Houston Bike Shop Fitting
 

Houstonians, I have recently purchased a bike from a Craigslist user in Arizona. He will be shipping me the bike within the week, and I am wondering what the best shop to get a professional fitting would be? I am new to the area, and do not have any experience with LBS around here.

Also, if anyone has any experience shipping bikes, I am thinking it wouldn't be a bad idea to have my seller just send it direct to the LBS. Would a bike shop have a problem with that? I would be paying for assembly and a fitting so I figure they'd be fine with it. I live in an apartment complex and it gives me headaches thinking about dealing with my management about a large bike box being delivered to the front office :twitchy:

There are several good fitters in the Houston area...
as to having a bike shop receive it and put it together for you, the best thing there would be to go to shops close to you and ask them about it...they will tell you if they are interested and what their fee would be.
I did not suggest a fitter, as my favorite fitter just moved to college station and I have not personally used any of the others.

I have used Tad Hughes for a fit prior to and after buying my new bike, and was very happy with the result. However, he has his own facility and is not affiliated with a shop, and would probably not be interested in the bike assembly portion of what you are looking for. You might be able to get a better deal calling around and asking LBSs about doing the two (assembly and fitting) as a package price.

Another vote for Tad Hughes. Might be worth a call to see about assembly - a shipped bike may need no more than the front wheel and handlebar attached. All depends on how far they broke it down.

I don't have any fitting recommendation but I would separate the assembly from fitting. Ship to a local bike shop you talk beforehand that is close to where you live. Where in Houston do you live?

Seems like that's the move to make. I live in the northern Washington Ave area. Know of any good shops around? Blue Line Bicycle Lab is about 10-15 min away, not sure if they do much road cycling stuff though.

Bike World is at 2519 Rice Blvd
Bike Barn is at 5339 Weslayan
They are not too far from you. West End Cycles might be able to help even though they are a MTB shop.

West End does a lot of road bikes now...in your area there is also Icycle and the tri shop on shepherd and i forget the name of the shop between durham and shepherd 2 blocks north of washington...
if you go to west end ask for Dan to get what info you need. You have about 6 shops within 10 minutes of you. My office is about 5 minutes from west end on 11th st.

Have you ever gotten a fitting with West End? Any idea of their prices? Tad Hughes looks great but very expensive.

No, I have had 3 bike fittings done myself and two for the wife, but all with Joe Trainor, he is now in college station...
I have bought two bikes at west end and often by tires etc from them. A good bike fitting is expensive...

Is $250 reasonable? I have never gotten a professional fitting so I wasnt sure what was normal

actually that is on the low end of what some charge... keep in mind that does not include any parts used in the fitting... like stem or handlebar or shoe inserts if needed. A good fitting will take several hours... they will start with an interview and discuss your experience, your goals any past injuries or physical limitations... then they will likely to do a range of motion/agility test, all before you even get on the bike. When the fit is done you will receive a fit report containing all the measurements and finish angles... mine included before and after photos with the angles and measurements imposed on the photo...a good reference for future use... and most will include a follow up visit.

Wow, well I think I might check out Tad Hughes after reading the reviews about him. Thanks for all the help

I just stumbled across a shop dedicated to fitting and performance called "Bicycle Speed Shop". Looks like a cool operation these guys are running. Same price as Tad. Any of you have experience or have heard of them?

Bicycle Speed Shop - Fitting - Houston, TX : Bicycle Speed Shop

If anyone is wondering, I got my fit done at Bicycle Speed Shop and was very impressed. They have a nearly brand new Retul machine, and were very comprehensive in the fit. The guys in there were also very knowledgeable and approachable. Would recommend to anyone looking for a complete fitting.