Is a Bike Fit worth it?

zardoz

This is not a question, I just thought I would share my experience yesterday for others who may be thinking about it.

I only took up road cycling last September at the age of 56 and 1500 miles later I just didn't think I was cycling efficiently and starting to get one or two minor niggles. So not heeding the advice of my LBS "Bike fits are a waste of money" I found Garth at Vankru Cycling in Southampton and made an appointment we had a fairly detailed discussion about what sort of cycling I do and what my goals were, injuries and any niggles. This was followed by measurements and tests for flexibility and then it was onto the bike.

Immediatly Garth said the saddle was too low and too far forward and the computer measurements confirmed it. My saddle was raised quite a bit and moved back an equal amount and a shorter stem was put in place. The difference this made was amazing even after just a few revolutions on the turbo. More measurments and a bit more fine tuning and then a final check and I was good to go.

I couldn't wait to get out on a ride although Garth had advised not to push too hard or do too long a ride for 2-3 weeks to let my body adapt to the changes which were quite significant. So off I went on a 25 mile flat circuit that I have done many times before. I have to say it was like riding a different bike everything felt so much easier I felt more power up inclines and I was riding between 1-2 gears smaller. The end result was I knocked nearly 6 minutes off my best time round the course without really trying and with easing down in the final 5. More important though was how it felt.

Was it worth it? Absolutely! So if any other "Newbies" are thinking about getting a bike fit - don't hesitate its probably the best upgrade you will buy. And I can recommend Garth - really nice guy.

Alan

supermurph09

Hi, I had a bike fit on my first bike in November, I did it more for piece of mind and in fairness I didn't quite feel right on the bike although I knew the sizing was correct. I saw Andy at Bike Science in Derby, over the 2 hours we went through all manner of things (including exercises and stretching) and more or less everything was adjusted (on the bike!). Whilst I didn't get a sense that anything miraculous had happened (i guess its all fine tuning anyway) it gave me the confidence that everything on the bike was now in the correct position and removed any doubt whilst on the bike itself. On top of that i enjoyed the experience and got to learn a few things. I believe it was money worth spent, in fact after getting my new bike a few weeks ago I've just contacted him again for another fit.

Cheers

deswahriff

..totally agree, best bike related £90 I've spent, especially for us less young folks who's bodies aren't as bendy as they used to be...

Slo Mo Jones

zardoz wrote:

This is not a question, I just thought I would share my experience yesterday for others who may be thinking about it.

I only took up road cycling last September at the age of 56 and 1500 miles later I just didn't think I was cycling efficiently and starting to get one or two minor niggles. So not heeding the advice of my LBS "Bike fits are a waste of money" I found Garth at Vankru Cycling in Southampton and made an appointment we had a fairly detailed discussion about what sort of cycling I do and what my goals were, injuries and any niggles. This was followed by measurements and tests for flexibility and then it was onto the bike.

Immediatly Garth said the saddle was too low and too far forward and the computer measurements confirmed it. My saddle was raised quite a bit and moved back an equal amount and a shorter stem was put in place. The difference this made was amazing even after just a few revolutions on the turbo. More measurments and a bit more fine tuning and then a final check and I was good to go.

I couldn't wait to get out on a ride although Garth had advised not to push too hard or do too long a ride for 2-3 weeks to let my body adapt to the changes which were quite significant. So off I went on a 25 mile flat circuit that I have done many times before. I have to say it was like riding a different bike everything felt so much easier I felt more power up inclines and I was riding between 1-2 gears smaller. The end result was I knocked nearly 6 minutes off my best time round the course without really trying and with easing down in the final 5. More important though was how it felt.

Was it worth it? Absolutely! So if any other "Newbies" are thinking about getting a bike fit - don't hesitate its probably the best upgrade you will buy. And I can recommend Garth - really nice guy.

Alan

You've only just started with teh new position though.

Of course if you change your position, the old niggles you had are likely to be eased because you're not using the same muscles in the same way. You will only know if it was worth it if, after another 1500 miles, you're free of niggles.

I'm not saying it wasn't worth it, just that you cannot tell at this stage whether it was worth it or not.

