ericMPro wrote:
trentnix wrote:
Khilgendorf wrote:
Im going against everyone here. Buy a medium. It’ll give you more options than a large for saddle to pad drop, and you can always put on a longer stem if it’s not long enough. Which will be good for you as longer stems = slower steering, and you don’t want twitchy steering on your first TT bike. For and anecdote, I’m 6’2” and ride a 55 cm original P2 with 23 cm of saddle to pad drop. Would like a 120 stem, but have one piece bars with built-in 100, so I just deal with it.
While bike fit is a (pseudo)science, it’s not particularly difficult. A fit will be tons of trial and error to get into your preferred setup, with the main benefit being the shop has a fit bike that makes rapid adjustments rather than swapping out parts which you may, or may not, have on hand.
The idea that bike fit is some iterative process of trial and error is 100% incorrect.
this is an interesting thread / line of thought.
While it may seem like "trial and error" to a client, both in the long term by experimenting with new stuff on their own bikes or in the short term going through a Retul or other dynamic fit bike process with a competent fitter, it's not. I use the "eye doctor" method, better or worse, A or B a lot of times when I fit, but it's not trial and error. I usually know within like *eleven* seconds of a client being in my studio what they need or what I want to do with their position. The other 2-3 hours is sales, leading a horse to water, gaining buy-in, instructing and coaching and guiding, what have you. What this not-very-observant poster calls "trial and error" is really just the art of getting a client to think the new position is both *ideal*, optimized, and also his or her idea.
When a client leaves the studio with that slam dunk/home run feeling and just *knows* that their position is both optimized in relation to physics, optimized in relation to their own personal needs, and also their idea, it's a win-win for all involved. They're happy and are 100% more likely to ride the position as prescribed and I'm happy because they're going to go much much faster.
Easy? Sure. Simple? No. It's a complex process.
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Edit: also, "iterative process" is like the opposite of trial and error. Iterative process is the term I use for my methods, and those words have a specific meaning to me.
My apologies, you're absolutely correct in calling it iterative. My use of "trial and error" was not that one should exclude past experience and randomly throw darts until you settle on the right fit; rather, that one's bike fit is not a definitive point that will never change. Basically, you'll make a change, trial it, and then accept or adjust. I guarantee that it will take you more than 11 seconds to prescribe a fit. A full 3 hour appointment? Nah, but at least 30 minutes for a new rider. Maybe less for someone who comes in with a specific issue or two to address.
Additionally, I'm certain that one's position will not be
optimized in relation to both comfort and physics coming from a fit only. You simply just don't know without extensively testing the
individual. Sure you have a number of data points from other riders and can use them as a baseline/normal case scenario, but due to individual variances you simply cannot say a person is in their "best" position after just a studio fit. They may be happy with the result, and you may have made some additional sales (win-win) but certainly something will be sub-optimal (this is by definition).
To the OP's question: what to buy without a fit. Others have chimed in similarly with a medium'large (54-56cm) frame. This will be plenty adjustable if there is 1) a reversible/slidable seatpost and 2) plenty of vertical adjustment for aerobars, either through ample steerer tube or pedestals. The only thing that will require an equipment swap is cockpit length through a new stem (though some aerobars are adjustable enough here, too), so he can figure out what he wants on his own over the span of a couple weeks. The only immediate benefit a fit will get him is zeroing in on those measurements quickly and not needing to maybe buy a new stem or 2, or test multiple saddles from home. He's been riding a road bike for a while, so should know when something feels off and how to change it to suit his needs.