Cleave

Hi,

Based on what I "learned" on these forums, I decided to get a fitting using the Retul system. I primarily want to get my TT bike set up as I am lost on how to get myself in a good position. I am also getting my road bike "checked" by the system. I am presuming that my road bike is pretty close.

BTW, this fitter uses the Retul for basic fit and some kind of trainer with power to measure power output overall and for each leg. He is also going to do cleat fittings on two pairs of shoes.

He predicted this will take 7-8 hours.

I'll let you know how it goes.

bostongarden

7-8 hours in one contiguous session!?!?!?!? Uh...

ridethecliche

Sounds, erm, long...

I suppose a regular fit takes about an hour or two, so two bikes, two pairs of shoes, and a fit system that takes more time to set up and execute should be around 2-3 hrs a fit.

That's a long time!

Cleave

He said there would be a 1 hour break for lunch.

bostongarden

You should get a snack break too...and, if there is wireless access, a BF break to fill us in on how the fit is going...

LT Intolerant

Sounds like he charges by the hour.

bdcheung

I wouldn't anticipate any kind of immediate power increase. Your body will need time to adapt to any new position.

LT Intolerant

I went through a Retul fit process with my road and TT bike 6 weeks ago and the whole process took roughly 3 1/2 hours. My fitter was great. He is a racer, has a background in PT, and has been a fitter for many years.

He made subtle but significant adjustments to my seat height and reach, but most importantly he fixed the misalignment issue w my right leg using orthotics. He also gave a me a # of core exercises to do and others to improve flexibility. It was well worth the $s.

buddy213

where? who? how much?

J.Lockdown

+1

Also some larger changes probably going to lead to some discomfort for a little.

But 7-8 hours for a fitting thats pretty long. Sounds like you could buy a new seat of wheels for the cost of that session.

bdcheung

My Retul fitter made me swear I wouldn't touch anything for at least a month after the fitting.

It was really tough to keep that promise, as the first couple of rides didn't feel right.

But after some time in the saddle my body acclimated and after that everything felt much better.

Booger

How much?

johnybutts

OP just likes to tease us...

MitchellH

I think around here the going rate is $250 for a Retul fitting.

ridethecliche

So you liked it much more than the wobble naught fitting, then?

ridethecliche

That's reasonable, even I could scrounge up the money for that.

I think it's like 350 over here. That's a little nutso...

euphoria

It felt like I was consistently overreaching with every stroke for at least a month (not to mention a bevy of niggles and hamstring cramps), but now my legs whip around so fast that it looks like my seat was lowered.

bdcheung

Yes, it fixed things (namely a leg length discrepancy that we shimmed and some knee tracking problems) that our local W-N fitter didn't identify or address.

The Retul fitter also gave me insight into the insane amount of forefoot flex I have, as well as my flexibility and pedaling technique.

ridethecliche

Depending on how things go, I might have to do this later at some point if I have the funds.

I'm not sure when I should do it though. I'm guessing that it should be done later in the season so I don't have to take a few weeks feeling weird and adapting. Or is that an issue?

johnybutts

I get a retul fitting free through my team, still haven't gone in. I'm goign to make this a priority after this weekend's racing, cause i have all sorts of foot issues.

LT Intolerant

I guess it depends on how radical the changes are. I was cautioned to allow for 2 weeks of easy riding to adapt to the changes that were made in my case.

In typical knucklehead fashion I ignored that advice and it was business, er training, as usual. The net result, no significant issues, other than a bit of muscle soreness. However YMMV.

gtmandsager

I had a Retul fit done about a month ago (Josh Frick at Cyclelife), it took approx 4 hours and has been great. He replaced my 100mm stem with a 120mm, flipped it up, and raised my saddle. We also discussed cleat position (towards the toes for more maximum power, towards the heel for more efficient aerobic work, changes the amount of calf recruitment). I'm actually lower than before, because I'm now comfortable enough to have a consistent elbow bend (even though it's a longer position, but that's what happened). I hadn't been on the bike with any consistency over the winter, but a week after the fitting I went out on a long (5hrs saddle time) group ride and no back/neck/knee/other joint pain. This was the pro fitting, so it was 350ish. There's a basic fit for $100. In the month since I've ramped up volume and intensity without any non-muscular soreness. Highly recommended.

