Professional Coaching and Bike Fitting

  A little more than a year ago my wife rather bluntly observed, “you’re getting kinda fat.” After I finished my blueberry muffin and wiped the tears from my eyes, I decided, that’s it, I’m going to take my fitness and health seriously. Several months later I somehow completed the Tour de Foothills on my mom’s old endurance bike, which didn’t fit me very well and was causing some some knee and hip pain. Nevertheless I decided I liked riding bikes and wanted to do more of it. I had it in mind to buy a Trek Madone as my new bike, mostly because I thought they looked cool, but was a little unclear about the right size to get. That’s when I found Bikecoach in an effort to do a pre-fit. The answer turned out to be no Trek Madone, thanks to my gorilla like proportions. Rachel took significant time to explain my numbers to me and give a range to search within. Despite only being about 5’ 10” I ended up with a 58cm Fuji 2.3, a bike completely off my radar, and larger than anyone else would have thought appropriate. But this is where listening to actual experts rather than bro friends comes in; this particular frame combined with 170mm cranks fits me like a glove when riding. I put in around 8-10 hours a week on average, including plenty of hard riding, and the only pain I feel is muscle fatigue, no more sharp pains in the knee, etc. If I had listened to a Trek salesman (doing their job), or other well intentioned but superficially knowledgable amateurs, I almost certainly would have ended up with something less ideal. . . and more expensive. Beyond the pre-fit to find the right bike, and post-fit to dial in the actual bike, we spent time selecting a new seat. Bikecoach has many test seats in stock. Just as with the bike fit, having selected the best possible seat for me now means I simply don’t notice the seat. After this whole process, I just ride my bike without being annoyed by things that aren’t fitting or sitting quite right. It makes a HUGE difference in the bike riding experience and is some of the best money you can spend. Rachel is attentive to details and takes the time to explain them. But wait! There’s more. During the fitting process, where I shared some of my intentions at getting more fit on the bike, Rachel suggested I join something called an “early bird’ clinic, where racers get ready for the coming season by dusting off some basic bike handling skills, and doing a short race. This was the first clinic and race I had ever done. Despite being politely set on fire by teenagers during the race and realizing how fit I wasn’t, I had fun and learned a lot. Since then I’ve gotten more into training and racing with the mentorship and ongoing skills clinics provided by Bikecoach. Even if you have no intention to race, I strongly suggest attending clinics and practicing the skills they teach. For sure what I have learned there has helped keep me safe riding by myself on the road, inside “spirited’ group rides occasionally surrounded by folks convinced their on a stage of a grand tour, and inside the somewhat crash prone world of entry level amateur racing. For those of you with kids, Bikecoach has programs and support specifically designed for juniors, including bikes that can be rented, which can really help during those years when they would otherwise quickly outgrow potentially expensive equipment. This is a great opportunity for kids who want to do some kind of competitive sports, but aren’t into other types of team or ball sports. Or it can be an additional sport that builds deep fitness and more importantly, toughness that carries over to other sports. Finally, the cafe part. I’ve traded in the blueberry muffin for marmalade zucchini bread, which is an essential part of my post clinic recovery strategy. . . Mmmm.

  Always good, courteous and quick service. Comfortable and quiet seating and plenty of space to work. Good selection of snacks (banana break and cookies). Inside bike rack holders for reassurance someone won’t run off with the bike you rode in on.

  Awesome people, services and coffee. They do a lot to engage with the community and keep kids safe and healthy.

  Rachael has been my coach for nine years, so she and Sean and the boys’ are great friends as well as motivators. I have learned to love Spin Classes and those classes inspired me to learn cycling and gain my healthy addiction. Now I can have great coffee to go with it!

  So previously I left a review complaining about one particular employee who wasn't delivering good service. Within an hour, the owner left the following reply. All I can say is thank you...my daughter and I feel seen and appreciated. This shows BC Fitness really cares and that means a lot. Aside from that particular employee, we have nothing but glowing things to report after coming in weekly for maybe 9 months or so. We especially love when the delicious, fresh-baked goodies are half off!!!! We enjoy the chai, the smoothies, the bagels. Wifi is always solid here, and you never have to ask for the password as they have it clearly displayed on a number of signs. Bathrooms are spacious and always clean. Love the option for both indoor and outdoor seating. They offer discounts on different days...I coach at RHS and they've extended the educator's discount to me on more than one occasion. Likewise, we just live around the corner & sometimes stop by on our bikes. We are by no means "cyclists" but they will give us the cyclist discount since we rolled up on 2 wheels! Thank you BC Fitness. We"ll be back soon!

  I have only been in for the coffee so far, but it's good and the counter person, Kevin, was very polite and friendly. He answered my questions and didn't seem in a hurry to get me out of the store like a Starbucks often feels. I'm hoping to see more of the bicycle part of the store once things open up fully again.