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There seems to be a lot of discussion about getting fit by a bike shop. I personally was fit by an independant fitter who did a great job.
I chose this fitter becuase of recommendations and and a good sense from a phone conversation. But also becuase philosophically I believe that there is an inherent drawback to gettign fit at a bike shop for a couple of reasons:
1. you are in a place that is trying to sell you stuff.
2. You are in a place where people have to sell stuff, and fitting is not selling.
The point is during a shop fitting it is hard to not take any advice with a grain of salt. Even if you get a good fitter I have heard of stories about the fitter having to help out in the shop during a fitting. I have been in bike shops where they hang cloths on top thier fitting bike.
Not all of us are lucky enough to live near a john cobb or tomm demerly. Other than having access to such experts is there any advantage to getting a fitting in a bike shop?
oh well, according to Gerard of Cervelo sometimes even the PROS do not know of their BEST OPTIMUM position until they RIDE a Cervelo.
and with the MAGIC of their VIRTUAL Angle design, the PRO rides happily into the sunset ......
lesson learned : FOrget about PRO fitting, as even the fitter that fits the PROS cannont provide the best fit unless it is a CERVELO.
So, buy a Cervelo, get a bunch of stem and do the Trial and Errors by yourself. Heck if it doesnt work, there is always www.Ebay.com
:O)
Happy Miles.
p/s: for me , i am going to select a bunch of bikes and go to a shop and ride them. My best fitter is my body. Listen to your body.
Don't reply. Just ignore him.
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"The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, but wiser people so full of doubts." -- Bertrand Russell
Taku,
I have never responded to any comments on this forum before. But since my appointment is running an hour late, (He got stuck in the snow) I have a few minutes to give you my thoughts on your question.
First, "fitting is selling". You exchanged hard earned dollars with me and received a service. I sold you knowledge, coaching and peace of mind that you are in the best optimal position to produce the most power while being biomechanically efficient, while maintaining a balanced a stable posture without limiting your ability to breathe and eat efficiently during long efforts on your bike.
The location of the service you received, should not hinder the quality of the product. A good shop should take the time and dedicate the space to offer their athletes undivided attention in order to "sell" this service.
Secondly, "selling stuff" is not a bad thing. We all need to buy stuff. The problem comes when we are sold stuff that we do not need, or is the wrong stuff for us. So, a salesperson who can sell you the right stuff to enhance your comfort or performance is invaluable to know when you have a need to fill. Much of my business is "reselling" the right stuff to athletes that purchased the wrong stuff in the first place.
Please, don't be skeptical about bike shops, in regards to trying to "sell" stuff. Be skeptical about bike shops that try to sell you stuff without qualifying who you are and what you need.
Thanks for your kind words and good luck this year at your 1/2 IM
Something I think people occasionally forget is that before we sell ANY bike first I have to BUY it. Realistically, selling bikes for a living is not how we make money- buying the correct ones wisely is what we do. To put this in perspective, let's say you buy a new triathlon bike and you totally blow it: Wrong size, wrong type bike altogether. In the grand scheme of things, how big of a problem is this? It is a shame and a waste of moeny, but you can sell it and move on. You still have your house, your job, your livlihood. Not me. I buy the wrong bikes and I am out of business. That means, with me buying about 800-1000 bikes per year for the last 10 years for my store I am a pretty picky bike buyer (since my livlihood depends on it) and a tougher customer than you. My point: The guy selling the bike first has to buy it. He buys bikes for a living, then fits them and sells them to you. He doesn't do this once every two years, he does it five times a day, 361 days a year. Given those ideas, it may be easier to extend trust to a guy trying to fit you on a bike and sell it to you. P.S.- It is not uncommon for us to send a customer away from the store as a "no-fit" (therefore also a "no-sale") because our integrity and reputation is more valuable than any set of bike sales. I've read posts from two of those people on this forum who thought us sending them out of our store without selling them a bike was some kind of statement or confirmation of our commitment to fit integrity. I call it just smart business. Happy (and safe, peaceful) New Year to all of you guys.
Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com