Cyclefit - Any Experience

trevorb

I have been looking on the web to get some professional advice on my bike position. I came across a number of shops that do bikefitting for £35, which seems reasonable. I also discovered cyclefit.co.uk who appear to offer a very comprehensive and technical savvy 2 hour session that looks at all areas of your set up, including posture and cleat positioning. The downside is the cost (£150 for the 'basic' package) and whilst I am sure that cyclefit earn their money, I have not seen any personal testimonies from cyclists to decide whether it is good value for money.

Has anyone used this service?

giant_man

First of all, I haven't done this but it does look good to me.

The fitting service from cyclefit imo only benefits one if you are going to get a frame/bike from them ie a Serotta, Glider or Colnago and then some or all the cost is reimbursed.

Depends really how in-depth you want to go for a custom route. £35 sound very reasonable if you want a basic measuring fit service, and of course you come away (or you should do) with all your measurements on a schematic illustration, so you can apply these figures to any future bike you purchase.

Ed Moses

I attended a Cyclefit session back in January. This was the basic 2 hour session (disclaimer I did end up buying a sale Serotta from them!) and my interest was to check my basic position and cleat setups as I am increasing my milage with a view to doing some Sportives this Summer - plus I am not getting any younger.....

I would have to say that the team are professional and though. We spent time talking about what cycling I did and what I planned to do. I took some pictures of my existing bikes and settings for review. We send some time looking at these and then went through a detailed measuring session (I have one leg longer than the other in the thigh!). After this the cleats on my shoes were adjusted and I got a set of moulded insoles made.

Then it was onto the fit cycle. Cyclefit have a good range of saddles to ensure that the fit works on your own bike. we then spent time adjusting the position on the bike - starting from where I have my own bikes set.

At the end of my time, I am happy to say that I was not far off in my own position - but my saddle is now further forwards than it used to be and the bars are a bit higher. Together with the changes to my cleats , I would say that my initial feelings on the test bike were a bid odd - my legs did not feel quite right. This feeling was replicated in the first ride of my Roberts with the new settings applied. Having said that I did feel better after my rides with less stiffness in my legs/lower back.

Now that I have been riding with the new position for a month, I am happy - it seems easier to power up the hills!

If you have any specific question please ask.

BTW there is a good article here http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/default.asp?pg=fullstory&id=5532

Ed

Monty Dog

I know a number of people who've been there with varying results. If you have a biomechanical problem e.g. back, knees, neck etc, then can be a big help. However, for general riding then generally recommend a fairly upright position, so less good good if you're into racing or trying to go faster. OK if you plan on buying a bike from them, but less so if just paying for a bike fit.

mrushton

i had the insoles done there (not the really expensive E-soles) and took my partner there because of a nagging knee problem she had. She had the full c-fit which was an option and had insoles and wedges, the latter curing the knee problem. The team there are v.professional, but then again they have a lot of high end clients. It's true they do make you sit higher but thats because most of us aren't flexible. Guys like Warrick Spence (who works there) and Roger Hammond are Elite level riders and can ride in the low position and train to do so

trevorb

Thanks to you all for the information. I have to say that whilst most comments are positive they are not quite swaying me enough to depart with £150. It is obvious that CycleFit offer a good service and it may be that they can aid my position (I have had a bad left knee for a couple of years now and physio is always slow to make any difference) but as yet I am still to be convinced.
I did get a pair of orthotic insoles from a podiatrist for my cycling shoes but they never fitted inside the shoes! My theory is that as the weight of the leg is taken by the balls of the feet when cycling then lifting my fallen arches, which is why I had the insoles in the first place, is not as relevant when cycling.
I can ride as many 3 different bikes during the week and I have found that my position is reasonably comfortable on them all with no back or shoulder ache on either. Saddle height is almost identical on them all and whilst they all have Look pedals, I'm sure technology could aid my cleat positioning.
Maybe I will consider it again in a couple of months once I have upped my mileage.

Trevor

scherrit

If your knee is worse when you ride loads, perhaps its worth getting a fitter to look at you from the front.... even a mate/spouse may be able to see your knee moving in a non-straight up and down line as seen from the front when you're on a turbo trainer?

