what does a Speed Concept have to do with it?

If you are not comfortable on the bike, have an extremely unaerodynamic position, or are wanting to make significant changes, then a fit session "might" be worth it. If your position is good, then just transfer your coordinates to the new bike, no fit session needed.

edit - what the guy below me said too. I'd rather have Dan with just his eyeballs and an allen key than a lot of other "fitters" with the most high tech fit bike system out there.

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Retul is just a tool and the fitters experience is the key. I have had both a retul fit and, most recently, a non-retul fit and the the latter provided a better fit for me. I would just get a fitter recommendation and worry about the system they use later.

My best fits have been Retul fits, however Retul is just a tool. Like others have said the fitter using the tool is more important than the tool itself. Someone may have all the latest and greatest tools, but if they are not that experienced fitting people to tri bikes you may not end up in a great position.

Being an engineer I like all the Retul system provides. Even with all that data you may not get a perfect fit the first time. Good fitters should allow you to come back for free follow up fits to resolve any issues.

Around $300 seems to be in the ballpark for a Retul fit around me.

$300 for a fit from an unknown fitter...seems pricey to me, I don't care what fancy tool he uses. Around here a "Retul fit" from random, unknown person goes for $150. A FIST qualified fitter at a different shop (known quantity, endorsed by Slowman)...$250.

So, if this person isn't in the FIST database, and posts regularly on ST....$300 seems a bit high.

Would like to say that pricing definetly varies by geographic region, around me (NY metro-long island) the norm for a highly recommended fitter is around the $400+ range. So YMMV to pricing

I live in Southern California prices are higher here than many other areas. I have never seen any local fitters quote $150 for retul fittings around here. I get all my fits done by Jim at ERO sports. It looks like his prices went down and he now charges $275 (it used to be 300-350).

The original poster never said where they were from and what fitters they were considering. They may already be in the database.

That's fine. I live in DFW. There's a local tri-store that makes a BIG DEAL about their Retul fit, and it is constantly on "sale" for $150. I've never seen it "not". However, they are also pretty famous for rather "poor" fits. They push it "hard"...its always in the race-packets. "Come get yours today!"

I'd rather get my fit done by Jim at ERO, Anne Barnes, Trent Nix, or FindingFreestyle or any of the other well documented FIST fitters for any amount of money, than a "Retul Fit" by "some" body else. So far, my experience is that those who advertise the equipment they use ("Retul Fit"), instead of the METHOD/quality of fit that they ascribe to...aren't the ones to spend your money on.

Maybe that's a broad brush...but, $300 is a fair chunk of change. If I'm spending that much money, I'm gonna do my best to make sure I get what I paid for.


True. That's why I qualified my post with "if this person isn't in the FIST database..."

Fits are very dependent on the fitter and never should be a "one" time thing. Our bodies change over time and adapt in different ways. A fit that works for you now, may not in 6 months. You may need to make subtle tweeks to any position.

Buuuuuut that said, a significant portion of fitters out there are terrible and simply play into the belief that "I paid X amount of dollars on the fit, it must be good!" I have had numerous encounters with people that love to use the argument that because they spent a lot of money on something, it is reputable and effective - when quite often it is a poor fit.


I would be very careful going into any bike fit, and take what they say with a grain of salt.



We have one local fitter that does the exact same position on pretty much every athlete he sees. Charges $350. So many of them seem to fall into the fallacy that he must be good because he charges a lot of money. Be very careful.

I live in Greenville, South Carolina and the fitters name is Jim Cunningham. Anyone ever heard of him? I guess he used to do a decent bit of work out in Denver.

I am a bit north of Denver and have never heard of him, which doesn't mean much. He may still be good. Now you can do a Retul fit with the sensors on your bike (which is what they did when I went to do a fit at The Retul headquarters in Boulder) or you can use a fit bike.

