I am looking to get a new/used bike but not sure of which size to go with. Makes shopping for used bikes online rather difficult. If I go into my local shop will they tell me which size bike to go with or will have to go through a fitting process to get that info. I was looking at Cervelos specifically and I am 185cm tall. Thanks for any feedback.
You and I are the exact height. I have ridden a Cervelo P3 (FIRST GEN) perfectly sized at 58. Take it with a grain of salt though. We are all a sample size of one.
A bike shop will try to sell you the bike that they have in stock.
A bike shop will try to sell you the bike that they have in stock.
This.
Of course they will help you find the size for you without a full fit.
It may be the wrong size though.
I am looking to get a new/used bike but not sure of which size to go with. Makes shopping for used bikes online rather difficult. If I go into my local shop will they tell me which size bike to go with or will have to go through a fitting process to get that info. I was looking at Cervelos specifically and I am 185cm tall. Thanks for any feedback.
So, you want your bike shop to give you free advice on bike size so you can go buy a bike elsewhere?
I am looking to get a new/used bike but not sure of which size to go with. Makes shopping for used bikes online rather difficult. If I go into my local shop will they tell me which size bike to go with or will have to go through a fitting process to get that info. I was looking at Cervelos specifically and I am 185cm tall. Thanks for any feedback.
So, you want your bike shop to give you free advice on bike size so you can go buy a bike elsewhere?
well sort of. If they would help me find a bike, I could then bring the bike in and do a proper fitting and all my maintenance. I would think that would work out well for them. Is it okay for them to look at me and say typically people with your frame get this size of bike?
Just my two cents, spending some money up front is worth it. It will save you from making the costly mistake of having an ill-fitting bike. Look for a shop (or independent fitter) that has a fit bike and offers a pre-purchase sizing/fit process that can be applied to either the bike purchase or a subsequent fit.
Ideally, they’ll take you through the F.I.S.T. protocol to come up with a geometry that is appropriate for your morphology (I like to think of that as your “happy place”), and then provide you a list of bike solutions - bike/stem/spacers/aerobars/aerobar pad risers - that work for you. You’ll probably spend an hour or two with them, initially. You can then buy the bike and return for the rest of the fit, which will go pretty smoothly because you’ve already done some of the work. The subsequent fit session can be focused on the details - foot/pedal interface, saddle/pelvic interface, cockpit, etc.). You’ll be so much happier with your bike, and more confident you got the right one.
If you can find an independent fitter (disclaimer: I am an independent fitter) who isn’t biased towards selling you the stock on the showroom floor, you’re golden. Otherwise, maybe research the brands you are interested in and go to the shops that sell them, knowing that you may get pushed towards that particular brand.
I hope that helps!
Is it okay for them to look at me and say typically people with your frame get this size of bike?
This is the way it often is, but is not the way it should be (at least if I were in charge). The days of walking into the shop, having someone look you up and down and say, “how tall are you? You’re probably about a 56…” should be over. There are way too many other factors at play - inseam, torso length, arm length, medical history, riding experience, etc.
For example, from a morphology perspective, I’ve started tracking my customers’ key measurements and comparing them as a percentage of overall height and to the general population. In my relatively small (so far) population of 91 males and females ranging in age from 8-64:
- Inseam varies from 43.9% to 50.0% of overall body height.
- Torso length varies from 31.0% to 36.6% of overall body height.
- Overall arm length varies from 97.4% to 107.8% of overall body height.
Those variations can make a huge difference in what bike works best for you.
My experience with this: My first tri bike fit was borderline useless. I spent the money for the top of the line fit at a great bike shop but I really had no idea what felt “good” to me regarding the fit because I had never been on a tri bike before. The “bad” fit I received was not the shop’s fault, but mostly due to my ignorance on what worked for me. I bought a bike based on this fit and, luckily, bought a bike that had a lot of wiggle room for adjustments. As I continued to ride the bike I got more comfortable making subtle changes to the fit along the way and now have a much better idea what I want. Had another fit a few weeks ago and knew exactly what felt good and what didn’t. This fit was well worth the money spent.
Summary: Get a decent fit, buy a bike that will allow you plenty of room to adjust as you see fit. Down the road, get the top of the line fit. Do not expect the shop to fit you for free so you can buy a bike elsewhere. That’s just a dick move. Do expect the shop to try to sell you a bike they have in stock. A shop tried telling me an XL BMC MTB would be okay for me. I’m 5’9.
Travis R thanks for your responses. That makes a lot of sense about height not being the best indicator for size of bike. I think I will go to the shop that has the Fitting system you were talking about.
You can then buy the bike and return for the rest of the fit, which will go pretty smoothly because you’ve already done some of the work. The subsequent fit session can be focused on the details - foot/pedal interface, saddle/pelvic interface, cockpit, etc.).
Are bike shops usually cool with this system? Since I am not buying directly from them but will be having them do the supporting costs?
Are bike shops usually cool with this system? Since I am not buying directly from them but will be having them do the supporting costs?
I think that depends a lot on the personality of the people in the shop. I have a pretty good relationship with quite a few shops in the area, and my perception of their coolness with it is that it varies quite a bit. Some shops are happy to service any bike, some get kind of crappy if you didn’t get the bike from them.
