Black wallnut 

Hey thanks for being a good sport about the dialog. FWIW your posts have not been troll like. I'm glad you pressured the shop to getting your bike out the door. If you want to bring your bike to Ellensburg, WA I'd help you change out your groupset, although you mentioned cables, chain and bar tape. it just seems that bike shops around you suck. My town only has one and it rocks! Over the span of a couple years and several bikes my fit was dialed in without cost of a full fit. When time came for me to ask for a full fit to be included with my purchase of a Roubaix the owner of my LBS said sure. He's been in business for years and is a great fitter. Our schedules did not mesh so he allowed his apprentice fitter to perform it. The guy has a full time job in a science field and an avocation in bikes. A few small changes and I have all day double century comfort. Maybe I got lucky that he is a good student and payed close attention to the details in the fitting class he had at Specialized a month before. Maybe he got lucky that the shop owner had my fit already dialed in after dealing with my issues over the span of a couple years and thousands of miles. I'm a long riding Clyde.

I developed a relationship with my LBS after they demonstrated that they were a class act. it has been mutually beneficial. They don't exactly drop everything to take care of me when I walk in the door but if there is a free stand I'll as often as not lift my bike up onto it and give it a once over.

cave12man

My only problem with a pro fit is what happens when you decide to buy a new saddle? Or a new pair of cleats? Or handlebar? Or seatpost? How can you get that measurement and fit back without having to go pay another $150 or whatever it is. I get that people won't be buying or replacing these things all that often but its still an issue. The last time I got fitted, I dropped my bike and the saddle got turned sideways a bit. As I loosened the seatpost clamp to get it back straight it dropped on me. How do I know where it was? Luckily I had put a piece of tape marking the spot but I'm sure not all would do that.

Smokehouse

I'm a dry typist...not sure why, but when I make a forum post...then go back and read it...I often come across as a jerk even thought I do not intend to.

It was a 570--->5800 group swap (save the crank). I removed everything, cleaned the bike up, put all the new components on (yes...used proper torque), I even aligned the shifters. It just needs to have a chain installed, the shift/brake cables, the components adjusted, and then the handlebars wrapped. No small task...but I' guessing a few hours for a guy that knows what he is doing.

I hate wrapping the handlebars BTW...it's like changing the oil in my car. I can...but I make enough money now that I can pay someone to do it...because I hate it. $15 for someone else to wrap my handlebars is not big thing...well worth the money.

I'm still struggling to find a good LBS. I have 4 in my immediate area:

-The first is bad news bears...like shady car dealers. Horrible to deal with and they have a very bad reputation, its a wonder they're in business.

-The place that I bought my bike from...but they are almost completely devoted to off road cycling. They have superb prices so that's why I went there to buy.

-There is the "Trek" store my bike is at currently...

-The last is pure out of their mind with their prices. They are super nice but those prices. $90/hr for mechanics fees, minimum 2 hrs. As a Specialized dealer, you can look up their prices online. If a bike lists for $2000, they'll have it marked $2700 (no, this is not stretching the truth). They may "bargain" with you down to $2500. Meanwhile, the place I went to would just sell it to you for $2000. it's craziness.

Heathpack 

I got new bars. I have my fit report that I can use to set my bike up with any new equipment. I put the new bars on, used my fit report to get them set up properly. Then went in to my fitter to be sure I got it right. He checked it out, yep I got it right.

Asked me how everything was going on the bike. I told him that I'd been actually having a little minor patellar pain, I thought it was to do with a new snug set of knee warmers.

The phrase "knee pain" caught his attention, no way was he going to let that comment go. He dotted me up with the motion capture dots on my joints and we did a little 3-D motion capture session, verdict was saddle up, IIRC one cm (maybe 0.5 cm?). Then he asked me to go ride out on the road 15-20 min, how did that feel? Good, it felt good.

Haha, next day I went out and PRed a 3-mile climb that I frequently ride. And I still have the knee warmers.

Charge? Gratis.

Seriously, y'all. You just gotta find the right guy.

cave12man

3-D Motion capture system? Yeah, you found the right guy.

roadwarrior

1. No one is talking about an upright hybrid bike which, last time I looked was what most people were riding.

2. No one is trying to convince you. If you don't want to go this route, then don't.

roadwarrior

Or ride a Chinese bike...

Smokehouse

Don't we all? LOL...

roadwarrior

We give a due date and rarely miss it, but also have eight mechanic stands plus a guy that handles the easy stuff (flats, derailleur adjustments) up front on weekends.

If we miss a date we call the customer. We generally do not miss. And we can get to two weeks out we are so busy, depending on the depth of the work. Especially this time of year. It gets a bit nuts.

colnago62

When I was young, one of the coaches had an eye for setup. He would watch you ride, and then make adjustments. These days, I have spent so much time with a good fit that I can tell right away when something isn't dialed in. If you need a fitter, use one. I would say the larger number bike owners do not ride enough to need one.