I t may be a good idea to keep a diary of when your knee gets sore, to see if it's mostly with increase bike mileage... also if anything else niggles at the same time.... so for example you often see an achilles pain on the medial side going with a lateral knee pain and that would make your fitter think about trying a wedge, or sending you to a sports podiatrist for orthotics (which FIT in your cycling shoes!)

Good luck!
S.

ninjaslim

I'd recommend having a bikefit done I paid about £20 but got the dealer to take it off the bike I was buying.

I'm not sure of the name of the fit exactly but they took inner leg, shoulder leg etc and worked out differing leg and arm measurements, fed it all into an online data base hosted in Belgium and got the numbers and a diagram back pretty quiclky with ideal bike geometry (for what ever discipline you're into) printed out for your reference. I had that bike (my first racer in 20 yrs) built to it and never gave make any adjustments a second thought as it all worked. Have set up every bike since to the same, although as I've become more flexible I've dropped the bar height for a more aero racing position when I can be bothered to put performance over comfort.

sylvanus

Given your knee problems the I would rush to Cyclefit. Ignore the stuff about buying a Serotta, they will adapt any bike.

The £150 is probably the best spent money you'll ever part with in cycling. I've done the £20 bikefit and I've done Cyclefit and there is no comparison - I'm not employed by / linked to them in any way btw - just a happy customer. It changed my cycling - both comfort & power measurably. If you really can't afford £150 this week then save up and scrimp on other stuff - it really is worth it!

The bigger issue is that their waiting list is so long that it may be some weeks / months before they fit you - I'd sign down now and check when they can fit you in. There are some other companies that offer as good a service but most of them are in the US.

mrushton

trevorb wrote:

Thanks to you all for the information. I have to say that whilst most comments are positive they are not quite swaying me enough to depart with £150. It is obvious that CycleFit offer a good service and it may be that they can aid my position (I have had a bad left knee for a couple of years now and physio is always slow to make any difference) but as yet I am still to be convinced.
I did get a pair of orthotic insoles from a podiatrist for my cycling shoes but they never fitted inside the shoes! My theory is that as the weight of the leg is taken by the balls of the feet when cycling then lifting my fallen arches, which is why I had the insoles in the first place, is not as relevant when cycling.
I can ride as many 3 different bikes during the week and I have found that my position is reasonably comfortable on them all with no back or shoulder ache on either. Saddle height is almost identical on them all and whilst they all have Look pedals, I'm sure technology could aid my cleat positioning.
Maybe I will consider it again in a couple of months once I have upped my mileage.

Sounds like you've already wasted time and money getting nowhere and still suffering. Surely upping the mileage with aggravate the problems. The insoles from C-fit don't just lift the arches they are moulded toyour foot shape or in the case of E-Soles digitally scanned. I'd phone them up and chat with them but all your doing at the moment is struggling to enjoy your cycling for the sake of a 'small' amount of money. £150 is cheaper than some cycle shoes

Trevor

il_principe

I had a cyclefit session a few years ago and was very pleased with it. You may also want to consider this new service as well: http://www.roadcyclinguk.com/news/article/mps/UAN/2994/v/1/

mm1

I had a cyclefit 4 years ago when I just couldn't ride at all having ruptured ligaments in one knee. Cyclfit suggested a more relaxed position, which I adopted on my exiting bike by fitting a shorter stem and some spacers. Like others on here, they moved my saddle forward (also raised it a bit). More significantly they fitted Lewedges, which helped sort out my damaged knee. Since getting back on the bike, improved fitness has seen me move back to a longer reach (though I'll never go back to trying to ride in the same position as 20+ years ago).

Last year when I needed new shoes, I went back and got some e-soles (no need for wedges with these).

After 3 years back on the bike, which wouldn't have happended without Cyclefit, I beat my (very modest) 30 year old 10mile TT PB and there's more to come this year.

