Contrary to what may be the conventional wisdom on this forum, I think your average $150 LBS “professional bike fit” should be a very low priority for most average to good cyclists. I think such a “pro fit” might be useful for folks new to cycling or if you are experiencing problems while riding (numb toes, sore back etc) and can’t self-diagnose the problem. But if you are a “solid” cyclist (lets say you can average 22-26mph over 40k and are very comfortable riding long distances and coming off the bike to run) and you are looking for an extra edge or something to take you to the next level I think your money will not be well spent on a “pro fit” and you should instead put the money into new wheels or something else. This is because unless you have a serious biomechanical problem in your set up (which is very unlikely if you can do 22-26mph and no pain issues) or don’t understand basic principles of aerodynamics (like dont wear parachute pants) even an experienced fitter will not be able to learn enough about how you ride and what you need to change to ride better in the 1-3 hours an average pro fit takes. Basically, the fitter can take some measurements, reference some generic formula or other or eyeball your position and make some changes that may or may not work for you. The only “bike fit” that would truly benefit an already solid biker is an in-depth examination over time of his/her position and its aero:power characteristics. Over time (at least a couple of months to a year) and with the right resources (wind tunnel, vo2 analyzer, power meter) an experienced fitter could work with a rider to tweak a few extra watts out with equal or less effort. But you get none of this in a $150 bike fit.
I write this because I did a bike fit from a reputable fitter in my area. I was severely disappointed but I see now that this was not his fault but rather because I had read way too many John Cobb articles and thought way too much about things like whether I needed a 100mm or 120mm stem. In other words, my expectations were too high. So, if you are trying to decide how to spend that $150 bucks burning a hole in your pocket and are thinking about a bike fit you should realize that there are inherent limitations to what 1-3 hours with even the best bike fitter can do for you and you should be under no illusions about this if you decide to plonk down $150+ bucks for a bike fit.
