I have my first bike fit scheduled and worry that it will turn into a sales opportunity for the shop (eg. you need a new saddle, headset, pedals (plus the shoes), aerobars, etc…). How do I know when I “need” something for a good bike fit vs. when I am just being sold something? My cycling knowledge is minimal. I am smart enough not to buy ocean front property in Arizona but naive enough in cycling to be sold a set of right-handed aerobars (because everyone knows a right-handed and left-handed cyclist need different aerobars). Also, I am on a budget. Should I make that clear to the fitter from the beginning?
Don’t make any “in the moment” purchase decisions. Just go for your fit only and tell them that you’ll think about and get back to them later. That’ll give you time to do some research and ask for a second opinion. If their advice was good, then you can go back with money in hand later. If not, find another LBS.
Really good sales people know when to make suggestions about new things that you might need, but they also know enough to leave it at that - a suggestion. You should never feel pressured to buy anything. If you are and you are feeling uncomfortable - you can either tell them that - being honest that you are not interested in anything else, or you can find some other place to shop!
You’ll need shoes and pedals, but entry level stuff is often really good. If you “need” much more than a different length stem, then I would question the bike that the fitter matched you to. The stock bars, saddle, wheels are all pretty good on most brands. There may be a few comfort items that you want to swap, but I wouldn’t do that until you have some time in the saddle. Take the time to read through the fit articles on this site so you understand what to expect and ask a lot of questions of the fitter so you understand every adjustment.
Good luck.
trust your instincts. if they sniff bs, get out.
I didn’t trust mine and got sold a 56cm Cervelo P2SL (I am 6’3") years ago. When he flipped the seat post around to the slack angle to get me to fit I knew that wasn’t right.
But I went ahead anyway. Dumb.
Thank you for the responses. I was not clear in my initial post, the fitting is on a bike I own and did not buy from the shop. I have had the bike for two years. Any purchases would be upgrades for things, in theory, which would make the fit better.
I have my first bike fit scheduled and worry that it will turn into a sales opportunity for the shop (eg. you need a new saddle, headset, pedals (plus the shoes), aerobars, etc…). How do I know when I “need” something for a good bike fit vs. when I am just being sold something? My cycling knowledge is minimal. I am smart enough not to buy ocean front property in Arizona but naive enough in cycling to be sold a set of right-handed aerobars (because everyone knows a right-handed and left-handed cyclist need different aerobars). Also, I am on a budget. Should I make that clear to the fitter from the beginning?
Why are you using this LBS in the first place? Have you shopped there before? Were you referred by another customer who presumably was satisfied with the experience?
Your instincts are generally correct when you are faced with someone trying to make a sale. I would urge you to disclose all relevant information to the store (your desires, your budget) and let them know how they can satisfy your desires (eg, I want my bike fitted correctly to allow me to run off the bike in triathlons). I think a niche business like an LBS would react appropriately and do what they could to satisfy your needs and put you in a position to become a fan of the store.
We triathletes represent a narrow but deep customer base (think about the purchase volume of a dedicated triathlete at a bike store). The LBS has an incentive to make you want to come back again and again. If your assessment of the situation is that they view it this way also you will do just fine. If you are dealing with someone who views this as a one-off transaction your chances of failure are significantly higher.
good luck,
Paul
I think a niche business like an LBS would react appropriately and do what they could to satisfy your needs and put you in a position to become a fan of the store.
Sadly, in many retail sales environments, bike and tri stores as well, this is the exception and not the rule. There are some great people who are very good sales people working in these stores - there are also many who have rudimentry sales skills at best and when I say “sales skills” what I really mean is good communication skills because the root of the sales process is great communication. It’s not rocket science, but like many things these days everyone wants to rush through everything - so in sales it’s getting to that close as fast as possible. Problem is, not every customer indeed, very few, want to do it that way.
Steve,
Couldn’t agree more about the lack of “sales skills” in many LBS. There are plenty of very notable exceptions, but unfortunately they can be hard to find for some customers.
One thing I would add is that you are exactly right about it being about communication. But communication is a two way street. I have done a lot of fits on triathletes, road and mountain riders. There are definitely things you can do as the person being fitted to make the process go much smoother. The first thing I would say is go into the fit with an open mind. Make sure the fitter takes accurate measurements of where you are now, so that worst case scenario the bike can be put back exactly where it is. This obviously isn’t the goal of the fit, but in my experience it goes a long way toward allowing the rider to relax, and not worry that they are going to end up worse than before. Also, if after several rides you end up with a problem you have never experienced before, you can see what change might have caused that.
