??
I am looking for feedback on the benefits of having one done–has anyone seen significant results afterwards or simply a LBS trying to sell you something else?
an unequivicol good.
I was amazed at what a difference it made in my biking. Instantly gaining 2 miles per hour (I was not fit very well before) But the thing that has stuck with me is how much more comfortable I am even at the higher power output.
I am sure this thread will become a debate over techniques and what not but a good fitting is a good fittign regardless of the methodology
Caveat… just becuase you bet a bike fitting doesn’t mean that you are getting a good bike fitting. If you are serious about getting a good fitting (which is the only way to make it worth it) I would suggest pollign the board for someone in your area. If you are in the north east you should definately look at Paul Levine. In the midwest you should look at tom demerly. Califronia apparently has many good fitters, etc. Tell the board where you are and somebody is bound to know someone.
azironman,
A quote by me from an earlier thread on this subject:
“I have to say that I would agree with jmorrissey. I would never think of purchasing a bicycle without getting a proper fitting done first! In my experience, this is true at all levels of cycling. Without it, in my opinion, you are potentially compromising your future cycling experience all to save a buck or two. I would also get the best fit available and pay whatever it cost. Its worth it to have your bicycle fit you properly. The cycling experience is much more pleasurable and rewarding when the fit is correct.”
I got my fitting along with the cost of a new bike. After a new bike, and a fitting, and a winter’s worth of trainer rides, I was about 1 mph faster than on a 20 year old bike with no fitting. My unresearched, unsubstantiated opinion is that your body will adapt to anything that is pretty close to being right.
A bike is like a fine suit, it needs to be fitted to your dimensions. Rarely, if ever, can you take a suit right off the rack and have it fit perfect. The same goes for a bike and then you add in things like comfort, performance, power, etc.
Whether you’re buying a new bike or sticking with your existing ride. A professional fit is essential.
Look at Slowman’s list of FIST certified folks. There are also many non-FIST folks that do a fine job as well.
My fitting was done by a dedicated bike fitter. That is all he does (including selling custom bikes) after fittign me on the size cycle and giving me my measurements he offerred to help me find the appropriate bike.
If you do not have a LBS which you can trust from either a money standpoint or a technical ability standpoint this may be the way to go.
good for me - Paul Levine, Signature Cycles. I can’t say I’m going faster, but I can say I feel much stronger on the climbs (more use of the glutes). Overall a learning experience. I’ve had fellow riders recommend “their setup” or even eccentric fellows who try to follow what someone else did for them but my view is we’re all different - what works for athlete A, might not work with athlete B.
but really, take this with a grain of salt. If you feel good now, no aches & pains, think you have a good position (compared to pics, and articles) why bother? But if you feel you have something to gain (ie. comfort, aerodynamics, a better run etc.) I say go with whomever is recommended in these forums/site. For me, my first few fits SUCKED. But Paul actually listened and knew A LOT MORE than the rest - so for me, I’ll never think twice about a “pro” fit on my next bike. Which I hope will be soon…
Anybody have any suggestions around San Francisco. I have been fit twice now and have not been happy either time. I’m on a road bike with shorty aero bars and am currently in an OK postion, I think, when I’m in the bars. I think my position is pretty poor for climbing though. Maybe this is just the trade off of having bars on a road bike?
I’d be interested in trying again if anybody swears by a certain guy/gal around here.
Having your bike fit is a very good idea although I don’t think that have to spend $200 and drive 10 hours to get it done. Any decent shop should be able to do it for a fraction of that. If your worried about qualifying for Kona, going pro, or you worried about getting your sponsorship yanked, then it would be better to go for the wind tunnel/computrainer/5 hour fitting but if your a mere mortal a decent fitting shouldn’t require the commitment of your first born.
I had my fitting done by Seton at TriSports.com here in Tucson and I am more than happy with the results. It was well worth the time and money. I am a lot more comfortable on my bike. I have shaved some time off of my regular routes and I fell that I have more power to hammer the flats and climbs. Trisports.com is a great group of friendly people that will go out of their way to try and make you a happy customer.
If you are not in Tucson I would recommend a day trip to Tucson to check out the place. Drop them an email or call to get some more info. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
This is just my opinion, but I would add that I have never heard anyone say anything bad about TriSports.com or their experience with them. Note, I do not work for TriSports.com, I have just had nothing but great service from them.
Tucker
Gotta disagree with you on this one… Yes a bike shop would be able to fit you for 60-100 dollars. while a dedicated fitter can fit you for about 200.
Now lets compare this 200 dollars to the thousands of dollars people are willing to spend on things like wheels tricked out aerobars, superlight tires… etc. I mean how much faster is a HED aerobar than a cow horn with clipons… In my personal experience with a 200 dollar fitting (by Paul Levine) which I drove 2 hours for. I gained a noticable amount of speed and incredible amount of comfort. All for the a couple of hundred dollars or the price of a pair of nice tubular tires.
Now your argument would definately hold true if your bike shop was good at fitting and could give you a comporable fitting. heythen you would be getting a 140 dollar bargain. I have never had a bad fitting but judging from the responses I read on this site many people have had bad fittings. Now that 60 dollars doesn’t look to good?
200 dollars is not very much in this sport considering how much the rest of the equipment is. (1400 wheels, 400 race fees, 100 tires, etc.) I definately think that with the parge number of bad fitters out there it is worth the time and money to get to a HIGHLY qualified fitter.
with a fitting–do you have takeaways? in other words, do you get sheets with info that you can transfer later to another bike? or if when we travel and put together our bikes, can align? measurements from ground to seat etc??
I was fit by Paul Levine, 2 days later he sent me a excel sheet with reccomended specs for a bike. He also offerred to help me pick out the appropriate bike according to my specs. I am not sure what you get with other fitters but it makes the bike buying process much easier to have the print out. Paul has also been very open to any question I have had and very willing to talk on the phone to sort things out.
My fitting from Seton at TriSports.com cost $50.00 for a basic fitting, it took about 1.5 hours and I got a sheet of paper with all of the bike’s measurements. Hope that helps.
Tucker
I do agree that with amount of money spent on bikes/wheels/races that it does make sense to spring for a fitting but I think sometimes its easy to go overboard on its value. Plus there seem to be an awful lot of “bike fitters” who charge a ridiculous amount and I don’t really understand how some are able to justify the amount they charge considering many have little more credentials than what they read in a bike magazine. If your going to go to some like John Cobb, Tom Demerly, or Paul Levine…I think you can justify the cost but I feel very weary of many “bike fitters” and don’t see many of them being any better than a decent shop.
I definately agree. Considering how many people talk about their experiences with poor fittingsI definately think its worth the extra money to go to someone reputable. That is also why I think that this forum is one of the best resources because you can get first hand information about most of the places you are looking at.
I found out about Paul from this forum some years back. I think that there is no better endorsement than the endorsement of people with first hand experience…
“I, however, can go into any decent men’s shop and snag a 40 regular off the rack.”
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- And anyone with a sharp eye will be able to tell. A good tailor makes even a moderately priced suit look better. Same with a bike fit. You may feel comfortable, but without the services of a good fitter, the odds are 100:1 that your position isn’t optimal. That could cost you time on your bike split, AND on your run.
Any recommendations for fitting in Oahu, road and tri?