TrojanHorse

I was mulling over the "free entry fee if you get a fitting" before the Solvang century. If I'm not mistaken, he's right here in my little town, which is a plus over somebody like Nate Loyal.

Thoughts?

TrojanHorse

OK, so no personal info but has anybody got second or third hand info? C'mon now.

Six jours

He knows what he's doing. But he's not capable of any magic. If your position is bad and you don't know what to do about it he can help you, for a lot of money. If your position is fine he'll still take your money but the improvement you notice will be imaginary.

TrojanHorse

Well, since the ride fee is close to $100 and the fitting fee is about 150, I think that's probably a reasonable expectation. I think validation for not much cash is probably OK. Alternately "you suck" works too, I just seem to see a lot of witchcraft and voodoo stories about bike fitting.

Thanks for your comments.

Six jours

In all seriousness, he's been around for a long time and really does know what he's doing. And it sounds like you've got your head on straight re. realistic expectations: a lot of folks really do seem to think that there's some kind of magic involved in bike fitting and that finding the right guru will result in fame, wealth, and supermodel connections.

Short version: if Randy Ice will look you over for what amounts to fifty bucks, and you're not expecting to win the Tour de France as a result, then it's probably a fine idea. And if this is your first Solvang, you're in for a treat.

calamarichris

As one who experienced what you refer to mockingly as magic, I would argue otherwise.
If your position is bad, (despite appearing, as far as you know, fine) a good pro-fit has the potential of being magic.
If your position is fine, at least you will have gained the understanding and the confidence that your position is fine (and that the problem lies with your willpower or ability to suffer well.)

I felt like a complete clod, walking out of Nate Loyal's fit $150 poorer, when all he did was shift my seat, post & cleats about a centimeter, and give me a little business card with my bb-to-seat-to-handlebar measurements (aka the Holy Trinity). But I cancelled my appointment with a knee-surgeon two weeks after that fit session, because my chronic knee pain had disappeared, and I was riding longer and stronger than I ever had. Decidedly the best $150 I'd ever spent.

TrojanHorse

Dude(s), if I give that man $50 and I don't win the Tour de France we're gonna have issues!

But in all seriousness, I've never had anybody with a clue look at me on my bike and I'm curious as to whether I'm doing it right... not to mention I have a medically terrible right knee. (no cartilage.) I'll give it a whirl and report back.

And yes, it's my first solvang and I'm quite looking forward to it. Not to mention the post ride beverages.

jimxyz

Weighing in from the third-party section - two friends took advantage of the Solvang fitting special and both had pretty minor adjustments to their bikes, but both felt that it was worth it just to confirm that their setup was pretty close to where it needed to be (especially at the price).

calamarichris

Yeah, but a minor flaw to your position can't really be called minor when you consider how many tens of thousands of repetitive motion cycles your legs undergo on one lively bike ride.
Sure wish I'd spent the $150 on a good fitting back when I was a teenager, instead of blowing money on tubular tires or the latest stupid Oakley sunglasses. I don't get any kickbacks or discounts from Nate Loyal and he's not a friend or acquaintance of mine; and I've also been to other fitters since.
If you haven't seen a pro-fitter (and not the guy who sold you the bike who eyed you and said, "that looks good") it's entirely worth it IMO.

TrojanHorse

Well, I'm just waiting for him to call me back now.

Thanks for the input.

elkootcho

Let us know how it goes. I need a fitting as well. (bask issues)

Six jours

So did you end up marrying the supermodel?

calamarichris

Nope, but I am dating her hotter, sweeter kid sister.


And it's reasonable to assume that the anticipated knee surgery would have cost my company's health insurance about 100 times what that bike fit cost.

Six jours

Not to mention the value of a TdF win. Overall, it's hard to see why even non-cyclists shouldn't pay for a fit!

<edit> I wouldn't mind a few more pictures. Either the girl, the road, or both.

calamarichris

Elfin Forest & Harmony Grove Road (clicky for Gmaps street view.) It's one of those North San Diego County gems right in my backyard with light traffic, quality asphalt, creeks, avocado groves, and the occasional oak canopy. Especially idyllic in early Spring after the rain we've been getting. Going to ride it at least once this weekend.

Six jours

Lucky man.