Second, you are hopefully being fitted by someone who is experienced at doing this, listen to them. Don’t constantly tell the fitter, “well, I read on ST that my saddle should be lower”, let the fitter work. Give them feedback on how things feel to you, not the way you think they should be. A good fitter needs feedback, not advice on how to do their job. I have had a couple of fits really not go well because of the rider already knew what they wanted. They gave almost no feedback about how things felt, and just said things like, I need to be lower. If you already know what you want, save some money and just do it. If you actually want to be fit, give the fitter feedback after a change, “That feels better”, “I feel better in my upper body, but now my hamstrings feel tight”, “My arm position feels good, better than before, but there is too much pressure on the saddle nose”, “That feels good, but I would like to try even further in that direction”, “This really doesn’t feel better, it was better before”.
Also, the fitter should tell you what they are doing, and what they are trying to achieve. If they aren’t, ask them. You should pretty much be talking constantly during this process. Even if it is a little thing, talk about it.
If you have the opportunity, consider having the fit done by someone not affiliated with a shop.
Ask the shop beforehand to provide your measurements in writing after the fit and play down the new bike aspect… make it “want to get a fit and make sure my current bike fits ok”. This will help remove the sales pitch aspect (maybe).
The harder they sell you on “your old bike is so drastically wrong that you have to buy a new bike today” the faster you should run out the door.
You can take you fit measurements around to other stores for ideas on what fits. Good shop might not like it but should not object- if they are confident and reasonable you will be back.
Ask if they refund or credit you for any of the fit fee if you buy a bike there, some shops do that.
Assume you have checked on the qualifications of the fitter and/ or have friends who have used them?
If they don’t make at least two attempted adjustments to the suspect piece of equipment before trying to sell you something, then two things are true:
(1) they’re squeezing you for $$$, and
(2) they’re probably less-than-qualified for bike fitting in the first place.
I actually had a guy at one LBS tell me that the sign of a good fit session is when the rider rolls their eyes in disgust after you say, “hmmm … maybe another millimeter on the drop, and that oughtta do it.”
I second the opinion that maybe a different length stem and that’s it.
That’s what happened during my fit. And they swapped my stem for the shorter one straight up - I presumed they were of similar value.
Lots of good suggestions above, getting detailed before/after measurements and recommended changes in writing is key, I send these emails to all my clients.
As far as parts, I find that the right part changes usually sell themselves, I just install a test part, & wait for the person to either convince themselves or let me know it’s not quite right. For the most part good fitters don’t “sell you”, they “show you”.
Bring $50 to buy insoles for you shoes! At some shops, those are mandatory.
Nuh-uh! I paid $42 for mine.
Seriously, they’re Specialized brand insoles. And he put another shim or something under the toes, for the “z-plane adjustment” of my fit. I don’t knock knees on the top tube as much as I used to, so I thought they actually did something. Are they just snake oil?
Many great suggestions you are getting. I am a fitter and a physical therapist…
Like many have said, a change should be justified and explained to you why something is being changed.
Your feedback: oh so important as someone pointed out. Just as in therapy, we can only change something IF we know something is not working. Communication is the key.
If a stem is being changed out, I would hope that the fitter is using a fit stem or another stem size to confirm that the change is positive. I use a fit stem to guide me. If I have a stem the client can use, I let them use it and then order a stem once we are both happy with the results. Know this too, even though you are riding during your fit, you are still static, dynamically static if you will. Riding on the actual road will be different.
One of my arguments as a fitter is assessing the body. A part change may be in order but why? How does the fitter know that there’s not a muscle length or strength issue? Unless the fitter is a physical therapist or some time of professional with extensive knowledge of the body, the LBS fitter will not know. I always send my clients with exercises to address muscle issues for either length and/or strength. This often times can help with stabilization and overall form. Core strength and pelvic mobility are other areas to assess.
I hope this as well as others’ advice helps.
Mark
Physical Therapist
You’ll be able to tell. I went into my LBS to see if I fit on a 08 Equinox E7 that they had going for 1300, and immediately I could tell that it wouldn’t fit but the salesman continued to say we could change this or that. Even though I am new to the sport, I knew something was wrong when the seat post went ALL the way down so I could get a proper knee angle (which I determined, not him). Bottom line, use your instincts.
It’s inevitable that you’re going to need to change something. Most bikes come from the factory with the bar width, stem length, crank length, etc. that the manufacturer feels would be most commonly found on that size bike. Sometimes they use what’s just laying around(ex. my girlfriend once got a 47cm QR with 44cm pursuit bars). It’s unlikely that it will be a 100% match for you without changing something. I would assume that the LBS you selected has a solid reputation, or you would be going elsewhere. If your saddle is comfortable, your cleats/pedals are in good shape, your aerobars are fairly adjustable, I would think that you probably will only need small parts or a stem.
Good luck with your fitting,
AB