Originally Posted by
Commando303
I'll grant there's something to that, but, on the other hand, I feel the "professional fitting" is purchased by a number of people who don't need it (walking into a bike shop, one sometimes sees persons not even sure what kind of bike they want, talked into putting down a bunch more cash because they're successfully persuaded it's "worth it" to be fitted "correctly"). For most bicyclists, my feeling is, the "common-sense fit" is perfectly adequate.
I'd hate to start a flame-war, so I'll move away from this digression, here.
The "common sense fit" can work for a lot of people because professional fitting or not your body will always tell you when something's wrong, so the best thing is to take that cue and get some help if you feel you can't sort it out on your own. If you're riding a hybrid and just ride around casually with platform pedals then there's often less fit issues, but once you're clipped in there are other factors to consider which is why in a professional fitting makes sense.