Originally Posted by
fourwinds
Thnk you for sharing your experience. I'm leaning towards getting the fitting up front as none of the bikes are currently right for me which I described in my original post and they'll give me a discount on part changes at that time. Unfortunately no one has responded with tips about how to adjust the fit! I'm thinking about whether to pay for fitting on the Specialized; that shop provides extensive fitting service. The Trek shop not as much fitting, but I think the bike starts out closer to fitting me.
I want to first point out that bike fitting is neither "science" nor difficult, although it does take an attention to detail, nuance, and a methodical approach.
My second thought is the typical, "if you have to ask, then yes, get a fitting," but that's me assuming you don't have interest in doing some adjustments yourself. However, in your OP you demonstrate attention both to detail and methodology, so I'd bet you could do this if you wanted to! That's really a rehash of [MENTION=375764]linberl[/MENTION]'s point, but if you haven't seriously considered it, do.
The reason to consider doing it yourself, as Linerl rightly pointed out, is that things change as you get into riding. I'd add to that there are no guarantees that a fitting will really be successful in any way at this point. You really need riding experience to know what you need. Riding around on even a really ill-fitting bike is not going to mess you up; just look around at how most people ride! Even a properly fitted bike will need to be tweaked for comfort, because there's a difference between fitting and fitted. For example, you can have a well-sized frame, the right stem length and right saddle height, but the wrong bar shape, wrong saddle, wrong brake lever position, etc. Fit is not a right/wrong or yes/no thing, and the permutations of correct possibilities are many.
That said, if you don't want to tackle it and want it done by a shop, get a good one. Make sure the shop takes measurements, does observations, and has someone who really knows what they're doing. If I recall, the Specialized fit system-- is it BodyGeometry?-- is pretty comprehensive and authorized service providers have training in providing it. Whatever the case, ask questions about it, and be comfortable with their answers; if they're vague or otherwise unconvincing, look elsewhere. There may even be independent bike fitters in your town, and since that's their only business, they're usually proficient in the work. Bike shop fittings, especially if they don't have a specialist, are unreliable, though they can certainly be just fine and well provided, too.
My advice, though, would be to wait until you get some miles in and can see what might be better.
Good luck!