"would someone clarify if a person or a shop is certified"

wheelworks: the FIST-certified person there is thom norton, ex-pro road cyclist. he's also serotta certified. i recently received this from slowtwitch reader, about thom norton:

"I found the fit expert quite reluctant to work at the 78-80 degree angles I was interested in. He argued that he did not believe in the steep set up because it compromised handling (he's an ex-road racer). I see no indication this is true... I ended up getting to 77 degrees, after some small convincing... A very nice guy and quite competent, barring thedislike of steep seat tubes."

i, likewise, don't believe steep angles compromise handling, as long as the bike's properly designed for it (it's easy -- just add 2cm or 3cm of front/center). i wouldn't hesitate to go to norton for a fit, tho a heart-to-heart before the process would be in order, if it's steep that you want.

karl small is the guy at fast splits. you'll find a smaller inventory at fast splits, but these people are specifically tri oriented. wheelworks, otoh, is possibly the one "door" through which more money passes than any other in north america, and they didn't get that way for nothing.

international needs to have craig gaulzetti, it's tri guy, out to our workshop. harold, the owner, keeps threatening to send him, and i expect he'll be out by jan or feb. but that shouldn't stop you from investigating intl, which is an exceptional store for triathletes.

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Dan Empfield
aka Slowman

I would recommend looking into FitWerx they are based in Vermont but schedule fittings in the Boston area on a regular basis. I was fitted at two of the shops you mention and although I felt they did a good job I still didn't feel completely right until I was fitted by FitWerx.

dan... thanks for the candid reply on the shops. of the fitting philosophy's around, i feel most comfortable in the position you espouse and want to be sure my fitter shares this idealogy.

homer... i had visited fitwerx a while ago, watching my buddy get fit. very pleasant and knowledgeable fitter, but he used the serotta-fitting philosophy. i didn't hear too much tri-specific questioning until it came to bike and frame material selection.