THE LONDON BIKE SHOW
INTERNATIONAL CYCLEFIT SYMPOSIUM A BIG DRAW “We’ve all had the
TUCKED AWAY in ExCeL’s meeting rooms, the third annual ICS event ran alongside the London Bike Show, bringing together anyone from retailers keen to explore bike fit options, to health professionals and academics. Phil Cavell, the organiser of
the event, told BikeBiz: “We think the break down of the 120 people who came along was roughly a third from the medical profession, a third bike fitters by trade and a third academic researchers – and the important thing with this event is that we leave our prejudices at the door, everyone in the room is there to drive standards up through new ideas and science.” Describing a handful of the
visitors to the Symposium as “gods of the bike fitting world”, Cavell heaped praise on many of the international visitors who had flown in from as far away as North America and Russia.
opportunity to listen to a great selection of doctors, engineers and physicists, such as Keith Bontrager. At the end of the day we review the discussions had and the workshops held and it seems like everybody takes something different away. Everyone leaves full of new ideas.”
Among the guests hosting
interactive workshops was Colorado’s Retul, who talked the room through its Frame Finder system, which is increasingly populated with the industry’s premium brands. Retailers who work with Retul can even earn rewards for assisting in populating the growing database. Concluding his workshop
Todd Carver of Retul told the room: “We knew that if Retul was going to survive in the fit world we’d better be influencing the sales of bikes and we think we have a great tool for that purpose.”
INTRODUCING ‘THE SHARK’ SADDLE
WHEN WE asked Cyclefit’s “if you had to find the answer to one bike fitting question that still has an element of mystery” it didn’t take long for Cavell to state that “a greater understanding of why the human pelvis rarely sits symmetrically on a saddle would be nice.” It was at this point we were
told of a Spanish guest called Jon Iriberri who had brought along a quite unique saddle concept to introduce to guests at the Symposium. “On first looks it’s quite
startling,” explained Cavell. “But Iriberri is too great a mind in the cycle fitting world to ignore, it’s a interesting idea,” he added. So what is the ‘Shark
Saddle’? Iriberri introduced the concept to BikeBiz, insisting that we have a seat to better understand the thinking behind the unique eye- catching design. “It’s a biomechanical design that aids the alignment of the pelvis in the saddle, greatly reducing the rocking motion that can cause so many problems while pedalling,” explained Iriberri.
16 BIKEBIZ MARCH
“So many of us sit twisted on our saddles, I’ve heard of people going through ten different saddles and still not being satisfied with their seating position. “The Shark helps align the knees better, assisting the cyclist in evenly distributing the pressure through both sit bones. There are also benefits for alleviating pressure on the lower back and neck. It’s a
“It’s a
biomechanical deisgn that aids the alignment of the pelvis in the saddle...” Jon Iriberri,
Custom4.us
particularly useful tool for Sclerosis sufferers.” The saddle has gone into
production and is sold in Spain, retailing at around 80 to 90 Euros, typically sold to mountain bike and road riders. The concept isn’t viable for time trialists due to the aggressive positioning in the saddle, we were told. Iriberri’s company,
Custom4.us also produces a
precision cleat adjusting tool that’s compatible with all industry standard fittings, as well as truly handmade from the ground up cycling shoes. These are made to measure to exact dimensions of the customer’s feet. Iriberri told BikeBiz he’s
interested in introducing his Essax branded product, including ‘the Shark’, to the UK market via specialist retailers.
BIKEBIZ.COM
The fin measures 40mm high by 100mm long
Retul’s Todd Carver
putting on a workshop for the ICS visitors
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