What are your TT bike fit numbers?

Sort of a two part question...

1) You should know your fit coordinates before buying a bike.
2) If you know your fit coordinates and know the bike will fit you there's no reason to not buy online and without a test ride. What's a test ride really going to tell you anyway?

My last five tri bikes (two Trek Speed Concepts, two Dimonds, one TriRig Omni) and my last two road bikes (Canyon Aeroad and Canyon Ultimate) were all bought online and sight unseen. That's about $60,000 worth of bikes I never rode prior to being shipped to me. Granted, once I knew I fit on one Trek SC and one Dimond I knew I'd fit on the newer ones. The only hiccup was the Canyon Aeroad but that's due to Canyon's wonky frame sizing. Bought a medium when I should have bought a large. The geometry of the medium seemed like it would line up with my other road bikes (size 56 Specialized and Trek) but it was too small. Sold it and bought the large Ultimate.

---

Favorite Gear: Dimond | Cadex | Desoto Sport | Hoka One One

That's what I was hoping to get from the bike fitter...I've only ever ridden road bikes until now...

Is it easy enough to measure yourself??

As long as you can get your numbers you should be fine.

My experience: Years ago I had a professional fit for a tri bike. I liked the bike and still use it a few times a year when I race. I only do short distance now so I train on a road bike and race on the tri bike. I've bought several road bikes and mtn bikes and always test rode them in the store before purchasing. I've always been an easy fit. I've rented mtn bikes when out of town and always had no problem jumping on the bike and having a good ride. A few years ago I decided to purchase a full-suspension mtn bike. There was a great deal on a bike at nashbar and I decided to buy it. I'm an easy fit and its a mtn bike; how hard could this be? The bike arrived and it was easy to assemble. It doesn't fit! The one time in my life I buy untested and it blows up on me. It works. I ride it. I don't like it. I can't quite justify getting another one right now, but life is awfully short to ride a bike that doesn't fit. I'm never making that mistake again.

Unless you have real outlier body morphology or a really weird riding style, it's really not *that* difficult to get a decent fit yourself w/ just a little work and trial/error. Of course, it also depends on whether you get a 'superbike' which has a lot of proprietary/expensive parts vs something that uses more easily obtainable/adjustable parts, and what your mechanical skills and tinkering tolerance is, but I always kinda chafe at what seems to be this mystical idea of a perfect bike fit as some magical convergence that none of us can figure out or dial in on our own without a sage guru.

For one, it's silly to think that there is exactly one and only one 'true' fit which will never change... As you gain fitness (or lose it), age, etc, your ideal fit can and probably will drift over time. Not just from year to year, but even within a season. The trade-offs between aero drag, comfort, and power are also different for a 20K stand-alone TT than they are for a full Ironman, so the optimal position you can hold for 30 min isn't necessarily the same as what you can hold for 5+ hours. So if you put all your eggs in the professional fitter basket, then what? Are you going to go back to get 're-fit' every few weeks or months, or for different events? That's silly. Learn to do these things yourself and be your own master! Again, it's really not rocket surgery.

Something others haven't mentioned...
This is your first tri bike. So, I think you should wait to get a fit or at least be able to get on a tri bike and get a feel for what you like and don't like fit wise.

Have you done any riding in an aero position (clip ons on your road bike) or you are going straight into it without ever being in the position before?

Honestly, I think hold off for a bit.
Although I had a cheap TT bike sitting in the garage, I didn't bother to get it fitted.

When I decided to buy a proper bike - nice of work to give me a bonus that I could waste - I got fitted first and got the numbers, then shortlisted a few bikes that I could fit on - at 200 cm there's a fairly short list. Bought the bike, dropped it to the fitters, job done.

The difference in feel between that and the one I'd just jumped on was amazing, to the extent I got them to match the old TT bike to the new numbers to use on the turbo. That worked well until I broke the bike.

Given you're looking at getting towards a 3rd wave in Germany (although it does seem to be very dependent on which bundesland you're in) there's probably not going to be much racing, so why not hold off until you can get the fit and the numbers right?

