How does a virtual bike fit work?

 During this pandemic, we’ve had to move a lot of things they used to be up close and personal, to an online theater. Of course, this is been a natural part of progress for some time, but it was far more selective in what things were computerized, and the rate of progress was slow. There are those that are eager for everything to be more insular and online, and those whom do bemoan the loss of intimacy that comes with this.

Those who were skeptical, however, the something like an online bike fit would even work, have been forced by natural pressure due to this pandemic, to discover that it can indeed be done, and done well. If you’re a cyclist, you may be in bad need of a bike fit, but are dubious about the idea of a virtual bike fit. Maybe you are not the most tech savvy person, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that, so it’s not in your nature to really imagine how something like this would be done over the intangible thing that is the Internet.

Nonetheless, as a responsible person who wishes to remain safe, and keep one’s love one safe, you avoid any sort of unnecessary outings, or physical close quarters for anything when possible. So, you’re eager to discover how it online bike fit would work, and maintain your hobby even during these trying times.

There are basically three ways that this can work, and were going to describe them in brief, individually below. Will avoid getting too technical by way of how the technology itself works, because there’s no need to get carried away, and technical things like that are beyond the scope of this piece anyhow.

Voice and Video Chat - This is one of the more social ways to handle it, where a bike shop expert gets on voice and video chat with you, asking you questions, making suggestions, and talking you through fitting and altering your bike by a voice and video.

This is about as personable as Internet commerce can get, and it will also give you the satisfaction of a hands-on, do it yourself experience through which you will appreciate your bike more, and it will be more your bike, part of who you are.

Through a Standard App - A standard app may either just be a simple program, or have some level of AI, but it replaces the voice and video chat with an expert. It will ask you a series of questions, guide you and measurements, and give you a platform through which to order components. It will then provide instructions on how to implement these adjustments and components.

Pickup and Delivery - A bike shop website may also offer a way to sign up for someone to pick up your bike, make adjustments, and bring it back to you after you’ve taken guided measurements. This is a little riskier, because so involves people getting into somewhat close proximity of one another, so only use this one if you absolutely need it.

These are the standard approaches to a virtual bike fit, though the last one isn’t all that virtual. With CR, an online bike fit may become more advanced in the future, giving you a more hands-on experience with the digital aspect of this. It will be interesting to see where this technology goes, when it’s no longer struggling to keep up with the needs of people during a pandemic.