THE ANCILLARY REVENUE Adding bike fitting to your coaching services can be a money maker. There are dozens of schools of thought on bike fitting. Some fit schools have a deep history (Serotta), some are associated with high end technology (Retul), some are designed with retail in mind (Fit Kit) and some are focused more on triathlon (F.I.S.T.). The start up costs of your new fit service include travel to a fit certification clinic ($1,200), a trainer ($200), fit specific tools (level, measuring tape, goniometer, etc., totaling approximately $400), a small stock of stems and saddles ($1,000) and the certification itself (Serotta $1,500; F.I.S.T $295; Retul University $1,500, Retul device sold separately). Initial costs add up to about $3,000. A coach can charge anywhere from $119
to $299 per fit, depending on what your market is willing to pay. Picking from the middle of that range, it would take 15 fits to pay off your initial investment.
THE LOGICAL APPROACH No matter what school you attend, certification you acquire or philosophy you develop, there is a prioritized list that all fitters agree upon. The number one priority is safety. Second is comfort, third is power and forth is aero. It flies in the face of the sexy marketing banter we see in magazines, but note that aero is at the bottom of that list. Safety is no-brainer — it takes precedence
in everything we do. Comfort is next in importance, because triathletes struggling for more aero often fold themselves into
a position where their bike becomes a torture device and they stop riding it. The priority list reminds us to never make the bike hurt for an extra watt of power, and never lose a watt of power to gain a more aerodynamic position.
THE SATISFACTION Most bike fits I do take 90-120 minutes. Four to six weeks of proper training will usually achieve a breakthrough in an intermediate athlete, but that very same athlete is likely to leap to a new level of performance in just a two-hour fitting. As a coach, I find that very fulfilling.
ODDS AND ENDS • Youth and junior athletes grow so quickly that they need a refit at the beginning of every season. Include a wildly inexpensive fee for those athletes entering the pipeline of our sport.
• Begin every fit with a consultation. Pertinent info includes race goals, recent long ride, discomfort on the bike, injuries and how they heard about you.
• Fitters work in delicate areas; choose terminology about saddle contact points that won’t embarrass the athlete or distract from the process.
• Guarantee your fits. Define that any way you want (“Come back for a free adjustment if there’s a problem”), but in the end the customer is always right. Be prepared to issue a full refund.
• Educate as you progress through the fit. Adults do best when they know why
something is happening — that invests them in the process and helps the outcome.
• Finish the fit with some one-footers, spin-ups and other drills that are easy to do on the trainer. This can open up a discussion of coaching beyond your fit.
• Document their original position and their new position. Write down the fit coordinates and include before and after photographs.
• There are endless pieces of technology with which you can tune up your fits. An affordable video motion capture software like Silicon Coach is terrific. The spin scan and power features of a CompuTrainer are very helpful.
• Never assume. No matter the résumé, many talented athletes have won despite their bike position.
There are dozens of ways to expand your coaching services. Becoming a certified, respected bike fitter is a move which will take your business to the next level and bring you both financial and spiritual reward. Like any aspect of coaching, it requires an initial investment and continuing education.
Ian Murray is a USA Triathlon Level III certified coach as well as a F.I.S.T. and Fit Kit Level III certified bike fitter. Ian is also the writer and host of the Triathlon Training Series and the head coach of the LA Tri Club and TTS Junior Elite Squad. He has served as the head coach for USA Triathon at ITU WCS Madrid in 2010 and the Duathlon World Championships in 2009. For more information visit
http://triathlontrainingseries.com.
PERFORMANCECOACHING | page 9
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15