Do not immediately look for the DCF in a Giant Store near you, for the moment, only the Selestat store will soon be equipped. It will then be rolled out to certain Giant Stores over time.
Professionals required to offer postural studies according to the DCF concept must follow a training course, delivered as part of the Giant Retail Academy – the Giant France training institute inaugurated at the beginning of September 2024 – located in Aix en Provence, in order to be able to fully understand the tool and all its functionalities. Because yes, the Dynamic Cycling Fit seems to push the possibilities of adjustments and validation of positions even further than the competition…. to see if this translates into benefits for the user on the ground.
A DCF which includes both the cycling part and the shoe part with the creation of soles specific to the morphology of the cyclist's feet. But I'll tell you more about that below.
It is available in 3 versions:
- DCF Essential
- DCF Premium
- DCF Supreme
Each level obviously benefits from more or less important options.
Unlike some competitors, DCF does not use markers, which are quite imprecise to apply. What is the point of having algorithms precise to within 1mm if it is to have a marker offset by 3mm? Without a marker, the Dynamic Cycling Fit system, already tested by many professionals including the riders of Team Jayco AlUla, is already sufficiently precise.
The more precise the adjustment, the faster and longer the cyclist will ride. The position is a determining element of performance, thanks to it we gain in aerodynamics and efficiency. We unleash our potential immediately and continue to improve our results through training and perseverance.
A better position also brings more comfort and the elimination of pain and other problems that the cyclist may face.
The DCF is based on an impressive “bike” where all adjustments are made digitally. The fitter can change settings from its screen with millimeter precision while the cyclist continues pedaling.
The DCF offers an anatomical analysis of measurements, muscle mass and pedaling movement. Thanks to the 3 adjustable contact points (pedals, saddle, handlebars), the study of the pedaling movement and the capture of body movements, the DCF establishes the best possible position for the cyclist.
The Motion Capture system records movements in real time from the feet to the shoulders, on both sides of the body. This includes an analysis of the spine, cervical and lumbar spine. The algorithms used refer to DCF's own database which contains thousands of hours of cyclists' pedaling and data from 60,000 frames and components.
The DCF allows coordinates to be adjusted via Bluetooth, millimeter by millimeter. Thus, it is possible to adjust the saddle and handlebars while the cyclist pedals, increasing precision since it remains on the contact points.
It is then possible for the fitter to move from one setting to another quickly…. and to discuss with the cyclist to get his feelings. Because it is the exchanges between the professional and the cyclist that will lead to the best possible position. DCF does not just apply algorithms, it is also necessary to take into account each person's practice, morphological differences, etc…
The DCF app uses 2D Bike Fitting Motion Analysis technology and controls the DCF. Using DCF's own algorithms and databases, it starts by finding the right frame size and initial settings. Then, the AI & ML Kit Pose Detection technology analyzes the rider's posture on the bike and adjusts the bike position simultaneously.
It also offers a twenty-minute “Essential” session which provides a good overall idea of the adjustments to make so that the cyclist has the best possible position on their bike.
Finally, it allows you to send session reports directly from the application. Two reports are possible: “simple” and “detailed”, depending on the level of analysis desired by the cyclist.
During my visit to the Giant Retail Academy to discover this new postural study system by Giant, Sylvain Chavanel and Emilien Jaquelin were kind enough to play guinea pigs.
As we can see in the first photo below, we see that the system developed by Giant can also simulate ascents and descents of up to more than 25%. The opportunity to see that the runner's feelings are not at all identical and that it would almost take one bike for the flat, one for the climb and one for the descent.
As this is not possible, you will have understood, you necessarily have to make compromises.
An advanced system, no wonder it requires excellent training for the professional who will take care of positioning the cyclist. Of course, this system is not reserved for owners of Giant bicycles, the DCF has numerous bicycles and their geometries in its database and it will be entirely possible to report the measurements on your bicycle.
Note that each DCF customer obtains at the end of the postural study an identifier which allows him to access his postural study and to share it with anyone, in particular other cyclists, for the purchase of a new bike for example.
Sole thermoforming system
In addition to the postural study system, Giant Group proposes to go further by using thermoforming of the soles.
Complementary, this system makes it possible to optimize the results of the postural study to the extent that the soles have a major impact on the comfort felt in the shoe and the efficiency of pedaling. This system allows the soles to be thermoformed in an extremely precise and completely individualized manner.
Once he has measured the cyclist's feet, the fitter will use the DCF Led Foot Mirror which is equipped with tangential LEDs that allow you to visually determine the type of arch of the foot: low, middle or high.
Thanks to the data from the postural analysis, the type of arch of the foot and its dimensions and the cyclist's objectives, the fitter will offer him different insoles corresponding to his needs in terms of comfort and foot support.
Subsequently, the cyclist will have to position himself on the vacuum heating and thermoforming tool in order to obtain the exact mark of his foot.
After being heated, the soles are positioned in this same tool which will be closed in order to create a vacuum and give the soles the shape of the footprint. All that will remain is to cut the soles to adapt them perfectly to the cyclist's shoes.
I left with two pairs of soles (a Performance model and an Endurance model) made using this tool. I will of course report back to you in several weeks after having accumulated several hundred kilometers with each of them.
