We’ve had a lot of fun asking people what they think a Naviculometer might be? Sometimes you invent a tool and the last thing to come about is a name. This isn’t like naming appliances for the kitchen, you know, you state what they do and add “ER” and you’re set. Toast-ER, dishwash-ER, naviculomet-ER, nope, doesn’t work. So what is a Naviculometer and what does it do, and why would anyone ever need one? These questions and more all answered momentarily.
What’s In a Name?
There are three points of contact a rider makes with the bicycle, the handlebars, the seat and the feet, and the feet, more specifically the arch of the foot, is exactly where this latest little fitting tool from Purely Custom is focused upon. In your foot is the navicular bone and because we are determining a measurement, you can start to see how we came around to the term, Naviculometer. Your feet are one of the most important parts of your body and you probably wouldn’t give them much thought until they start giving you trouble. To a bike fitter looking for every opportunity to improve the efficiency of a cyclist, the arch reveals some important information.
Fancy Terms
I’d love to throw out some analysis of the medial longitudinal arch perhaps get into the associations between anthropometric and radiographic data, but alas, I’m just not qualified. Let’s just stick with the fact that everyone’s foot is different and the type of arch should be respected during a bike fitting. Generally we can classify arches into three categories, a normal arch, a low arch, and the high arched foot. Knowing these differences in the foot can help in identifying potential injury in the knees or other sports injuries. Many researchers will tell you that high-arched people tend to have more ankle injuries while low-arched people lean toward knee injuries.
What Do You Do With A Naviculometer?
In the simplest terms, the Naviculometer is used to measure the arch height of the foot. Arch height is one of the parameters that help to determine whether a cyclist will benefit from foot support. This simple tool slides in under the arch and easily provides a measurement of the arch. If you think about the foot inside the shoe with a gap between the arch and the bed of the shoe, you can probably guess that it is not good if the foot is moving around. If the arch is not supported properly a rider can experience discomfort and may experience less power transfer due to lack of foot stability. The Naviculometer is primarily about accuracy, it offers a direct measurement to enable the fitter to understand the dynamic v’s static foot arch height. Close the gap with the proper insoles or foot support and there’s a good chance you may have helped alleviate some knee discomfort. It is also useful for the fitter to understand if there are any asymmetries between the feet. This information when coupled with other physical assessment parameters ultimately help the fitter develop a clearer understanding of the path to the best bike fitting solution.
Definitely Not Complicated
The Naviculometer is made of aerospace grade aluminum, anodized with easy to read laser engraved measurements, and you can even have your bike shop or fitting studio logo engraved on top and down the spine. It fits in the palm of your hand and retails for about twenty-five bucks. This is such a simple tool that should be in every fit studio and even has its place in any shoe store, especially those that carry insoles. After my last visit to the doctor, he informed me that not only am I getting old, my arches were falling and I could probably benefit from some inexpensive insoles that I could most likely find at the sporting goods store. The clerk in the shoe department made a valiant effort with a visual verification that my arches were indeed falling and made his recommendations from a sea of insoles. I of course wanted to know how much they were falling and what size support would I need. If only I had a Naviculometer at that moment, I may have avoided a full evening of trying on nearly every insole in the place while making a judgement based on feel. The Naviculometer offers the efficiency a bike fitter is looking for, provides an accurate measurement, so they can make the adjustment, allocate the proper support, and measure the outcome, a favorable one of course.
