Outpeople: Passion for bike fitting launched path of constant learning and adapting

Jim Kozak’s bike shop is more like a laboratory as compared to an everyday bike shop.

Sure, there are bikes for sale. But laptops, cameras, wired monitors, measuring tools, bike stands and trainers are much more prominent here.

A vast array of bike tools, seats, stems and other parts are neatly organized and hung behind a single, suspended bike and its owner. Here for an afternoon bike fit appointment with Kozak, both are ready to be joined together in perfect synchronicity.

Kozak started CycleMetrix in 2004 to fill a need for professional-level bicycle fitting in the Coeur d’Alene and Spokane area. What started only as a bike-fitting business quickly evolved into a small bike shop.

Today, CycleMetrix, in Dalton Gardens, Idaho, is a full-service shop which caters to cyclists and triathletes ranging from recreational beginners to high-level sponsored professionals who depend on his services to shave seconds off race times.

“A professional bike fit is without a doubt the best accessory you can purchase for your bike. Comfort and efficiency will make your time in the saddle much more enjoyable so that you want to ride, rather than stash your bike in the back of the garage,” said Kozak.

A bike fit is exactly what it sounds like – a professional service that helps personalize the fit of your bike. Fitting also takes away the guesswork when you’re trying to determine what bike is best for your body type. It ensures that your positioning on the bike will allow you to be as comfortable as possible, while still maintaining power and efficiency.

Kozak, who was performing bike fits even before it became popular, had an experience that helped him turn the corner.

“Bike fitting always has interested me, but even more after I crashed on my bike when a car turned in front of me in 2002,” said Kozak. “During my recovery, I learned that I could adjust bikes to fit most bodies, even those with limitations.”

While bike fitting seems like a no-brainer, it’s typically one of the last things people think of, even after spending thousands of dollars on a bike.

“Unfortunately, bike fit has been downplayed a lot. 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,” he adds.

Kozak, a former Kootenai County paramedic, has been involved with bikes his entire life, both on the race course and in the mechanic shop. Kozak’s passion for cycling has launched him down a path of constant learning and adapting as bike-fit technology is always evolving.

“I’ve seen huge changes in this industry, both in the training programs involved and in the tools used. In the early days a plum-bob and a tape measure were mainstays of a bike fitter. Today’s tools include, power meters, lasers, 3-D camera systems, cleat wedges, variable length pedal spindles, pressure sensors for rider contact points that measure heat and friction in real time, wind tunnels, and much more.”