My perception is slightly skewed, since I tend to be kind of in the middle of all this - I tend to do the pre-fit, make the recommendations, they buy a bike from a shop, and then they come back to me. The trick is when a particular shop sends someone to me for a pre-fit and the bikes they sell don’t fit the customer (and, in this context, “fit” means body, budget, and other factors). Essentially, I’ve inadvertently steered the customer to another shop.
One of the shops I work with sells 6 or 7 nice brands of bikes, but only 2 of those brands offer triathlon bikes. When the customer states a budget of $2,500-$3,000 (which is the most common budget number I hear), but the shop’s brands’ tri bikes start at $3,500, it doesn’t really work all that well for the shop. In that particular case, the shop owner knows that his brands don’t have anything in that range, so he’s very understanding. He’s a really good guy who wants what is best for the customer, and he treats them well, regardless. He’ll often end up doing the maintenance for them, often because the customers like his attitude and professionalism from when they first walked in the door at his shop.
I am looking to get a new/used bike but not sure of which size to go with. Makes shopping for used bikes online rather difficult. If I go into my local shop will they tell me which size bike to go with or will have to go through a fitting process to get that info. I was looking at Cervelos specifically and I am 185cm tall. Thanks for any feedback.If they will, you’ll be getting what you pay for. A serious shop with a serious fit studio is going to expect you to pay for their time. Unfortunately, a lot of unserious shops with unserious fit efforts will charge you too.
At our shop we charge $199 for fits on the fit bike, but that $199 is applied to the purchase of the bike if you’re buying from us. It makes sure our time and expertise is valued, but also allows us the opportunity to have more repetitions fitting on a fit bike than just about anybody in the profession.
I am looking to get a new/used bike but not sure of which size to go with. Makes shopping for used bikes online rather difficult. If I go into my local shop will they tell me which size bike to go with or will have to go through a fitting process to get that info. I was looking at Cervelos specifically and I am 185cm tall. Thanks for any feedback.
Generally speaking, the better the bike shop, the less likely they are to sell you a bike without a full bike fit. your average bike store will just want to sell you a bike thst is close.
Just my two cents, spending some money up front is worth it. It will save you from making the costly mistake of having an ill-fitting bike. Look for a shop (or independent fitter) that has a fit bike and offers a pre-purchase sizing/fit process that can be applied to either the bike purchase or a subsequent fit.
Ideally, they’ll take you through the F.I.S.T. protocol to come up with a geometry that is appropriate for your morphology (I like to think of that as your “happy place”), and then provide you a list of bike solutions - bike/stem/spacers/aerobars/aerobar pad risers - that work for you. You’ll probably spend an hour or two with them, initially. You can then buy the bike and return for the rest of the fit, which will go pretty smoothly because you’ve already done some of the work. The subsequent fit session can be focused on the details - foot/pedal interface, saddle/pelvic interface, cockpit, etc.). You’ll be so much happier with your bike, and more confident you got the right one.
If you can find an independent fitter (disclaimer: I am an independent fitter) who isn’t biased towards selling you the stock on the showroom floor, you’re golden. Otherwise, maybe research the brands you are interested in and go to the shops that sell them, knowing that you may get pushed towards that particular brand.
I hope that helps!
I agree with this. I think an independent fitter is a good idea, but one that is associated with a LBS is fine as long as they agree to give you the full print out of the final measurements. So even if they are biased towards the bikes they sell, you still have the “unbiased” measurements you can take to any other manufacturer to find the right size that will best work. A good manufacturer should be able to tell you that you that based on your measurements, you can buy a size X bike, with a YY stem, and ZZ spacers. The downside is that you have to do this work on your own.
The one benefit to getting a fit by a LBS is that usually they can discount the fit if you do choose to buy a bike from them. If you go to an independent fitter, you will get completely unbiased opinions and help you figure out which bikes will work, but since they don’t sell bikes, there is really no chance at a discount.
If you can find an independent fitter (disclaimer: I am an independent fitter) who isn’t biased towards selling you the stock on the showroom floor, you’re golden. Otherwise, maybe research the brands you are interested in and go to the shops that sell them, knowing that you may get pushed towards that particular brand.
THIS!
I was fit by my guy who is a fitter and mechanic first. He does retail, but it’s not his main line of business. I brought him a list of bikes I was looking at & their specs. He did a fit & told me what would be best (i.e. I’d need a P3 in a 54, but a BMC would be a 56). In the end, I got a completely impartial fit and he got my loyalty as a lifelong customer for all maintenance.
Going into the LBS and pretending to interested in buying a bike in order to get them to guess what size you need is not a good idea for obvious reasons. You and LBS lose.
There is litereally not one fast bike rider out thre who has not got a proper bike fit at some point. Nut up a get a fit done. Find out who is the best in town and do it. It is the smartest money you can spend. Seriously man, even if you get the right size used bike you still need a fit.
The LBS has zero issue with you buying a used bike with your fit #'s. If it is a good LBS they will even tell you what bikes fit best after your fit.
At the store I work at in Michigan we always take measurements before looking at bikes in order to know what size is right for you. In addition, we never try to sell anyone a bike that isn’t the right fit. Having a reputation for being professional and helpful is worth more than making that sale on that day.
It isn’t a crime to take our measurements and buy a bike elsewhere, but it is generally frowned upon. A good shop will definitely take the time to help you find the right size.