If you’ve ever been to New York, you know that there are endless activities to do along with hundreds of sights to see. Central Park is usually on the list of things to see for every tourist but we decided to see it from the perspective of a 5 speed rental bike. We couldn’t have asked for a better day for a “ride in the park” but it was amazing to see the number of road cyclists and triathletes making laps around the park to get their training in. Obviously getting out for a long ride in the country is tough for most New Yorkers but it was great to see how people were still able to get their training in. I know I definitely take it for granted being able to go 30 minutes down the road and have endless stretches of highway to ride but after seeing how difficult it is in places like New York, it definitely makes me appreciate what we’ve got right in our backyard.

Like I said though, if you get the opportunity to see NYC in the fall, take the trip because it is one you won’t forget.

I wanted to also quickly mention all of our partners and sponsors that we have working with us throughout the year. We have many coaches and teams that refer their athletes to us for bike fittings but now that the outdoor season is winding down, it’s time to start thinking about off-season training plans. We have aligned ourselves with some of the best coaches in the city and I strongly encourage everyone to check out what each coach has to offer so you are able to take your training and racing to the next level for the start of the 2012 season. For a full list of all the coaches we work with, check out www.speedmatrix.ca/about/links.

Thanks again for stopping by our blog this week!

Cheers,

Adam Redmond
Speed Matrix Canada

An excellent alternative to a bike race is signing up for one of the many charity rides that are held throughout the summer.  Some of the charity rides are getting up there in the kilometer range so it’s definitely something that needs a bit of training to accomplish comfortably.  It’s also a good opportunity to get a group of friends together for training rides and then the event itself.  As most of us know longer rides are usually more enjoyable if done in a group so it might be a good excuse to gather some friends, choose a charity ride or two and make a difference for that cause.

One event in particular, that’s being held in a gorgeous location, is the Branch Out Foundation Bike Tour this coming weekend.  Details for this event can be found at http://www.branchoutfoundation.com/biketour.php.

Another well known charity ride this weekend is the Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer information about this charity ride can be found at http://ab11.conquercancer.ca/site/PageServer?pagename=ab11_homepage.

If you can’t get out and do the rides themselves you can still contribute by making a donation to these worth causes.

Thanks again for stopping by!

Cheers,
Speed Matrix Canada

After reading that I was filled with a great deal of gratitude for making it through our first 2 years of business! I’d be lying if I said it has all been easy and without a strong supporting cast of family, friends, mentors and obviously customers who believe enough what we’re doing, none of this would be at all possible! So I owe everyone a huge THANK YOU! Your support has been astounding and all of us are extremely grateful!

When I first started Speed Matrix over 2 years ago I was a young, naive entrepreneur just trying to follow my bliss. 2 years later, I’ve learned a great deal and respect the fact that we still have a lot of learning and growing to do as a company but I can honestly say that I love doing what I do and without the support of so many, I may indeed had to have gotten a real job!

Cheers!
Adam Redmond
Speed Matrix Canada

In addition to injury prevention, comfort and performance are also important considerations on a commuter.  Even a simple static bike fit can dial your commuter in so that you are as comfortable as possible during your daily route to and from your place of residence.  A better fitting, more comfortable bike will make your daily ride more enjoyable and invigorating.  If you’re like me, you’re probably always rushed for time in the morning.  Another benefit of a properly fitting bike is that it’s more efficient and thus will be using less energy to produce the same amount of work.  This increase in efficiency and power output translates to a faster commute for those instances when time is of an essence!  A properly fit commuter bike will be more comfortable, more efficient and decrease the probability of a cycling related overuse injury, increasing your enjoyment in cycling in general.

To see if you may need a bike fit, check out our Free Online Consultation: http://bikefit.speedmatrix.ca/free-consultation/. Also, check out http://www.speedmatrix.ca/appointment to book in for your next bike fit!

Thanks again for stopping by!
Happy trails!

Speed Matrix Canada

1. POWER

A properly fit bike allows for optimal muscle interaction and FORCE development, which in turn maximizes POWER output.

2. EFFICIENCY

A properly aligned saddle and cleats provide the most EFFICIENT PLATFORM for transferring POWER to the pedals from your body during each PEDAL STROKE.

3. AERODYNAMICS

Finding the best balance between AERODYNAMICS and COMFORT for your best performance possible.

4. INJURY PREVENTION

Overuse injuries are the most common cycling injury; fitting your bike to your specific anatomy can prevent any long-term injury and time away from riding.

5. REDUCE DISCOMFORT/PAIN

A bike that fits you properly shouldn’t be painful to ride; a SPEED MATRIX fit finds the most optimal position of your saddle and front end to make sure your riding is still an ENJOYABLE event.

If you’re looking to get a little bit more out of your riding this season make sure to also check out our FREE Online Fit Consultation: http://bikefit.speedmatrix.ca/free-consultation/ to see how we can help you achieve your goals!

Thanks again for stopping by!

Cheers,

Adam Redmond
Speed Matrix Canada

I’ve already seen numerous riders out and about on the roads trying to get a head start on the outdoor season and let’s hope we’ve seen the last of this white stuff for a few months…although, that may be wishful thinking!

