New wheels or a bike fit?

TimIrons
TimIrons Posts: 30
edited December 2013 in Road general
Having ridden my "starter" road bike for a couple of years now and looking at spending some money on upgrades i am caught between whether to invest £200 or so on a set of new wheels, or on a bike fit.

I have a perfectly nice Specialized Allez Sport that has done a fine job but i am looking to see if i can coax some more speed out of it / me. I have lost tons of weight over the last 18 months since riding more frequently and know that spending money isn't needed (don't tell the Mrs!) but i have birthday / Xmas cash to spend.

Will i see more of a return from a decent bike fit from someone like Adrian Timmis (i live in the Midlands) or a nice set of wheels to upgrade from the sturdy CXP 22's that i have? I am looking on upgrading the whole bike to something Italian and carbon this time next year so want to know what size / geometry to buy. I am also shorter than average so can't get to test ride potential new bikes as I can't find any shops that carry demo bikes in XS. As such i am thinking that a bike fit will serve in two ways, to get more out of my current bike for the next 12 months, plus making sure i buy the right bike next year?

Or do i buy a nice shiny set of wheels now?
«1

Comments

  • keef66
    keef66 Posts: 13,123
    You have already made a convincing case for the bike fit.

    I was fitted quite thoroughly when I bought my first bike from Epic, and I haven't felt the need to tweak anything in the 6 years since then. So I'll be able to use those measurements when making future buying decisions.
  • ic.
    ic. Posts: 769
    Bike Fit.

    Especially with Adrian.
    2020 Reilly Spectre - raw titanium
    2020 Merida Reacto Disc Ltd - black on black
    2015 CAAD8 105 - very green - stripped to turbo bike
    2018 Planet X Exocet 2 - grey

    The departed:

    2017 Cervelo R3 DI2 - sold
    Boardman CX Team - sold
    Cannondale Synapse - broken
    Cube Streamer - stolen
    Boardman Road Comp - stolen
  • 200 pounds... for a bike fit?
    Assuming this Adrian charges 30 pounds an hour for the highly skilled job of sitting someone on a fixed bike and taking some measurements, that's nearly 7 hours worth of bike fitting... I wonder why I am not crippled and achy all over, having skipped that bit... :mrgreen:

    Horses for courses and if you are crippled and achy it might be half a monkey well spent
    left the forum March 2023
  • 200 pounds... for a bike fit?
    Assuming this Adrian charges 30 pounds an hour for the highly skilled job of sitting someone on a fixed bike and taking some measurements, that's nearly 7 hours worth of bike fitting... I wonder why I am not crippled and achy all over, having skipped that bit... :mrgreen:

    Horses for courses and if you are crippled and achy it might be half a monkey well spent

    Being a good fitter is far more skilled than you know

    A highly skilled car mechanic including all overheads for a small garage will charge 30-40 pounds per hour. Large branded garages charge a lot more as their overheads are massive, but that's not something we can compare in terms of revenue with the small enterprise in question, which is more like a small, very small garage.
    Are you saying that fitting someone on a bike has higher initial investment and overhead costs than running a garage? C'mon, be real....
    left the forum March 2023
  • 200 pounds... for a bike fit?
    Assuming this Adrian charges 30 pounds an hour for the highly skilled job of sitting someone on a fixed bike and taking some measurements, that's nearly 7 hours worth of bike fitting... I wonder why I am not crippled and achy all over, having skipped that bit... :mrgreen:

    Horses for courses and if you are crippled and achy it might be half a monkey well spent

    Being a good fitter is far more skilled than you know

    A highly skilled car mechanic including all overheads for a small garage will charge 30-40 pounds per hour. Large branded garages charge a lot more as their overheads are massive, but that's not something we can compare in terms of revenue with the small enterprise in question, which is more like a small, very small garage.
    Are you saying that fitting someone on a bike has higher initial investment and overhead costs than running a garage? C'mon, be real....

    I bet he has to pay 25-40k per year just for rent of his building, let alone bills, staffing, tax etc etc. Not forgetting the fact that he is in fact running a business. If he can be fully booked with a long waiting list charging £200 a pop doing 2 a day then why shouldn't he? Steve Hogg charges 720 AUD for a fit! There's no reason he should say 'right, £30 an hour is enough for me to get by, all fits are £90 from now on.'

