spectastic

I've finally decided to spend the $300 on a good bike fit. A couple of questions though. What if I get new shoes, or a new bike? Would follow up sessions usually cover these additional fits, or is that another $300?

More importantly, how dramatically did it affect your bike comfort? For me, I think my saddle and handlebars are in pretty good positions already. It's just that my shoes always give me trouble. I'm very skeptical that a 2 hour session could fix my foot pain problem. And that's something that I've tried to fix for months, after trying pretty much everything under the moon.

Your experience would be much appreciated.

brian416

Mine included free updates for a year.

Mine moved my cleats back, saddle back and up. I can put out the same power as before, comfort is the same too. I was having some knee problems before the fit though, I'm at 3 months without any problems after the fit.

evan938

i paid $150 and it covers follow ups for 4 months. i had just bought new shoes, so i figured it was the best time to get it done since i had NO idea where to put cleats on new shoes (my old shoes were MTB shoes with eggbeaters, not many position options). i ended up finding out my saddle was about 1cm too short, and i needed a 0 offset seatpost vs the one i had.

i also got fitted with my insoles in my shoes, but with the new shoes, they gave me pain. rode without them a couple times and my foot pain was gone. im gonna go in and get everything checked as i switched the seatpost out and am not using the insoles anymore.

fstshrk

I had a specialized bg fit from a very experienced fitter and cyclist a while ago (2.5 years). He not only helped me get over some pain points with my neck and hamstrings, but also taught me some basic things to look out for as my riding ability progressed. I still stop in and ask questions every now and then. If I were getting a fit done today, I would choose someone with a good reputation that uses the retul system for data collection. The BG fit video camera system is good but it does not give you as much data as the retul system.

xjustice09x

It will depend on the fitter for what they include. My current fitter includes 2 free follow up fits within 45 days, however he told me I could come back as many times as I need till everything is right. I only needed to go back for 1 refit where I changed saddles and raised the stem a little.

I found that it improved my overall comfort on the bike. The position I was put in made me more efficient especially when climbing. My feet feel much better and dont go numb as often, and if they start it comes on slow and I can wiggle my toes and it goes away.

Kai Winters

More efficient, balanced and comfortable.
I'd say "refitting" or a readjustment depends on the shop policy. Good question to ask prior to getting "fitted". Perhaps a small fee...depending on time to readjust the fit.

Pain is one thing, discomfort another. If foot pain perhaps the foot/shoe is not a good match and the foot pays the price. If it is the shoe/foot no amount of "fit" adjustment will relieve the pain.
Always start with gear that is working and fits well for both bike and body kit. A properly adjusted shoe/foot/pedal/bike may reduce fit/set up induced pain/discomfort but no a bad/incorrect shoe.

Besides the bike's bits and pieces being adjusted for your body you should also get advice and suggestions on proper body position on the bike...bent elbows, relaxed neck and shoulder muscles, etc. This is especially valuable for newer riders to get them off on the right foot. Learning how to sit the bike is as important and probably more important than the fit/adjustment itself.

Make sure to tell the "fitter" any abnormalities, problems, etc. you may have...one leg longer than another, knee injury/surgery, back/neck/spine problems, etc...the fitter needs to know these things before adjustments begin.

Make sure you get a print out, etc. of all the measurements, etc. of the bike and its parts after the fit...your specs as well. This may come in handy when you swap a saddle, etc. You can easily make the adjustments to bring the new part into the proper fit scheme.

Good luck and keep us informed.

hairnet

I thought one leg was longer than the other but it turns out my hip is just crooked. She showed me how to compensate and eliminate a lot of discomfort/possible injury that I couldn't figure out on my own. That was good because I had a 24 hour ride planned for a few days after,

Will G

Had knee pains before, had no knee pains after.

bike4fun12

I've never had a true bike fit. My LBS has helped quite a bit though. I go in and just ask for opinions and they adjust my bike to what I tell them I am having issues with. I went through fit help for a month in the beginning and have had no issues at all since then. not sure if this was the best idea, but, it worked for me.

spectastic

Right now there's two options.. One option is a specialized bg fit at a shop nearby for $200; I'll call them for more details later regarding followups, what they do etc.. The other one is the Bike Barn-Custom Fit Studio in Houston, which costs $300 that includes a follow up, even an interview prior to the fit.

The guy at the nearby bike shop told me that they went through a 3 day training course for the specialized bg fitting. On the other hand, the place in Houston would have a lot more experience. Is the bg fit at the nearby shop enough, or should I get the $300 one?

clausen

Find a good club with a coach to watch you as you ride on the road. Pedaling along with the trainer supporting you will hide something as your concentrating on what your doing and not pedaling naturally. I've had 3 fittings, 2 of which where supported. In my case supported I have the saddle .5 cm higher than on the road. This change made a huge improvement in saddle comfort and solved a reoccurring knee issue.

