Training & Nutrition - professional bike fitting in manhattan? worth it?

i'm thinking for going in for a professional fitting, taking my current bike in. I can't seem to get my knee problem resolved on my own, so i think i need to have someone fit me properly. I came across a place called signaturecycles in manhattan that seems decent. has anyone any experience with them? i don't know how much it costs (i think a lot) but is something like this worth the money? below is the website link and a cut and paste section of the fit i was thinking of getting. what do you think? any other places i should look at?


http://www.signaturecycles.com/FitService.htm

"The Level Two Fit is for your current bike using the Computrainer in the Spin Scan pedal stroke analysis mode. It is a 3-3.5 hour process that starts with the Level One Fit system. We then hook you and your bike up to the Computrainer. The Computrainer Spin Scan pedal stroke analysis monitors your power output at every 15 degrees of your pedal stroke, left leg and right leg power output balance, overall pedaling efficiency, average torque angle for each leg, wattage, cadence, speed and heart rate. This data allows us to fine tune your fit while monitoring the effects of the changes as they relate to power, efficiency and metabolic cost. Small changes in position or posture have proven to sometimes show large improvements in performance. Only the Computrainer can accurately illustrate what is the output of your efforts in to the bike. Our fitting adjustments will be based on a performance oriented goal when using the Computrainer. The Level Two Fit is the best process to maximize your power, efficiency, comfort and control on your bike."

I have been seriously considering one of these however i dont want it for my bike as who knows what bike ill be racing with next year. i want a printout or whatever with all the measurments of how everything should be setup. Have you come across anything like this in the area. I live on LI and work in NYC.

i think so. if you click on the link above, then look at "fit I" - it seems like they would provide what you want. here is the quote:

"You will be provided with a marked up CAD drawing of your bicycle’s critical dimensions and coordinates. This information can then be used to compare any other bike to your new positional coordinates of your current bike."


there is also fitwerx (in boston though). they put you on a machine that is fully adjustable and measure out all your critical areas that way. i was also thinking of that. here is the link if you are intersted:

http://www.fitwerx.com/NewFiles/FittingSteps.html

Tim, my knee problem went away after experimenting with a couple of seating positions.
Have you tried gotham bikes? UltraG works there, they're pretty cool but a small shop, their sister store, Toga might have more stuff. I heard a professional fitting costs about $300.

Tim, my knee problem went away after experimenting with a couple of seating positions.
Have you tried gotham bikes? UltraG works there, they're pretty cool but a small shop, their sister store, Toga might have more stuff. I heard a professional fitting costs about $300.

that's good that your knee problem is resolved. i've gotten close with mine, but never completely perfect. ever since the century tour it's been a down hill battle - i'm worried i may be causing long term damage. i've had my bike for a year now, and still cannot dial myself in despite adjusting everything on the bike at least a dozen times. i missed a lot of events in the past few months because of this damned knee.

i also have big plans for cycling next season (more racing, some out of state tours, club rides, clinics, etc..), so i really want to have the most accurate examination possible. still ~$300 is pricey, but if it works it would be well worth the money i think. does gotham or toga do professional fitting? their websites didn't have too much information.

I emailed them and they told me $300 for each bike, Road and TT. It's expensive but i guess since im not growing any it pay off as long as i am on a bike.

Your optimal fit could change over time, though. If you're getting the full fit done on the Serotta equipment, then you will, indeed, get a printout with all of your measurements on it. This is really nic eto have when buying a new bike. I still think $300 is pricey. AT a local shop here, you can get teh full fit, plus teh pedal fitting, for around $179 ($149 + $20 for pedal fit). My shop will also refund half of that if you buy a new bike from them. Just a thought.....

Tim,

$300 IS expensive.
If you want the best fitter in N.Y. check http://www.asphaltgreen.org/
Paul Levine is the fitter and has been fitting Serottas for a long time.
(I seem to recall that he helped design the serotta fit cycle? not sure
tho, something stands out).
His studio is in Asphaltgreen, that web site is a bit confusing.

I had a Serotta fitter do a fitting for me (on my bike) and it was less than
$100. I didn't do the whole computer thing, I only wanted to be comfortable
and work on some knee issues. Worked like a charm for me.

www.Serotta.com (http://www.Serotta.com) also lists fitters by state on their web site.

Marty

I'm in Austin so there may be more competition here. You can get a very high quality fitting for around $75. Well worth the money if you ride with any frequency at all. Shop around some more, consider going to another city nearby or shell out the bucks with your local shop/coach.

bphol,
Care to share any of your training regimen with us? That is quite a feat you undertook in one years time.

thanks, Dr. Mike

well, i ended up going to paul levine as i was inquiring about in the original post. it was great! i wasn't too far off the mark with how my bike was set up, so he only changed the stem length (shorter), cleat position (moved them forward), and raised the saddle.

he measured and remeasured both myself and the bike, gave advice regarding riding, racing, training, stretching, etc. i got a detailed measurement of my new set up, so i can use that to set up my other bikes. the cleat position was the big thing, i was too far back before, now i feel i can really pull back on the pedals. anyway - long story short, despite being very expensive, i feel much more comfortable on the bike - so i think it was worth the money.

I heard good things about a doctor in Rhode Island that does this. Can't remember his website though.