Originally Posted by KevinF

I've had two "real" bike fits over the years. Both were from shops that more-or-less specialize in bike fitting. i.e., they'll happily sell you stuff, but fittings is what they do. I'm in the Boston area and there's no shortage of shops around here.

Fittings don't succeed or fail because of the "system" in use; they succeed (or fail) because of the relationship between you and the person doing the fitting. You need to be able to state your goals (alleviate back pain, get a more aerodynamic position, etc), you need to be able to state what you feel in different positions (i.e., too stretched, too upright, etc) and the fitter needs to be able to take your inputs and adjust the bike fit accordingly.

The same person can be comfortably fit onto the same bike in several different positions; if you can't specify what your goals are, it's not going to work. If you do know what your goals are, it's probably some of the best money you'll ever spend. Price out physical therapy sometime to see what repairing injured knees / hips / etc. will set you back.