My Look 596 Fit by John Cobb

This past Tuesday I made my return visit to Tyler Texas to get fit on my new Look 596. I had been out on the road on it once, but would not be satisfied until John could position me on the bike. I know I can take measurements off my old bike but somehow the numbers never seem to add up. It had been 1 ½ years since John had fit me and in time our body and its mobility changes. Therefore I believe it would benefit me to get fitted about once a year. Even comparing ones mobility from the beginning of the season to it's status at the end of the season we'll notice more flexibility.
That night I spent about two hours on the stand, and as always John likes an athlete to thorough warm up before fitting anyone. So after 5 hours in the car I jumped right on the stand and started pedalling away. John started with fore and aft position of my saddle which now is a new "Cobb Cycling V Flow Plus".
The Plus has a cut out on the nose of the saddle.Before this 'Flow Plus' I've been on the ISM. We had to slide the 'Flow Plus' saddle a little forward from my old ISM position. Next was saddle height. It had to be raised the about 1cm. Once we got the saddle taken care of, John worked on cleat positioning. I do tend to ride more to the right of the saddle with my left knee tending to float towards the top tube. John adjusted this, incorporating a wedge on the outside of my left shoe. We also raised the front end up one notch on the Look system. Since most of my races are long distance I'd like to be able to stay comfortable in a somewhat raised position. Making a compromise between optimal performance, with the best possible aero position. John also came to the conclusion that I needed to bring my aero pads in a little.
During the fitting process, John hooked me up with a pulse oximeter, (see 3rd picture from top).
The unit displays the percentage of Hb saturated with oxygen together with an audible signal for each pulse beat, a calculated heart rate and a graphical display of the blood flow past the probe. This will indicate any in/decrease of performance, while finding the optimal aerodynamic position
John had been working on a program to really track your position.

We took pictures of the 'before and after' adjustments. John then super imposed the final picture on top of the picture, showing the initial position.

It makes it easy to see the progression of the fitting process.

Once off the bike we took several measurements, about 10 in all.

Reach and stack height were taken and also pictures of the bottom of the shoes were taken. Just to see exactly how my cleats are located and tweaked.

All the measurements and pictures were recorded and printed on paper for future reference.

It is always great when John and I get to visit, while I continue to learn so much from him.

Later that night we hit a Mexican restaurant for a nice meal and had fun sharing good memories!

The next morning I was able to raid the Blackwell warehouse and head back home.

Thanks to Nick, Tim and Josh, whom kept Precision Bikes rolling, while I was able to get away for the positioning and a great visit with my mentor and great friend John Cobb.

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For those of you not familiar with John Cobb; John is considered an "aerodynamics guru" among many in the pro cycling world. John is often referred to in books and magazines, publishing innovative aerodynamic studies. He also was one early on to take cyclists into the windtunnel to further research and develop new products helping athletes to become faster. It truly has been a privilege and honor for me to have studied under such wonderful pioneer!

Please be sure to visit: John Cobb Cycling and John Cobb Research