If you have any knee, back or shoulder problems (that's most of us over a certain age i guess) and NHS physio not sorting then I recommend Cyclefit. As others have said no need to take out a second mortgage and buy a bike from them if you don't want to.

trevorb

Having had a good look at both options I have booked an appointment with bespokecycling.com to undergo the 'RETUL' method. Having spoken to the guy who works there I felt that they would place more emphasis on the set up of my cleats, shoes, pedals and feet. As my main problem has been with my knees I felt that this was most important place to concentrate on.

I will post a reply once I have been (6 Mar) to update the thread and let you all know how it goes.

[Deleted User]

The user and all related content has been deleted.

giant_man

trevorb wrote:

Having had a good look at both options I have booked an appointment with bespokecycling.com to undergo the 'RETUL' method. Having spoken to the guy who works there I felt that they would place more emphasis on the set up of my cleats, shoes, pedals and feet. As my main problem has been with my knees I felt that this was most important place to concentrate on.

I will post a reply once I have been (6 Mar) to update the thread and let you all know how it goes.

Heard only good things about Barry at Bespoke, love to hear how you got on Trevor!

liversedge

Cyclefit sorted my knee and back with a decent fitting a year or so ago. They use a lot of tech to get you right (adjustable frame, spin scan analysis, laser guides, film and digital photography) and are very thorough on tendon flexibility and body mechanics etc as well (I found out that one of my legs is slightly longer than the other). They gave me a personal bike measurement chart covering every little piece of info and measurement I needed. I adjusted my own bike to match their guide. I got two charts actually - for a road and TT setup and they offered to do the adjustments on by bike and replace stems/posts et al but I was happy to do this myself.

The insoles and shoe shims setup I got are worth the price of the gig on their own. Made an amazing difference to my knee and endurance. They are absolutely fantastic.

They didn't even try to flog me a bike (although they are all around the shop and very tempting!). Great service, attitude and happy to explain every last piece of info they gave. Top marks.

James_London

I've done two Cylefits, a Retul fitting with Barry at Bespoke and a shorter fitting at Mosquito.

Firstly, it's insane not to spend money getting properly fitted if you are riding a reasonable amount. £150 is a small amount to pay to know you've done your best to avoid long term injury and damage in my opinion.

On balance I'd recommend Barry as he's great to work with and the Retul setup allows you to make small changes and see the effect on your position whilst riding straight away. His waiting list is also shorter which is nice. He is less prescriptive about the position you should be in where CycleFit will almost always fit you with small saddle to bar drop and shorter reach. I've recommended riding buddies to him and they've also been pleased with the results.

Fittings and experience on the bike will also make you better at self-diagnosis so you can make adjustments yourself. Bike fitting is not rocket-science but having an experienced second opinion with the right tools is important.

trevorb

Sorry for the delay in replying. After undergoing the RETUL system I thought I would wait to evaluate after some rides in Sicily, Majorca and the Dartmoor Classic.
The whole experience was very relaxed and I agree with James_London that Barry always left the feel and final decision in my hands. Ultimately I was there or there abouts with my initial fit but we made minor changes to the stem length (reduced from 120 to 100) and saddle fore/aft postion. What was great was to use the wonders of modern technology to support and confirm when I was demonstrating that I was in the best position. In particular the fore/aft position has made a big difference in reducing the knee pain that I was experiencing previoulsy. This was definately the part were I would say the fitting has been worth the money. My only cautionary note is that the position the position you adopt on the turbo used to record the measurement is not necessarily the same as on the road. I noticed as soon as I left the shop a different feeling to that whilst sat on the turbo. I have since replicated my position on all my bikes, which is easy to do as Barry supplies all the measurements that are taken throughout the session. Overall I am far more comfortable on the bike. I have suffered some minor back pain on long rides and I feel that this is a result of the shorter stem so I may ask Barry if I can go back for a check on this.
Would I recommend it to a friend? Certainly
Is it worth 150 pounds? Definately and if you have a 'niggling' injury that won't go away then it is certainly worth it.
I just need to find a solution for the 'hot feet' that I suffered during the Dartmoor Classic. I had something similiar during an Etape ride in 05 but this was the first time I had experienced this pain since. It was that bad that I had to ride the last 5 miles with my right foot resting on the shoe that was clipped into my pedals. Maybe I need some comfortable insoles so this will be my next expense.

