Getting fit for getting fit

Rusty Baillie was going to be a challenge, just by his age alone.

With his neat white mustache and beard and an accent not quite Australian but not South African, Baillie, 65, could pass for actor Sean Connery. Baillie’s active life even suggested a James Bond-like personality, and that’s why Gary Bartoo and Jim Kozak suspected some serious corrections lay ahead of them. With age comes physical wear and tear.

Still, “You’re not too far out of normal,” Bartoo, a Coeur d’Alene physical therapist, told Baillie as Bartoo studied his posture.

Bartoo’s assessment of the health of Baillie’s physique was the first step in fitting Baillie properly on his 27-speed road bike. Bike fitting no longer is just a visual check and minor adjustment that takes five minutes. The fitting Bartoo and Kozak offer takes at least 90 minutes and costs $95. Vertical Earth Performance Sports in downtown Coeur d’Alene offers an hour of detailed bike fitting for $75.

“We probably do two a week now,” said Mike Gaertner, Vertical Earth owner. “Every time so far, after we make the changes, it’s like a revelation for the rider. Riding shouldn’t hurt. The bike should feel like an extension of yourself.”

Bike riding is booming in the Inland Northwest, and more and more cyclists are seeking a magic-carpet ride. Not only is the region’s scenery inviting and traffic moderate, but the Ironman triathlon that became an annual Coeur d’Alene event in 2003 has kept bikes on the road practically year-round. Demand for road bikes is increasing, and the already-strong market for mountain bikes continues to grow stronger, according to bike retailers.

But, more bikes on the road also mean more backaches, neck pains and broken collarbones. Crashes aside, many injuries apparently are preventable with a good bike fitting. The wrong seat height can cause back pain, and the wrong distance between the seat and handlebars can cause neck aches, Kozak said. Maladjusted cleats on shoes can ruin knees, particularly considering the repetitive pedaling motion.

“Putting someone on a bike is not the same thing as putting someone ‘in’ a bike,” Bartoo said.

As a physical therapist, Bartoo specializes in structural problems. As a veteran cyclist, he knows how an ill-fitting bike can aggravate pain and cause problems. So Bartoo said he didn’t hesitate when Kozak asked him a few months ago to join him in an in-depth bike fitting venture.

“Fitting’s been downplayed,” Kozak said. “I see recreational people all the time with gross problems. They’re not getting their money’s worth out of their bikes, and they’re doing themselves physical harm.”

Kozak is a former Kootenai County paramedic who works for the state EMS bureau now. He’s also a veteran cyclist, racer and bike mechanic. Bike fit always interested him, he said, but even more after he crashed on his bike when a car turned in front of him in 2002. As he recovered, he learned he could adjust bikes to fit most bodies, even those with limitations. Kozak wanted to learn everything about bike fitting and share it with the growing ranks of cyclists in his area.

Research directed him to Michael Sylvester, a Portland bike mechanic who spotlighted the art in the science of bike fitting. Kozak attended a seminar last fall to learn Sylvester’s technique, which includes tools Sylvester designed, and even incorporates yoga into the process. Kozak also trained in the Fit Kit system, which specializes in measuring tools and consistent measurements.

Kozak was so sold on the importance of bike fitting that he bought two cases of tools, built a platform with a stand to hold bikes during fitting and converted an enclosed trailer big enough for a race car into a traveling fitting shop he calls CycleMetrix. Then, he called Bartoo to join him.

“He’s the biomechanic guy,” Kozak said. “He helps me with an analysis of position.”

Kozak did a bike-fit on Bartoo, who had tinkered with his bike himself over the years for a better fit. Bartoo’s fit was decent, so Kozak didn’t adjust much. But the process helped Bartoo recognize that he should check bike-fitting clients’ flexibility, posture, weaknesses and more.

Kozak and Bartoo have satisfying careers that leave little time to devote to a serious bike-fitting business. Still, both are determined to promote the importance of a properly fitting bike, so they’re scheduling clients here and there after work and on weekends.

Baillie, one of Kozak’s neighbors, saw the CycleMetrix trailer and asked Kozak for a fit. Baillie is a former mountain bike rider who said he scorned road bikes until he tried one 10 years ago. He’s ridden roads recreationally ever since. He grew up in Zimbabwe when it was still Rhodesia – hence the accent – and has climbed mountains from Peru to Nepal.

Baillie’s fit began with Bartoo checking for any physical problems that exercises could address better than a bike adjustment. He found that injuries accumulated over Baillie’s lifetime had limited his flexibility in a few areas. Age and activity often conspire to present tough limitations, Bartoo said. But he judged Baillie’s limits as minor.

While Bartoo studied Baillie, Kozak checked the angles and measurements on Baillie’s gForse Flight 500 bike. Then he measured Baillie’s inseam with an odd, T-shaped, wooden tool upon which Baillie perched. Kozak measured the length of Baillie’s arms, torso, thighs and feet, then the width of his shoulders. The measurements suggested which angles and distances on the bike would fit Baillie most comfortably.

Kozak raised Baillie’s bike seat and studied the cleats on his shoes after Baillie mentioned knee pain. The cleats snap into pedals. Kozak loosened the tension Baillie needs to apply to snap in and out of his pedals.

Kozak finally laid down his tools, smiled at Baillie and told him to call with any problems.

“People need these pointers on what to look for,” Baillie said as he pulled his feet from his bike shoes and slipped them into running shoes. “Everyone should go to someone who will tweak things for you.”

Bike fitting as an art is beginning to bud in Inland Northwest bike shops. Mountain View Cyclery and Fitness in Hayden uses the Fit Kit system when a customer buys a bike, said shop owner John Bowman. Bowman’s wife, Beven Rich, is a certified athletic trainer and helps fit customers who have physical limitations, he said.

But many shops still offer the cursory fit, and most department stores don’t even do that much.

“Proper fitting is a ‘Hey!’ thing. People don’t know how good it’s supposed to feel until they finally ride a bike that fits,” Kozak said. “It will be bigger in the future. More and more people are paying attention to it.”