BigSean

We saw the same fitter. I have 2 bikes so I raced on the non adjusted bike since it was 2 days after my fitting, then adjusted the race bike to match. No real issues for me either, I actually felt better every day of riding the new fit. I returned after a few weeks for some more adjustments. He didnt want to do too much since I had some issues that needed worked out(tightness). So far I am really happy with the changes and the results.

For what its work the cost here in California was close to $350. Although I think its reasonable. Ive had other fits for a bit less, but they did not do as much either. Seems the small details make a big difference.

ridethecliche

After having calf cramps during the early season races, I moved my cleats back, saddle forward, post up, and got a longer stem. All issues went away, but I got tendinitis in one of my ankles. Talked to my PT and she sent me to a shot to have fit adjusted.

They pretty much did the opposite of what I had done. Cleats forward, saddle back and down, and shorter stem. I felt much stronger on the bike, but the calf cramps are starting to come back. Happened today. Though, today I attribute it to being underfed and dehydrated. I hope it stops.

I'm going to see my coach next week, so I'll have him do a fit to see what he thinks needs adjusting, and then I'll do what I'm terrible at and not touch a thing...

Cleave

Hello,

What a day. First of all, I'm with pcad when I say, with all the best intentions, that the reading comprehension of BF members is particularly low.

Two (2) bikes and two (2) pairs of brand new shoes took 9-1/2 hours and 38 miles on the setup trainer with NO lunch break. To say that this guy is meticulous is an understatement.

My goals were to get a good position on my TT bike and confirm the position on my road bike. With respect to my TT bike, I'll say that I was getting so desperate on my fit that I ALMOST posted some pictures on BF to get YOUR opinion.

I should have watched the time of day a little more closely. We spent some amount of time with an interview process, followed by measuring both bikes. He then measured me, but not as completely as you might guess: inseam (31.25 inches -- thankfully I'm not shrinking yet), leg length discrepancy, foot roll angle.

This particular fitter used a CompuTrainer with the full SpinScan setup. We started with my road bike since my assumption was that the position was pretty close. We also started fitting the first pair of shoes. After looking at my pedaling efficiency and playing with the cleats a bit to get them close, he finally attached the Retul system.

He took three (3), 15 second captures on my right side: 2 at a moderate power and one at a higher power (as measured by the CompuTrainer). We looked a the data and then began the process of dialing in the cleats. Adjust, then measure using the Retul. Several sets of measurement on my right side were followed by the same process on my left side. It took 5 hours to finish all of the preliminary stuff, 1 pair of shoes, and my road bike.

The second pair of shoes was faster than the first, but the TT bike setup was longer (as expected) than the road bike. In addition to everything he did on the road bike, he added an additional measuring technique using the FIST (don't know what it is) protocol and static measuring device for tri/TT setups. 4-1/2 hours later, he had changed everything on my TT bike except the seat fore/aft position.

So in the end, my slightly weird looking setup on my road bike is fine, though I may try lowering my saddle 3 mm (which we tried during the session but didn't keep). I need to buy a new stem for my TT bike but I need to make a decision on the stem drop. We used his fitting stems and in the end I am currently comfortable with a reasonable drop but I could go lower if my neck can stand it for a 40K TT. I have a 100 mm, 73° stem that is close but I need to buy a 90 stem to fit better. I could actually go shorter but my weird leg and arm proportions won't let me.

He charged me $265 for the TT bike and he gave me a substantial discount for the the road bike. There were some additional charges for some insole wedges for my shoes.

I am heading out to try the TT bike on the road and I'll stop at my LBS to figure out which stem to buy.