From Serotta to Trek, with love

[bigtime]

Trek pulls Michael Sylvester into the fold. (http://bikeportland.org/2007/12/05/trek-picks-local-bike-fit-expert-to-lead-national-program/)

[Fixed]

every little bike shop does fittin now some are just plain goofy imho
cheers

[Grant McLean]

The "bike fit" part is only half the story.

Once someone has their contact points,
they also need a professional to take those points,
and translate them onto a bike that will ride well.

I see lots of clients who are perfectly happy with their fit,
but they hate the way their bike rides....

-g

:crap:

[davids]

It seems like a positive step to me, even though it's not perfect.

[DarrenCT]

whoever this guy is, he sure looks ripped.

hopefully im in that good of shape when im 60 atmo

[old_school]

The "bike fit" part is only half the story.

Once someone has their contact points,
they also need a professional to take those points,
and translate them onto a bike that will ride well.

I see lots of clients who are perfectly happy with their fit,
but they hate the way their bike rides....

word

[coylifut]

whoever this guy is, he sure looks ripped.

hopefully im in that good of shape when im 60 atmo

Sylvester is a looooooooooooong time contributor to both the cycling and yoga communities in Portland. The thing I remember most about his bio is that he's never owned a car.

[Fixed]

Sylvester is a looooooooooooong time contributor to both the cycling and yoga communities in Portland. The thing I remember most about his bio is that he's never owned a car.
sold
he's a bro
cheers imho

[benb]

The article says he's 50.. not 60.. as if he looks anywhere near 60 or even 50...

[pdxmech13]

ripped for sure......raced cross in euro world before most even new what a bike was. Last winter on pez they had Sylvester in the tunnel helping with TT positions of Basso and Levi. Pretty cool imho

[dave thompson]

I drove the almost 400 miles from Spokane to Portland to be fitted by Michael (don't call him Mike!) It was a terrific experience, well worth the time and effort. He didn't seem to have any preconceived notions about what a rider should look like, just what a rider should be like.

[Smiley]

When you have a good thing going Serotta, copying it is most flattering. Ben guys and gals started the whole fit thing. I was a rep doing bike fits way before we had a methology and my teachers were Ben Serotta and Stew Shaffer. The other guys that followed put what we did in writing and refined it added more science to it so it could be duplicated and taught to the masses. That goes for Paul Levine and Michael as well as others and now the baton is carried by SICI and Chris B and Dr Ray !

[Serotta_James]

whoever this guy is, he sure looks ripped.

hopefully im in that good of shape when im 60 atmo


Man, you don't know the half of it. That guy has ripped my legs off a few times on "nice easy rides" around Portland. Ouch.
Class act and a real gentleman, though. One of the best, imho.

That Chris B on the other hand... what a wuss! :beer:

James

[RABikes2]

I just got back from Orlando around midnight after spending two excellent days in the Trek Fit School with Michael.

Michael IS in great shape, a source of unbelievable bicycle fit knowledge, he had a terrific seminar, and guys, he's just a really nice person.

I'm tired and it's been a long day; I'll write more later.

What a positive experience!

RA

[shinomaster]

I just got back from Orlando around midnight after spending two excellent days in the Trek Fit School with Michael.

Michael IS in great shape, a source of unbelievable bicycle fit knowledge, he had a terrific seminar, and guys, he's just a really nice person.

I'm tired and it's been a long day; I'll write more later.

What a positive experience!

RA


Glad to hear you had a good time! :beer:

[RABikes2]

The owner of our bike shop, Ed, and I attended the Trek Fit School in Orlando this past Thursday and Friday. I went in with an open mind and was excited about attending. The Fit School was terrific; long days and a huge amount of material was covered. Unfortunately, no riding in the a.m.'s; class times were 9:00-6:00 and we worked late both days.

I gotta give Trek kudos; they put on a good program. There were approximately 40 participants in the class, mostly from Florida shops, but a few who traveled from out of state. Many of the attendees already did fits in their shops. Michael Sylvester and his staff were extremely welcoming and gracious to all. Both days, Michael began with an interesting talk then had a yoga class/session to teach different stretches used to test a customer's flexibility (and to learn why this is necessary for a proper fit). I hadn't taken a Hatha yoga class since February 1978, so believe me it was a rude awakening to be shown how little flexibility I possess since more injuries, older, and such. Dang...obvious I need to work on this.

Both days breakfast and lunch was provided; Trek did a nice job feeding us. After an hour lunch break the first day, we began the afternoon with a talk by Dr. Mark Timmerman who is working with Michael and Trek. Mark covered a good bit of anatomy; his talk was excellent and is a very personable/approachable guy. Michael then showed the fit process from beginning to end on one of the guys in the class.

Second day, the morning began with questions and answers regarding what we did the day before, yoga, then we broke into groups of three and began working as a team doing the fit process on each other the rest of the day. I learned a lot and totally enjoyed myself. Michael and his staff were working with us and teaching constantly. All teams were equipped with bike trainers and all the tools needed to perform a fit. There were at least six connected banquet size tables to the side of the room and laid out nicely for our use were multiples of different size handlebars, seatposts, shifters, saddles, tools, everything you could imagine or need to do a proper fit. I was amazed by the thoroughness.

Ed, our shop owner, attended Michael's fit schools when he was with Serotta. Ed is a qualified (and good) fitter, so the best thing for me is we already have a fit area in the shop all set, equipped, and ready to go. He wants me to start doing practice fits on friends with him standing back and observing. Michael and his staff encouraged me to do the same.

Michael was so cool with my noseless saddle and bike. I was thrilled he had an open mind! He looked at both guys on our team and said to forget everything they had learned regarding fit when it came to my bike and saddle. When my fit time was finished, we had decided on a few starting points, so I could return to the shop and begin adjusting from there. The nice thing about this, I'll be able to do this stuff at the shop and try a variety of different length/rise stems with little expense out of pocket. Michael offered different suggestions/advice and asked me to stay in touch so this could be worked out.

Trek has done a good thing hiring Michael and they're working to continue improving the program as it grows. I was both impressed and pleased with the knowledge I came away from the seminar with. I found Michael to be an exceptional person and teacher.

RA