    Same costs as a garage... anyway... if he charges what he charges per hour and people are happy to pay, he is the winner, isn'he?
    left the forum March 2023
  • smidsy
    smidsy Posts: 5,273
    You do also get footbeds included in the price (which was £150 when I had it).

    4hrs worth of fettling and very good chat included for nowt :-)
    Yellow is the new Black.
  • The price of the fit is £185 but i don't think this includes shims etc if they are needed.

    Ugo, sorry that you have picked up on this post as it is the wheels from you that i am weighing the benefits of, and they are more than the £200 and they are very very nice... I am still not decided...
  • smidsy wrote:
    You do also get footbeds included in the price (which was £150 when I had it).

    4hrs worth of fettling and very good chat included for nowt :-)


    So Smidsy, I assume you have used the services of Adrian at Cadence Sport? How do you rate the service? There are so many offering the "same" service, most at quite a bit cheaper, but as has been kind of established above, with limited supply of time, if demand increases for Adrian's services, then simple economics says that price will rise to the point the market will tolerate it! This leads me to conclude that it is worth it?? Better pay more for a good service than waste £100 and not achieve my aims?
  • smidsy
    smidsy Posts: 5,273
    Yes I have. IME it was worth it but I have to say that I am still not entirely convinced it was necessary.

    I suspect that noone has ever gone for a bike fit and been told "I can not improve on your set up, you have it spot on".

    Still I have cycled 1000's of miles since the fit and had no issues - so perhaps it was necessary.
    Yellow is the new Black.
  • New wheels. Upload footage of yourself on a turbo for 2hrs to youtube, post the link here and we can do a fit for you
  • New wheels. Upload footage of yourself on a turbo for 2hrs to youtube, post the link here and we can do a fit for you

    By "we" are you reffering to this open forum which is already full of divided opinion? And YouTube, seriously? Some bikefit that will be...

    If the OP wants to be more comfortable, effecient, and therefore potentially faster on a bike, a fit will be a worthwhile investment. Ask yourself, do you really need the wheels, or can they be put on the back burner for a future purchase when funds permit?
  • I accept that i do not "need" new wheels at all. The purchase will only be a delay rather than an outright choice.

    Does anyone have any experience of Midland Bike Fit? I think they are fairly new but cost a little less.
  • What if the guy tells you that you need to flip the stem? Will you flip the stem pointing up? I would never flip the stem, the day I flip the stem is the day I buy a Pashley and give up racing everyone on the road...

    I have seen some bike-fit results that looked like someone had built a bike from some parts he had in the shed... stacks of 7-8 spacers under the stem, saddles unrealistically pushed forward... things that should not be allowed!
    left the forum March 2023
  • smidsy
    smidsy Posts: 5,273
    Agreed Ugo , but is that the results of a poor service or the fact that they have made a bike that is the wrong size fit the customer best they can because that is what the customer wanted (or all they could afford at least)?

    Remember not everyone is a cycling God like us and may not be able to ride a pro style bike set up :lol:
    Yellow is the new Black.
  • diamonddog
    diamonddog Posts: 3,426
    OP If you have ridden the bike for 2 years without any issues and with improvements in your riding then save your money and put it towards the new bike. :)
  • drlodge
    drlodge Posts: 4,826
    diamonddog wrote:
    OP If you have ridden the bike for 2 years without any issues and with improvements in your riding then save your money and put it towards the new bike. :)

    Pretty much was I was going to say. I you feel you are "in need" of a bike fit, have a proper bike fit done (which should be a lot more than just sitting on the bike and having the bars and saddle tweaked). But if your position feels fine, invest in the wheels instead.

    thebikewhisperer charges £230 for a session I think, takes about 4 hours and most of that is focused on the foot/pedal interface. The "bike" fit part is about the last hour. I was there with 2 bikes, for 6 hours, and had a lvoely chat, coffee and pizza lunch thrown in :lol:
    WyndyMilla Massive Attack | Rourke 953 | Condor Italia 531 Pro | Boardman CX Pro | DT Swiss RR440 Tubeless Wheels
    Find me on Strava
  • smidsy
    smidsy Posts: 5,273
    A bike fat then drlodge :-)
    Yellow is the new Black.
  • drlodge wrote:

    thebikewhisperer charges £230 for a session I think, takes about 4 hours and most of that is focused on the foot/pedal interface. The "bike" fit part is about the last hour. I was there with 2 bikes, for 6 hours, and had a lvoely chat, coffee and pizza lunch thrown in :lol:

    At 60 pounds an hour he can afford to throw in freebies... :shock:
    left the forum March 2023
  • smidsy wrote:
    You do also get footbeds included in the price (which was £150 when I had it).