Anyway, we’ve had some fun stuff going on the past few weeks in and around the community so I thought I would just quickly share a few tid bits since I seem to have neglected blogging for a while. We recently teamed up with Speed Theory to help out and donate a bike fit and wetsuit for Joe’s Team Triathlon launch party. The event itself was a blast to be a part of as they brought in Jim Cuddy from Blue Rodeo to play for about an hour. I’ve got to say that I was already a fan of his music but seeing him live was just icing on the cake. You know how sometime singers/bands can be a huge letdown when they play live? Definitely not the case with Jim. He was lively, entertaining and great to listen to! Here’s a picture from that night too!
The event or triathlon/duathlon itself is dedicated to raising money for cancer by getting people involved in the sport. To participate, you or your team must raise a minimum of $500 which will go to cancer research and you get to try something new (if you’ve never attempted a triathlon before)! Check out this site to register and get more details as well! http://www.multisportscanada.com

Once the launch party was over it was quick to bed for everyone as we were getting up early the next morning to do the on location segment in Speed Theory for City TV’s Breakfast Television. I’ve been part of something like this before but I’ve never had a whole segment done on me and my company! Needless to say, it was an awesome experience! Jill Belland wasn’t able to make it in as she normally does the live on location stuff so we had Daniel Moore who was awesome and made things really fun for all of us! Darcy, manage of Speed Theory, chatted about different bike, triathlon/road racing, we did a bike fit on him and we even managed to get him into a wetsuit! Here’s a couple of pictures from that morning as well!

Unfortunately, they didn’t put the segments online to watch but I will see if I can find someone who taped it and get it online for people to see!

Anyway, thanks again for stopping by! I hope training is going great for everyone and I look forward to seeing you on the road very soon!

Cheers,
Adam Redmond
Speed Matrix Canada

The other exciting news coming out from Retul is regarding their much anticipated Frame Finder. If you haven’t heard anything about it yet, it’s a piece of technology that is going to allow us the ability to work closely with you to help you select the best bike on the market for you based on your fit. Currently, Frame Finder only has Felt and Orbea in their database but within the next month they anticipate having Argon-18′s full line up in there as well. Sorry, no Cervelo just yet but I’m sure they’re not too far behind on their list.

The great thing about Frame Finder is that it really eliminates any of the guess work in getting a “custom” bike. What would happen is after  you’ve been properly fit on your current bike or our fit bike, we would overlay the Zin data from Retul, match up various frames and components using Frame Finder to help you select exactly what you need to make your new bike the best bike you’ve ever ridden! Every detail right down to the number of spacers is accounted for so that by the time your bike is built, you’re ready to have the ride of your life! Check out this article that Bike Radar recently released talking about Frame Finder: http://www.bikeradar.com/road/gear/article/retul-launch-new-frame-finder-bike-fit-software-29330.

We should have FF fully functional by the end of next week, but if you are in the market for a new bike and want to learn more about this, feel free to send us an email!

We’re also excited to announce that we are going to be sponsoring select Alberta Triathlon Association races this summer with a Bike Fit as a draw prize, so stay tuned for that! We’re also going to be working exclusively with the ATA’s junior athletes to help give them the competitive edge this season!

The last thing I want to mention is about another charity. We recently had a gentleman in for a fit named Jake Latcham. The fit itself was nothing out of the ordinary but the reason I’m writing about him is because of why he was in for a bike fit. His main goal was to just feel comfortable and make sure he wasn’t going to put his body at risk of being injured because he is about to embark on a 3800 mile trip across the States this summer with project called Bike & Build which aims to raise money for affordable housing projects. As the countless riders make their way across the States they make selected stop along the way to lend a helping hand building houses to local housing organization. Check out the link for more info and if you feel like what he’s doing is for a worthwhile cause, don’t be afraid to let him know by making a donation!

Thanks again for stopping by!

Cheers,
Adam Redmond
Speed Matrix Canada

When I talk about your fundamental biomechanics and how it relates to your cycling performance, I’m essentially talking about your position on the bike itself. If we look at how your body functions, you’ll begin to see how important proper alignment of your joints and muscles actually is. Your muscles are composed of thousands of repeating units called sarcomeres. These sarcomeres are where muscular contraction actually takes place and there are molecules that interact like finger-like projections to generate force. So, through a series of chemical reactions, the molecules attach and slide past each other, shortening the length of each individual sarcomere. As these sarcomeres shorten they generate force which is transferred to the bones by muscle tendons and our skeletal system act as levers to create movement based on the force that our muscles can generate.

Now, this is where things get interesting…these sarcomeres (and thus our muscles) actually have an optimal range/length that they are able to generate force. The easiest way to picture this is to imagine yourself doing a bicep curl. When your arm is fully extended or fully bent, it’s tough to actually move the object or generate any force. However, when you’re somewhere in the middle it becomes much easier. If you don’t believe me, try picking something up and doing that simple exercise.

