cyclic_eric

How do I find a better fitter?

Should I check favorite local bike shops and see if they have,
- room for a fit station vs. trainer
- a video setup
- various (laser?) measuring tools
- should the fitter have certain certificates or qualifications?
- look for a sage old racer, and/or high-end road bikes

phughes

I would look for someone who pays close attention to how you actually interface with the bike, and pays close attention to you actually pedaling, rather than a fitter who goes by the numbers and relies heavily on measurements. That being said, the video part is more important to the various measuring devices. Watching how you actually move on the bike is important, since not everyone has the same flexibility. I have seen too many people leave "good" professional fitters with excessively high seats, that in turn cause them issues. Someone who fits you dynamically will generally not put you on a seat height that is too high.

Spoonrobot 

Ask for references, contact them and see how their experience went both short term and long term.

cyclic_eric

I agree - I want to have some sort of dynamic fit. My balance on and off the seat, rather than simply kops (knee over pedal spindle). Someone who takes into account how I move on or with the bike. The trouble is to figure out how well they do that, you need to pay the $300 and get their fitting.

Happy F

As a better fitter I will try to help you find better fitters. 1st thing you look for his experience in my case it's 40 years of my bike fitting .The 2nd thing I look for is education . What is the training? Is it only manufacturers classes. Those are classes that nobody fails .They can come out of their very good or not good at all. The 3rd thing Is who did they study with. There are some people known as particularly good teachers of fit. You also want to know about fit philosophy. How they approached bike fit in my case my philosophy is 1st fix the body and then bring the bike to meet the needs of the cyclist. Some people do what is called an accommodative fit .A bike fit where they don't do anything with your body .they don't teach or alter your posture . the bike is modified to improve comfort ,you doesn't necessarily make things much better from an ergonomic perspective. but it's a very popular way of fitting different ,Fit teachers have have different areas of focus .That's why important to know who they study With, look at where they work .Do they focus on the fitting primarily to sell bikes were the fitting primarily to fit bikes I work in a hospital and don't sell anything my position here is a bike fit it's what I do. I'm not trying to move inventory. looked the bias of the fitter do they rely on machinery they have to tell them what you need or are they driving machinery and using it to document you position your posture and the changes related to. Before diving in all this would also make sure that the bike is the right size to start and make no assumptions. look at some of their fits .Do they look-alike?. A good fitter should be able to do a bike fit without any equipment. Except for trainer they should be very aware posture and airway. Watching they should be able to see which muscles are working properly and which ones are not,to individually exercise program to help transitioning back to a competitive lifestyle if you desire that.. In addition to being knowledgeable about the body they also need to understand bicycle geometries where center of mass is . how to enter and exit a turn doesn't they need to understand weight transfer the body forward into a turn and on to the rear at the apex to exit the turn in control .a good bike fit be mobile on the saddle to be able to move around to where it's appropriate for the bike to do we needed to do. You could bike fitter also understands It's not about numbers. It's about what you want to do with the bike your height changes over the course of the day anywhere from 1.5 to 4.5 cm that needs to be taken into account with a fit bike fitter should also be able to draft a bike for you if you're looking for an ideal fit into a custom builder and the good bike fitting should be able to deal with injuries ranging from shoulders to knees and ankles . This is just a brief overview. I hope it inspires you. If you have any questions you can call me my number is 917-664-4889. Glad to answer your questions
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cyclic_eric

Well you wrote quite a lot there Happy F - thanks for the direction. I understand some of the philosophy you mention, and I'll keep it in mind as I visit a couple of local shops. If I get me and the bike near NYC, I'll certainly make an appointment with ya!

pakossa

Ideally, you want someone who knows more than just bike fit theories. He/she should have some kind of physical therapy, or similar background. Reason being, he/she will know when (and how) to deviate from the usual formulas, body angles, etc. to accommodate thing like injuries, flexibility issues, and unusual body proportions. Bike fit is definitely not a one-size-(or formula)-fits-all thing.