Bike Fit - worth the money????

Rb5_turbo

Hi all,

I have just picked up my new shiny Giant from the store in Rutland and they offer what appears to be a great bike fit service for £100.

You pedal on a WATT bike and also have measurements/discussions with their expert to improve your riding position, cleat position etc and I wonder if anyone has had one and can provide some views.

Thanks for any help etc.

3Pio

Rb5_turbo wrote:

Hi all,

I have just picked up my new shiny Giant from the store in Rutland and they offer what appears to be a great bike fit service for £100.

You pedal on a WATT bike and also have measurements/discussions with their expert to improve your riding position, cleat position etc and I wonder if anyone has had one and can provide some views.

Thanks for any help etc.

I had a chance to do the Rettul Fitting on Rettul Muve bike (dynamic fitting analysis), and experienced fitter.

I can say it was definetly worth. He found out that one leg is shorter then other, he also test me for a strength of one side and other, flexibility, way of my movement.... Based on all this hew create me position, very different from what i was riding last years. For example My setback was 6.5 cm and now is 5.2, also saddle height was 1 cm lower then now.

I can tell u that every ride since then, i have PR's on the same rotues i ride many years. Some of this is based on my new bike as well, but i think new position help a lot (im not beating my PR's by one second or two, i have a lot of improvements). Very important is to do the fitting with experienced fitter, and seem that this Dynamic Analysis from Rettul is very good tool in experienced hands.One of the Best money i spend for my hobby

Midlands Grimpeur

As above, if you are getting fitted, do so on our own bike rather than a Wattbike.

IMO bike fitting is only as good as the fitter. If you are confident the bike fitters in the shop know their stuff then go for it. I agree that your position will change but no harm in getting some advice when starting off with a new bike and getting a good fit to begin with. As you get used to it you can always tweak your position as you go along, and perhaps even get another fit further down the line.

ajmitchell

Obviously a bike fit that solves a nagging problem will be worth its weight in gold but with so much free information online and on youtube now I think most riders can get 98% there without a professional bike fit. However there are still certain areas that are often slightly out (ie so easy to get wrong) namely: 1. crank length 2. saddle height 3. aero position (for TTers). There can be solved by an experienced friend 9/10 times. However sometimes a pro bike fit is worth it and often in these situations:

1. if you are a neo-pro or if someone else is paying!
2. if you have a nagging discomfort re position
3. if you are a beginner and have no access to help
4. if you are a TT/triathlete desperate for aero savings

btw IMHO a really good bike fit will allow the rider to experiment with different crank lengths rather than just measure and guess. For example I am measured as needing 172.5mm but in fact was more comfortable and stronger with longer cranks. No way to discover this without trying out different cranks. Great fitting rigs have variable crank length sliders.

drlodge

Bike fit should be on your own bike, and include an assessment of your physiology and a focus on the foot/pedal interface. Provision of suitable shims & wedges should be available.

mentalalex

Bike fits are very worth while, I'd say have a fit straight away not wait 12months as I'd rather have a bike that adjusts to fit me not the other way around.

The quality of fit really depends on the 'fitter'. Not sure what you would class as an 'expert' in the OP's post, I'm sure that term would be up for debate.

Two names which both have very good feedback.

Adrian Timmis - http://www.cadencesport.co.uk
Dan Cox - http://midlandbikefit.com

kajjal

Learn to do your own bike setup first, ride your bike a bit and if you feel, it is useful later have a bike fit. The experience you have gained will let you get more out of a bike fit.

steoroc

Get a bike fit done sooner rather than later but not on a watt bike. If you spend a year pedalling a badly setup bike you could do a whole lot of damage without realising until the pain hits. Think about it, you could get through 15-20,000 revolutions on a Sunday spin....You could end up with muscle imbalances that could take ages to correct or joint damage.

I left it a few months before getting a Retul bikfit done and started getting bad cramps, pains in my lower back and knees. I was sure my bike was set up correctly or pretty close going by online advice from multiple sources and advice from a local club rider/coach but the fitter moved my saddle up and forward substantially and changed the position of my cleats.

I was lucky enough in that there was no permanent damage. He said I had over worked quads and underworked glutes and Hamstrings. Within 2 rides I noticed a massive difference, no more cramp or pains and a marked increase in power.

norvernrob

I had a fit done by Adrian just over 18 months ago. I haven't touched a thing on the bike since, and considering the fit + footbeds only cost 30 quid more than my saddle I'd consider it probably the best money I've spent on cycling.

Grill

I've had a couple of fits, one by a very well renowned Retul fitter. Awful, just awful. I'll never pay for a fit again.

