dbg

I ran on too far. I should have stopped at "resisting hypocritical criticism until I've tried it." I would also much rather get on a bike set up correctly than be uncomfortable until my tweaks stumble on the right setup.

TiHabanero

Having been trained in the original Fit Kit method and using it hundreds of times over, I know that the only way to an ideal set up is traveling the road to the destination. Fit Kit was based upon averaging, but was not the definitive answer as it took constant tweaking for weeks and many miles after the initial session to optimize the position. More or less, it was a starting position to evolve from.
If Retul can expedite the process of finding the optimal position, there is value to it. I have been witness to many, many "professional" fittings, including professional cyclists, but never been through one myself as I have no discomfort and am not looking for more speed, yet, I would like to go through the process to have the experience, and Retul seems like a valid method of fitting.

kaliayev

There are some decent fit tools out there that can help. I use Competitive Cyclist's fit calculator to get me close and then tweak as needed. One thing I have seen with many "professional" fitters is that they are often racer biased and do not really serve the needs of many cyclist.


https://www.competitivecyclist.com/za...LCULATOR_INTRO

qcpmsame 

If anyone doesn't want to pay for or go through the time it takes for a fitting they can get several good books on the topic and do things themselves, you probably need a person to help you with a few things but it is doable. Take a few minutes to do some research for the titles you need, "Zinn's Cycling Primer", by Lennard Zinn and"Cycling Past 50", by Joe Friel are two that I have used to fit myself and also for updating things as my body changes with my fitness. Zinn and Friel go through the various measurements that you need to do a fit and how to position yourself on the bike to put the tweaks and measurements to work.

A fit is not the answer to everything in a persons riding pleasure and ending pain, it is an ongoing process. I have done many fittings up until this past N+1, the LBS asked if I wanted them to do one as it is always in the sale with them. It got my bike zeroed in much faster this time and was worth the extra effort on my part, no components had to be swapped for my position, fortunately. Now that fitting systems like Retul and the others are available I want to take advantage of them and avoid future injuries from poor ergonomics when I could do something about any problems quicker. JMHO.

Bill

droy45

I have to agree with this^, Even after the professional fitting, l felt like tweeking here and there to make improvements for comfort and it goes on and on for a while till you are reasonably comfortable and that alone seems to negate the setup. I wouldn't call it a fad but maybe just a good starting point. It definitely has value for some people.

WingSuit

Hawk Owl said that his knees were "coming in", which I understand to be dipping in towards the bike when pedaling. The arch supports would prevent this, by keeping your feet from pronating inwards under load, thereby pulling the knees in. When the knees dont go in the vertical plane, it stresses the IT band, and will at some point make your knees sore. Sometimes placing a wedge under the cleat or in the shoe is also necessary, or even a shim if one leg is shorter than the other.

Most of the conversation in this thread seems to focus on saddle height, saddle fore--aft position, stem length, etc. while these are critical, they are also the easiest to self-adjust through trial and error. Small changes to cleats and shoes can go a long way to better your fit.

qcpmsame 

^^^, +1 for the insoles, orthotics and shims under cleats for adjusting the idiosyncrasies or our feet as they are in the pedals. I had completely forgotten to mention this aspect. I had to adjust the cant on my cleats for both feet to get things dialed in.

Bill