Perhaps the best way to invest in triathlon...

Like many triathlon is my passion. I spend pretty much all my time thinking about training, eating, resting and where can I make gains.

For 2016 the two main areas of focus have been the bike and the run. I recently purchased my first TT bike, a large frame Giant Trinity Advanced, that has since been ironically nicknamed 'Tiny'. The frame is a thing of beauty effortlessly cutting through the air, hopefully improving my bike splits, but also keeping me fresher for the run leg.

Until now though I had yet to be properly fitted to the bike, something I had never had done on any bike I own. I felt this was something worth investing in following my significant financial outlay on the bike and with the plan to do an Ironman event in 2016. I wanted to maximise my training and minimise the chances of injury, something a good bike fit should do.

This is potentially the best investment of your money. It won't make you fitter or stronger, but it will make you faster.

I made the choice to go to Cadence Performance based in Crystal Palace in the UK, on the back of much research into peoples experiences. After all, this should be an experience which ultimately leaves you happy with the changes. So after reading some of the 108 google reviews (4.8 stars at time of writing), I cycled Tiny down to the shop.

Here I was introduced into a world of experience and instantly felt comfortable in my choice. I met Bruno Mahsoudi, a cycle and triathlon coach at Cadence Performance on arrival and we soon got chatting about triathlon and the fitting process. The entire Cadence Performance facility is set into the Giant Bike store at Crystal Palace and there is an air of professionalism which I found inspiring.

At my prearranged time slot of 10.30am, I met Ian Uddin, my bike fitter. A track cyclist himself, Ian provided me with more cycling questions than I had ever thought necessary, all the time building a picture of my cycling background and how best to improve my position.

We covered everything in the fitting, analysing my muscle flexibility, gauging existing injuries and understanding my current biomechanics. The bit that I enjoyed most was the chance to use Retuls bike analysis software.

Retuls bike software works by placing 8 small dots on key points on one side of the body and then tracking their movement, allowing cycling geometry profile data to be collated. The number of parameters used to get the full picture is huge, but the key area is the hip angle, as this controls the amount of the big leg muscles that can be used.

Overall I felt a huge benefit very quickly as opening my leg angle gave me greater drive on the down stroke. The ride home was a quick one, where in sections I had to reign in my exuberance as I felt such a release and was keen to cycle faster. I urge anyone to get a bike fit done by a professional, it makes a huge difference and will make full use of that expensive bike purchase.

Word of caution - a bike fitting often changes the way you ride and the way your body adapts to the new fit will take time. It is important to build up tolerance to new position which will ultimately reap rewards. Follow up fits are often provided and are a good idea to make use of as your body changes and allows further tweaks.