I had a fitting done by John last fall. I did both road and Tri bikes. I was very impressed. John is a big believer in flexibility and the position we arrived at was the best I could achieve based on my current flexibility limitations. John recommends specific stretches and a follow up fitting to further refine your position based on your new(hopefully) increased flexibility. The fitting also included 2 computrainer time trials, one in the old position and one in the new. I was putting out more power at the same HR in the new position. After training all winter and spring( as much as a full time job and 2 kids will allow) in the new position I biked 2:35 at the California half and felt super fresh after 56 miles.

I would also highly recommend John's fitting services. Although I have not yet been fit by him, my business partner has and he has been very happy with the results. John is also one of the fitters locally that I refer clients too because I have confidence in his work. John is also really good at setting up shims for your bike shoes if they are needed.

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Mike Plumb, TriPower MultiSports
Professional Running, Cycling and Multisport Coaching, F.I.S.T. Certified
http://www.tripower.org

I was fitted by John in January. He came to New England to work with a small group of riders locally. You couldn't ask for a nicer and more knowledgeable guy. He offered the same package deal to us as you are looking at and I would have to say it's quite a deal considering what you'll walk away with. He's very much into proper body biomechanics and using core muscle groups to improve your power and position on the bike. I was fitted on my road bike and after many changes and adjustments, I gained power and improved my efficiency. Give it try. You won't regret it.

John Howard came to Manchester, NH early this year.

My girlfriend and I both attended his stretch/strength class, and she had a fitting done.

He comes across as a nice guy, though being away from home he was not quite as well stocked or prepared as a local bike fitter would be. For example he wanted to change my girlfriend's seat post and bar stack height, but could not do either with what he had with him. He did have some shims he used to adjust her cleats.

He also in my opinion cheated a bit on the before and after computrainer measurements. As background, you need to know that the CompuTrainer manual says you need to calibrate their system after 5+ minutes of continuous riding, because the resistance decreases as the system warms up. He did not bother to calibrate at all. He did the "before" test in a middle gear with a relatively cold CompuTrainer. He did the "after" test in a high gear with a relatively warm (lower resistance) CompuTrainer, and encouraged my girlfriend to really push it during the second test. During each test he watched the CompuTrainer numbers vary, then picked numbers he liked from the range for his results sheet.

Despite that, I think he may be totally sincere in believing that his before and after numbers are "scientific." Alternatively, he may be trying to provide his clients with some placebo affect.

I'm not sure we really got our full money's worth. But it was interesting, and my girlfriend's fit seems slightly improved. He definitely follows the maximize aero performance as much as the rider's flexibility permits school of thought. Of course, if you are posting to Slowtwitch that is probably what you are looking for!

Bottom line, call this a neutral vote.

[quote]He also in my opinion cheated a bit on the before and after computrainer measurements. As background, you need to know that the CompuTrainer manual says you need to calibrate their system after 5+ minutes of continuous riding, because the resistance decreases as the system warms up.[/quote]

This is not entirely true. As the tire warms up and expands, there should be greater resistance. This effectively like adding more press-on force. The calibration will "standardize" the CT for variances in pressure of the warmed-up tire and press-on force of the load generator in order to make the power measurement accurate in absolute terms. The higher the calibration number, the greater the amount of "drag" being caused by the tire pressure and/or press-on force, and the lower the measured power for a given effort. In relative terms, my guess is that the change in tire pressure between a warm and cold tire are probably not of huge significance (i'll have to test this one of these days), but even so, any improvements seen should be real and possibly even greater than measured.

Haim

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"Sometimes you need to think INSIDE the box!" -- ME
"Why squirrel hate me?"

Without arguing about what attributes of the tire or resistance unit are causing the shift, there is no doubt that the press-on force shifts to easier with warm-up (at least with my unit). I find that the calibration at the beginning of warm-up will be at least a few tenths higher (I run in the range of 2.3 +/- 0.2) than it is at about 5 minutes. At ten minutes it has always been within a few hundredths (sp?) and stochastically higher or lower. If the first test was run from a full cold start, I wouldn't trust the results from a quantitative standpoint. Qualitatively, context is everything :-)

Dan

You are right Dan. I played with this a little this morning and was surprised that there was as much as .5 lb. difference between the hot and cold tire. That is a significant amount and much more than I would have expected.

Haim

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"Sometimes you need to think INSIDE the box!" -- ME
"Why squirrel hate me?"

John was recently in Toledo, Ohiop as a guest of Jim and Joyce Donaldson of Elite Endeavors. The reports I got from the session were all highly complimentary. John's record of accomplishments is beyond question. He has an ecclectic and diverse background in cycling and triathlons. I have never been fit by John, but I have every reason to believe his services are worth every penny he charges.

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

Hi all:

Thought I would give some info on the John Howard "FTTE" Analysis (position analysis). The position-technique analysis session employs John's system, proven over the past 22 years with 130 National Championships and an Olympic Gold Medal. The positioning starts with a scientific approach to biomechanical positioning and the analysis of pedaling technique. A ramp test is performed utilizing the CompuTrainer and its revolutionary Spin Scan software to uncover power output and inequities in overall power band, both torque and wattage for both left and right sides. Precise measurements are then taken of leg angles, flexibility and foot position. Based on the results of these tests, mechanical adjustments are made to bike and cleats, which will increase power output, and in many cases, also pedaling efficiency. This analysis will also help offset the effects of leg length discrepancies. The ramp test is then repeated with the new position. We find that power level is dramatically improved at little or no heat rate expense. The other critical component of the "FTTE" Package is the comprehensive Body Balance techniques for stretching and strength training. It is impossible to understate the importance of the Body Balance routines as part of a daily training program. Essential flexibility in key areas dramatically effects the motor response of pedaling. Proper core conditioning is crucial to maximizing on and off bike performance. This stretching, strength training and breathing seminar provides step by step instruction for innovative conditioning techniques, developed by world renown coaches and physiologists.

