Pro bike fitting in the NY area
 

Any thoughts? I would like to be fitted for my tri bike and was wondering if anyone here had experienced fitting with Cadence or Toga.

I was recommended to go to:

Performance Labs HC
23 West 89th Street #1G NYC, NY 10024

There are a few threads on this on the NYCC message board. You might do a search over there, www.nycc.org . Also how much were you planning to spend. I bought a custom build from Signature Cycles. They charge $375 for a fitting. Takes about 3 hours.

Might want to try SBR Multisports. They're a big tri shop.

See link above.

Botto - where's R&A?

[edit - Ahh, R&A is the link above. Sleepy Air.]

+1 on Signature Cycles. Got my new Serotta from them

if money is no object, go to cadence. they seem to know what they're doing.

Cadence is a really nice store. Not a huge selection of bikes, but they have some cool stuff.

I'd second Felix. He did me when I bought my bike at R&A and it fit great. It really depends on what you want done too. Are you looking to buy a bike and have it fit, or just adjusted.

I crashed the bike that Felix fit me to and bought a replacement frame from the same manufacturer (Kuota) but not the same model. The specs were exactly the same, but it never has quite been right. I've thought about giving Felix a call to reset everything, but I don't think I need a complete fitting, just a seat adjustment, and cleats too. Stem, crank, frame size are all the same.

+1 on Felix. You should contact him via http://newyorkcycling.net/ to get fitted. Felix is old school, so as Botto said, there are no bells and whistles, but he will dial in the bike for you. In my opinion, he is the best fitter in the city.

Air, R & A is a bike shop in Brooklyn on 5th Ave, in Park Slope. They have some of the best stock in the city for high end road cycling, but their customer service is legendarily awful.

Cool -thanks!

So does Felix work independently or is he part of R&A?

Both actually.

But it's better (cheaper) to work independently via the website above. He'll set up an appointment at his home and set you up on the trainer and will get to work.

Felix the trainer
 

I can't say enough good things about Felix, the man behind www.newyorkcycling.net. He's friendly, reasonably-priced, and more importantly really knows his stuff. Big thumbs up for Felix if you want a fit, a training ride, or someone to help you pick out the right bike.

I just went to get fitted by Felix yesturday, it was a great experience. Not only is he an expert fitter but he's a great person too. He will tell you straight how it is, and from 30 years of experience, his advice is solid. He works in a top notch shop and fits people every day, also he fitted some major athletes, he even showed me a couple autographs, one from this or last year's Ironman winner.

Personally i have a unique geometry, my torso is small and legs are long and i got a bike according to my legs, so i am always over stretching forward to grab the bars. Additionally i have knee pains and soreness and was trying to find reputable fitters. I went to a couple reputable shops in the area, they all swore they are experts but i could see them stumbling while trying to fit me. Not knowing any better, i always paid the money and said thanks, but i felt that the fit wasnt good. Then i found this thread, and arranged an appointment with Felix. He told me straight up after a few min, this bike is not my size and that he wouldnt fit me. After explaining me everything and taking more measurements, he actually fitted me the best he could do, and my legs feel better than ever. He basically undid all the bull**** changes the other "experts" did to compensate for my geometry - they made the changes that felt good on the trainer (e.g. angling the seat forward, sliding it forward, raising the seat too much), but felt terrible after 30 min of riding. I hope he will be doing this for a very long time because i plan to go to him in the future when i get a new bike.

another vote for Felix
 

This is an old thread, but I found it doing a search for bike fitting in NYC, still found this info useful (since it led me to Felix), so I just wanted to say I can't speak to the other info mentioned on this thread, but all the good things people say about Felix are definitely still true. There is no substitute for years of experience and a great eye, and nobody knows fitting like Felix does. He will tell you exactly what's up. As of June 2012 he is still doing his thing both at R&A and independently at http://www.newyorkcycling.net/. If you have been riding something that doesn't fit right, or are looking for a new bike and want to make sure you get the right fit, Felix will hook you up.

