Is this as bad of an idea as trying to cut your own hair?
This is just my opinion and many on this forum may disagree. Unless you have a qualified shop to fit you on the proper bike then I believe you can get it close yourself. I have used Tom D’s sight and Slowmans formulas for elbow pad drop VS seat angle etc.and I think i have it pretty close.
I know I’m comfortable to ride for longer periods of time in the aero bars than ever before and my power output as per my trainer is better than ever.
If I had to do it again I’d buy my bike from a pro (Tom D) to make sure I first had the right bike, size etc and then have them fit me. But unfortunately like many others I bought a good looking bike in my price range and went from there. Sometimes you have to do the best you can with what you have. I also find satisfaction in ftreeking the fit myself.
JMO
I’ve been fit properly to other bikes, but I’m curious about trying to set myself up with the other bikes as a guide. It seems like a hit or miss kind of thing.
Use mirrors to help. Use friends that have the ability to at least hold a T-square up to the points you mark on your shoulder and hip joints. If you go about it the right way, it can be done fairly well. Make sure you position your hips over the bottom bracket correctly first…in my opinion, everything else is based from that initial setting. People like Tom can perhaps tell you how to fit your foot to the pedal to best suit your intended use of the bike and perhaps your femur-to-lower leg geometry, but, it’s the position of the hips over the BB that really matters.
Some of the art of fitting comes into play due to the style of the rider. Some riders drop their heels more (analytic cycling has an interesting piece about this), or point their toes down more. Some have bigger glutes, or quads. Etc. Of course, riders with longer femurs, as well as steeper riders can get their knees further in front of the pedal spindle than others…but, some people fit the foot at the second metatarsal head instead of the first metatarsal head…so, there are variations in nomenclature between fitters for the same position. In the end, a rose is a rose…
It depends on the individual. Some people have an aptitude for this and others don’t and never will. It’s the same reason why some people like making their own disc wheels and other bike parts - it’s the fun and challenge.
Very few people could position me on a bike as well as I can because nobody feels my body as I do. But I’ll qualify that by saying I have a mechanical aptitude and a strong educational background in anatomy and biomechanics. Another reason is that I live in the boonies and don’t want to drive hours to get fitted, so had to learn for myself.
That’s probably a blessing for the bike fitter because I know that I’d make absolutely the worst customer if getting a pro bike fit because I’d want an explanation and rationale for everything little thing that they were doing. I have patients like that and they can be difficult at times.
It takes a lot of time and research to understand bike fitting for yourself and many people who could do it on their own may find it just easier to pay for a fit. Others just don’t have the aptitude so paying somebody else to do it is the best thing to do.
The info is available to understand bike fit principles. Read everything you can on bike fitting, make sense of it and reference/catalogue it. Bike fitting is not rocket science but common sense. Some people work on their own cars, do their own plumbing, or do their own carpentry while others hire people to do this type of work. Bike fitting is the same. It depends on the individual.
I think a person willing to do some reading and experimenting can do better themselves than 90% of the fitters you’d find at a local shop.
If you’re aware enough to discuss the validity (or lack thereof) regarding KOPS/femur length/saddle fore & aft issues with a fitter, and they can’t respond in kind or justify their methods, then you’re likely just wasting your money.
With a digital camera, or even better a camcorder and editing software, you can easily replicate any fitting philosophy such as Slowman’s. If you’ve got a powermeter and a mirror, you can tweak your position every time you ride your trainer. The iterative nature of the process certainly aids in body awareness and should get you closer than a one-off fitting session at an average LBS.