Just curious what people’s experience with Fitwerx has been. They seem to be very knowledgeable but their fits are rather expensive, plus it is quite the drive from DC. Is it worth it?
Definitely worth it, Sarah and Ian at Fitwerx are the best. My wife and I went up there in May and it is definitely worth the trip as well as what they charge. The fitting takes a few hours and covers every last detail you could think of, including a long questionairre about how much riding you do, what type of riding you do, injury history etc., followed by a flexibility analysis, followed by them taking your measurements. They’ll have you get on a Serotta fitting bike set up with a Computrainer/SpinScan and start measuring your power output. One thing I thought they did thas was very cool was after taking a plumb line measurement from your knee to the center of your foot, they match it up while you are pedaling with a laser level. They also videotape you while you are on the bike so you can see your position on a monitor in front of you while they point out key aspects on the TV monitor (all that’s missing is John Madden with the telestrator going “See? Look right there!”) ; ) After they reset your bike for your new position, they give you a detailed printout of everything so that you could take the measurements to any other bike shop should you decide in the future to purchase another bike so that they can get your position set up accordingly.
I’ve noticed a huge improvement as far as comfort and performance since being refit by them, and they were a huge help to my wife as well as far as getting the right bike and fit for her. Also, Waitsfield is a classic rural New England town and a great area to go for a ride after your fitting or go for a run while you are waiting. They have a shower facility on-site that they let me use after I went for a run while my wife was having her fitting done. Good coffee shops and lunch places in town as well for you to grab a bite while you are waiting, also some beautiful B&B’s in the area to stay at. Again, it is definitely worth making the trip.
Jim Skirboll at TriZilla in Pittsburg is a good fitter and much closer. You may want to give him a call and evaluate his fitting procedures.
A good fit is well worth the money and I have heard nothing but good things about the FitWerks crowd but it is quite a drive. Make a long weekend vacation with the leaf peeping for the family/ significant other.
I have had two bike fits (for road and tri set up) with Fitwerx and would highly, highly recommend them. They fitted me the first time not long after back surgery and were very knowledgeable and understanding about my specific needs. Money is absolutely worth it. They travel to the Boston area regulalry, although I would suggest a long weekend in Waitsfield in the winter–get a bike fit and ski at Sugarbush and Mad River Glen while you are there.
-Danielle
I was fit by them and the whole experience was great. I almost bought a p2k from a store in Boston, but wasn’t psyched about the “Yeah, this frame looks about right for you.” eyeball approach and so went to Fitwerx. Turns out, a p2k doesn’t really fit me at all and I ended up on a soloist. Getting the wrong bike would have been expensive…
If you buy a bike from them, the fit is very reasonable in terms of $$. As has been pointed out, Waitsfield is a great place for a vacation.
Plus, you never worry again if your seat is the right height…
I’ll back up when the other posters have said. I battled s-i joint problems for a couple of years, and at their worst I would get painfully uncomfortable after only 25 minutes of riding. I spent a whole day down there (8 hours round trip drive) a couple of Junes ago, and their comprehensive fitting eliminated 97% of the problem immediately; the other 3% disappeared not too long after.
A proper bike fit is worth its weight in gold. We’re all inclined to drop the dollars for items that will make our ride more efficient, but a top-notch bike fit will put the rider in the best possible position to operate the bike as effectively as is possible.
kdw tells the story about the P2K frame, and I was very interested in what Ian told me about the types of frames that would be best for my physiognomy. Not all frames are created equally for a person’s build, and research into this area is probably very beneficial for all of us bike consumers. It turns out that I’m quite fine with my P2K, but if I ever decide to switch companies I will head down to FitWerx for an update on frames. And after I purchase the best bike for my build, I’ll bring it to FitWerx for their exceptional fitting!
I picked up a custom Serotta Tri bike from Fit Werx. I actually went in really set on a Cervelo P3 but after the whole fit Ian told me the P3 wouldn’t work for me. He gave me all my best options and he spent a ton of time with me finally coming down to a choice I never would have made (but in the end I love my bike and it is super fast). At no point did I ever feel like they were trying to push me in any direction. It was more of just providing me with all the information I needed to make the best choice (and Ian has a boatload of knowledge and he makes it very easy to tap into it). As everyone else has said the fit was very comprehensive and was great. I am only 3 hours from there so it isn’t a huge trip and is doable in a day. But after having worked with them I don’t think I would want to go anywhere else. Definitely an AWESOME bike buying experience through Fit Werx.