Okay, so I haven’t always been a country girl. But after living in “The Buck” for over a year, my trip to NYC was much-anticipated. And what a fun trip it was! The reason for the trip was a visit to Acme Bicycle Co. – Brooklyn’s premier bike fitting studio – where the bike fit wizard Jonathan Blyer was excited to make me faster in 2013!2012 was a successful year, but some changes needed to be made. First was to get back onto the right size bike. Last year after much tweaking, I got my bike as close to the “right” fit as I could. Although I made it work for me, it was still far from perfect. After World’s, Gretna Bikes got me onto a Cannondale Slice – size 47 with 650 wheels – the size alone felt better immediately!

“Marteau”

So now it was time to get a fit, to make sure I was getting the most out of this bad boy!
Our bikes are big investments, but we also spend a lot of “intimate” time with them. People tend to be turned off from professional fits due to the price, but when you’ve spent that much money on a bike, you would be crazy not to spend a fraction of that cost to ensure that you’re getting the most power, speed, comfort and efficiency out of it. At the same time, when spending that chunk of change on a fit, you want to make sure you’re going to a true professional with a strong background and passion for their craft. And that’s why I chose Jonathan Blyer – owner of Acme Bicycle. Between the recommendation from trusted friends, his years of experience, and the testimonials from his clients – it was an easy choice!

I arrived at his studio in Brooklyn that was quite easy to find. He went through my history, then performed a flexibility assessment which is pertinent to any proper fit. Once we were all set up he had me hop on the bike and immediately noticed some changes that needed to be made. He started with my cleats, and after a few adjustments I was already feeling an improvement in my pedaling! Next it was time to hop on the Guru Dynamic Fitting Unit, but only after picking one of his many saddles. This was a treat! I’m not the biggest fan of my current saddle, but settled on it after going through the tiring process of trying different versions – many of us have been there! So having the opportunity to try so many different options in one place was definitely a plus! After trying a few options I settle on the Bontrager Hilo RXL. Time to do some work on the Guru. That thing is pretty amazing – JB sat there with the mouse making adjustments as I rode. He also uses Retul 3D capture to verify the proper geometry once he feels we’ve found the proper position.

So now it’s time to take all of the information and measurements from Guru and Retul and apply them to my bike. 3 hours from start to finish, and my bike was ready to go! Well, almost. I need to order my chosen saddle and I also need a new stem to get into that position we fine-tuned. My fit experience at Acme Bicycle was the best yet! JB’s passion, knowledge, and desire to find your perfect fit are evident throughout the process. I am truly excited for the season ahead!

Part II of the NYC trip took me to Harlem to visit some amazing friends that entered my life this year – fellow Team USA gold medalist Nicole Sin Quee and her equally awesome husband, Coach Jonathan Cane (and their adorable athlete-in-the-making son Simon too!).

This was before we realized we were leaving as gold medalists 😉

As if NSQ wasn’t already the sweetest thing, she knew the way to this girl’s heart is through…you guessed it…food! Shortly after arriving I had a huge plate of dinner in front of me. Generous portions of kale and apple salad, quinoa with vegetables, and brown rice. She nailed it! Sorry to the both of you that there was no butter, cream, and cheese like you’re used to – I would love to see what happened in that kitchen after I left. Rumor has it NSQ can put down some cheese just the same as she puts down stellar race performances! Time was flying by as we sat and chatted – I could’ve stayed many more hours without a break in conversation. But alas it was getting late and I had a drive ahead of me. Time to plan a trip back to NYC soon! It was an awesome day, and I left with nothing but feelings of excitement about what’s to come! Thank you Jonathan Blyer for your time and attention, and thank you to NSQ and JC for your generosity, and for simply being wonderful people!