Smokehouse

In all honesty, that's my beef. If I would have called them on the 22nd, and he stated they they were booked until the first week of June, I would have left the bike intact for another week.

When he told me he'd have it back to me this week, I went ahead and did the work last Monday.


I will say this...I am always cool and collective. I politely went in and requested my bike. When he asked what was up, I simply told him another shop could get it done faster. He then changed his tune...which is fine. No need to be a jerk or be inflammatory...I'm sure that would have got me the finger...

Black wallnut 

Exactly! You buy new parts fit gets reassessed for free. You buy new shoes, cleats fit is included in price. Worst case is you replace a part and just refer back to your measurement chart and set where the fitter had the old part. My LBS keeps a copy, customer gets a copy. My LBS offers I think year warranty of fit services, along with free fitting with bike purchase. Retul fit costs more. If performance or extended comfort is your aim finding a good fitter is worth it. If you just want to ride a few miles or hours a week, you might be just fine without.

pdedes

and you don't have a sheet with all the measurements so that you can replicate the fit on any bike? I use the centre of the BB as a datum, and everything is measured from that.

Robert C

Here is my question with professional fit, where do I start; as in, at what stage in the process do I get the fitter involved? It seems to me that there is a certain amount of logic in involving the fitter before I even purchase the bike.

Seeing as it is a road bike forum I will point out that, where I am living, I don’t even have a road bike. I have a couple of recumbents and a utility bike (a REI Novara Gotham). I would like to get a traditional road bike (in reality I tend toward the cross-bikes) because they are easier to use with services like Amtrak.

The trouble is that, after about ten miles, conventional bikes are just plain painful. I am not talking about mild discomfort; I am talking about ‘all I can think about is the pain’ level of discomfort. In the last ten years I really cannot think of a ride that was more than about seventy miles that did not leave me with blood in my shorts from the perineum being abraded (and I was in a club that did every weekend rides of over 70 miles for about four years).

Like I said, I am again considering, yet another stab at, an upright (conventional bicycle). Why? Like I mentioned, increased utility and a bit of concession to conventional ideas of style. I am 5’6” with a crotch height of about 30.5”. Based on this I suspect I should get about a 52cm frame.

Here come the problems. About 10-15 years ago I crashed and broke my coaxial. Since then it has always hurt. Yes, I mentioned it to my doctor and he said there was pretty much nothing that can be done. It still hurts and is hurting as I write this. Next problem, I am significantly asymmetric, the last time I was measured to it my right side was over 20Lbs heavier than my left. Next, leg length discrepancy, my right leg is about 1.5-2cm longer than the left.

I mention all this to ask how I would even go about starting to get fitted (or should I just give up on the idea and stick to recumbents?

kbarch

Except you can't get your measurements taken or adjustments checked over the internet. What is it carpenters say? Measure twice, cut once. Most anyone who can wield a wrench can make competent adjustments, sure. It's the measuring and checking that amateurs suck at.

Stucky

You're one of the small minority who would genuinely benefit from an expert fitting.

You don't just need a "bike fitter"- you need someone with physical therapy/medical credentials, who is a bike fitter. Might take some time and digging to find the right guy (Maybe ask around at sports medicine places?) but when you find the right one, your problems will be solved.

matchstick

I'm in NW Indiana and just bought a new bike. It fits well but I'm sure there are plenty of tweaks that could/should be made. I bought the bike to get in shape and lose weight. Can you send me the shop/fitter names so I can check them out?

also, road warrior are you in the Midwest or just really familiar with fitters all over?

Willbird

I did send you a message.

roadwarrior

I will send you a personal message. I don't want to use the website as an advertising method.

matchstick

I got your message, but I can't respond until 50 posts. That said I will be sure to visit at some point, your shop isn't too far to make a dedicated trip, and I travel through occasionally.

roadwarrior

No response necessary.

Phil_gretz

...with the fence analogy. And I think that fitting is super important.

But for a fence, it's unlikely that I'll find an affordable builder that's as good an engineer, as patient, and as capable as I am. I'll do it myself, since I'll consider the subsoil, select materials based on the needed environment (wind, moisture, freezing/thawing), measure and design with strength and function in mind, consider maintanance/upkeep in selection of finishes, hardware, fasteners, etc. And, I'll build it plumb and straight. The gates will work, and they'll hold up, too. So...I'd rather build it myself.

I've been riding now into my 5th decade. I also have fitted myself to my six bikes. They're not identical, but they are right for me for the way that I ride them. There're no pain or endurance issues. And I have had back surgery and must work to keep loose in the hamstrings, hip flexors and IBS. So...

dalava

I found the whole "professional fitting" thing a bit like going to the doctors but without the umpteen years of medical school training. A lot of faith is required.

roadwarrior

In other words you'd go see a doctor without checking the doctor out first?

Wow. That is a lot of faith.

If you are going to get a bike setup, check out who is good in your area.

This is not that hard.

popeye

Bad analogy. Anyone can call themselves a "fitter" without any education, board or peer review.