In my experience, the difference between a good fit and something really uncomfortable can be a couple mm. In terms of the fit, the sensors can only provide measurements that suggest that your angles are reasonably close to some global average. Finding the couple mm one way or another is really hard with an eyeball and Allen key . A good fitter and a fit bike is more likely to be able to make those micro adjustments that get you to that comfortable spot and then transfer the fit to your bike. Just remember that riding a fixed trainer isn't the same as riding outside so they should be willing to do minor tweaks once they set your bike up.

My advise would be to use a fitter with a fit bike and don't even think of leaving until you feel really comfortable in the new position and that position is transferred to your bike.

I've had fits by 4 different folks over the years including a Retul fitter.

One thing I think about bike fits, it is sort of like religion, in that everyone thinks their person is the best and if you ask a shop or a fitter they will tell you all about how good they are. But they are not all the same. Some of the things, potential fitters have told me, was surprising and even worse I knew folks they had fit.

Retul is fancy way of measuring you on your bike. What they do what those measurement is key. A guy who knows how to fit with a plumb line and a level is better than a guy with fancy tools like Retul that doesn't know how to fit triathletes.

My Retul fit guy was nice but my fit was off a bit. He followed the guidelines from Retul as to body angles which had me sitting back to far.

Do your research and check the data base for fitters. Asking here will potentially save you wasted money on a bad fit.

I've done both. Depends on the person doing the fit.
Retul in theory can result in the best fit for power, but maybe not comfort. But, if the guy doing it is halfassing it, like running the retul gear the first time and skipping it the follow up after more adjustments and you have no data to back anything up for power vs fit, it's a waste of money. Service is king.

I'd speak in depth to the person running the fits and make a decision on the person more than what's the cheapest or most fancy.

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Ryan
http://www.SetThePaceTriathlon.com
http://www.TriathlonTrainingDaddy.com
I got plans - https://www.trainingpeaks.com/...dotcom#trainingplans

A good fitter's a good fitter period, regardless of the tools he/she uses. Retul is simply a tool. Can be very useful as a tool given the right knowledge that goes along with it.

The fit should come before the bike enabling you to select the right bike in the first place.

For $300 you might want to get some feedback on that person's performance, ask around etc.

I've been fit twice with a good fitter/Retul equipment. First one with long course in mind, not so aggressive position. The second one with shorter course in mind, more aggressive, less comfortable over long distance.

It's not an exact science and can take some trial and error.

I think I paid $275 and it was well worth it IMO.

Could you expound? I've never heard that.

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Trent Nix
Owned and operated Tri Shop
F.I.S.T. Advanced Certified Fitter | Retul Master Certified Fitter (back when those were things)

my worst fit has been a Retul fit. Not because of a the tool but because the bike fitter was not particularly knowledgeable and mainly relied on the tool. Since then I have had fits by two different bike fitters without the fancy retul tool just using measuring and alignment tools and obviously their fitter experience. Those fits were far better

There's a sweet spot for the best aerodynamic and power producing fit. Minimize your profile in the wind. Adjust you position to be able to apply the most power to the pedals. The optimum knee angle, hip angle, arm angle, bar positions, stem stack height, etc.

But, that most aggressive position may not be comfortable AT ALL. If you cannot hold that position long term, there's no point in setting up your bike like that. That's why it takes multiple fits, adjustments, rides, etc to make sure you can hold that position long term without pain anywhere. You may have to give up the optimum power position in order to be comfortable.

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Ryan
http://www.SetThePaceTriathlon.com
http://www.TriathlonTrainingDaddy.com
I got plans - https://www.trainingpeaks.com/...dotcom#trainingplans

What does that have to do with Retul?

And yes, sustainability is absolutely necessary to be aerodynamic. Pretty sure that dead horse has been flogged sufficiently.

It has been my experience that there's little relationship between aerodynamics and comfort for a sufficiently lean athlete. Suggesting otherwise almost always seems to result in athletes believing that comfort and aerodynamics are inversely proportional. That is absolutely not the case.