Beardy10

I had a session at Cyclefit this week and found it very useful....would throughly recommend them.

I have been having problems with cramp in my right foot which Cyclefit identified as collapsed matatarsels. I have been fitted with orthotics and wedges in an effort to correct the problem.

My prinicpal reason for going to see them was to get my foot sorted out but also had the full bike fitting service. My bike is only a few months old and was bought from Condor who fitted me for the bike so I was interested to see how good the Condor fit was. The good news is Condor were reasonably close but my saddle wasn't high enough so that has been raised and I have had to fit a stem with a steeper angle on it (mine was already inverted) to keep the handlebars at the right height. Cyclefit fitted the new stem (Deda Pista) as part of the fit. Have to say I am a bit disappointed in Condor who have basically sold me a frame that is too small which given the level of service they aspire to is disappointing.

I also took the opportunity to try out a few saddles as they probably have twenty different ones there. Basically had pretty much any saddle you can think of to try.I have a Fizik Aliante which I just dont get on with (I know a lot of people love them). Has been frustrating me somewhat that shops expect you to drop £80 on a saddle and have nothing for you to try so this was a great opportunity. Not sure you could just rock up and try all their different saddles though..they are really there for the bike fitting.

They do have some amazing looking bikes in there inclusing a beautiful steel framed single speed bike that they sell under their own brand of Tupelo. They have the Glider frames made slightly shorter in the top tube as that is what they have found suits most of their customers having fitted so many people (it's not a custom built bike). Very tempting but at £1000 for the steel frame and carbon forks it's expensive....builds are between £1500 and £2000.

The interesting thing that came out of the Cyclefit was that I was producing 55% of my power with my left leg (probably because of the problem with my right foot) which really surprised me as I am very right sided. With the wedges and orthotics fitted that % was much closer.

On my first ride I definitely felt my climbing ability was much improved....cant wait to do a proper length ride this weekend. Expecting big things!

trevorb

Beardy,

Glad to hear that you were pleased with Cyclefit. I have been pain free in my left knee for the first time in 2 years since visiting them, which is testament in itself. I have replicated the position on my winter bike and although the distance between the bars and the saddle doesn't feel the same despite it being the same measurement, overall I am a lot more comfortable. I personally like the Fizik saddle and have installed one on all my bikes but saddles are a personal thing. I echo your comments about being able to try before you buy as I had the same problem when wanting to upgrade to the dearer Fizik model. However, I believe that one company (I think it is Selle Italia) now allow you to try a saddle and the deposit is taken off the cost if you purchase one.

wildmoustache

+2 for Barry at Bespoke, and the Retul system. Agree that it is well worth having an informed second opinion even if you are riding without pain. If in pain then go there immediately! Shorter waiting list than some other places and he is flexible and good to work with.

Not done a Cyclefit session, but there seems to be a bit of a bias towards high handlebars and short TT+stem length? For many people in pain I guess that works, but it wasn't where I was coming from ... I justed want to be in the position that made me as fast as possible while still being reasonably comfortable over a long ride.

Beardy10

Although Cyclefit do definitely seem to prefer a more upright riding position (i.e. in my case with a 4.5 cm height differential between saddle and hadlebar) Condor had the same set up although in my case they had set the saddle too low.

Both said the same thing i.e. that most people had bikes set up with a riding position that was far too agressive for them. I have only been back on a proper bike for four months after using an MTB for a long time so have no opinion myself...other than that I know it's quite comfortable.

dudos

Be very wary of their abilities to cut an ISP correctly. http://weightweenies.starbike.com/forum ... 3&t=103313

dork_knight

Woah, this is an old thread.

The following is just a bit further down the Workshop page:
viewtopic.php?f=40004&t=12856059

Monty Dog

Cyclefit are reknown for a fit that puts the bars around the riders ears - probably all the fat dentists and lawyers they've fitted with Serrottas over the years. Worthwhile if you've got a back problem, less so if you're looking for a performance improvement.

mrushton

Performance improvement would mean increasing flexibility,stretching etc. A lot of C-fit clients are older and mamils but they do fit pro-level cyclists as well.