Cycle Assessment

The Drummond Cycle Assessment is designed to give you improvements for bike set up and cycling technique to ensure that you are cycling efficiently and effectively, and to maximise comfort and minimise risk of injury.

By understanding the needs of the cyclist, we are able to pick up on where the geometric bike fitting services finish. It is vital that the bike must be sized to the individual for whom it is meant. Choosing a bike off the shelf is very much like choosing a running shoe without trying it on for function (i.e. buying a stability shoe where a cushioned shoe would be more appropriate).

Two of the most common things we see with cyclists are:

• Tight muscles and joints prevent the body from achieving the ideal ‘geometric’ setup
• The potential loss of power due to an unstable forefoot. Due to the nature of cycling, if the foot rolls inwards, the knee will follow, the hip joint will inwardly rotate and the pelvis and lower back will be affected.

The natural rolling motion of the foot is good for walking and running, but during cycling results in the potential for a significant loss of power and increased forces at the knee and into the pelvis.

So how can this be resolved?

By using multi-view camera analysis, flexibility and postural testing, we can start to understand where the problems may be arising. It is not always from the foot upwards, but sometimes from the back and pelvis downwards that we must look. We would then interpret these needs to formulate a resolution, which may look something like this:

• Bike adjustments
• Cycling form tips
• Flexibility training
• Strength training
• Cycling orthotics

Want more information? Read one rider’s story of her bike assessment.

What To Bring With You

• Your own road bike (don’t forget your cycling shoes)
• Appropriate cycling/triathlon clothing

Orthotics for Cyclists

Custom cycling orthotics, proper bike fit, cleat alignment, play a huge role in making sure your body is in biomechanical alignment with the mechanics of the bike. Custom cycling orthotics can help re-align the foot on the pedal and assist in preventing injury down the road.

Read more: Orthotics for cyclists.