djestouff

I'm living in LA and will be purchasing a new (to me) road bike soon, most likely on craigslist or ebay. Where can I take it to get a fitting done?

I've called around a little bit and so far Rolling Cowboys and I Martin Bicycles seem to offer it for ~$100. Can anyone recommend a good service to price ratio?

TrojanHorse

Nate Loyal in Santa Monica is the gold standard, look him up. I believe he operates out of one of the Helen's Cyclery shops. (burbank?)

tinrobot

Helen's in Santa Monica.

He's a very good fitter, but I didn't think he was so much better to be worth the premium he charges (I think I paid around $150 for a fitting a few years ago...) You could spend $75-100 and get the same fit elsewhere.

rooftest

I'll second Nate.

xjustice09x

I was recently fit by Jim Manton at ero sports. He works out of the velodrome at the home depot center. He does retul fits, so they are a little more expensive than the standard fit you get at most bike shops, but well worth the money.

Ive previously had a specialized BG fit, and thought it was good, but I liked my retul fit even more.

TrojanHorse

Can you expand on what you liked more about it, or what you didn't like about the BG fit? Did you do the power analysis BG fit or just the regular one?

I'm always curious - thanks.

xjustice09x

Both my BG fit and retul fit had power analysis using a computrainer. The power analysis isnt that important to me though. With my retul fit I didn't need to see the power numbers to know I was in a better position. It just felt easier to pedal, and my cadence would increase. I didnt change gears, and the resistance from the trainer stayed the same.

I think the retul sensors are more accurate than the video capture from the BG fit. For the BG fit I could tell from the video that my knee was tracking straighter than before the fitting, but with the retul fit it actually tracked the whole path my knee moved. It drew a picture of the path and would measure how many degrees away from center my knee moved. As changes are made to my position I had quantifiable data to look at and see how things changed. As an engineer I like data. The retul fit gave me more data.

The BG fit did address some of the issues I did have. I learned my left leg is slightly longer than my right. So I now have a shim under my right cleat to even things out. I left with 2 varus wedges under my insole. It turns out that was too much, and caused some toe numbness in my right foot. When I went in for my retul fitting I learned that my specialized s works shoes already have some varus built into the sole, and I didnt need the wedges. Without the varus wedges I no longer have toe numbness. I do use a varus wedge in my mountain bike shoes though since they are more neutral.

The retul system also gave me more accurate measurements of my bike after changes were made.

I think my BG fit was worth the money, and put me in a better position than in was before I had it. Personally I had a better experience with my retul fit from Jim. He was very knowledgeable, and explained why we were making certain changes, and why certain things worked for me. I learned alot from the fitting session. It also doesnt hurt that it was slightly cheaper than my BG fit was.

The BG fitting system and retul are just tools for a fitter to use to put someone in the position that is right for them. Either of them can be used to get great results. I think the more important thing is the fitter doing the fitting.

lbnurface

Quote:

Originally Posted by xjustice09x

Both my BG fit and retul fit had power analysis using a computrainer. The power analysis isnt that important to me though. With my retul fit I didn't need to see the power numbers to know I was in a better position. It just felt easier to pedal, and my cadence would increase. I didnt change gears, and the resistance from the trainer stayed the same.

I think the retul sensors are more accurate than the video capture from the BG fit. For the BG fit I could tell from the video that my knee was tracking straighter than before the fitting, but with the retul fit it actually tracked the whole path my knee moved. It drew a picture of the path and would measure how many degrees away from center my knee moved. As changes are made to my position I had quantifiable data to look at and see how things changed. As an engineer I like data. The retul fit gave me more data.

The BG fit did address some of the issues I did have. I learned my left leg is slightly longer than my right. So I now have a shim under my right cleat to even things out. I left with 2 varus wedges under my insole. It turns out that was too much, and caused some toe numbness in my right foot. When I went in for my retul fitting I learned that my specialized s works shoes already have some varus built into the sole, and I didnt need the wedges. Without the varus wedges I no longer have toe numbness. I do use a varus wedge in my mountain bike shoes though since they are more neutral.

The retul system also gave me more accurate measurements of my bike after changes were made.

I think my BG fit was worth the money, and put me in a better position than in was before I had it. Personally I had a better experience with my retul fit from Jim. He was very knowledgeable, and explained why we were making certain changes, and why certain things worked for me. I learned alot from the fitting session. It also doesnt hurt that it was slightly cheaper than my BG fit was.

The BG fitting system and retul are just tools for a fitter to use to put someone in the position that is right for them. Either of them can be used to get great results. I think the more important thing is the fitter doing the fitting.

very interesting information where did you get your fit done justice? im also in the hunt for a bike fit i think i narrow it down to either nate, just because of reviews. also found aram i believe hes name is at predator cycling, but not sure because i havent seen many reviews from predators bike fit. now im interested in the RETUL fitting tho! any other information will help a ton and continue this thread for future searches

does nate or aram use this retul system or another?

justice at what cost if you dont mind me asking you get your fit at ero sports? seems youll go back to jim at ero sports again for any other fitting huh?

xjustice09x

I got my retul fit done at ERO sports. Jim used to charge 275 for a fit. It looks like they recently changed their policy since Jim is so busy it costs 325 to be fit by Jim, and 275 by one of the other fitters. I would still go back to Jim at $325 I think it is worth it. I havent worked with the other fitters at ERO so I cant comment on them. Jim is very fair, my first fitting didnt take very long so he didnt charge me full price (I dont feel comfortable disclosing that number but it was more than fair and I was willing to pay full price). Since I got my road fitting I went back for a mountain bike fitting fully prepared to pay full price since it was a different type of bike, but he gave me a discount on that fit as well.

I dont think Nate or predator cycling use retul, but I dont know for sure. Ive heard nothing but good things about Nate.

Retul is only a tool. Working with an experienced fitter is the most important part.

lbnurface

thanks a lot justice very helpful, Jim at ERO is on my top pick list now

anyone else have useful information to share with???

Gallo

I am in San Diego and went to John Howard. I was very pleased with the results. John brings his personal experience and performs a through fitting. He tested me on a roller with a watt output and a computer simulation software before the fit and after the fit to gauge improvement. He he went the extra mile and pointed out that my right knee was in the wrong position and then adjusted and shimmed my shoe. He explained why I have been rubbing on my crank for many years and how it sapped some power. He suggested that my shoes and pedal were not what he would of recommended and that when they are worn to consider some options. He marked everything in case I was not pleased so I could adjust to my original set up. He asked questions he answered questions. Nothing was forced from a sales perspective and my impression was he might be as good a fitter as he was a rider. Overall I could not be more than pleased

https://www.johnhowardsports.com/?page_id=153

ovoleg

II got my fitting done with Nate Loyal about 4-5 years ago, I have mixed feelings about the fit. I was still having some issues post fit, which might be because I already injured a certain area and needed time to recover(no fit would solve that).

I got my latest 2 fits done with Jim Baldesaur(JB) in Ohio. Hands down the best fit ever. I attribute at least a 5% increase in overall power due to being way more comfortable and extending the legs out. It could be placebo but I seriously felt like he knew what he was doing. It was stupid hard to get a hold of him though...