What responsibility does the person being fitted have in regards to comfort? What if I told you that the primary goal of a bike fitter shouldn't be comfort, but orthodoxy?

Lots of horrible, horrible bikes fits are done every day and justified using comfort as the excuse.

It's also been my experience that it doesn't take "multiple fits, adjustments, rides, etc." to make sure of anything. Good fitters nail it the first time more often than they don't. Where adjustments are necessary almost always come in situations where the rider sits differently on the road than they do on the trainer or they're on the wrong saddle.

And last, you conflate the body position with the bike configuration and I don't think that's wise. There is a good position, and then there is bike configuration that fits that position. I can take most athletes and put them on 4 different size bikes and have them ride the same position, but that doesn't mean all four bikes fit well. That's why using a fit bike is so important - it helps separate the rider's position with the bike underneath them. For example, "slamming" the stem isn't about taking a rider down to the headtube, it's about bringing the headtube up to the rider.

I apologize if my post might seem like it's attacking you, but I think much of what you said is based on dogma more than reality.

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Trent Nix
Owned and operated Tri Shop
F.I.S.T. Advanced Certified Fitter | Retul Master Certified Fitter (back when those were things)

... and based on my limited availability of sufficient bike fitters in my area.

All of what you described sounds great... and like a unicorn. Often soft after, but idealistic and had to actual find for real.

After 2 different "traditional fitters" and 1 retul, no one has ever nailed it the first time for me, but the guy that seemed to actually care (traditional) and was less expensive did a MUCH better job, and may not have been as educated and knowledgeable as the retul certified guy.

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Ryan
http://www.SetThePaceTriathlon.com
http://www.TriathlonTrainingDaddy.com
I got plans - https://www.trainingpeaks.com/...dotcom#trainingplans

Retul in theory can result in the best fit for power, but maybe not comfort


This is such nonsense, Retul can’t do anything. Used by the right capable hands it can be a great tool, but in hands of incapable fitter is is completely useless. Please enlighten me how an uncomfortable fit can be powerful (and to be hold for 3 to 6 hours)

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Owner at TRIPRO, The Netherlands

That's my point.

The Retul fitter fell over himself speaking the the effective fit the system provides, but was no better than the more traditional fits I have had in the past (and less expensive).

Find a FITTER first that you think actually has your best interest in mind and not just out to make a buck.
THEN have them speak to how they do the fit.

Somehow it's coming across that I support Retul fits, I DO NOT over any other proven method.

I support a good fit by a good fitter.

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Ryan
http://www.SetThePaceTriathlon.com
http://www.TriathlonTrainingDaddy.com
I got plans - https://www.trainingpeaks.com/...dotcom#trainingplans

Yes when you add in Retul tools with the most advanced experienced bike fit technician. I have used various tools and methodologies over the past few decades including FIST before it was FIST. And yes now I have full assortment of Retul tools to use in my studio.

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Robert Driskell
Certified Master Body Geometry fit Technician
Certified Master Retul Fit Technician
Zipp Service Course Specialist
Bikes Plus Pensacola Florida

I completely agree with this. I had a retul fit on my tri bike initially. It was okay but the minute I got over 3+ hours sh***t started hitting the fan. I went to a traditional fitter and he made some adjustments over a couple of sessions and multiple long rides and in the end I had a pain free IM bike leg.

I dunno, I sometimes think when I hear the question "is a Retul fit any good?" that it's a bit like asking "is a DeWalt home extension any good?". It's the person not the tool.

I have worked at Specialized SBCU this last year teaching what Specialized now calls Retul fit. Body Geometry fit is not being used in marketing. My stem top caps say Retul and not Body Geometry. The method , pre fit assessment, and fit same steps some additions depending on level of fitter. So now Retul fit just that. Bike was fitted using Retul tools

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Robert Driskell
Certified Master Body Geometry fit Technician
Certified Master Retul Fit Technician
Zipp Service Course Specialist
Bikes Plus Pensacola Florida