Regards,

Richard T. Gordon, Ph.D., Managing Director

The NEW John Howard Cycling School

Ok so for the ignorant where (geographically) does John work out of?

Thanks

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http://www.endurancesports.ca
Coaching and Training Camps

We are in the process of taking the John Howard Cycling School national and will have training centers in several cities in 2004. We currently have two co-headquarters facilities in: San Diego, California and Kansas City, Missouri. All services are available in these 2 centers. In addition, we'll be presenting "FTTE" Analysis clinics in 10-15 cities this year. These are expanded clinics from the one in Toledo and will offer our "FTTE" Analysis, Advanced Power Analysis and Aerodynamic Optimization services. The clinics are now in the planning stages. The first 5 will be in Minneapolis, Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston and New York. These will probably start in July.

We are just beginning the second week of the startup of the expanded company and things are crazy. We'll be coming with a new website soon. Watch for our advertising. If you have questions, please feel free to contact me directly.

Cheers,

Richard T. Gordon, Managing Director

The NEW John Howard Cycling School

email: rgordon2@kc.rr.com

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Richard T. Gordon, Ph.D.
Managing Director
The New John Howard Cycling School
816.309.3370
rgordon2@kc.rr.com

One more comment about John Howard's bike fitting. I was fitted last Friday (the 11th). Yesterday I hooked up my bike to the computrainer and was quite happy with the results. Before the fitting I was able to hold 300 watts for about a minute or two before slowing down. Yesterday I was able to sustain 400 watts for a minute or two. I rode 17 miles, got off and then ran a sub 7 minute mile which felt easy. Definite improvement for me. John changed my shoes (added shims), my seat, my bars and pointed out all the bad spots in my stroke.

So far it has been worthwhile. I guess the pudding in the cake will be the season.

Just my 2 cents.

John

I met John at the Spenco 500 in, what, 1983-84? Nice guy and all to willing to talk to almost anyone about biking. I followed the lead guys for awhile out of Waco-they went really slow for a few miles and what I noticed most about John's bike setup was how SMALL his frame was. He had this tiny bike with a very long seat post. Is that something he advises for the riders he positions? Frankly, I'd love to have him position me, but I'm in Orlando. :(

-Robert

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"How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world." ~Anne Frank

Robert:

As a general rule, yes to small frames. This is also an old trick with the European peleton. Particularly on custom made bikes, you'll see the euro pros with long head tubes on comparatively small frames. Several advantages to riding the smallest frame possible, i.e. weight, stiffness, responsiveness.

Richard

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Richard T. Gordon, Ph.D.
Managing Director
The New John Howard Cycling School
816.309.3370
rgordon2@kc.rr.com

Allow me to address this idea of John having cheated a bit with the Computrainer power measurements. First, both ramp tests are done with essentially a "cold" CT, as there is a large time gap between ramp tests, so this shifting after warmup is not an issue. More importantly though, let me address the overall issue of measurement, testing and analysis. John is very aware of the limitations of various pieces of equipment. This is one of the reasons we have become partners and merged our businesses. In addition to being an avid masters racer and licensed coach, I am a Ph.D. physicist with over 15 years of professional experience, all focused on time-series data analysis and the development of advanced analysis techniques. In addition to a long list of peer-reviewed publications, have been quoted or profiled in Scientific American, The Scientist, Fortune Magazine, The Journal of Commerce and many more. Have also been a scientifc advisor to the NASA ERAST Program (the pilotless aircraft such as Predator that you here about) and to the US Treasury Dept.

There are limitations with any device. The CT limitations are well known and documented. That's why no one uses it for peer reviewed science and partly why Racermate developed the Velotron for more critical uses. At the Howard School we employ Computrainers, Power-Taps and many other tools to make sure that the right testing and analysis protocol is utilized for any given situation.

Would like to make one additional comment as there has been much discussion on this list in regards to wind tunnel testing to set a rider's aero position. Without wanting to dis any particular program, they way NOT to optimize your aero position for triathlons or time trials is with a static wind tunnel test. This is a great way to find the theoretically best aerodynamics, but this says nothing about the optimization of that position for a particular rider. The optimal aero position is the one which minimizes frontal area and drag, while maximizing the rider's power output at the pedals. Power output at the pedals is what it's all about folks, not reaching the theoretically most aerodynamic position. An old saying comes to mind: Science is, what scientists do. Scientists do not use static testing proceedures to optimize dynamic systems.

Independent testing has found that power-based approximation of CDA (frontal area and drag) is just as good as wind tunnel testing for determining the aero position. More importantly, this type of dynamic analysis has real world relavance in that it allows for a true optimization of ones tri or TT setup based on minimizing aerodynamic effects, while maximizing the riders ability to deliver power at the pedals over the distance required. This is the key!

Our Aerodynamic Optimization service employs Power-Taps in just such a dynamic testing protocol to truly optimize the rider's tri or TT setup. This takes into account all relevant considerations, such as riding style, rider flexibility, pedalling efficiency, etc. This protocol also takes into account whether the subject is a low or high power output rider. This is critical for determining wheel types, etc. There is an optimal balance between weight and aerodynamics that must be considered for all except high sustained power output riders. It is only this last group that can fully benefit from all out aerodynamic considerations over any weight considerations.

Much more can be said on this topic and I welcome the opportunity to correspond with anyone interested.

Regards to all,

Richard

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Richard T. Gordon, Ph.D.
Managing Director
The New John Howard Cycling School
816.309.3370
rgordon2@kc.rr.com