That's a good plan. Just make sure you are clear about what sort of riding you are planning on doing as it will influence the fit. But a good fitter will ask you these questions anyway. You should come away with enough information to buy the right frame size and then from there you can get riding and fine tune the fit as required.

I do not recall every not needing a different stem and handlebar. Sometimes, a different seatpost.

I cannot see on Canyon's website how you would order a nonstandard stem/bar or seatpost. Presumably, one could change both (at a price) at a LBS.

I had to change the h-bar on a gravel bike. It was a 56 ETT bike, came with a too narrow 42cm bar, I swapped to a 44. 42 seemed like a small width for that sized bike (Cannondale Topstone). I thing Canyon does not like changing stem and bars, as i recall from past research.

I think if you want to change stem/bars on a Canyon you have to order the different stem/bars you want and then send back the originals for a refund. You basically get 30 days to sort out your cockpit. At least that's how it works in the UK. Not sure about other countries. What you can't do is order a bike built with a different stem/bar to the stock spec. It's not a big problem with stems as you could simply order a bunch of stems and return the ones you didn't need. It's much more of a hassle with bars and integrated cockpits.

I'm still of a mind that to pay a bike fitter in order to find out the correct frame size is quite a bit of overkill. A decent bike shop salesperson should be able to do this. And if you haven't been riding much at all and haven't settled in your cycling core muscles and posture, I think you'd just find that after a few hundred to 1k miles, you'd probably benefit by another fit.

I'm not going to disagree with this view. But a "decent bike shop salesperson" can be hard to find in many places. They also have to actually have the correct bike to sell you, which is also tricky these days. Personally I've given up with local bike shops, but I do know what I want from a bike and don't need a fitter either. I agree they can be overkill, but if you really don't have a clue where to start then a pro-fitter is a better bet than walking into a bike shop and taking your chances with some random salesperson and their limited stock of bikes.

I am not sure I agree. I am sure I know more than most bike shop salesmen.

I am jonesing for a Pinarello F12. I do not know if the 59.5 will fit or if I need to size up to the almost too big 62. My AK61 in 59.5 was tight but it fit....a couple more mm the wrong way and it would not have. A store is generally not going to have either of those rather expensive bikes in stock. So, it is a guess for them. In the middle ranges, the size gaps are only 10 mm. If they guess 53 but a 54 is optimal, no big deal. A fitter can dial that in. Not so easy on the bigger frames with large (2.5 or 3 cm) jumps.

The only other bit to be wary of with a fitter is to understand exactly what they'll give back to you. I've heard of some who've gone to a fitter, with the same thought -- so they in theory would know what size bike to get. Instead, after the fitting, being presented with a lot of metrics that, unless you know what you're doing, can be difficult to translate into a specific bike size or brand. Such as getting back metrics like: Saddle height to pedals, saddle distance to handlebars, saddle setback from BB, handlebar drop from saddle, handlebar width, crankarm length, etc..

As for getting a professional bike fit, I think another thing that needs to be considered is how long and often one really intends to ride. For many, they have no desire to ride more than a trip around the block. I doubt they'll gain anything from a professional fit. For those that know they intend to be 3 and 4 hours in the saddle, then it becomes a different story.

I agree.

Ultimately it comes down to the quality of advice and whether or not that advice is truly impartial. If I was looking for a road bike and serious about riding, but clueless on size and fit, then I would feel more comfortable taking advice from an independent fitter over a salesperson trying to sell me a specific bike from their limited stock. I'd like to think a decent fitter would be willing to recommend a few bikes and comment on the suitability of any bikes that you already had in mind. Obviously it's not a cheap route, but spending a few hundred dollars up front to clarify what bike and sizing you really need is better than potentially spending thousands on the wrong bike.

It all comes down to how much advice you really need and how much you are willing to pay. I would bet that 90% of people could go on the Canyon website and choose their correct bike size (or at least within one size of their optimum). It's really not that hard unless you are of a very odd proportion or have some specific functional limitations. A fitter would make that choice more certain and educated. For those who do choose to go down the pro-fitting route, it's definitely better to start with the fitter than turn up with a new bike that you bought beforehand - regardless of whether you bought it from a shop or direct sales.

I went for a pro fitting about 5 years ago before buying the frame. He set up the test fixture with the exact dimensions and angles of the frame that I contemplated. Then, he could adjust when taking video and observing. Then, asking how different settings felt. I could not hold the optimum positions but we were able to find good compromises. He gave me the optimum numbers and the final compromise fit for my limitations. Translating those numbers onto a bike also takes some knowledge. Unless a rider is pretty knowledgeable, they would need a shop to do that for them.

I agree. I think a fitter is much more desirable after you have settled in to your style.

I think you can go a long way by finding one of those online fit calculators from a reputable source (I've used Competitive Cyclist's and Wrench Science's) to guide you through a couple measurements that will put you in the ball park, at least in terms of frame size, saddle height, bar reach, etc. There are subtleties about things like saddle position that you kind of have to figure out by riding. I had a position that was fine for 40 miles but problematic beyond that.

I agree with this approach too. It's all a matter of how much you prefer to work it out for yourself vs paying someone to hold your hand. I've never personally used the services of a fitter myself or felt the need. But I have come across others who have benefited from a pro-fit for various reasons. Either because they didn't have the patience/experience to work through it themselves or due to a specific fit issue they couldn't resolve.

Coming back to buying a bike direct vs shop I don't think it changes the game that much either way in respect of fitting.

If I buy a Trek Emonda for instance, and decide I want a different bar/stem combo, do I have to buy those? Where? What if I want a 25 mm setback seatpost, does Trek sell those? Or Canyon? Do they sell those parts? I could not find those dimensions on the website or even something as simple as crankarm length.

I am a completely DIY guy and am sure I would not go down the Canyon path myself. Aside from the fact when I enter my morpological data, they say, "something is wrong, we have not designed a bike for you"....their website is horrible. It looks like they don't make it for riders 6'3''. If I enter 6'2'', they put me into a Large. With a STA of 74. No way that would fit.

But they provide no details on how this process plays out other than enter complex data (inseam and height).

Run. To a local bike shop with a good fitter.

I have two different Canyon bikes in the fleet. My brother has two badass Treks. Similar rides, we often ride together, neither bike brand has a distinct advantage or problem. They're bicycles. You set them up, tweak them, ride them and fix/repair/perform routine maintenance on them as needed. If you can't work on your own bicycles then nearly any bike shop with a floor pump will be able to fix it for you, regardless of brand. Ride 'em, pound out the Watts and "drope the hamer" (heh!) when the time is right. Buy what you like, love what you ride.

Particles vs. Continuum: Less light. Fewer photons.

As for the topic, Canyon is an excellent option. They do service their warranties (three times in our case). The main issue is the service phone queue, which is a nightmare. They always send you back to square one. The other issue is their sizing is atypical. Trek's 54/medium = Canyon small (but always worth a careful double-check.)