2024 has been a tumultuous yet enlightening year for me. Amidst these challenges, I fell in love. The delicacy of her speech touched my heart instantly at its core; her name is Lady Philosophy.

Philosophy might be the most important of all disciplines as it attempts to answer the “whys” of our deepest interrogations. The meaning crisis we are facing together nowadays is simply the revelation of an absence of immutable and transcendental underlying foundations. Indeed, our world seems to be very much interested in the “whats” and “hows,” but, myself, I could never be satisfied with those alone. I needed to know the elemental reason behind any of my behaviors.

This profound inquiry has led me to the discovery of philosophy; however, saying that I fell in love with philosophy this year may be a distortion of reality. More precisely, I should say that I began reading philosophical texts this year. I found my mind shattered yet profoundly inspired by the likes of Plato, Aristotle, and Marcus Aurelius. This profound examination of general life has led me to delve a layer deeper into my bike fitting practice. Indeed, what I know and act out now, in general, I can naturally apply to specifics. With this essay, I shall attempt to introduce the philosophical reflection behind my bike fitting methodology.

Metaphysics

The first discipline of philosophy I will introduce is metaphysics—meta meaning transcendental and physics meaning physical. To summarize, it is the immaterial, spiritual, or unseen. While this question has lost popularity in recent years, it remains the most profound layer of understanding behind everything we do. During my philosophical inquiry, I was prepared to adopt any view as long as it was the truth: that is, merely being a true philosopher and not an ideologue. The truth is the one aligned with the greater good, tested against the eternal structure of the universe. Long story short, I delved into all the major secular philosophies and religions, and now I have found myself in the Catholic Church—I was baptized as a baby; thus, it completes an inevitable cycle in my life—it is not surprising that this happened at the same time I sacrificed my cycling career. If I were to describe my philosophy, I would probably say that I am a Catholic deeply inspired by Aristotelean ethics and Stoic masculinity.

That metaphysical question leads us to the “whys” of bike fitting. Whether for the client or for me as a bike fitter, the bike fit process can become an act to cultivate virtue—in fact, as any activity in life can. Indeed, with my fits, I wish to help my clients realize that true happiness takes its source in the unchanging truth rather than the changing. Therefore, I do not hold the view that my bike fitting service is a simple mechanical adjustment. Indeed, through the appropriate adjustments of my clients’ bikes, the appropriate exercise recommendations, and the appropriate conversations, we can profoundly impact the trajectory of their cycling practices (specific level) and lives (general level).

Ethics

It leads me to the ethical question—ethics is how we act in different situations for the greater good. When a client comes for a bike fitting session, I hope that it means that he is meticulous about his health. In this case, it is a display of taking personal responsibility for one’s life. It is undoubtedly always a reasonable choice to favor health, as the longer we have good health, the longer we can help other people around us. Helping others is what we are meant to do when we become adults. Children receive; adults give. Meaning emerges when responsibility is taken. When that dance happens correctly, individuals and society flourish.

Epistemology

Now, we arrive at the epistemological question. How do we acquire knowledge? In a bike fitting setting, I examine my clients’ questionnaires before they come for the fit. Through reading their responses, I can already have a great perspective of what to expect. However, I must stay open to the truth and not overly try to assume the beliefs they may hold. It is another display of the law of balance: the Golden Mean must be found in the pursuit of the Logos.

Then, I analyze their responses with great care; anything can provide me with some information about their needs and beliefs: the words they choose, the way they punctuate, and how much detail they delve into. All of this evocates archetypal representations in my mind—that way, I will be able to serve them to the best of my ability. Again, my job is a way for me to practice virtue—serving a cause greater than myself. I shall practice virtue in the way I eat, the way I train, the way I dress, or even in the way I talk. Anything becomes a practice to show my unconditional gratitude to my Creator.

Logic

Then comes bike fit day; I begin by letting the client jump on the bike rather than doing a pre-fit assessment of his bodily function. While it may seem counterintuitive to process in that manner, my logic is that we must first target short-term interventions and then long-term possibilities. I shall also add that with the questionnaire, I already have essential pieces of information—the jigsaw puzzle is being meticulously assembled in my mind.

During the fitting session, I move in two different ways: from macro to micro adjustments and from feet, saddle, to handlebars. When building a house, it makes sense to start with the foundations and finish with the roof; indeed, in a bike fit scenario, if the cleats are wrongly positioned, we may try all that we can, but we will never be able to allow the cyclist to function to his potential.

Hence, I engage in the process by addressing the most apparent changes first. How do I know what to change? Well, the cyclist can tell me what he feels, and I can also feel myself. This represents an empirical aspect. The cyclist perceives his position through his senses, and I also use my senses to evaluate it. Then, there is a reasoning component; for instance, a cyclist’s knees may accelerate when the pedal reaches the bottom of the stroke—I can see and hear it; he can feel it. Based on that, we can make an adjustment; here, we know that we need to lower the saddle height—that is certain—but we still do not know how much yet. Here, the waters become obscured; now, I can only look at the skies and apply my best intuition. This is not fully explainable—this is Kierkegaard’s leap of faith—but sometimes I hear seven millimeters coming from a melodious voice from the infinite depth of the universe.

Then we repeat the process; I call it my Epistemological Triangle. It allows us to go from macro to micro while having the other logical progression as a secondary order of operation. Once we have repeated this process enough times, it is time to stop and take another leap of faith. Now, the client will test the position in the real world and gather more sensed data. In most cases, the client will not need to return, but if he needs to, he is always welcome to do so. Thus, we would reengage in the process.

Aesthetics

This leads me to the final philosophical dimension I wanted to examine today: aesthetics. What makes a cyclist beautiful on his bike? Many people would not love it if I told them that their bars needed to be supported by a notable stack of spacers for them to be in an optimal position; they would argue that it makes the bike less appealing. Well, I shall question them. Is it better to have the bike be pleasant on the eyes when leaning against a wall in your garage or when you ride it, becoming the perfect union between man and machine, such as body and soul?

This essay served as an introduction to some of my thoughts. If you are thinking that it is unconventional to delve as profoundly into such a subject, I shall say that this is merely brushing the surface of my reflection. While it may appear as a daunting endeavor initially, in the long term, philosophy makes every action easier in life as it equips one with the foundational knowledge to build upon. Everyone has his own philosophy; the difference is that I shall not settle for contradictions. Perhaps, you have the courage to dive into your beliefs, compare them, realign them, and you will witness Jacob’s ladder appearing before your eyes so you may climb to the stars—a spiritual ascension into a new realm of possibilities.