Gregger

This is a question I've asked myself
There is little, if any, reproducible science in bike fitting from what I can see
Quick internet broswe for example gives varying answers for various problems
Saddle height will vary from whatever formula you use
Leg ankles are recommended by different fitters by up to 20 degrees
KOPS knee position, who knows

oxoman wrote:

If after a bit you are struggling get a bikefit if not don't.

Seems as good advice as anything on something varying from £130 -£185 from sources named above

But as one poster says, that's about the price of a saddle or two

So I havnt answered your or my question, just chucked in more doubt!

drlodge

IMO a good bike fit is well worth it. A bad bike fit is worse than useless.

Gregger

Just booked in at Cadence sport for Sept so we'll see how we go!

Schubbard_28

From my experience it is well worth the money.

For anyone around the Warwickshire area I'd definitely recommend using Mike Veal at Bike Dynamics.

Before my first bike fitting I was regularly suffering problems with ITBS in my right leg and my lower back would get quite stiff and uncomfortable on longer roads. Explained all of this to Mike doing the fitting and he soon went to work to address it - never had a problem since!

He also ensured the bike had a setup that suited the type and volume of riding I was doing and highlighted some biological aspects that would be holding me back (e.g. tight hamstrings) and suggested some stretches to address them.

Bill B

Muscle imbalances and joint damage from one Sunday spin all because you didn't get an expensive bike fit?
Good stuff.
A basic fit done with the help of an experienced friend or the shop where you purchased the bike is usually more than adequate and certainly not unsafe.

ugo.santalucia

Schubbard_28 wrote:

He also ensured the bike had a setup that suited the type and volume of riding I was doing and highlighted some biological aspects that would be holding me back (e.g. tight hamstrings) and suggested some stretches to address them.

If you google tight hamstrings, I bet you will find exactly the same advice you got... it's not rocket science... the all bikefit is normally not rocket science and only comes into its own if you have some very specific issues...

the all craze for bike fits is born out of our desire to be very unique, when in fact we are not... the vast majority of people fit into some very basic body proportions

Schubbard_28

ugo.santalucia wrote:

Schubbard_28 wrote:

He also ensured the bike had a setup that suited the type and volume of riding I was doing and highlighted some biological aspects that would be holding me back (e.g. tight hamstrings) and suggested some stretches to address them.

If you google tight hamstrings, I bet you will find exactly the same advice you got... it's not rocket science... the all bikefit is normally not rocket science and only comes into its own if you have some very specific issues...

the all craze for bike fits is born out of our desire to be very unique, when in fact we are not... the vast majority of people fit into some very basic body proportions

Agree there is plenty of information online but I didn't actually know I had abnormally tight hamstrings until I'd had the bike fit...

yertez

Defo worth it.
I went for one on my existing bike to ensure I got the correct size of new bike.
When you're about to lay out £Many K+ on a new bike, splashing £85 ish on a fit to make sure you get the right one is not a bad investment IMHO. It's easy to transfer the measurements over to the new machine.

www.vankru.com do a good job if you're in the South Hants area.

stueys

I've had a couple of bike fits. IMHO, a retul fit is useful if you've set yourself up badly. It will put you in the generally accepted range, I see a lot of people riding in bad positions so probably worthwhile.

A good bike fitter will go one step further and use something like retul as a base and then fine tune your position from there, at that point it becomes a bit more of an art and the value is purely dependent on the fitter. My fitters were both good and adjusted my position very slightly (essentially moving my saddle forward from the retul norm), but I would say that my going in position was 95% of my position post fit.

If you've never had one I would say go for it, it will help assess you're not wildly out. But definitely do on your bike, getting fitted to a wattbike seems bit odd. And hunt for a bike fitter that is well recommended.

cycleclinic

Bike fitting is not magic. This is not an advert but an explaniation if the process. I know what a good position looks like, then i have kit to mwasure you. When the two agree then i know i am on the right path, they always do. The last one i did i could see the saddle was too low i out where i thought it should be which also happened to be where measurements said it should be. Cleats where too far forward again you can measure this or you can use your eye. The eye is impler. The centre of the cleat should be on the ball of the fit or just behind. You adjust cleat angle to get the feet and legs going up down the way they should. After the seat was put up the rider had hips that where rockkng. All it was he was now too stretched but centre of the seatpost to bar distance was right. So to did not want to chnage the stem length as the seat was already too far forward to correct the over stretch (saddle was like this when he came in). The saddle set back was the issue. Replaced the set back post with a in line post and bingo he was comfortable and no saddle pain. As i dropped them stem to give a saddle to handle bar drop which involved turning the specilised stem to minus 4 degree i had to rotate the bars a bit to make the kn the hood position comfortable.the result is a comfortable position that is more aerodynamic and a saddle height that will allow more work to be done on each pedal stroke i.e more power. There is no magic just common sense.

