Originally Posted by
illdthedj
well, it sounds like a very good investment to get fitted correctly then.
ill have to see which LBS's around me do it. Will getting fitted also take road vs track riding into account? do you need to get fitted someplace that does track fitting specifically? i just realize ive seen people fitted at LBS's but it seemed to always be for the road.
and i know i should just go check out LBS's quotes....but what is ballpark for fitting?
anyway all the info has been awesome, i know allot more now than i did an hour ago.
Ask around for the most experienced guy in the shop then ask him his thoughts on road vs track fittings. If he says something to the effect of, "It depends on what type of track racing you are gonna do..." then he's your guy.
Endurance racers tend to go for a fit that is similar to their road bikes. They use road bars. They are higher up and sit further back in the saddles for comfort in longer races. This takes the weight off of the arms and shoulders. They give up a bit of aerodynamics and in-the-saddle sprint power. Sprinters tend to have the saddle as close as legally possible to the BB which allows them to lower the bars and get lower. But, this loads up lots of weight on the arms, shoulders, and hands. But, it's OK because sprint races (match sprints, keirin, short scratch races, etc...) are only a few minutes long so by the time it's too uncomfortable, the race is over. Sprinters use "track" bars because they allow the forearms to clear during standing starts, plus they tend to be stiffer/stronger also for the same.