Biking Fitter in Germany

May 29, 20 9:54

Post #1 of 17 (1797 views)

Hello fellow slowtwitchers,

I finally decided it was time to get a bike fitting done by a professional, and I wanted to hear if anyone has had experience with fitters listed on this website? I'm currently in Frankfurt (am Main) and see that there are two bike fitters not too far away: Holger Roethig in Essen (2.5-3 hour drive) and Lloyd Thomas in Bensheim (ca. 45 minute drive).
To complicate matters, there is a fitter in Bad Vilbel (which is right around the corner) who has been around for about 4-5 years now: Bike Rite. I visited Bike Rite about 3 years ago, and the conversation I had with the person there at the time did not inspire confidence. Perhaps he was having a bad day, or I simply spoke to the wrong person--I don't know. But given the fact that the company has survived this long in an admittedly triathlon-crazed (well, endurance sports in general) place like this, it would seem that my first impression might indeed have been misleading.
While it would be great not to have to travel 3+ hours, in the end I want a quality fitting from a well-trained person. So, does anyone have experience with these or another fitter in the region?
Thanks again for your time!
P.S. Quite a number of the fitters under the heading "European Fitters" are mistakenly listed as being in Germany.

Last edited by: Flemish Arrow: May 29, 20 10:00

Re: Biking Fitter in Germany [Flemish Arrow] [ In reply to ]

May 29, 20 10:45

Post #2 of 17 (1782 views)

Hi Flemish Arrow,
what list do you mean? And why and for what kind of bike do you want this fitting?
From my experience https://www.iqathletik.de/...etikfit/bikefitting/ —former(?) fitting lab of Patrick Lange— should be great but it's a bit pricey.
Second pick and a bit cheaper but shorter (was in their lab in Munich): https://www.radlabor.de/bike-fitting/
Other alternatives in this area which I found some recommendations for (but have no personal experience): http://machacek-fitting.com/radbiometrie.html and http://www.fitexpert.de/radbiometrie.html
And if you want probably Germany's best fitter take a look at Lasse Ibert at Nuremberg. Worth every penny.

Re: Biking Fitter in Germany [Flemish Arrow] [ In reply to ]

May 29, 20 11:24

Post #3 of 17 (1763 views)

in germany, you want holger roethig. or you want lloyd thomas. so you've already picked out the two best.

Dan Empfield
aka Slowman

Re: Biking Fitter in Germany [Slowman] [ In reply to ]

May 29, 20 12:52

Post #4 of 17 (1729 views)

Don‘t forget Jürgen Schulz in Neuenmarkt (in the middle of nowhere, 100km north of Nürnberg, 320km from Frankfurt am Main) but the fitter of the Andi Dreitz, Anne Haug and many others. Jürgen is not the usual tri-fit-Guru, but he knows his job.

Re: Biking Fitter in Germany [BergHugi] [ In reply to ]

May 29, 20 13:51

Post #5 of 17 (1709 views)

https://concept-lab.gebiomized.de/

I personally can recommend https://radsport-ibert.de/

Re: Biking Fitter in Germany [drac23] [ In reply to ]

May 30, 20 1:37

Post #6 of 17 (1670 views)

Hello drac23,

Thanks for the reply and suggestions. I am looking to get a fit for a triathlon bike. My position is okay, but I notice what a difference a slight change in, for example, seat height, can make. Regarding the list, if you look under the section "Bike Fit" on this website, you will find a list of bike fitters in different parts of the world, including Europe. Combined with the various articles on bike fit, I think it's a great resource. And while I am certain that anyone Slowman puts on the list is very capable, I wanted to find out if other knowledgable fitters have set up shop in recent years. Plus, hearing from others, getting their input, finding out about strengthens and weaknesses helps me make informed decisions. After all, "Es ist nicht alles Gold, was glänzt!"

So, thank you for both your personal recommendation and the list of other potentially competent fitters! Since it is in the area, I will at least have a look at the fitter in Rödelheim.

Merci!

Re: Biking Fitter in Germany [Slowman] [ In reply to ]

May 30, 20 1:48

Post #7 of 17 (1668 views)

Hello Slowman,

Thanks for taking the time to respond. All else being equal, then I'll put Lloyd Thomas at the top of the list. Heck, maybe I'll take the train down and TT my way back home! It would be easier to do it on the Autobahn, but since the lockdown measures have been relaxed, there are more drivers on the road.*

I'll check back in and let everyone know how things went.

Ciao!

* And no, it is not allowed to ride your bike on the Autobahn. It would be great if they would shut down certain sections one day a month in the warmer months, but it will remain a dream.

Re: Biking Fitter in Germany [BergHugi] [ In reply to ]

May 30, 20 1:54

Post #8 of 17 (1667 views)

Hello BergHugi,

Is that the Jürgen Schulz associated with Schulz Radsportshop? Since I travel all over (well, not right now), I'll have to check that place out when I am in the area in August.

Vielen Dank!

Re: Biking Fitter in Germany [captain-dan76] [ In reply to ]

May 30, 20 2:02

Post #9 of 17 (1666 views)

Hey captain-dan76,

Okay, the possibility of a bespoke saddle at Concept Lab Frankfurt is just cool! That alone is reason enough to stop by and find out more.

