Anyone watch the Bike Fit Blog Series on You Tube for ATA Cycles?
They use a combination of Retul and Dartfish for fitting. Any idea if there are any similar type of fitters in Southern California?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPvpq9sZke8&feature=related
Interesting but largely redundant. Remember, the individual fit system a person is using is only as good as the fitter using it.
Oh, duh. I should have added, we use a mocap system called Innovision from Innovison Systems. It has enormous usability and some imaging options (including “virtual skeleton”) that is not available (to my knowledge) elsewhere. It is also a full multi-camera motion capture system for less than $2500 to the bike shop, 75% less expensive than RETUL and about 1/2 the price of Dartfsh.
Add adequate cameras and monitors and you’ve got a fine set up for precise fit analysis provided the user knows bike fitting and is FIST certified:
So how do you know if a “fitter” is good and qualified? Everyone thought Madoff was good and look what happened…
Is there a ranking of fitters or some other type of listing? I don’t think you can go by the fact that someone has been around for ever or has a following.
We’ve all gone to school or learned something at some point in our life, but that doesn’t always equate to applying it correctly and understanding actions and consequences.
That is a million dollar question. I’ve been to 5 different fitters in the last year. Every one of them would probably say that they are an awesome fitter some have even claimed to be amongst the best. Yet the only one I didn’t leave my fit session thinking I wasted my money with was John Cobb. That guy is amazing. He spent 4-5 hours with me and probably 80% of that time just getting the foot/pedal interface correct. He also pays attention to muscle firing points and biomechanics whereas every other fitter I saw either ignored this completely or gave it passing lip service.
I have no doubt that there are great fitters who do some of the things that John does. Unfortunately they don’t live in my area. The ones who do (even the FIST certified ones) get the angles right but are all science and no art. If you want to find a truly gret fitter just do some searches here and see how many people recommend just a few guys. That will give you an idea of the respect level that some of these guys (John included) garner nationally. The money I spent with John was the best money I ever spent. I just wish he lived closer so I could have him get me fine tuned on my new bike.
No matter who you see as long as the person gets you close you can play around and eventually get yourself dialed in. A great fitter can just save you a lot of time and frustration getting you closer to start with. Your fit will continually evolve though so at some point you have to take it into your own hands.
“So how do you know if a “fitter” is good and qualified?”
That’s a good question. There are a lot of new fitters and many of the new ones are excellent, some of the old ones need a refresher or some additional insights into fitting and positioning evolution. It’s a tough call, but I think the ultimate yardstick is being responsive to the person on the bike.
One thing to remember as a fitter is that you are never really a “fitter” pre se’ in my opinion but rather a student of fitting. I’ve done thousands of fits and learn something new from nearly every fit I do, or at least have the opportunity to revisit the concepts and values of previous lessons. One of the many reasons why bike fitting is so enjoyable is that we are constantly learning and improving.
Good fitters are constantly learning and keep an open mind. They listen to their riders. They learn that what they know already isn’t the final word. They try to make every fit better than the last and they take something from every single fit they do- even if it is something small.
There are some fitters who almost do it grudgingly. Some love it. If all I had to do was bike fits every day I would absolutely love it.
-Not sure I answered your question… Sorry.
I guess another way of asking the questions would be, “How do you get the service for the value?”
When I purchased both my road and tri bike (different shops), I received what I would describe as basic service for the going rate of ($75-$100). Each time, I felt like I did not receive enough service/attention for the price.
Perhaps this would make a good segment to elaborate on? We always discuss buying the bike that fits you, but doesn’t it really start with finding the right fitter? Someone who knows how to put you into the best possible position based upon your physical abilities rather than because a book or chart says this is an acceptable method or range?
How would you interview a fitter to know if you are getting/finding the right one?
I would like to know are there people out there that don’t believe in professional fittings?