Visited Oct 23 - This company talks a good talk, in particular online via various videos, but as with anything, the proof is in the results/experience/output.
So many people experience problems cycling with all kinds of aches and pains in a variety of areas all over the body. Speak to people and look online and you will find an endless stream of comments surrounding this. Often unilateral, but also bilateral: back pain, hip pain, knee pain, foot pain, wrist pain, neck pain - it goes on and on.
Why? Bike fit - yes of course, but equally as important, human asymmetry and the way you as an individual want to biomechanically function. You aren't symmetrical, even if you think you are, and it then depends as to what degree you aren't, and in turn, how this translates to a symmetrical device - the bike. The more you aren't, the harder it becomes to attain a higher level of performance and there is direct correlation to a large degree. Your body will only compensate for so long at a certain level. Be it 3w/kg or 5+w/kg.
In my experience of the fitting, whilst biomechanics are a complex subject, and in particular when you introduce a bike being involved, this company doesn't seem to fully grasp this simple concept of asymmetry, even when you tell them about it initially. They even do simple tests themselves to highlight it during the fit.
My asymmetry? Fractionally smaller right foot with external rotation/toe out, right foot supination, opposing side more pronated, right leg possibly functionally short, ct scans for leg length shown with only 1mm variation in overall length, but minor variations in femur and tibia lengths between sides, possible bilateral hip impingement of some form but not yet medically verified - worse right side. Directly believed to be linked with a lack of internal rotation bilaterally. All my words - not theirs. They could see for themselves to some degree. You would hope?!
The above is not uncommon and many people have such imbalance - they likely aren't aware of some as ct scans are costly for example. The problem? This doesn't translate well to a bike clipped in unless adaptations are made or you are 'corrected' - this could be via an operation on your hip for example to remove an impingement.
The fit itself? Absolutely no effort made whatsoever to try and cater for the asymmetry mentioned above outside of the smallest change in heel wedges between sides. Nothing done with crank length to try and get around the impingement, nothing done with stance width, nothing done with bar height outside of a small change, a foot that wants to be slightly externally rotated instead placed into internal rotation via the cleats (awful idea given the confirmed lack of internal rotation), nothing done via shim stacks to help with what appears to be a functionally short right side, nothing done to cater for the slightly smaller right foot with cleat fore/aft - further back, split difference between l/r or exactly the same across each shoe (debate around all 3 options - not tested). The list goes on.
The result after the fit: 20 mile ride at low intensity - Left side anterior knee pain in the form of mild patellar tendinitis (likely due to low saddle height), right hip still not accounted for and right side lateral ankle pain probably due to the internally rotated cleat.
A complete waste of your time and money if you are remotely serious about cycling and suffer with asymmetry.
To add further insult, the Lake shoes that were sold to me at a high cost failed on a bolt hole on the 3rd set of cleats fitted. They tried to blame me for cross threading (guessing again) without even inspecting the shoes and despite the fitter not using grease or a proper torque wrench to tighten the bolts initially, nor every time he kept messing around with them seemingly guessing at what he needed to do. Over the last few years, tens of thousands of miles (road+trainer) and from brands such as Sidi, Shimano and Fizik, I've never had a bolt hole fail. 2 year warranty with Lake rejected after well under a year and barely any use.
Avoid. read more