Cycling has become so technical in recent years that it’s tough to keep up with things, but one of the truest measures of performance is to measure power. Power is defined as Force x Velocity. So, you can increase your power by exerting more force at the pedals or spinning faster! But, we just touched on how your muscles generate force, so unless your in the “optimal” position, you’re always going to be working harder than you need to generate the same amount of force each pedal stroke. And for anyone who ever does any kind of long rides or races, you’ll understand how important energy conservation and efficiency is.

Strictly from a performance perspective, proper positioning is extremely critical. Then there’s the idea of injury prevention and when your muscles are contracting outside this optimal force/length range, then you start to put yourself at unnecessary risk of injury.

We are obviously huge advocates for the Retul motion capture system because of it’s advanced ability to assess the rider’s position. The reason it is so accurate is because it’s 3-dimensional, dynamic and fast. So the system is taking the exact 3-D coordinate of every LED body marker every 2.1 milliseconds as the rider spins on the trainer. After 15 seconds, the computer takes an average value for every variable (ie. knee flexion/extension) and based on maximum and minimum values it’s knows exactly where in the pedal stroke you are.

If you’re still not clear why a dynamic, 3-D motion capture is necessary in looking at your position, let’s relate it back to the optimal length that your muscles are able to generate force and subsequently power. What we always do is do an initial power assessment, then use the data to get you positioned into a certain range. Once we have you within that range we make small tweaks always going back to your power to assure that your fit is the best possible one for you!

There are numerous systems on the market today that fitters will use to assess rider’s position. Things range from basic static fits using a plumb-bob and goniometer to using some sort of video analysis. I’m not going to comment on Static methods right now but when people say that video capture is state of the art in terms of assessing biomechanics, I can’t help but disagree. Firstly, you’re making assessments and judgements in a 2-D plane, so there is a whole coordinate system that isn’t even being accounted for! How can you accurately determine what the knee is doing each pedal stroke in this situation? Then there is the issue of determining angles. With video capture you actually have to slow things down frame by frame to find your angle. Say you’re looking for knee extension, is your camera fast enough to be able to pinpoint Bottom Dead Centre? Then there’s the issue of identifying each joint. When you’re on the computer you’re clicking the joint of interest. I’ll let you decide how accurate that is. Finally, how sure are you that the frame you choose is indicative of your ankle position? Again, you can’t be certain. Ankle position also affects knee angle extension in a big way so for those reasons, video capture simply isn’t state of the art of making proper biomechanical assessments for cyclists.

Now, I’m not completely biased to recognize that the Retul system doesn’t have it’s own limitations. For example, there is some error involved in marker placement. However, with an experienced fitter who has some understanding of human anatomy, this is error is minimized. Also, if we could do a motion capture on both sides of the body at the same time, then we would have even more precision.

I should finish by saying that video feedback definitely has a place for training athletes. I think there is a huge benefit from giving the athlete a visual representation of what they look like when they are cycling but after that, the biomechanical data you can get is very limited for the reasons I just outlined. Retul just integrated a video component into their software so athletes can get this video feedback on their technique.

I don’t want to give the impression that I think other fitters won’t do a good job on your bike fit because I know that they do good work but what I want to convey is that there is a great deal of possible error that is involved in using other forms of fitting technology like video analysis. Saying that, that’s the great thing about science, we’re constantly pushing the realm of what is possible and constantly discovering new methods to improve athletic performance. So stay tuned, we’re going to be releasing Retul’s latest software with something called Frame Finder in the next few weeks. I’ll keep things quiet for now but I promise there will be lots of new and exciting news coming out soon!

Thanks again for stopping by!

Cheers,

Adam Redmond
Speed Matrix Canada

Claiming to have the worlds lightest and stiffest bike, we decided to weigh the bike right in the shop. With everything on the bike except pedals, the bike was an astounding 14.3 lbs! You would think that by cutting so much weight that stiffness would also be sacrificed…not the case. By engineering the bike in a way that the carbon is laid strategically further away from the neutral axis adds to overall stiffness. They also optimized the headtube taper, changed the BBright design to add more balanced stiffness during each pedal stroke, used a minimalist design for the seat tube collar & front derailleur mount to save weight and changed the seattube angle from 73 degrees to 72 degrees so riders can get the same fit on their bike by using a zero-offset seatpost which will again save weight from the system overall since zero offset posts are the lightest on the market.

You can read more about it on the Cervelo website: http://www.cervelo.com/en_us/bikes/2011/R5ca/ but until you actually pick it up with one finger you won’t actually appreciate the unique design! I just built up my R3, which I’m super pumped about but after putting it next to the R5ca, I think I have a new bike on my wish list! After all, the number of bikes I should have is always going to be n+1 (n is the number that I already have!).

Here’s a picture of the R5ca…let us know what you think. AND, if you’re in the market for a new bike, it can be yours for the prices of $10,000…that’s just the frameset too! WARNING, you may want a bib so you don’t drool on your keyboard when you’re looking at it!

Anyway, hopefully Balzac Billy (the groundhog from these parts) was a bit dopey on Groundhog Day and what he thought was his shadow was actually just his bottle of whiskey…which is what we may all want if we have to endure any more winter!

Thanks again for stopping by!

Adam Redmond
Speed Matrix Canada