Mobile / tablet app for fitting
Posted: Thu May 03, 2012 7:02 pm
As I am currently bit involved in this industry and surrounded by the start-up world, I'd like to get your (constructive) opinions on and idea.
I have personally always been struggling with proper fit/geometry and everything around that. I've never seen a professional fitter, although I've been riding for 15 years both road and mtb, with more than 100 races. There are mainly two reasons for that. First, the place where I used to live did not really have any and I did not feel comfortable on spending an amount equivalent to new Sram RED crankset (but lets not go into the discussion about that). So although I haven't had a professional fitting done, I totally understand the value and benefit of the process. I think everybody here agrees that once you get past the "2 times a week" commuting exercise the whole issue becomes extremely important. You need fitting help everywhere, when buying a new bike/frame or tuning your current setup with stems, seatpost, saddles etc.
So as everything today is going mobile, I've been wondering would there be a need for a proper app? Yes I know it's been done before and I'm not the first one to think of it, but none of then have really become popular. Is it because they are not good enough or is it because there is no need for that, I let you decide. But don't say it can't be done... everything can be done.
So here is what I've been thinking on how it all should work (it's not all figured out, this is something I wrote down in 15min).
1. Iphone, Ipad and android compatible app.
2. You can choose the type: road, tri or mtb
3. You take a picture of yourself standing (from side)
4. You take a picture of yourself while seated (from side)
5. Picture of you on your bike from side (optional)
6. App lets you point out your joints (not with points, but by drawing lines and then the intersections of lines will become the "joints")
7. Of course you could modify all the dimensions manually as well.
8. Based on the images and data an automatic fit is calculated (very similar to competitivecycling one, but you don't have to do the uncomfortable measuring).
9. Now the virtual rider with your dimensions is placed on an bike. The bike geometry is inserted manually or selected from database if it is a well known model/make.
10. Suggestions for the best fit will be shown. All the knee angles, arm angles, body positions... options are endless
11. If you did take the picture of you on the bike, then the two images are compared, so you could actually visualize the data.
---this would be the first version---
Version 2 would also involve an suggestive aero calculation.
1. You take a picture of yourself on a bike from dead front.
2. The image is analyzed and your body together with bike is "cropped" to calculate the cross-area of you and the bike
3. Suggestions are given how to reduce your drag.
4. You can take new photos (with elbows tucked in) and compare the results and for example the power reduction to hold the same speed... there are lot of options here...
---
5. The fitting data of all the cyclists who are using this app is also stored and analyzed. So the more data we have the better suggestions we could give. For example if people with 70cm inseam are raising their saddles to Xcm and it's happening 99 times of 100 then the system takes that into account. So the app is self improving all the time.
6. We should try to get as many "pros" measured as possible and put down their geometry as well. So you could compare yourself against all your favorites.
Version 3 - Video
1. You let someone to film you on a trainer. And you can do basically everything I've written here before + lot of new options (movement analysis etc...).
Business model:
*App could be free without saving data. Paid if you want to keep your data. Or free for 1 try and then paid... lot of options.
*Partner up with bike and part manufacturers - If you calculate your fit, their frames, parts will be shown as the best fitting ones (based on price, weight, etc)
*Adds
Feel free to "steal" my idea if you have the skills and time to do this. This is something I just want to use. And just maybe there is a business behind this...
This is my 15 minutes. I am not a app developer myself, so unfortunately I can't do it myself over the weekend. But there are options like Kickstarter to get things done. But first of all, I'd like your constructive validation on the whole idea!
I have personally always been struggling with proper fit/geometry and everything around that. I've never seen a professional fitter, although I've been riding for 15 years both road and mtb, with more than 100 races. There are mainly two reasons for that. First, the place where I used to live did not really have any and I did not feel comfortable on spending an amount equivalent to new Sram RED crankset (but lets not go into the discussion about that). So although I haven't had a professional fitting done, I totally understand the value and benefit of the process. I think everybody here agrees that once you get past the "2 times a week" commuting exercise the whole issue becomes extremely important. You need fitting help everywhere, when buying a new bike/frame or tuning your current setup with stems, seatpost, saddles etc.
So as everything today is going mobile, I've been wondering would there be a need for a proper app? Yes I know it's been done before and I'm not the first one to think of it, but none of then have really become popular. Is it because they are not good enough or is it because there is no need for that, I let you decide. But don't say it can't be done... everything can be done.
So here is what I've been thinking on how it all should work (it's not all figured out, this is something I wrote down in 15min).
1. Iphone, Ipad and android compatible app.
2. You can choose the type: road, tri or mtb
3. You take a picture of yourself standing (from side)
4. You take a picture of yourself while seated (from side)
5. Picture of you on your bike from side (optional)
6. App lets you point out your joints (not with points, but by drawing lines and then the intersections of lines will become the "joints")
7. Of course you could modify all the dimensions manually as well.
8. Based on the images and data an automatic fit is calculated (very similar to competitivecycling one, but you don't have to do the uncomfortable measuring).
9. Now the virtual rider with your dimensions is placed on an bike. The bike geometry is inserted manually or selected from database if it is a well known model/make.
10. Suggestions for the best fit will be shown. All the knee angles, arm angles, body positions... options are endless
11. If you did take the picture of you on the bike, then the two images are compared, so you could actually visualize the data.
---this would be the first version---
Version 2 would also involve an suggestive aero calculation.
1. You take a picture of yourself on a bike from dead front.
2. The image is analyzed and your body together with bike is "cropped" to calculate the cross-area of you and the bike
3. Suggestions are given how to reduce your drag.
4. You can take new photos (with elbows tucked in) and compare the results and for example the power reduction to hold the same speed... there are lot of options here...
---
5. The fitting data of all the cyclists who are using this app is also stored and analyzed. So the more data we have the better suggestions we could give. For example if people with 70cm inseam are raising their saddles to Xcm and it's happening 99 times of 100 then the system takes that into account. So the app is self improving all the time.
6. We should try to get as many "pros" measured as possible and put down their geometry as well. So you could compare yourself against all your favorites.
Version 3 - Video
1. You let someone to film you on a trainer. And you can do basically everything I've written here before + lot of new options (movement analysis etc...).
Business model:
*App could be free without saving data. Paid if you want to keep your data. Or free for 1 try and then paid... lot of options.
*Partner up with bike and part manufacturers - If you calculate your fit, their frames, parts will be shown as the best fitting ones (based on price, weight, etc)
*Adds
Feel free to "steal" my idea if you have the skills and time to do this. This is something I just want to use. And just maybe there is a business behind this...
This is my 15 minutes. I am not a app developer myself, so unfortunately I can't do it myself over the weekend. But there are options like Kickstarter to get things done. But first of all, I'd like your constructive validation on the whole idea!