Fitwerx (www.fitwerx.com) does a great job!

There are some options explained here:

http://slowtwitch.aawsom.net/...chor-one-store-23240

Let me know what you think of Belmont Wheelworks, if you happen to go there.



Keith

If you are not afraid of a drive, I would reccomend Paul Levine in NY

Many people on this site have used him in addition to myself. He is also well respected by many of the big name fitters in triathlon (ie. Dan, Tom, etc.)

You can check out his site at

http://www.signaturecycles.com/

If you are wondering about gettign a good fit... Using Dan Empfield as a bench mark for tri fit, in an article in a tri magazine several months ago there was a story about the two of them doing a fit on the same person... without seeing the other person's fir, they ended up with almost identical positions... Great minds think alike I suppose.

More than anything paul is a great person to work with... spends his time with you, exceedingly professional, and amazingly knowledgable

A fit with him would be money well spent

I'd agree completely with Taku - Paul is worth the drive. Having co-instructed at the Serotta School with Paul for several years I can say for certain that he is a terrific fitter and truly a professional.

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Christopher Kautz
Director of Technology, Product Development, and Education
GURU Sports, a division of Cannondale Sports Unlimited

go see ian and sarah at fitwerx. i have had them fit several bikes (2 time trial: blade & guru, and 1 road bike)and have been extremely pleased. I have never been more comfortable in my TT position, while still putting out good power. great service, great experience (see resume on their website) and good people. if you have any questions please feel free to ask and i'll be happy to share my experiences.

jay

Andrew Fullerton at WheelWorks in Belmont.

I spent over 3 hours with him and I appreciate the fit every time I get on the bike. Although WheelWorks is FIST certified they may not put you on a "steep angle" bike. I was pushing for a Cervelo and Andrew was adamant that I was better off on a Kestrel Talon at about 75 degrees.

There is no comparison between a properly fitted tri bike and a retrofitted road bike. I tried that for a couple of tris and it was very uncomfortable. I'm 6'2" and I am on a 55cm tri bike. My road bike is 60cm. It is the shortened cockpit (top tube) that allows you to be comfortable in the aero position. I do 3 hour rides entirely on the aero bars.

Thank you for your input. At the moment I am riding a retrofitted road bike. I am 6' and ride a 56cm. Currently I can not stay in the aero position for more than 30 minutes. I get uncomfortable and get numbness in the crotch area. I have been debating on going even further with the retro fit and buy a push forward seat tube to change the angle and see it that helps, or buy a new tri bike.

Thanks again for your information.

Kevin

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"Define yourself by your discipline, dedication and determination and never stop until you are truly finished."

Your decision to retrofit your road bike or buy a dedicated triathlon bike is best determined by completing a comprehensive fitting with a qualified fitter. A comprehensive fit session will help you build an efficient and comfortable position and will provide the information needed to decide what cycling products and bikes will fit you best. I would highly encourage you to complete the fitting before deciding what modifications are best for your existing bike or before deciding to get a new tri bike.

From the sounds of it, you most likely have some weight distribution issues on your current set-up. You are on the right track looking for a good fitter to work with and I am confident that you can make strong headway on this problem. If you are looking for the best results, let your position determine the products that match your needs best and not the other way around.

Much like finding a good coach, a good way to find the best fitter for you is to interview your prospective fitters in person or on the phone and ask them questions regarding your individual situation and see how they respond. You want to work with someone who understands triathlon positioning and takes a comprehensive approach that considers your individiual body proportions, core stability, flexibility and biomechanical alignment to build your position. Make sure that your fitter also offers you a personalized session that is as undisturbed by outside influences as possible to guarantee that you get all the information and attention you deserve.

Best of luck.

Ian

[snip]

i don't believe i've pissed anybody off in the last 18 hours, so, since an appropriate interval has passed...

whomever you choose, i'd at least partially gauge them by their willingness to offer a money back guarantee. i think you should determine what it is you really want out of a bike fit session. then describe that with precision to the bike fitter. ask if he can deliver you the result you're looking for.

then, consider what you're seeking, and how much you'd be willing to pay if your problems are really solved. optimal comfort, power, aerodynamics, all rolled into one? you'd pay $500 for a disc wheel, and you probably already know that the appropriate fit is going to be more useful than a disc, so consider this question carefully before deciding on an answer.

then, be willing to pay that amount, $250, $350, whatever. but, also ask what happens if you don't have your problem fixed. me? if i was the one charging for the fit i'd charge $350, but i'd also not want that money if i didn't fix the problem. so i'd offer you a money back guarantee if, within 30 days, you asked for your money back by email, voice message, carrier pigeon, or a note slipped to me by your best friend in homeroom class.

no money back guarantee, no deal. btw, latest F.I.S.T. graduate is craig gaulzetti of intl bicycle ctr. he did 6 FIST fits last week.

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Dan Empfield
aka Slowman

Thank you for your insight and information.

Ride on and Train Hard.

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"Define yourself by your discipline, dedication and determination and never stop until you are truly finished."

I agree with what Dan said. The "money back guarantee" should be a given with any professional fitter. Fit is not a perfect science and your fitter should be willing to work with you post-fit if you continue to have problems to eliminate any positioning related variables that might be contributing to an on-going problem.

While many riders have a general idea as to what they are looking for out of their fit - increased comfort, more speed - I don't think a rider needs to know exactly what they want in regards to what type of position they are going to be riding in. I think that a good fitter will make sure to ask the right questions to help find out exactly what the rider is looking for and then give them feedback on how well that should work for their individual situation. I put the responsibility more on the fitter than on the rider to make sure that the fit goals are realistic. For example, if someone came to me and said, " I want you to put me in a TT position like Jan Ullrich's.", I'm going to want some more information from the rider before saying that I can make this position work for them or guarantee the results. If I find out that they have mitigating factors (chronic back issues, limited range of motion in the hamstrings, racing Ironmans...), I'm not going to guarantee that this position is going to work for them and I will make other recommendations that I think will work for them.

Knowing that you are looking for scientifically supported professional insight into what will help you as an individual most in regards to becoming more comfortable and more efficient on your bike should be the universal goal of any fit.

Ian

I would highly recommend Craig Gaulzetti at International Bikes on Brighton Ave. I was one of Craig's eight fits last week that Empfield mentioned, and I couldn't be more satisfied with the setup I walked out of there with.