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The idea of a bike frame
which has a geometry customly built for you might sound very
appealing ( guarantees a good fit and meets your needs, if it is
built by a competent builder ). However, the majority of the
population can be fitted with no issues on stock standard frames
that most reputable companies offer. Meaning, the majority of the
population do not need custom geometry frames.
Custom geometry frames are
really for very very experienced riders who know what they want out
of their bike, or riders with unique biomechanics. A experienced
rider refers to someone who has done close to 50,000kms and have
gone through at least 5 bikes. Given their time on the different
bikes, they'd know what type of feature they like on each bike. It
comes down to fitting, handling, and the look of the rider on the
bike. Some riders may not like headset spacers, so a longer head
tube might be desirable. Or some like large amount of seatpost
showing, which calls for a more compact frame. An aggressive
handling may be desired by some, which can be achieved through the
geometry of the frame.
Essentially, a custom
geometry frame isn't always necessary for a custom bike experience.
What's necessary for this ultimate riding experience is good advice
on the right equipment, a professional assembly of the bike, a bike
fit, and sound riding technique. It is much more difficult to have
this experience from just a stock bike. Also, it is quite rare for
one person/shop to be able to provide all 4 of the mentioned
attributes for an ultimate riding experience.
Right
Equipment
The right bike for you
doesn't necessarily have to be the lightest, or the most expensive,
or with the most Italian componentry. For an audax or non racing
rider, the perfect bike might be a titanium bike, with a more
relaxed geometry, which provides a very comfortable ride. For a
commuter, a steel frame with pannier racks might be most desirable
due to its longevity and reliability.
Professional Assembly
The assembly of a bike is
very important. This process ranges from ensuring every bolt and
thread are lubricated and torqued enough, to minor setup features
such as outer cable-length and hood positions (we've seen a few
high end bikes with levers that have been in different positions on
each side). Without the professional assembly of the components to
the bike, riders may not get the most out of their bike.
Bike Fit
Given the frame is the right
size, a correct bike fit should provide you with the ultimate
riding position for your needs. Everything from handlebar length,
stem angle etc can be adjusted so that any minor positional
differences that a rider has with the bike frame can be
fixed.
Riding
Technique
As simple as cycling may
look, there is a certain technique that optimizes power output.
With a correct technique and the correct set up on the bike, a
rider should be able to get the most out of their bike, and the
most out of the money they spent on the bike!
When all 4 of the above
components are achieved, then a rider will be able to get the most
of their bike and have that ultimate riding experience. At BikePro,
with over 25 years of cycling and bike fitting experience, we are
confident and adamant that we can deliver this complete
service.
Getting Custom
Having said all that, we
are not discouraging the idea of a custom bike. The process, and
the result is a deep custom and tailored experience and not
everyone feels the need for it. So how do we fit you onto a custom
geometry frame? There are usually 4 ways to do it, but we
only like to do tailored fit.
1. From an existing
fit/bike
The theory behind it is that if you're comfortable on a certain
bike you've ridden in the past, the geometry and fitting is taken
from that bike and applied to the custom frame. But with this
method, you're only really recreating a past bike you've ridden
with a new paint job or material, which isn't so custom and not
'specially designed' for your biomechanical structure.
2. An external fit system
If you have done a bike fit externally (ie not at BikePro Fit ),
we are happy to incorporate that data into your custom geometry.
However, the external fit does not seem appropriate to you or not
road worthy, we will suggest changes that can be made. If you're
happy with the changes, then we're happy. But, we will not build a
bike that we don't think is safe or appropriate for you, no matter
the price.
3. A standard size
Many custom builder have 'standard' sizes available as custom
frames. We do not have this as, if there is a standard production
size, it is not a custom frame.
4. Tailored fit
This is the fit method we highly recommend. An in house custom
fit is done for you, where we analyses the best position and
geometry with you based on your biomechanical structure, your
cycling needs and also what you want. After this fit, we input the
data in our BikeCAD
software and an initial diagrammatic frame is made up. Over the
course of back & forth communicate between us and you, a final
design is done. We will only proceed to order if you are happy with
every aspect of the bike (geometry, paint job, logos etc).
Ultimately this is the best option as the result (the bike) is a
fully custom bike that is tailored to your needs. For more
information on our Custom BikePRO Fit, click here.
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