Once you know your measurements and you know what geometry to look for, you would think there would be some kind of search engine out there that would point you to the frames that correspond to the desired geometry. I haven't found such a thing yet (anyone know if it exists?) but Felix just KNOWS this stuff so if you are looking for a new frame, he knows which frames are likely to have the geometry you need and will check the specs and narrow it down from there (rather than you having to go through thousands and thousands of frames to find the options that fit you).

If you have a freakish body like me (like dmitri926, I have a short torso and long legs--and short arms! go figure...), there may not be a frame out there with the *perfect* geometry, but he will find the closest one and tell you how you can make it work for you.

@JaneG - I tried to message you but I'm only at 45 posts! (weird rule!) Here is what I had to say:

Just caught your post about a fitting with Felix (I was reading through the entire post not even realizing it's a few years old). I was looking into the more 'advanced' options, such as video image motion analysis (like at Signature or Bike Habitat), but it's very expensive.

Did you go to Felix with an existing bike, or did you go for a fit and then purchase a new bike? Does he use a fitting machine or any other measurment equipment, or is just by eye and feel? How much does he charge for a fitting (pro shops are anywhere from $200 to $375)?

Any details you can share will surely be helpful!

Hey, Felix does his thing in his own way, so it's best just to contact him directly through his site, ask him your questions and see what happens. He'll usually want to talk to you first before he decides whether he can help you. You have nothing to lose by contacting him. He doesn't use machines--just eye and feel, with measuring tools to confirm. Good luck! There's so much to figure out with fitting, because some of it is preference and how you feel. There is not one exact right fit for you based solely on your measurements--it also depends on how you ride and what feels good to you. I don't know how the fancy machines deal with that. I'm still figuring my stuff out--Felix identified a bike that fits me pretty well, but it doesn't suit my riding needs, so he agreed to work with me and a frame builder if I decide to get a custom frame... but the frame builder (Patrick at http://pwsbicycles.com/ - also a cool guy) helped me see that I'm not ready for that yet, I need to test ride a bunch of bikes first and figure out what I need/want. And in the meantime maybe tweak some things on my 12-yo Bianchi to see if I can get more comfortable on it. So it's a process. But Felix helped me hugely and it seems like he will continue to help me as needed (with tweaking, or choosing a new bike, or getting a custom frame--whatever I decide).

BTW I saw your private message but it turns out that not only can I not send private messages until I have 50 posts, I can't even REPLY to private messages. "Weird rule" doesn't even begin to describe...

So weird with the messages; I don't get it...

Anyway, thanks for the advice! If you go to http://www.signaturecycles.com/ they explain their fitting techniques. It sounds very technical, and I like that they give you critical dimensions and other info to take for future use. But it's very expensive.
I would be going for adjustments on my current bike. I'm nowhere near, nor could I probably afford, a custom frame build. I know Felix's routine really depends on the individual, but did he give you a ballpark estimate, and is it something that you'll have to go back for every few weeks or months?

I did contact him, and he's on vacation for the next two weeks. He seems perfectly nice and personable.

haven't been fit by Felix but i've seen him in action fitting someone at R&A-- it's kinda nuts, he really does seem to know everything, in a refreshing really-from-Brooklyn kind of way.

So much depends on your situation, what you need, etc. and combined with the fact that Felix deals with every individual on a case by case basis there's really no way to come up with a ballpark estimate. Felix is one-of-a-kind. He is also honest and upfront and is not going to hit you with a surprise bill--he'll tell you what he thinks he can do for you and you can decide where to go from there. Good luck.

Oh and also, while you're waiting for Felix to come back from vacation, you could try this: http://www.competitivecyclist.com/za...LCULATOR_INTRO - it's a free online tool to input your measurements and get useful fit information out of it. As you will see, they describe three styles of road fit, each with different sizing, which goes back to what I learned: there is a lot of stuff with fit that involves preference rather than a precise formula of "this measurement on your body equals that measurement on the bike."