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Fun fact: wind tunnels suck, they don’t blow. This was one of many interesting things I learnt at the recent IBFI Conference at Silverstone and the Silverstone Sports Engineering Hub in the UK.
It’s been a long eight years since the last notable bike fitting conference for English speakers, so fitters from around the world gathered at the table, hungry for connection, conversation, insights, and ideas for application back in their own fit studio. The event also attracted cycling coaches and pro team performance managers looking to glean ideas about products and protocols that might provide a leading edge for their athletes.
A jam-packed two days of presentations, workshops, networking and vendor exhibits was masterfully organized by full time fitter and current IBFI President Lee Prescott and a small and enthusiastic team of helpers. The MC for the conference was well known YouTube personality James Thomas, better known as Bike Fit James.
Topics ranged across the spectrum from technical fittings skills to philosophical approaches from a very humanistic client centered approach to high reliance on data driven analysis. Both low tech and high tech are still a thing, and both have relevance and application. I’m going to write more about this in the future.
We heard from physical therapists, bike fitters, technologists, a psychologist and even a representative from the UCI. The insight from the UCI is that they want bike racing to be a competition between people (the bike racers), and not a competition between technologies (the products that riders use). This is why they often make seemingly strange decisions to inhibit equipment innovation.
Vendors included a couple of our key product brands, Form and Velometrik, as well as a range of other analysis and technology providers. Look out for new product announcements soon, as I was able to directly connect with some of these other providers to learn more about their offerings. As a result we’ll be adding a few more products to our catalog for professional fitters. We are currently evaluating those products in our own fit studio, which we do for most things before recommending them to others.
The IBFI launched an Emeritus Award for bike fitters who have made a significant contribution to the craft. I was more than delighted that the two inaugural recipients were Steve Hogg and Happy Freedman, both of whom have been significant influences in my own bike fit education and practice. It was great to see these two pioneers of modern bike fit get recognition from within our community. Happy was there in person to receive his award, and Steve was awarded his back in Australia by that other bike fitter guy on YouTube, Neill Stanbury.
Following the conference I was able to visit several bike fit studios of renown in London and chat bike fit business with Phil Cavell of Cyclefit, James Thomas of Bike Fit Richmond, and Wei-Ho Ng and his team at Foundation Fit. These people were generous with their time and knowledge, and it was instructive to see how other fitters operate their business. Universally we share the same challenges with clients and cycling products, but there are interesting regional differences in both as well.
This may come as a surprise to many fitters in the USA, but bike fitting is not a competitive sport. There is a lot to be gained collectively as a profession by meeting with other fitters and discussing both the business of bike fitting, and the practice of bike fitting. We tend to operate as mavericks in our own mini empire, and there is much to learn and be inspired by through connecting with other bike fitters and talking shop.
On that note, guess what? Another IBFI bike fitting conference has been announced for early April 2027 in Scottsdale, Arizona. From famine to feast! Keep an eye out for future announcements about this event. I encourage you to make every possible effort to attend, as the rewards are always surprising and numerous.
Your comment that bike fitting is not a competitive sport is gold. I fully agree – there is so much value in sharing knowledge and building something collectively as a profession.
Interestingly, I sometimes feel that it’s easier to connect and collaborate internationally than locally. When people are geographically close, there can be a subtle sense of competition, even if it’s not intentional.
I’d be really curious to hear your perspective on this – especially in a place like London. Do bike fitting studios there tend to collaborate, or do they see each other more as competitors?
Hi Lucasz, yes I agree that fitters in close proximity are less likely to “care and share” than fitters who are geographically dispersed. Not always though, as I found some of the fitters near each other in London to be very collegiate. They realize there is a bigger market than they can cater to, and each offer their own vibe and strengths, and so appeal to different cycling clients.