Fit for purpose

This year’s London Bike Show might be described as one at which bike fitting came to town.

Not only did some of the leading thinkers in the field address the International Cyclefit Symposium, staged by Phil Cavell and Julian Wall of Covent Garden’s Cyclefit (men handpicked by Trek Factory Racing to fit the likes of Fabian Cancellara and Jens Voigt to their new machines), but some of the biggest players in the industry shunned the opportunity to exhibit product in favour of fitting services.

When companies as large as Specialized and Shimano decide to use a consumer event on the scale of the London Bike Show to display nothing other than their Body Geometry and Bikefitting.com offerings, is it a sign that the bike fitting has come of age? And is the emphasis placed by such industry giants on service rather than product a reflection of the changing nature in which bicycles are purchased? Shimano’s intended customer for the system it has purchased from and developed with bikefitting.com is the independent bike dealer – a tool that one Shimano insider told us at Eurobike was intended to help the local bike shop to “remain relevant”. Similarly, Specialized’s Body Geometry system is not limited to its network of concept stores, or even to Specialized bikes.

The greatest interest at the RCUK Test Track was created by the opportunity to ride Canyon bikes: a rare experience for would-be customers of a brand that operates a direct sales model and so one with a step missing from the purchasing process – one we know Canyon UK has plans to address. Unable to compete on price with mail order brands and internet retailers, could the increasing recognition of the importance of fit among cyclists be the salvation of the bricks and mortar bike shops that are often the lifeblood of their local cycling communities? Specialized, Shimano, and Cannondale, which exhibited its Guru service at the show – three of the biggest players in the industry – seem to believe so.