What I find amazing is that no (amateur) cyclist seems to have ever gone to a bike fitting and they've said, yep, it's just about right. No tinkering needed. Surely this would happen quite often if there was solid science behind what they were doing? I mean, when I bought my bike I tried a few different sizes with the guys in the shop, and they set the saddle height and position and what have you. And would imagine that's what most people do before they buy a bike. Yet everyone who has told a story about a bike fitting has "needed" the bike to be adjusted. Isn't it odd that the guys in the LBS never get it right?

deswahriff

..the guys in the LBS just don't have the time, I'm surprised they would ever "get it right". They don't spend three hours measuring your leg lengths, flexibility, knee angle etc not to mention a dynamic analysis of you performing on the bike....
..one of the most important adjustments is the saddle fore/aft position as it bears directly on leg/knee pedal position as well as handlebar reach....not something easily guessed unlike, to be fair, saddle height, which most of us can have a reasonable stab at...
... also a good bike fit will include a follow up for any futher tweaking necessary after some real world cycling ...

logie48

Just a question for those guys who have had one.

Once you go through it for one bike, can you transfer all the adjustments yourself onto a second bike or a newly purchased, based on the information you have picked up from the fitter?

Or would you have to go through a fit for each bike?

rich164h

I can do it myself based on the details I got from the fitter I used (Adrian Timms - Cadence Sport).

He could do it as well if I wanted, either at the time or after the fitting. I think he charges £35-40 for that if it's the same sort of bike (i.e. not trying to set up a MTB or a TT bike using road bike measurements etc).

deswahriff

logie48 wrote:

Just a question for those guys who have had one.

Once you go through it for one bike, can you transfer all the adjustments yourself onto a second bike or a newly purchased, based on the information you have picked up from the fitter?

Or would you have to go through a fit for each bike?

..yes, you get a spec sheet which you can use to set up other bikes.

...my place went one better...Wildside in Tunbridge Wells - had my original bikefit in April 2011...called them last month to see if they would fit my new bike (not bought from them)...they spent a good half hour setting it up in accordance with the data they held, with a few tweaks to take into account different frame geometry and 2 years of cyling, and all for no charge!

mrbubbaman

Can anyone recommend a place in Farnborough or Fleet area? The LBS I use want £200 for their version which is all singing and dancing, but I don't have that amount available

lotus49

Slo Mo Jones wrote:

What I find amazing is that no (amateur) cyclist seems to have ever gone to a bike fitting and they've said, yep, it's just about right. No tinkering needed. Surely this would happen quite often if there was solid science behind what they were doing?

Yes it would and it doesn't because there isn't.

I don't doubt that having an ill fitting bike is bad but the more of these stories I read the more sceptical I get.

Another odd thing is that everyone's seat is too low. Adjusting a seat is not hard. All you need to do is raise it until the minimum knee bend is 25-35 degrees. It doesn't take an expert to do that and if you don't know what 30 degrees looks like, a goniometer can be had for £8. There are plenty of videos and articles on the net about adjusting a bike. I cannot believe that all the experienced cyclists who have read the articles and been riding for years never (literally never ever) get it right.

VTech

Ive just spoken to Cadence Sport to get a fit by Adrian Timms, and although they are booked for several months he has assured me he will do all he can to get me in before then and outside of the race weekends so cant fault the service so far. Im looking forward to it

smidsy

VTech wrote:

Ive just spoken to Cadence Sport to get a fit by Adrian Timms, and although they are booked for several months he has assured me he will do all he can to get me in before then and outside of the race weekends so cant fault the service so far. Im looking forward to it

Keep an eye out (on-line diary) as cancellations do come up (a side effect of longish wait times I suppose).

craigstitt

On the purchase of a new bike, I decided to go and get a bike fit at Wheelbase. I spent around 2 hours having measurements taken, having them fed into a bike setup computer programme and then having the bike adjusted to the correct position, before jumping on the Turbo Trainer for some final tweaks of the positon.

Saddle height was slightly too low initially (because I had not made sure the bar on the measurement rig was high enough into my crotch) and this was corrected, and reach was tweaked a little before i did a set on the Turbo. I was immediately surprised with how different the bike felt

I have now had the bike for 2 months and have done several rides on the bike covering many of the same routes as I have used in the past with Strava, and without fail I am breaking PR's on every segment I travel on.

The one important difference is my old bike was running 50-34 front 11-28 rear and on the new bike runs 52-36 front 11-25 on the rear and not withstanding this massive change at the lower end of the gearing I am going up hills far faster, and not feeling the need to change down gears as often. And in some cases hills where i was down in 1st gear on my old bike and was struggling i was doing with relative ease on my new bike with gears to spare.

