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Tell me about your bike fitting service.

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Tell me about your bike fitting service.

Old 06-02-22, 12:28 PM
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DiabloScott
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Tell me about your bike fitting service.

1. Why did you get it?
2. What was the work product? (charts, figures, tables? - I'd like to see that)
3. Did you use your own bike or some kind of fitkit?

I'd really like to hear your story if you had a fitting done and then ordered a new or custom bike to match.
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Old 06-02-22, 12:49 PM
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1. At different times, the motivation for a fitting has been different, but usually it's because some bike has been causing me discomfort. Or biking in general was.
2. Measurements of the bike fit dimensions (pedal to saddle distance, saddle-bars distance, seat angle, etc.)
3. Always my own bike.

I've never regretted getting a fitting, though in some cases I've gone back for "tweaks". Something that feels right spinning for 10-20 minutes on a trainer may not feel right after 4 hours in the saddle on a real road.
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Old 06-02-22, 12:55 PM
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It was a long and complete waste of time. Everything was measured and I ended up with a bike that had too long of a reach.
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Old 06-02-22, 01:23 PM
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I should add that I don't count fittings at point of sale as the same thing. The fittings that have mattered to me have been with people who did bike fitting only (no sales) on existing bikes.

Fittings in bike shops by salespeople may be a different story entirely.
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Old 06-02-22, 01:31 PM
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I did not get a complete fit; I consulted with a fitter because I was in PT for hip pain, and the PTs who worked with me strongly suggested it. He raised my seat a bit. Didn't help the pain, but he added 10% to my cadence and riding speed.
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Old 06-02-22, 02:47 PM
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Originally Posted by philbob57
I did not get a complete fit; I consulted with a fitter because I was in PT for hip pain, and the PTs who worked with me strongly suggested it. He raised my seat a bit. Didn't help the pain, but he added 10% to my cadence and riding speed.
One of the fitters I know about is a licensed PT and I think she would do a good job of setting me up to a comfortable position - I'm just not sure what she would give me as a product would be translatable to a builder.
Here's a previous BF photo I found from another thread - is this a typical report? Could a high-end LBS create a bike with these measurements - even if some of them might be a little difficult? I don't want a stem extension or funky seatpost.

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Old 06-02-22, 03:00 PM
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My last fit was with Dean Phillips at Fitwercx. The process is explained in the attached.

The work output was a list of dimensions for my fit, video capture showing different options on fit, foot shims, and some narrative. They gave me credit towards a frame. It was about 3 hours. I was on a fitting machine IRRC and I also think Dean put me up on his bike because he is only 10 pounds heavier (20 muscle on me) and I think I was 1/2 inch taller. My fit was a little unique in that I wanted a comfortable position on an aero road bike with aero bars to be able to do long distance events. Since he had done a lot of fitting on the La Premiere Feminine and other randonneurs and since he used to be a Tri guy, I thought he would get what my needs. He also reviewed all my kit, wheels, tires, etc. and made recommendations. Edit: should have mentioned that Dean has won national TT championships and I think he has the Masters Pursuit World record. So, he rides.

I was between a 58 and 61 frame but given the application, he said to go with the 58 cm Cervelo.

I also had a custom frame made based off measurements and discussion on the phone. It was ok but nothing special in terms of fit. I got a diagram of the bike with frame dimensions to be made.

https://fitwerx.com/new-bike-fit/

Last edited by GhostRider62; 06-02-22 at 04:23 PM.
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Old 06-02-22, 03:11 PM
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Oh, one other version of a fitting I had WAS useless.

I was going to a big PT organization to deal with an injury, and the PT said, "we have a guy who does bike fittings" and it would be covered except for my normal co-pay. It turns out, that this ended up being a guy who really was a PT, but wasn't himself a serious cyclist. He had learned how to do bike fittings in a series of trainings, to add to the offerings of the clinic.

That fitting was a waste of time.

OTOH, my current fitter is a PT, but also a serious cyclist who has completed impressive gravel distance events such as the DaMN

I realize that the OP isn't considering this kind of situation, but someone brought up "bike fitter who is a PT". That sounds like a great combination, but it doesn't always mean the same thing. Don't get a bike fit from somebody who isn't also a serious cyclist themselves.
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Old 06-02-22, 04:24 PM
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I used a shop that uses the Shimano fitting system: Home | bikefitting.com
They were able to figure out my correct bike geometry and then translate adjustments, using lasers, onto my existing bike. It turned out my bike was a bit too large (56cm, really needed a 54cm) so I got a printout of what would be "ideal" for me, and then went looking for a bike/frameset that most closely matched those measurements. I must have poured over dozens of frame geometry charts before deciding on my current frame. Once I got all my components (frame, seatpost, saddle, stem, bars, wheels and groupset) all together and assembled, I brought it back down to the shop. Thier computer stored all my info, so it was just a matter of setting up the lasers again and making the adjustments on my new bike.
Well worth the money to me.
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Old 06-03-22, 09:38 AM
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1. Why did you get it? - My wife had recently had a fitting to alleviate some discomfort, and she was so impressed with the results that she bought me a fitting from the same fitter as a birthday gift. I told the fitter I was interested in improved performance or increased comfort (or both), so long as neither came at the expense of the other.

2. What was the work product? (charts, figures, tables? - I'd like to see that) - I came away from that fitting with two charts: One was the measurements of my current bike, optimized to get the most from the fitting results. The other was the measurements of a hypothetical new custom bike, also (obviously) optimized to get the most from the fitting results. Some minor differences between the two charts, due to what the existing frame could accomodate.

3. Did you use your own bike or some kind of fitkit? - We started on a fitkit-type gizmo, a stationary bike-like object that allowed the fitter to quickly adjust different parameters (e.g., crank length, stem length, bar width, top tube length, etc.) Once he'd settled on his ideal recommendation, he made adjustments to my own bike (including installing a new stem) and put that on a trainer, did some further observations/measurements based on that.

Originally Posted by DiabloScott
I'd really like to hear your story if you had a fitting done and then ordered a new or custom bike to match.
Ha! Well here's the funny part: A year or two after that fitting I ordered my first custom bike. The framebuilder had a very elaborate intake form for taking body and bike measurements so he could design the fit and handling. In addition to completing his intake form (and going through a lengthy interview, both written and verbal) I figured This Oughtta Save Him Some Time so I also sent him both charts that I got from my fit session.

The bike he designed and built for me bears absolutely no resemblence to either of the charts I got at the fit session! And yet it fits and handles like a dream.
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Old 06-09-22, 12:49 PM
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My fitting

[/QUOTE]
I had a fitting by Dario Fredrick of Whole Athlete in San Anselmo, www.wholeathlete.com and had a custom titanium built for me by Mike DeSalvo, www.desalvocycles.com Very similar graphic and table of dimensions to the above. Bike was perfect other than a a few adjustments of a millimeter or two the bike served me well for over 14 years. Recently had to give it up do to damage to my knee due to over doing it one day.
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