Kai Winters

I was a certified Fit Kit person for a long time...until I left the bike biz...and a big part of the fit is watching the person on a trainer pre and post fit, making appropriate adjustments and especially watching how the dynamics of the bike and body are working.

I generally will sit in front, behind and on each side while the person is riding in a variety of positions and varied paces. Used a note book to note what I saw, was concerned with, etc. This generally takes 30 minutes after the person has warmed up on the bike for at least 10 minutes. Sometimes, if the person wanted to, I'd ride on the road with the person to observe position, etc. but it can be hard as external components...ie traffic, road conditions, person a bit nervous, etc...may conflict with observing position itself.

I also took all the usual measurements of the bike pre fit for comparison to the post fit set up. Always easy to restore if needed when they are written down.
Always made sure to talk to the person about whether they have a regular stretching routine...or never stretch...hard to get aero in the drops when you are 30lbs overweight and have never stretched. Talk to them and give basic demonstrations on related stretches, techniques and especially not to rush it or anything and hurt oneself.

A proper fitting is not an in and out procedure. It takes times, hence costly but worth it in general, experience and knowledge of not only the method but general physiology, etc. as they relate to cycling.

I don't do this for the person that rides only a few weeks in the summer and generally fivish miles. This person gets the basic fit of saddle height, front/back adjustment and handlebar position. I'd not go through the full boat fit for this person...not worth it for either of us.
It was more costly during the busy season than in the winter.
Our policy was also to have the rider come back within 30 days for a check over and adjustments as necessary then possibly another check 30 days later...generally for the rider that is newer or returning and his/her body, fitness, etc. is improving. Also quick checks as needed...very hard at 10am on a saturday morning.

A proper bike to body fit can completely change the ride experience and is well worth the time, cost and effort involved.

Nick Bain

There is a guy around here who reportedly fits pro tour riders, He has everything and only charges 250 for thourough bike fit and cleat alignment. This includes two follow ups and 100% satisfaction or money back. 300 for two bikes. He does not make you buy parts. The only people who don't get what they want are the ones to lazy to book follow ups which is difficult as he is over a month out.

When you get a fit, forget everything you know and put all your trust in the fitters hands, if they have full control they will be responsible for any ****ups.

In your case look for one that can potentially stretch your shoes, I needed mine stretched becasue when I put down force my foot widens.

In my case the pro fit made everything better all around.

Jaymadd

I just had a BG fit a few weeks ago and the early results are outstanding. Mine came with free followups for the next 3 months. I thought that I had my setup relatively close doing it myself however, I was wrong. I had IT, knee and back pain prior to the fit. After three rides, there is no pain anywhere. Here is a list of things that were changed:

saddle moved up a couple centimeters
saddle moved forward
pedals moved out using washers
removed a cleat shim from left shoe
new BG footbeds in my shoes
shorter stem by 1 cm
flipped stem

My knees now move straight up and down while pedaling and I have no discomfort anywhere. My early opinion is that it was well worth the $250. The guy spent 3 hours with me and really knew his stuff.

36Oly_Rider

The BG Fit is great, IMHO. I had the 2d Fit done without having to go to the 3d. I was told that most the time, and depending on your riding style, a 2d fit will suffice, whereas a 3d fit is more towards people who have, or might have, a unique/awkward riding style, previous injury, or problematic anatomy issues. Overall, ask questions and be honest about aches and pains when asked. Like some of the other guys here said, a lot of times, the fitter will be more than obliged to help you out down the road when problems arise. Mine were hot spots in my foot and a pain between my shoulder blade. As time goes, I refer to him before I drop my bars lower or change items like pedals, cleats and what-nots that affect, or can affect my ride.

I think though they have to be a Master BG Fitter to do the 3d fit though...

spectastic

Just came back from Houston today. The guy addressed every non-problem, and glazed over the one problem that I was basically there for. He moved my saddle around, and recommended that I try a 38 handlebar, which made my back straighter. He also gave me arch support insoles, which pretty much do the same thing as the esoles that I used, and they didn't work. I'm going back next week. This time, the more experienced lady fitter is going to be there. Fingers crossed. This is either going to be a $350 well invested, or a very generous donation to the LBS.

pdxtex

it saved me 300 bucks because i never got one. setting up a bike isnt that difficult really, just starting with the proper seat height as a baseline and making adjustments from there seems to work for alot of people. the key is to not go crazy once you get a new adjustment, let your body get used to it and work on some fitness off the bike. proper ergonomic is one thing, strong flexible muscles developed off the bike also help.

h2oxtc

Our LBS recently changed from Retul to the Guru Dynamic fit. https://www.gurucycling.com/ My wife had a bike fit this spring - the result was amazing. It put her into a more aggressive riding position that she finds more comfortable, higher power output, and no knee pain. If you haven't seen the dynamic fit, check out the web link. The system can change complete bike setups while pedalling within a couple of seconds.