Sorry for derailing your thread, TrojanHorse. I'm still expecting a cut of the wealth after you've been fitted. Have fun at Solvang!

calamarichris

So you're snidely inferring from the positive statements that anyone who gets professionally fit on their bike should be capable of winning the Tour de France?
The "pro" in "pro fit" doesn't mean it will give you the capabilities of a professional cyclist, it means you are paying a professional bike fitter to analyze (and correct if necessary) your position on your bike, to improve your comfort, your strength, and enhance your cycling experience.
If you've had this done and it didn't help you, by all means, tell us of your experience and with whom you had it. Otherwise, get back on your beach cruiser and don't criticize what you don't understand.

Six jours

Actually, it meant that I'm butting out, because I don't want to turn his thread into another debate about "pro fitting".

TrojanHorse

Either way, I have an appointment Monday night at 8:30 - he's coming to my house. I'll post an update afterwards.

calamarichris

Measure & record your current seat-height, and your saddle-nose to stem measurements. That way you can measure them after the fitting and you'll know exactly how much it was changed. Most pro-fitters will do this for you, but it can't hurt to have your before measurements, in case they don't. Keep us abreast.

jimxyz

I checked in with my friend who had the fitting done and he said that even though only a very minor change was made - and the whole process took maybe 30 minutes - his hip pain that was an issue went away. He was very happy with the result given that the mods he had made to the bike to try to fix the problem did not work - so it was worth it (even though no TDF wins) Not that you need any additional assurance - but it is one confirmed success story with Randy.

Focused1

+1 on Nate...though I have nothing to compare him to. To me it seems to be a small investment to make your 2-6 hrs in the saddle a better experience

calamarichris

Nate's the Cadillac of bike fitters IMO. I've been to two other fitters and he was the most expensive, but also the most helpful and knowledgeable. He recommended some hip-flexor exercises that bought my FTP another 30-40W.
Another solid fitter down her in SD County is Eric of Velofit, who fit me on a different bike, and the difference between his set-up and Nate's was negligible (within 2mm on the saddlenose-to-stem measurement.)

TrojanHorse

OK, no measurement changes aside from my cleat position and I haven't had a chance to go ride today because it's raining and I don't feel like cleaning my bike.

No magic happened. It wasn't a fancy power-metered fitting to determine my most efficient position either, which is fine with me.

We did sit around and chat about my various issues (I have a plate in my left foot, no cartilage in my right knee and general neck and shoulder issues on long rides) and then he did some biomechanic evaluation type stuff. He moved my legs around to evaluate stiffness & evenness (I'm apparently reasonably flexible), watched me walk back and forth and then put me on my bike on a trainer to do some pedaling. He decided my cleats were too far forward and one was more centered on my foot (how did that happen?) whereas the other one was positioned to the inside of my shoe. He measured my body angle while on the hoods, which is where I usually ride, checked my leg angle to check saddle height and then watched me from the front for a while to see how my leg angles were working out. Q factor was fine, and I guess I don't pedal all spraddle legged or anything.

The upshot was that he made some recommendations. He thought my saddle was too far back based on the KPOS rule of thumb (about an inch back for me) but then moving your saddle back tends to involve the glutes & Hams more, and is apparently easier on the knees so he ended up leaving it where it was. In the last 6 months I've changed out stems and moved spacers around and he suggested that a shorter stem (mine's 100, the original was 120) would be appropriate and something with more elevation than -17 would benefit my long distance comfort.

I haven't had a chance to test out the new cleat position yet but I'll do that in the next day or two before I do anything else, but I think I may slide my saddle forward a half inch or so and see if I like that better. I'm going to be swapping frames in about a week when my latest ebay "win"gets here and I'll probably end up raising the bars a little bit when I do that.

My wife was giving me funny looks and asked me if it was worth it - so in my opinion, it's nice to have somebody else check your position and validate that you aren't out to lunch. In my case, we discussed the pros and cons of shifting my saddle & bars around so it doesn't bother me that he didn't say "you have to put your saddle here". From what I can tell, cockpit positions are mostly about rider comfort anyway.

Thanks for all the opinions and input.

calamarichris

Hmm... Did he check your knee position relative to your pedal axle with a plumb-line?