Seattle Forrest

I'm posting this in the commuting forum, because most people in here should have access to the tool they need to make this free. For anyone who doesn't know, a "fitting" session means having a professional ( usually at the LBS ) adjust your bike either to make it as comfortable as possible, or to get you as much performance as you can muster. Since "it's not a race" this is really aimed at anyone who gets sore from riding.

Some physical therapists do this, too; often ones who only work on bike issues. And, since you're commuters, you're riding your bikes to work, which should provide you medical insurance. It's almost certainly got some kind of PT benefit. You might have to see your primary care doc first to get a prescription for PT, they give those out like candy. You may also have a health savings account, which you would use to cover the copay, if your insurance leaves you with one.

So, get out the yellow pages, or The Google, and find physical therapists in your area. Look for one that specializes in cycling, and make sure they take your insurance.

Maybe this is common knowledge, but I was surprised. The spot I went to even has a sizing bike:

AlmostTrick

I'm surprised to hear of this also.

Wouldn't they have to have a sizing bike to do a fitting? I imagine most pt's don't.

ItsJustMe

If I even ever went to a doctor or have ever had any pain whatsoever that I could even vaguely attribute to a bad fit on my bike, or if I didn't think the bike I just picked up on a 5 minute test ride and fiddled with the fit myself didn't fit like a glove, I'd think about it.

Maybe I just need to be more picky. I suppose if I was going to buy a bike to ride cross country for 3 months I might think about it, but in reality I'd probably just buy it at REI a few months early, and if I couldn't get it to fit right go trade it in for a different size.

Seattle Forrest

I haven't been able to get a good fit, regardless of frame size. The PT helped, but wasn't a silver bullet. My shoulders start to hurt two or three hours into a ride. I wouldn't even know it was an issue for my short commute, but I've never been able to ride more than ~65 miles in a day because of shoulder and/or neck pain.

They fit me mostly by watching me "ride" on a trainer, stopping me at certain points, and measuring angles, eg of the shoulders, elbows, and such. There was lots of plumb-line, etc. They lowered my handlebars a bit, pulled the brifters back along the bar curves, and so on. They have a laser and video camera thing they can do to adjust your cleats and pedal position, but I skipped this, as my knees are fine.

I was thinking about going back to "fine tune" things on the sizing bike ... but I won't know if an adjustment is a good or a bad thing until I've spent a few hours in the saddle. So I'm not really sure how the contraption would help, in my case.

Pippin

A bike fitting is a very important to bike enjoyment, comfort and performance. Many times medical insurance can be used to pay for the service. This does NOT make it free. Don't treat it as such. Cleat and pedal position are part of the fit and not just for knee pain. In fact many fit specialists start with this because it can affect everything else.

Spending a couple hundred dollars on a good fit is the best bang for your buck.

xtrajack

Never had a pro fitting. First bike I had, I got lucky and bought one that fit me like it had been made for me. When I started riding again, in '08 I bought one at the LBS that was the right size for me---a few self decided, tweaks later, I have a comfortable ride that I enjoy very much.

fietsbob

Ride by a big window and see what your reflection looks like , that's free..

Seattle Forrest

I try, but I always get distracted thinking "Wow, that guy is good looking! He must get all the girls..."

benda18

you could just buy a new bike that comes with a free fitting ??!?!!

eyemkeith

I don't know what kind of insurance you have that makes going to a specialist - without a referral and for what might be considered an elective procedure - free, but I'd LOVE to be added to that plan.

EKW in DC

+1,000,000

Andy_K 

I could probably get it for a $10 co-pay. My HMO seems to think allowing people to self-refer to chriopractors is cheaper than having a doctor meet with them and list the 101 reasons their back might be sore. A visit to a PT for a bike fitting might be similar.

That said, I completely agree with Pippin. Just because insurance pays for something doesn't mean it's free. It just means you're sharing the cost with everyone else on your health plan. If you have a serious issue that will get worse and cost more to treat in the long run, by all means get a bike fit. Just don't treat it like a free candy.

Seattle Forrest

Well ... your employer spends thousands of dollars on your behalf ( and you might contribute some % of this ) for you to have insurance. Even if your employer pays 100 %, that could have gone to your salary instead. It's absurd to think you shouldn't benefit from that. You're buying coverage to help you with your needs, not contributing to a charity.

Most cyclists tend to see the doctor less often than the average person, so it's not like seeking medical help makes us into vultures feeding on the demise of the system or anything. And, for people who actually need a fit, some alternatives are to go tell the doctor you hurt a lot and need vicotin (bad option), or go for a long ride Sunday and have to call in sick on Monday due to some kind of pain (also a bad option). One reason most employers pay for insurance is they don't want to lose productivity due to preventable health problems.

That's the absolute worst bang for the buck. You're already paying a few hundred a month for insurance coverage; again, that's money you're sending to a for-profit business. Once you buy their product, of course you're entitled to use it!

Read the OP - all of this was explained.