mtalinm

yep, I kept telling myself

"it's too much money"

"I'll do it in the off-season"

"I want to lose some weight first"

"I'll just read peter white's website and figure it out myself"

what an idiot I was. finally I went tonight and got a pro fit. always thought I had a leg-length discrepancy and had adjusted my cleats (unsuccessfully) to compensate.

dead wrong. for about 8,000 miles and an elapsed month of my life I'd been riding on a saddle that was too narrow, cleats too far forward, with bars too low, etc etc etc.

idiot me.

lots of shops, at least in cold areas, have winter discounts. just do it.

Doohickie

No.

IFLUX23

Lol, look who's here.

abstractform20

how many pros get fit to their bike just once? do more often. report back.

WarLordZ

As long as my bib shorts aren't to tight I'm good.

lazerzxr

Now ride for a month or two and realise you were in fact better off before

todayilearned

Going to get it done sometime next week. Got any advice on questions to ask and concerns to take care of during fitting?

I talked to the guy who said he would be doing it and he told me to follow up after fitting if any problems arise. I figure I spent thousands on my bike might as well get fitted.

jeepseahawk

Funny, my fitter said the same thing. I call him up 2 weeks later to tell him since the fitting my right knee developed pain, his response, "you need to see a doctor before I see you again." I wanted to throw my bike through his window. I have since played with my fittings myself and the knee pain is now gone.

dleccord

how much does it cost? and is there any charge for coming back for little things you're replacing?

Campag4life

You have no idea if you are right or wrong. One can't make an assessment in one day because some fitter thinks you need the things you mention. Report back in 2K miles. Fit is a work in progress. Technique and fit can always be improved.

pdedes

My then coach showed me how to properly fit myself to a bike. Been doing it myself ever since.

banerjek

Fitting is mostly geometry -- matching a person with X body characteristics to bike Y. But everyone is different, and there's no way anyone can get all the subtleties right in a single session. This means you'll always have to do the fine tuning, and tiny adjustments can make a huge difference in comfort. However, fitters can make sure you don't do anything that's obviously stupid or wrong.

Everyone who rides much should know how to adjust his/her bike and perform basic maintenance. It always blows my mind how many people I see riding very expensive bikes that are clearly set up improperly and/or way out of adjustment.

ahsposo 

Without profit you can't stay in business. Profit is good!

adriano 

also, no.

njkayaker

Or keep going to different fitters until you find the one who wouldn't change anything!

kbro1986

If I paid $100+ for a pro bike fit, I would be pissed if the fitter didn't change a thing. Even if the fit was perfect going in, LOL!

fa63

+1.

unionmade

I "fit" myself on the bike using techniques I found online. After a few hundred miles, I had time to schedule a proper fitting. The fitter didn't need to do much to seat hight and setback, as I had almost nailed them. He did swap out my stem, as I was having reach problems (yes, he gave me an old man's stem, truth hurts sometimes.) However, the most important thing he did was coach me on my pedaling technique (yes, my wife and kids still laugh because I "paid $75 dollars for a guy to tell me how to pedal a bike.")
The tips he gave me after watching me pedal for a minute have increased my stamina significantly, and also eliminated foot pain I had been having. It was well worth the cost.

ColinL

most likely if you got nothing about of a pro fit, the fitter failed in their job. they should be able to offer SOMETHING to almost everyone. if you have problems like knee pain before or after a fit, I would think that they would work with those issues.

good fit = well worth it
bad fit = why bother

gsteinb

I've had two retul fits by two excellent racers/coaches/champions

they said opposite things, both within a cm of each other

Commodus

The fit I had done was the best money I've ever spent.

StephenH

I am thoroughly impressed that you rode 8,000 miles in a month, actually.

I've talked to very experienced bike riders- some swear by fitters, some have no use for them whatever, so there's not much of a concensus.

Ultraslide

I was fit at my LBS after one of the guys had just got back from fit school and they began offering the service. There was no charge. It was pretty thorough in terms of body geometry but no computer analysis or major shoe/cleat positioning. The service is normally $150 and delivered by Trek retailers. What came about was that my saddle was lowered considerably and my stem shortened by 20mm. After a brief adjustment period I could tell my hamstrings were finally getting some use, and felt like I had more control over the bike in the drops. A year later I am more or less on the same fit, but now that my hamstrings are stronger and I know how my pedal stroke should feel, my saddle is setback a few more mm. Mind you, up that point I had no discomfort and was riding around 4K miles a year. There must be some voodoo with saddle height because other, more experienced, riders had told me repeatedly to raise my saddle, and I can tell you they were dead wrong, both in terms of comfort and power. Maybe they saw a problem in my spin and just assumed my saddle was too low? I mean isn't it always too low?

Fit is not a panacea, and fitters can be as prejudiced to a "style" as anyone, but getting a fit may help you discover something about your own style. I now know I like being back and down with plenty of arm bend in the drops. Despite some local "experts" telling me I needed to be stretched out long and over the front.

Hulley

I got a Pro Fit last year by someone that was recommended here. He is certified and has been fitting for many years, also a racer. I was in much worse shape afterwards, and yes I rode for a few weeks to adjust. Now I just fit myself and am doing much better. Although I do have left knee pain after 30-35 miles, which my left knee is in bad shape after playing Ice Hockey and riding Moto-X all my life. I'm 39yrs and I feel old as hell. Cycling is about all I can do, its ok, I love to ride.

ColinL

I think the OP means 8,000 miles and a total time investment roughly equal to a month. 8,000 miles at 14mph is approx 571 hours which in turn is about 24 days.