!Gracias!

Re: Biking Fitter in Germany [Flemish Arrow] [ In reply to ]

May 30, 20 2:13

Post #10 of 17 (1662 views)

Thanks to everyone for your recommendations and further suggestions. Several of these fitters seem like excellent options. Now I have "die Qual der Wahl" (the agony of choice). If only I could afford to try out three or four different fitters. Imagine how cool it would be to have the experience of back-to-back fittings and be able to compare different approaches and uses of technology! Alas, I am not made of money :-(

Anyway, I'll let you know what happens and will report back.

Stay healthy everyone!
Flemish

Re: Biking Fitter in Germany [Flemish Arrow] [ In reply to ]

May 30, 20 3:05

Post #11 of 17 (1656 views)

As a funny side note, Laura Philipp (4th last year in Kona, fastest bike split) posted a video a few hours after captain-dan76 and I had mentioned Lasse, see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o22MGD5fan8.

If it's a TT bike and you have only one shot and can afford their prices I'd certainly go to a gebiomized-lab because there are much more opportunities compared to a "usual" fitting lab (e.g. Germany's highest expertise in aerodynamics, individual saddles and individual insoles). In the last few years there has been so much more knowledge about bike fitting (https://gebiomized.de/en/isco/symposium-2018) I would consider it as non-clever not participate from anyone that further trained himself.

Re: Biking Fitter in Germany [drac23] [ In reply to ]

May 30, 20 6:50

Post #12 of 17 (1637 views)

drac23 wrote:

As a funny side note, Laura Philipp (4th last year in Kona, fastest bike split) posted a video a few hours after captain-dan76 and I had mentioned Lasse, see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o22MGD5fan8.

If it's a TT bike and you have only one shot and can afford their prices I'd certainly go to a gebiomized-lab because there are much more opportunities compared to a "usual" fitting lab (e.g. Germany's highest expertise in aerodynamics, individual saddles and individual insoles). In the last few years there has been so much more knowledge about bike fitting (https://gebiomized.de/en/isco/symposium-2018) I would consider it as non-clever not participate from anyone that further trained himself.

i do not concur. in my opinion, gebiomized suffers from the same problem as retul: fixation on the tool. letting the tool prescribe the outcome; creating a mythology around the tool; creating a reason to buy the tool; rather than asking first what it is that drives your decisions as a fitter and then creating tools to help drive the decisions. gebiomized and retul interrupt that natural decision tree.

Dan Empfield
aka Slowman

Re: Biking Fitter in Germany [Flemish Arrow] [ In reply to ]

May 30, 20 11:17

Post #13 of 17 (1597 views)

Flemish Arrow wrote:

Hello BergHugi,

Is that the Jürgen Schulz associated with Schulz Radsportshop? Since I travel all over (well, not right now), I'll have to check that place out when I am in the area in August.

Vielen Dank!

Yes, Schulz Radsportshop (a really small shop by the way) is the shop of Jürgen Schulz. And Scrane (Schulz Radsport Neuenmarkt) is the Trademark of his bikes (open mold frames), if anyone was wondering what bike Anne Haug used in Kona 2018?

Re: Biking Fitter in Germany [Slowman] [ In reply to ]

May 30, 20 12:45

Post #14 of 17 (1580 views)

Hello Slowman,

While I understand what you mean by the "fixation on the tool" and how it "prescribe the outcome," I wanted to ask more generally what you think constitutes a capable fitter? Is it someone with a solid background it physiology or biomechanics? Do physical therapies, for example, have a better understanding of how bodies actually move (versus an ideal conception) and an awareness of the physiological differences all people have?

I guess am asking about the kind of background or experience that allows a fitter to guide the tools vs. the tools guiding the fitter? I have always been fascinated by the mixture of art and science that goes into such processes.

Anyway, thanks again for weighing in on the topic.

Ciao!

Last edited by: Slowman: May 30, 20 13:57

Re: Biking Fitter in Germany [Flemish Arrow] [ In reply to ]

May 30, 20 12:46

Post #15 of 17 (1579 views)

Uhhh, I don't know what happened there. I didn't cross anything out. I'm actually not even sure how one would go about it.

Sorry

Re: Biking Fitter in Germany [BergHugi] [ In reply to ]

May 30, 20 12:48

Post #16 of 17 (1576 views)

Okay, then I'll check it out when I am in the area.

By the way, the Scrane triathlon bike looks pretty good. Luckily for me, I already have a fantastic triathlon bike that I wouldn't give up--unless it turns out that I need a radically different position :-)

Thanks again!

Last edited by: Flemish Arrow: May 30, 20 12:56

Re: Biking Fitter in Germany [Flemish Arrow] [ In reply to ]

May 30, 20 13:59

Post #17 of 17 (1561 views)

Flemish Arrow wrote:

Uhhh, I don't know what happened there. I didn't cross anything out. I'm actually not even sure how one would go about it.

i unstruck your strikethrough. to answer your question, this is a couple of years old, but i think it still mainly holds true.

Dan Empfield
aka Slowman

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