Get a bike fit first trust me.......I wanted to get a bike and someone recommended to me get a bike fit first. Thank God I did. I was going to buy a bike that I liked on a good deal...only to find out that there was no way it could fit me. I would have bought it got a bike fit, found out it couldn't fit me, then turn around and sell it and lose some money and then buy a new bike. I had a list of 5/6 bikes that I was interested in, and based on my bike fit three were immediately off the list. Once I through out the bike that I really didn't want (it was my last choice) I ended up with the bike I have now.

---

"see the world as it is not as you want it to be"

find a reputable bike fitter in your area, or even travel if you have to, but IMO a professional bike fit from someone that knows what they are doing is pretty imperative prior to buying a bike, especially if you are about to dump a lot of money on one.

im an ongoing customer with my bike fitter, and knowing my numbers allowed me to narrow down a bike before purchasing and eliminate several that i was eyeballing. i still wound up with a bike that im at the extreme edge of running out of reach. had i gone with manufacturers recommendations i would have easily gotten a bike too small.

---

80/20 Endurance Ambassador

Similar here.

I'm riding nothing special.
When I was shopping for my 1st TT bike a few years ago, I was bang on a size Large based on all the manufacturer's info. Slap bang in the middle of the range.
Went to just try it (never mind a proper fit). Hopped on it. 2 mins in and the resident fitter looked, shook his head and went 'no way you'll be able to hold that sort of position for an full ironman' - just Waaaaay too low.
Had to go to the XL size frame to get enough stack height I need - even with high pedestals on the aero bars etc).

Because I'm relatively long leg / short torso and shorter arms.

Whereas any MTB I'm a 19" frame or Large, every time without fail.

A test ride is a waste of time other than to make sure everything is working, shouldn't be an issue with a new bike.

Thanks everyone! I will hold off and get the fitting first to see which bikes are good options...too much money to buy the wrong one...

Not many races in the near future anyway by the look of it...stay safe and healthy all!!

Well, yes and no.
It may not tell you it's the right bike.
But it can tell you that it's the WRONG bike.
I've tried some bike where the seat post is too short so I can't get the seat high enough...which with a propriety aero post can = a big 'no' when a longer one isn't available.
And it's exacerbated when wanting to put short cranks on.

Where do you live in Germany? I would reccomend Lloyd Thomas at Cyclefit in Bensheim. He is open at the moment so should be no problem.

I'm the exact opposite of you on the bike fit. I need to make sure I can get the seat and front end low enough. I typically have to cut 3 to 5 inches off a seat post to get it in the right position.

Along with that I have to look at the front end steering geometry to find out if the bike will turn right for me. A lot of bike manufactures kick out the head tube and don't change the fork rake. A bike with too much trail is very difficult to make tight turns, like a 180 in a road, the bike will resist turning then dive half way through. This goes for tri and road bikes.

By looking at how the steering is put together I can predict how a bike is going to handle but riding it is the only way I'll know for sure.

People one to three sizes up from me likely won't have to worry about any of that. It's when they get into the bigger bikes they run into your problem.

That’s probably the right choice. In all likelihood you can “fit” on more than one size in a given model. Most people straddle a few sizes. I can technically fit a small, medium or large Cervelo PX, for instance. A good fitter will not only understand your sizing, but also take into account other factors, like your body flexibility, intended races/riding, and hopefully help you choose not just the various models that work for you but also the optimum size that gives you the most options down the line to grow and progress in the sport. This is especially important considering it’s your first dedicated tri/TT rig.

I am up beside Hannover - are they allowed to do bike fitting just now in Bensheim? Thanks for the recommendation...

Yes, I'm no spring chicken for buying my first tri bike...48 years old and pretty stiff at times, so it's probably not a good idea to get too aggressive with the fit...

Yes! It is a long drive from Hannover but Lloyd is open, and he is very knowledgable. Cant recommend him enough.

Thanks bentus!

 Not going to read everybody’s opinion. I own 3 ( online ) bikes Diamond, Omni and a Premier Tactical. The people who build these bikes are a tremendous help and more than happy to get you on the right size. The follow up was just as good..