    4hrs worth of fettling and very good chat included for nowt :-)

    He also weighed my bike in with the price :D
    "You really think you can burn off sugar with exercise?" downhill paul
  • New wheels. Upload footage of yourself on a turbo for 2hrs to youtube, post the link here and we can do a fit for you

    By "we" are you reffering to this open forum which is already full of divided opinion? And YouTube, seriously? Some bikefit that will be...

    If the OP wants to be more comfortable, effecient, and therefore potentially faster on a bike, a fit will be a worthwhile investment. Ask yourself, do you really need the wheels, or can they be put on the back burner for a future purchase when funds permit?

    Actually, you don't need to upload to Youtube. You can pay £40-50 and send your footage to a bike fitter for a remote hint's and tip's - I'd still go for the public forum though, far more hilarious.
  • kajjal
    kajjal Posts: 3,380
    Unless you have a specific need you will be able to do your own bike fit easily enough.
  • TakeTurns
    TakeTurns Posts: 1,075
    Bike fit for suuuure.
    How wrong was I to assume I could do my own bike fit. I've been riding for 2 years now and for the most part, researched about fit and tried to adjust my bike accordingly.

    Although I've never had issues or discomfort previously, I'm going into 2014 with big goals and I want to be able to do the best I can.

    I saw a deal for a bike fit which was down from £200 to £99 for a limited time. I jumped at the offer after much contemplating about fits previously (price being the issue).

    My goodness, what a difference it has made. Although the changes were small and my bike still looks awesome. I feel more comfortable, my position is more aero and my watts have increased.

    I particularly love the footbeds. If you're recommended to get them, certainly do so. They feel magnificent.
  • I'm sure with regards to fit that for the vast majority of riders, buying the correct bike to start with would have solved most of their issues. The fits always look like trial and error and just seem to be paying ££'s for a better guess
  • smoggysteve
    smoggysteve Posts: 2,909
    Save your cash and put it towards a new bike. And buy from somewhere that will fit your New bike for FREE!!!!

    Yes there are places that do that.
  • buckles
    buckles Posts: 694
    If it was still £120 as it was two years ago I'd recommend the bike fit especially if you think the footbeds are actually worth £60. However I don't think I could bring myself to pay over 50% more.
    I had a bike fit myself and while my position is far more comfortable than before I'm typing this after being unable to train for 5 months (no change to bike setup/shoes/training volume). Judging by the way my knee feels probably won't be able to train or race next year. Don't think a bike fit will necessarily prevent you getting an injury!
    As for new wheels, there really is no need to buy new wheels unless your current ones are broken or you need an extra pair for racing /whatever. Why not use the money for extra Christmas presents for your family.
    25% off your first MyProtein order: sign up via https://www.myprotein.com/referrals.lis ... EE-R29Y&li or use my referral code LEE-R29Y
  • ju5t1n
    ju5t1n Posts: 2,028
    I would like to see one of the cycling magazines pay the same rider take the same bike to 10 different bike fitters and compare the results
  • kajjal
    kajjal Posts: 3,380
    ju5t1n wrote:
    I would like to see one of the cycling magazines pay the same rider take the same bike to 10 different bike fitters and compare the results

    That would be interesting.
  • napoleond
    napoleond Posts: 5,992
    I always recommend Adrian Timmis but after I broke my back I went to pedalprecision as it was closer, cheaper and recommended.

    I ended up going back to Adrian again two months ago...
    Insta: ATEnduranceCoaching
    ABCC Cycling Coach
  • Thanks for all of the comments, lots to consider. Apart from spending the money on the family that is!! Can you believe some people?? ;)
  • buckles
    buckles Posts: 694
    What you need to realise is that it's important to make your family happy and let them know how much you love them by buying them some nice bike stuff for you to use.
    25% off your first MyProtein order: sign up via https://www.myprotein.com/referrals.lis ... EE-R29Y&li or use my referral code LEE-R29Y