I am not convinced with all the video capture, dynamic measurement and the expense that brings. It will do the job but also methodical thinking is quite effective. I firmly believe with methodical thinking you can do it yourself.

Gregger

I had my bike fit at Cadence Sport some 3 weeks ago now.

Started off with a foot bed fit using moulded heated insoles and after some gait and foot analysis, some wedges under the cleats of 15 degrees (pronation and as my knees at times hit the cross bar, this seems a sensible addition).

The riding analysis was all done by visual inspection, Adrian used a goniometer once. The seat position was altered, I had it nose down by poor judgement. Getting it perfectly flat made it much better, sitting in it rather than fight against it. The seat height was pretty spot on he said and the after adjustment was 0.2cm (which IMHO cant be measured repeatedly to that accuracy with a ruler). The position of the hoods/lever was altered making the ride instantly more comfy and he had a great device to look at stem length which we shortened by 20mm.

All of this took a good 2.5hrs

In many ways I'm still reconditiong myself into cycling but for the first time I havn't had seat pain after 20m of riding

I have now got figures of before and after set up and some video of my riding - which doesn't seem much use?

Ultimately quite expensive. The insoles and cleats are a great addition and those few, quite minor changes, have made the bike feel better so far. I'm glad I had it done, no excuses now

I guess we know need some longer rides to see how we are next spring

BlueNGT

Gregger wrote:

I had my bike fit at Cadence Sport some 3 weeks ago now.

Started off with a foot bed fit using moulded heated insoles and after some gait and foot analysis, some wedges under the cleats of 15 degrees (pronation and as my knees at times hit the cross bar, this seems a sensible addition).

The riding analysis was all done by visual inspection, Adrian used a goniometer once. The seat position was altered, I had it nose down by poor judgement. Getting it perfectly flat made it much better, sitting in it rather than fight against it. The seat height was pretty spot on he said and the after adjustment was 0.2cm (which IMHO cant be measured repeatedly to that accuracy with a ruler). The position of the hoods/lever was altered making the ride instantly more comfy and he had a great device to look at stem length which we shortened by 20mm.

All of this took a good 2.5hrs

In many ways I'm still reconditiong myself into cycling but for the first time I havn't had seat pain after 20m of riding

I have now got figures of before and after set up and some video of my riding - which doesn't seem much use?

Ultimately quite expensive. The insoles and cleats are a great addition and those few, quite minor changes, have made the bike feel better so far. I'm glad I had it done, no excuses now

I guess we know need some longer rides to see how we are next spring

Thinking of this myself. Adrian is on my shortlist, basically between him and Pedal Precision.

I find the insoles an interesting element but my concern is what happens when you change your shoes, not all shoes are the same shape. I bought new shoes last year after trying a number of different brands. They are all different shapes, some narrower than others...the 2 that were most comfortable for me were Specailized and Mavic but both were different and I am sure if I swapped to Mavic from the Spesh shoes the insoles wouldn't fit

Pedal Precision don't appear do the insoles http://pedalprecision.com/price_list/

apreading

Bike Whisperer spends as much time on shoes as the whole rest of the fit. He says that this is the most important thing as you transfer all the power through there and if your arches arent supported and collapse, or if the cleat is not in the right position, or if your foot is at the wrong angle thereby twisting your calf and knee you will not be able to ride as well.

Once you have had a bike fit, you can go back for just a shoe fitting if you change shoes.

drlodge

apreading wrote:

Bike Whisperer spends as much time on shoes as the whole rest of the fit. He says that this is the most important thing as you transfer all the power through there and if your arches arent supported and collapse, or if the cleat is not in the right position, or if your foot is at the wrong angle thereby twisting your calf and knee you will not be able to ride as well.

Once you have had a bike fit, you can go back for just a shoe fitting if you change shoes.

I was just about to mention Scherrit @TBW...the beauty of his method is that he fits shims and spacers so when I got a second pair of shoes I asked them to send through the shims and spacers that I needed and added them to the second pair myself.

BTW he spent a lot more time on the shoes/feet with me than the actual bike fit - the foot/pedal interface is very important.

BlueNGT

Sadly Bike Whisper is 190 miles each way from me.

I am interested in the shoe element because they are the obvious thing that will be changed and could be a totally different shape.

Waiting for a reply from Pedal Precision regarding the insoles.