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Shimano Bike Fitting
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Just wanted to see if anyone else has had a similar experience or might have some insight about the Shimano Bike fit system.
I been in the bike fitting system for a few years, did some training on the Retul system but the past half year just been using an app and some traditional tools.
I do mainly Triathlon fits and not much interested in road fits.
The Shimano system is wicked and pedal stroke analysis and foot pressure etc are really cool and useful.
The problem I have with it is that after doing the body sizing the position the system comes up with is way off... the saddle height has been spot on it has been near 2cm too low, over a cm too high.. real hit and miss.. and every time the length has been way too long.. up to 10cm too long!! :O
At the moment I use it for the pedal scan but just do the fitting part on my own.
Would be cool if anyone had some more info on this.
l8r
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Re: Shimano Bike Fitting [drags] [ In reply to ]
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i have made multiple attempts to find out whether this system is actually in use right now. i haven't gotten a return call or email. are you saying that it's being marketed now?

Dan Empfield
aka Slowman
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Re: Shimano Bike Fitting [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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Well, we got one, and another bike shop in town has one... we been been trained on by a shimano rep.. so, yes.
But maybe it is only in Europe and they haven't gotten the licencing etc in the USA yet.. I guess then there won't be anyone who has any experience with it then :(... thanks for the heads up.
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Re: Shimano Bike Fitting [drags] [ In reply to ]
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so, what's the process? how do you determine fit coordinates using the shimano system? how do you then figure out what bikes match the fit coordinates? and, are you using shimano's fit bike? i'm assuming you are, because that's where the cool pedal metrics come from.

Dan Empfield
aka Slowman
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Re: Shimano Bike Fitting [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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Yes, Shimano's Bike Fit,
You just do static measurements and plug them in... you can choose a seatpost ange and competitive or sport level but it is pretty basic.. I guess that is why it comes up with such a poor outcome. they are planning to come out with a a 3D scanner to supplement the current system but at the moment as far as the fitting goes it doesn't do much.
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Re: Shimano Bike Fitting [drags] [ In reply to ]
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okay, so here's the truth of the matter, at least according to me: you have a first class fit bike. that fit bike does a lot of stuff shimano isn't even aware of. but you need an appropriate fit DYNAMIC fit protocol to use with that bike, so that it generates a proper set of coordinates; and then you need a process to drive complete bike solutions from that bike's output.

in simple english: you need a step-by-step process - a set of instructions - that tells you how to best use that fit bike; and then you need to know how to take some numbers off of that fit bike, when the fit is finished, such numbers telling you what bikes fit that position. that's kind of step-1 and step-2 of fitting.

here is step 1 of the process.
here is step 2 of the process.

these are the manuals we give to those who take our courses. well, these are the first 2 manuals. there are 2 more specific to tri. also, here is the worksheet we use when performing these fits.

this is the F.I.S.T. system. the Shimano fit bike is emininently able to work with this system. If you really want a deep dive into this, come to a F.I.S.T. workshop. we have a few spots left in our workshop this upcoming March. Or if you don't want to travel that far, and you can make it to the East Coast of the U.S., there will be a workshop in May in Connecticut. Or if you don't want to leave Europe, I'm leaving tomorrow to produce a class this upcoming monday/tuesday in England. However, it's full. but where i'm producing that class, more will be produced this year (just north of london). just not be me, rather by other F.I.S.T. instructors who are eminently capable of putting you through your paces.

Dan Empfield
aka Slowman
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Re: Shimano Bike Fitting [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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Very Interesting, makes good sense.

Thanks and I will look into it.. I doubt I would travel to the US but sometimes I go to the UK on business.

Bike fitting is a pretty small part of my business but if I get an opportunity to learn more methods and approaches it sure couldn't hurt!

Thanks again!
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Re: Shimano Bike Fitting [drags] [ In reply to ]
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Drags, where are you located in Europe?

Anne Barnes
ABBikefit, Ltd
FIST/SICI/FIST DOWN DEEP
X/Y Coordinator
abbikefit@gmail.com
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Re: Shimano Bike Fitting [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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Hi Dan,

We saw the first units of fit bikes coming last July '14 in some stores in the netherlands. One of them is also a user of retul and i saw the pics on their website. However, they do not promote the system on their website. Since July they still have the announcement that it will be soon be available....
Through one of my contacts at shimano i know that the first education groups were held here last november at their Research and Education center based here in Sittard. But at my knowledge they still struggle with the motion capture system and the system that should capture the bike dimensions to work with the plug in to spit out the bikes that fit
Also no word yet on the availability of just the pedal/crank system as a single unit for example to put it on a retul muve or other fitbike.

Regards,

Jeroen van Geelen

Owner at TRIPRO, The Netherlands
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Re: Shimano Bike Fitting [ABarnes] [ In reply to ]
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Up in sweds.. Short days and long nights !
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Re: Shimano Bike Fitting [drags] [ In reply to ]
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'Up in sweds.. Short days and long nights ! '


Do you have the whole sytem including the motion capture or just the fitbike?

Owner at TRIPRO, The Netherlands
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Re: Shimano Bike Fitting [tri-run] [ In reply to ]
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No motion capture yet.... They don't have it ready.
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Re: Shimano Bike Fitting [tri-run] [ In reply to ]
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that makes sense.. I guess the Dutch are at the same point as the Swedes.
I guess putting in the size measurements can only get you so far anyway and you need a motion capture system to fit properly, but it surprizes me that the initial position they give you is so far off from a good position.
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Re: Shimano Bike Fitting [drags] [ In reply to ]
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drags wrote:
that makes sense.. I guess the Dutch are at the same point as the Swedes.
I guess putting in the size measurements can only get you so far anyway and you need a motion capture system to fit properly, but it surprizes me that the initial position they give you is so far off from a good position.

Yeh, i think their motion capture system will come with something similar as Retul's Zin tool. I can remember seeing something like it on one of the dealershows more than a year back, but they don't refer to it on the bikefitting.com website anymore.
How does the crankset works? Do you need the resistance unit that comes with the fit bike as well to get it working and is it with a separate software tool or can't you use this as a separate unit on a retul muve fit bike.?

It still seems like a really interesting tool.

Owner at TRIPRO, The Netherlands
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Re: Shimano Bike Fitting [tri-run] [ In reply to ]
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Not really sure.
I haven't looked at it with that in mind, and I am not really technical enough to know about how the different systems work.
The stress sensors are on the inside of the cranks so I can't see how you couldn't just use it on another fit bike.... I guess as long as the different software systems can read the signal..
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