycles for the organizational assistance which allowed me the freedom to be away from Austin, Texas during a hot and dry summer. I would also like to thank Steve and Margaret Hogg at Pedal Pushers bike shop in Sydney, Australia for the warm welcome during an unusually wet and cool winter. The coordinated efforts of all involved made for a fantastic adventure to learn some of the unique and effective techniques Steve applies when working with bike fit clients.
The 13.5 hour plane trip over the Pacific was an epic flight crossing the International Date Line somewhere around 180-degrees longitude. The plane left Los Angeles at 10:30 p.m. on Wednesday the 25th of July and arrived in Sydney at 6:30 a.m. on Friday the 27th. The weather in Sydney was very cool, not the best weather for the shorts and T-shirt I was wearing. A very polite cab driver gave me a lift to Steve’s bike shop where I unpacked my bike and watched as Steve worked with a few fitting clients. Around four that afternoon, Margaret was kind enough to give me, the bike and my luggage a ride to the hotel in downtown Sydney. After checking into the hotel and grabbing some dinner, I collapsed into an exhausted heap around 8:30.
Steve took me for scenic rides on both Saturday and Sunday which were fantastic. We went over the Harbour Bridge and through several areas along the coast for some beautiful sights. Getting around Sydney by bike is interesting to say the least. With a population of 4.7 million, there are plenty of cars, motorcycles and roundabouts to provide ample opportunities for both danger and entertainment. Add in the fact that all of this happens with left-guided traffic, and you have a recipe for some interesting urban riding.
One of the rides took us to Bald Hill at Stanwell Tops on the coast just south of Sydney. In 1885 Lawrence Hargrave, the inventor/grandfather of the box kite, the original airfoil wing design, hydroplanes and the inventor of human flight via the first box-type hang glider. He tested his prototypes on himself and daring friends at Bald Hill, 700 feet above the landing zone which is a beach. The Wright brothers corresponded with Hargrave while developing their first motorized airplane.
The fitting training with Steve included detailed assessments and proprietary techniques for optimizing the connection between riders and bicycles. We saw a wide range of clients with road, mountain and time trial bicycles. Some had been fit by Steve 20 years previously. His techniques / tests are unique and quite a challenge to learn. However, Steve is an excellent instructor ready to step back and let the trainee flounder a little in an effort to discern what to do. He would step in only when I asked for assistance. Steve also provided some fantastic food and beer along the way.
The bike fit training in Sydney was an intense and rewarding experience. Fitting clients have already contacted me from Texas and around the U.S.A. for bike fits, including a few coaches. Thanks, Steve and Margaret, for the awesome training and great memories.
For more about Jerry, see here.
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I was very pleased to hear that Jerry completed his training i OZ. I live a few hundred miles away from Jerry and plan to visit min in the near future for a fit.
It appears to me in the picture of Steve’s shoe that the cleat is slightly forward of what i have seen on the Biomac shoes in previous posts. Am I mistaken in this or is this the result of using the Speedplay adapter plate?
G’day Wayne,
You’ve got a good eye! Jerry’s midfoot cleat position was
deduced by finding the joint line of the lateral and intermediate cuneiform bones and placing that point just in front of the pedal axle with shoe levelled between where sole joins upper under mid heel and where sole joins upper under the centre of the standard cleat mounting hole area.
Basically, place a fingernail across the foot between the second and third toes. Move it back towards the ankle keeping the nail between the second and third rays until you feel a joint space. It should be fairly obvious. That is the joint space I am talking about.
As anyone who uses a midfoot cleat position will understand, we all have a lot to thank Gotz Heine for.
Steve, I have a fit scheduled with Jerry about six weeks from now. I have just taken three weeks totally off the bike per MD orders to see if that helps the knee pain I have had. I have low level pain in both knees but it is not any worse with riding. It is from less than ideal fit and riding too far on said fit…I have it now corrected as best I can via your articles but wondering how much I should ride in the six weeks before I see Jerry…
Take the time totally off the bike or do some easy recovery pace rides every week? Thanks.
G’day John,
If you are in pain, the only reason I would suggest you continue riding before your appointment with Jerry is if you are likely to put on a significant amount of weight by not riding. If you are unlikely to put on any real weight (5kg / 11lbs or more) without cycling, then get back on the bike a week or so out and get used to using your legs again within the limits that pain / discomfort imposes.
If you are likely to put on a significant amount of weight without exercise in the form of cycling, then yes, keep riding at low intensity only, and only if you have a strong conviction that you are not making matters worse. Knees are hard to injure because they are made up largely of connective tissue with little blood flow. That also means that knee injuries are hard to recover from.
The reason that weight matters is explained here.
Best of luck with your fitting with Jerry.
G’day Steve,
I was just wondering how easy the DMT’s were to convert to mid foot. I’ve been riding mid foot for some time now, I bought a cheap pair of shimano shoes to experiment with, but they’re about gubbed now and the sole is poor. I really think i need a carbon sole or certainly something stiffer. I quite like the look of the DMT’s and have spotted a 2011 pair with carbon sole at bargain price. If they’re as easy to convert and have a similar profile to the sole then I’ll maybe buy them.
Cheers,
Garry.
G’day Garry,
I’m sorry to say that I don’t know. I have never converted a pair of DMT’s to midfoot cleat position. Jerry has, so my suggestion is that you get in touch with him. He will be able to tell you whether it was straight forward or not.
G’day Steve,
Thanks I will do!!
Cheers.
Hi Garry,
The midfoot conversion can be easy, like with my Bonts or trickier as with the DMT’s. The biggest factor is the shape of the sole. Bonts are fairly flat. DMT’s have more of an arch shape which requires a little more packing between the cleat and sole. Most carbon sole shoes should be good candidates for the conversion. They key to getting all of this to come together is to have a shoe that fits well combined with the appropriate arch support and wedging. Let me know when you are ready to book some time for your midfoot adventure.
Thanks Jerry, for your response. I’ve had a wee look about at current cycling shoes and I quite fancy the Sidi 6.6. I think it looks good for the mid foot conversion too. Will let you know how i get on.
Cheers.