Some of these improvements in speed will be due to the fact that i have a higher gearing on my new bike and that the new frame has better power transfer than the old one, but some of the gains will be due to the fact that the bike is set up correctly and that I am more efficient during the power phase of the pedal stroke as a result.

kajjal

lotus49 wrote:

Slo Mo Jones wrote:

What I find amazing is that no (amateur) cyclist seems to have ever gone to a bike fitting and they've said, yep, it's just about right. No tinkering needed. Surely this would happen quite often if there was solid science behind what they were doing?

Yes it would and it doesn't because there isn't.

I don't doubt that having an ill fitting bike is bad but the more of these stories I read the more sceptical I get.

Another odd thing is that everyone's seat is too low. Adjusting a seat is not hard. All you need to do is raise it until the minimum knee bend is 25-35 degrees. It doesn't take an expert to do that and if you don't know what 30 degrees looks like, a goniometer can be had for £8. There are plenty of videos and articles on the net about adjusting a bike. I cannot believe that all the experienced cyclists who have read the articles and been riding for years never (literally never ever) get it right.

It is useful to learn to do your own bike fit as you understand better what you want from a bike. Getting a road bike properly setup takes time but once you do you understand what effect each changes has and also what your body is trying to tell you.

Initially my road bike gave me knee, ankle and leg pain. Also the saddle was painful after about an hour. After adjusting the setup and getting a new correctly sized saddle I can now ride for hours with no discomfort or injury. In comparison my mountain bike only strained the back of my ankle until I made a minor adjustment which I worked out quickly from the experience of setting up my road bike.

cyberknight

VTech wrote:

Ive just spoken to Cadence Sport to get a fit by Adrian Timms, and although they are booked for several months he has assured me he will do all he can to get me in before then and outside of the race weekends so cant fault the service so far. Im looking forward to it

I emailed him regarding a bike fit a couple of times and he never replied , his fit service might be good but i cant make a comment about his service to potential customers unless his email client is a bit dodgy.

johncp

zardoz wrote:

What I find amazing is that no (amateur) cyclist seems to have ever gone to a bike fitting and they've said, yep, it's just about right. No tinkering needed. Surely this would happen quite often if there was solid science behind what they were doing?

Think this is one of those situations where no-one comments if nothings really changed. Happened to me. I spent the best part of a day driving to a fitter, three hours there being measured etc. and came away with my stem lowered by one spacer, otherwise I'd got everything pretty much spot on by use of various fit charts online. Still thought it was worth the money for the peace of mind it gave me

upperoilcan

mrbubbaman wrote:

Can anyone recommend a place in Farnborough or Fleet area? The LBS I use want £200 for their version which is all singing and dancing, but I don't have that amount available

Seeing as though your not a million miles from Reading check out Adam White. (Google is your friend)

Highly recommended.

MrJoe23

I had a specialized bg fit, the full £200 one and honestly, it was a waste of both my time and money. Pains i had on the inside of my left knee before the fit were shifted to the outside of it and the inside of my right knee.

Since then i have understood how my body reacts to changes i make on my bike and sorted my position myself, which i should have done before.

Obviously a lot of people are for bike fits and great if it works for you but ive realised i know more about how my body reacts to things than somebody who ive spoken to for 2 hours

Sawilson

I had the specialized bg fit, the full one, thrown in with bike purchase and I can honestly say the bike fits like a glove,
Had to pay for the shoe inserts but after a 3 hour ride I still fell fresh as a daisy, no aches, pains or stiffness.
The problem with body fits is that they are only as good as the fitter, the fitter I had also had a background in sports physiology as well as being an avid cyclist and fully trained to fit.
There is enough information on tinternet to do most of the settings yourself but in less you have somebody else to help you that can be hit and miss.
Initially the bike was set up and felt fine, no problems and probably would not have made any difference in terms of long term pain etc, but the saddle was too low by about 10mm it was raised and it still felt good. But what the fitter is trying to do is not just about preventing future issues they are trying to achieve an optimum pedalling efficiently which is just as important.
P.S got the saddle swapped for a wider one FOC.

lesfirth

Has anyone had a bike fit and been told "This bike is all wrong for you. There is no way I can make it fit you"?

The most everyone seems to need is saddle adjustment, maybe shoe wedges and worst case a different stem.

khisanth

When i picked up my bike the guy asked had I been fitted for it as he instantly thought it was too big for me. I had done my research online and selected the size, so thankfully when he did fit me to it he was surprised that it was just the right size!

I had a professional bike fitting done a year after and boy did it make a difference for the good! cleats aligned, everything adjusted and it felt so much better