chefisaac

I made an appointment today to get a Professional Bike Fitting at the local D&Q bike shop in Cherry Hill, NJ. I knew it was going to cost money, around $100 but I really wanted to ride right and fix my pain in the palms and also the left knee.

So I went there at 6 pm and the guy (Brian) was awesome. He interviewed me first, asked me what pains I was experiancing, etc. Then he told me that we are basically going to "build a house" Start with the sleats, the seat, the legs, the stem and the bars. And we did just that. She fixed the position of my cleates, he moved my seat back, raised my seat up, moved my stem all the way up, fixed my handbar tape and adjusted my handlebars. It was pretty damn neat.

Then he and the mechanic helped me map out a safe route from where I live to where I work. That too was going above and beyond.

And...... he didnt charge me. I owe this guy big time. It feels great to be on my bike. Less preasure on my hands and he taught me how to hold my wrists and not bend them. I feel much better on my arrow bars as well. Awesome awesome awesome.

I will have to hook him up with some food for sure.

He said at the end "what we did today wasent perfect so I expect you to be back sometime or another. Its a tweaking thing".

So glad there are shops that have this kind of customer service.

chefisaac

before/after pics

RandoneeRider

The guy I went to for a 'fitting' pretty much said the same thing. He didn't do anything but watch me ride down to "that tree" and back...., raised my seat such that my hips didn't rock when I pedal, then told me to ride an hour every other day, and come back in a year when I'm more flexible.

With regard to 'hours', I might be close already to having put in a year's worth of bicycle time (by the standards he gave me) in the 2 1/2 months I've been doing this. I've learned how crucial 'fit' and positioning is, made a lot of changes, lost over 20 pounds, and now dream of returning to this guy to have a custom frame/bicycle made for me..... with the fitting that comes with it.

People who didn't know what they were talking about insisted that I simply buy a bike and RIDE, "ANY bike, just ride!" Freinds who know the art of the bicycle, kept saying "...fit, fit, you want, you NEED a correct fitting bicycle!" Sometimes ya jus' gotta choose which of your friends to listen to.....

chefisaac

I was very happy with it.... even if I woud have had to pay for it. I was happy for it. He told me that they do this extensive fitting for everyone that buys a bike with them and does fre mantaince on it for life.

Pretty neat.

Neil_B

Many shops do that. My shop had me come back after a week riding so they could work on getting me set up right, and I could tell them what I did and didn't like.

Seve

It's one of the many advantages of buying a bike from your LBS versus other options.

IMHO

RichardGlover

Nice. Looks like they raised the seat and bars quite a bit. Other changes are probably more subtle and harder to see from the pics - but nevertheless important.

chefisaac

they also moved the seat back, adjusted my cleats and clips, roated bars as well.

sunstorm

I have to agree, fit made the entire difference for me, and kept me on a bike. I went from a bike that others insist is great, should fit me, etc, to a bike that does fit me (and is adjusted better, including really elevating the seat), and the difference is just amazing. One thing I find frustrating is that the women's bikes seem to cramped to me (even though I do have the long leg to arm ratio female proportions) and every place I went strongly pushed me towards women's bikes, and seemed at a loss when I would try and say I felt cramped. I found that the standard bikes with shorter top tubes worked best for me, particularly with adjustments to the handle bar position.

goldfinch

I swear that everyone I hear about who has a bike fitting ends up with their seat moved back.

Mr. Beanz

You bought the bike from them? I'm shocked they didn't offer the free fitting at purchase, many shops do.

chefisaac

mr B: no, I bought the bike two hours up north and got a 30 sec bik fit. The people I went to get the bike fiting is a great shop by my house. When I first arrived in NJ, I wanted a bike and decided to get a Giant because they have been in my family for years. And I feel loyal to them. But I should have got a bike from D & Q, the bike shop by my house. Excellent service.

dehoff

Now you know where to buy n+1.

Mithrandir

I'm thinking of getting a fitting as well. Recently been having some hand numbness issues and ass soreness issues. I figured I'd try out a Brooks for a few weeks before I finally bite the bullet and do it.

I'm nervous though. The local bike shop is really good and friendly, but I just feel awkward going there for a bike fitting, as A) I'm huge, and B) they specialize in road bikes, mine's a mountain-converted-to-hybrid, so I'm just worried about discrimination I guess. Probably stupid because they've always been super nice to me so far, I just feel out of my league there because everyone else in the shop is like a racer type, and every single bike they have is a road bike or time trial bike, heh.

Here's the shop: https://www.tomsprobike.com/custom-fitting

I'm guessing that I probably need my handlebars to be higher up, because I keep putting too much weight on them. But I literally have no idea how you would raise an ancient threaded headset.

Drew Eckhardt 

Or your saddle could be too far forwards (more likely with saddles that have short rails like Brooks; even 1/4" can make a big difference), or your saddle could be angled downwards, or your stem could be too long.

Loosen the bolt in the center of the stem, tap on the Allen wrench with your palm or a mallet to get the wedge or cone at the end out of the way, lift the handle bars, and tighten the bolt.

Removing it all the way and taking the opportunity to grease the stem before tightening it would be prudent.

If it needs to be high enough to expose the minimum insertion mark you need to buy a taller stem. This might call for longer brake/shift cables.

More heroic measures are called for when the stem won't budge due to corrosion because you've combined a lack of lubrication with moisture.

Mr. Beanz

Ah, I kinda sorta misinterpreted your post #4 where it said they do this for every body that buys a bike from them. I was thinking you did but they didn't do it at the time.

chefisaac

mith: go get it done. you will be thankful!

SRR

I wish bike fittings were more compatible with n+1. A local shop owner did a wonderful job fitting me to a road bike I already had, but when I ride some of the other styles of bikes I own I wish they felt as 'in tune'.

(The easy answer would be to get fitted on them as well - esp the 'cross bike' - but he's busy working towards kicking cancer's ass right now, and even when he is working in the shop I can't bring myself to bother him with something so mundane)

chefisaac

SRR: But to be honest, he would love to help you out. Thats why he owns the shop.

bradtx

Mithrandir, The shop will know how to make your bike fit, and fit is important regardless of the style of bicycle. A pro fit is important if you can't quite get everything fine tuned yourself, and it's the fine adjustments that can make the biggest difference.

Brad

Mithrandir

Was at the LBS today, needed a new rear wheel. While I was there I inquired about the bike fitting, they has no problems with it whatsoever, so we set up an appointment for next Thursday. I'm giddy...

The idea of the numbness and the pains going away has me so excited...

Mithrandir

Ok so my bike fitting is tomorrow. But I have a question. Due to weather, it looks like the only day I'll be able to commute to work (19+19=38 miles) is tomorrow as well. Is it a good idea to do the commute and then show up for the fitting all tired from cycling all day? Or is it generally a good idea to do a bike fitting while fresh? Or does it even matter?

Thanks!

chefisaac

mith: doesnt really matter to be honest. You can bike and go to the fit.

chefisaac

goodl uck and let me know how it goes!

shokhead

If a person is right in the middel of lets say a 54 and 56. Does it make any difference he they go to the 54 or bigger to the 56? Advanages or didsadvanage.