Bike Fitting

binsted

I am currently riding a hybrid but looking for a road bike and from what I have read on here I realise how important it is to get the bike fitted correctly if you not going to suffer on longer rides.

So if I go to Evans, Halfords or one of the larger chains am I going to get good fitting advice or a salesman pitch to secure a sale.

Any advice or recommendations welcomed.

smidsy

You will get fitting advice - if you want good fitting advice go to a proper bike fit specialist.

The search on here will reveal lots of suggestions for the best places.

BobScarle

Getting a bike fitting was one of the best things I ever did. I wholeheartedly recommend it. Not sure that Halfords would offer anything like that. I went to Epic Cycles in Tenbury Wells if that is anywhere near you, there are lots of other places though.

ShutUpLegs

binsted wrote:

So if I go to Evans, Halfords or one of the larger chains am I going to get good fitting advice or a salesman pitch to secure a sale.

You'll be lucky to even get a sales assistant to acknowledge you

v2p

Not sure where you're based, but I've been to various Evans' around central london and some seem to be more friendly than others, so I think it depends more on individual stores and how busy they are.

Off the top of my head the canary wharf evans in particular, every time I'm in there I see a staff member helping a customer with the fit of their new bike. Last month I saw a woman buying her first road bike, and they let her try one size, adjusted the saddle for her, then let her try one size up, and kept making adjustments until she was happy with the fit.

As for halfords, wouldn't recommend them :P

I guess it'd be best to go to your local independent bike store that's not a big chain, as generally they are very helpful and would take the time to make sure you are correctly fitted. Only occasionally though, will you get a trainee who doesn't seem to know that much about bikes, so make sure you ask to see someone who knows his stuff.

binsted

smidsy wrote:

The search on here will reveal lots of suggestions for the best places.

Thanks, I did try "bike fitting" in the search first of all but with no results, probably my lack of IT skills!!

team47b

ShutUpLegs wrote:

binsted wrote:

So if I go to Evans, Halfords or one of the larger chains am I going to get good fitting advice or a salesman pitch to secure a sale.

You'll be lucky to even get a sales assistant to acknowledge you

He he

cyberknight

These should get you close enough before you think about spending money on a fit, i certainly am ok on long rides with the club.
http://www.jimlangley.net/crank/bikefit.html
http://bikedynamics.co.uk/guidelines.htm

MikeWW

There are 2 parts to this

1) Getting the right sized bike
A decent local bike shop should be able to make sure you are on the right size of bike and sort you out with a basic set up

2) Getting a bike fit
Once you are on the right size of bike and have got a bit more used to the position, getting on the drops etc then it is well worth considering a proper bike fitting.
Somebody like Adrian Timmis at cadence Sport will sort you out with custom foot beds, cleat positioning and spend a couple of hours getting you dialled in on your bike and recommending some changes if they are necessary

I had a proper fit a couple of months back after riding for over a year on my current bike. Had not been uncomfortable at all but felt so much better after the fit. It is amazing how a number of smallish changes make such a big difference

dween

I've been thinking of doing a bike fit, and actually called the Specialized concept store in Covent Garden and they said it would cost £200!!

Is that a normal price for a bike fit or London hiked prices? I certainly can't afford £200.

BobScarle

I can't comment on London prices, but Epic charged me £75. Oh, and I might add, that was taken off the price of my new bike when I bought it.

sancho1983

Can anyone recommend a decent place for a bike fit near Peterborough (north of there if poss)

Sorry to hijack op

kayakerchris

adrian timmis cadence sport

MARKF

Another vote for Adrian Timmis at Cadence sport.
I had a bike fit with him in march,been riding mountainbikes for years & finally got a roadbike 18 months ago,I was worried about ruining my middle aged knees but he sorted & explained everything regarding cleat position.
I also got the custom insoles & ended up with a longer stem on the front.Now the bike feels more comfortable and I'm not worried about wearing out my knees!

StillGoing

I've cycled for a couple of years now and had the in house shop fitting when having my main bike built for me. I've struggled with hills since starting riding and yes get better the more I hit them but it is noticeable that something wasn't right. I eventually plumped up to go to a professional fitter (Mike at Bike Dynamics) and is the best money I've spent on cycling so far. It is money well spent in my opinion with him spotting that my crank arms were much too long for me compressing the thighs at the top of the stroke and the stem is 10mm too long. Forget in house fitting services; you need videoing with reference points to be able to set you up properly and save yourself having a crankset that is of no use to you. The money you save by not having to buy another crank set if the in house service gets it wrong, is greater than the cost of professional fitting.

sadlybiggins

dween wrote:

I've been thinking of doing a bike fit, and actually called the Specialized concept store in Covent Garden and they said it would cost £200!!

Is that a normal price for a bike fit or London hiked prices? I certainly can't afford £200.

I might be wrong but I think it's the normal price for Specialized fitting. I have been looking into this recently and there's a newly opened shop outside Colchester which offers Specialized bike fitting: it's £200 for the full fitting including video or £120 for a manual fit.

MikeWW

£130 for mine(not Specialized) and that included custom foot beds

binsted

Thanks all for the advice.

PS Is there some art to using the search facility on here, google manages to find more relevant results.

Rulebritania

Can I at my level just watch a youtube video and do my own fit, I live in Hants so I suppose I could get the train somewhere that will do it for a resonable price. Any ideas where?

Gizmodo

When I bought my first bike from Halfords last year the bike fit consisted of stand over height - that was it! Useless!

When I increased my miles and bought a better bike, I went to a local bike shop that offer fitting and negotiated a full day fit as part of the price of the bike.

My brother bought a bike this year and the shop spent at least an hour with him on a turbo, flipping the stem and positioning the cleats, as part of the price of the bike.

Yes you can do it yourself with a mate, much easier if you have a turbo trainer.
For a simple version go to YouTube and search for "bike fit"
For an in depth study try http://www.bikefit.com/s-13-road-bikes.aspx