“Anybody have any suggestions around San Francisco.”
Christopher fits you on your bike, on a computrainer. After making adjustments, he’ll show you how much power you picked up. He’ll also give you a data sheet with all the measurements. The boy is GOOD… I picked up a little better than 1 mph by spending 3 hours and a few hundred bucks. Best deal on speed I ever got.
Good, definitely. I went to PK Racing in San Anselmo, CA (near SF) and came away nearly 30 watts stronger, just by modifying my position. After I got used to the new position, I got even faster.
I highly recommend anyone on the west coast to get fit by Chistopher Kautz, PK Racing. In my opinion, for what it is worth, he is one of the most knowledgeable and experienced fitters in the world. If you are lucky enough to be in the San Francisco area, I would definitely take advantage of Christopher’s expertise. He has a new state of the art Fitting studio that is worth checking out alone.
I just made an appointment for a few weeks out. I’m looking forward to it. Website looks great.
Money well spent! If you’re in the Phx area, I can highly reccomend Jeff Lockwood of Lifesport. He has fit me on both of my bikes and I could not be happier.
Noticeable increase in power and comfort once he got me set up right. He is also a great bike coach who has helped me in all aspects of my riding. Everyone I have referred to him feels the same way.
Not cheap, about $180 for a tri fit, slightly less for road fit, but worth every penny if you’re serious about improving your bike split.
G
IMO, it depends. There are people that are quite capable of fixing their own plumbing or doing their own electrical work around the house, although most can’t and are advised to call in the professional plumber or electrician.
Same applies to bike fitting. Again probably many should hire a bike fitter. But there is also a lot of info on the net about bike fitting. especially Slowman’s or Tom D’s articles as well as other sources that would be very useful to a do-it yourselfer. If you’re mechanically inclined or have an educational background or even a practical understanding of anatomy/biomechanics then there is no reason why you can’t likely do the job for yourself just as well as anybody else, probably better because ultimately it is your own body that will tell you if it is right or not.
With bike fit essentially all that you are doing is mate a machine that has some degree of adjustment with a living organism that has some degree of adaptability.
It’s not rocket science or mysticism but needs an understanding of the logic behind it. It’s fine to read the articles but then you have to be able to put the info into practicel application.
I believe that many mechanically inclined people can do this. But it takes time, research and trial & error. So for many people it’s simpler to pay the fee and put blind faith into whoever they’ve hired to do the job.
BTW, the wife and I also fix our own plumbing.
.
A good bike fitting can do wonders for you. And a bad bike fitting can be the biggest waste of money you ever spent. I like the suit analogy, because taking your suit to a good tailor will make your suit fit like a glove while taking your suit to a bad tailor can destroy your $1000 suit.
Like everything out there, there are good fitters and completely unqualified hacks out there. Ask around and find out who people have patronized and had good experiences with. I would NOT rely on certifications. Do your homework.
Our club members have had nothing but rave reviews for Adam Kaplan in Chicago. Very impressive work. But I’m guesing you’re in AZ, so this won’t do you much good.
"I bet you look like shit in a suit. "
He’s not the only one. I only now own only one suit and it’s getting a little out of date. Might wear it to the odd wedding or special occassion. Couldn’t imagine wearing one of those sucka’s every day. Guess thats the nice thing about working out of a home/office in a rural area.
“I bet you look like shit in a suit.”
I’ll even let your mother be the judge.
I do FEEL like shit in a suit anymore, which is one of the reasons for my career change.
Paul,
Your kind words are appreciated. Rumor has it you’re building out a new fit studio similar to mine. How’s it coming?
Christopher
Christopher
I’ve seen Paul Levine’s new studio in the middle of construction. Very impressive! Having seen the blueprints for your studio last winter when we were teaching at the Serotta Fit School and seeing Paul’s studio in progress, I would say the two of you are successfully taking bike fit to the level of both an art and a science. That’s a good thing for all of us who love to ride.
Pam