Do I pay for a bike fit?

[barndoor]

Hi there,
I've had my road bike for 2 wks now. I've no experience with road bikes and wanted to know if it's worth getting a bike fit at a local shop. I've been out 8 times so far and have been going out for about 15 miles each time just to gradually build up my mileage.
I've had no real issues so far, well not counting numb balls. Lol.
Has anyone had a bike fit?
How much did you pay?
Any help would be appreciated.
Cheers,
Carl.

 

[vickster]

If you don't have any issues, why would you so early on? There are loads of videos on YouTube and other guides around the net to make sure you are set up optimally.

Better spend the £200 on better shorts, you don't want numb bits

 

[coffeejo]

If you bought if from a shop, they should set you up properly.

If you bought online and are having problems with the set up and can't sort it out yourself, then yes - a few mm can make a huge difference to comfort and therefore "performance" and definitely worth it IMHO. Mine last year was invaluable though I got it free as I was the shop's guinea pig.

 

[barndoor]

UOTE="coffeejo, post: 3028023, member: 14986"]If you bought if from a shop, they should set you up properly.

If you bought online and are having problems with the set up and can't sort it out yourself, then yes - a few mm can make a huge difference to comfort and therefore "performance" and definitely worth it IMHO. Mine last year was invaluable though I got it free as I was the shop's guinea pig.[/QUOTE]
I

 

[barndoor]

I got the bike from halfords as it was the only shop my company would use for the. Cycle2 work scheme. I was quite impressed with the help I got in picking the bike but on collection got very little set up help.

 

[vickster]

Where are you based? Someone might be able to recommend a fit

You realise that there are a bunch of independent shops that will take the halfords vouchers?

 

[Doyleyburger]

There are some great YouTube videos that can get you started with a basic set up. I know people that have payed for a bike fit only to change it after coz it didn't feel right. Try doing it yourself via YouTube first before you spend your cash.

 

[barndoor]

I didn't know you could use halfords vouchers elsewhere. Never mind.
I'm from mold, North Wales.

 

[Crackle]

If you bought if from a shop, they should set you up properly.

If you bought online and are having problems with the set up and can't sort it out yourself, then yes - a few mm can make a huge difference to comfort and therefore "performance" and definitely worth it IMHO. Mine last year was invaluable though I got it free as I was the shop's guinea pig.

Was it a full time position and did they give you a free wheel too?

There are resources online too. For instance

http://www.competitivecyclist.com/Store/catalog/fitCalculatorBike.jsp

 

[Shadowfax]

Do you have any expertise you can call on in the matter ? ie; friends etc.

 

[slowmotion]

I chose the YouTube video route. It's free and you can tweak this and that endlessly once you understand the basics. That doesn't happen with a "one off" bike fit.

 

[Spoked Wheels]

My personal feeling on having a bike fit is that most bike fit "experts" use the KOPS knee over the pedal system to set up the saddle fore and after, and the handle bars to cover the vision of the front hub to set the stem length and hight, ignoring completely that we aren't all built the same. Undoubtedly the system works for some people but not for all. There's plenty of good information on the internet on how to do this setup which you can use as the basis to get you started ( you will need someone to help you do this) then you can learn more about yourself on the bike and what gives you problems and what feels good. For example, I started with the kops system but I still had numbed hands after two hours on the bike. Adjusting the saddle a little got rid of the problem which proved that knee over the pedal does not work for me. I also had neck pain which led me to fit a shorter stem which means that handlebar covering the vision of the front hub doesn't work for me either. I still have an issue with the saddle after about 4 hours and I'm working on it.
There are bike fitters that use a more "scientific" approach and they use video and software technology that analyse you on the bike as you pedal. There are able to measure many positions /angles that without the technology I think it would be impossible to do. I think they are more credible to me cause they consider your body sizes however, they still ignore in some degree how flexible you are. Anyhow, I would certainly pay for such service as it looks far more realistic.

 

[screenman]

I had mine with Adrian Timmis and it was money well spent, he cured a foot problem that I or lots of others could not sort out. I am yet to meet someone who has had a bike fit and not found it worked for them.

I have read from lots of people who have not had the experience of a bike fit who say they are not worth it though.

 

[screenman]

I chose the YouTube video route. It's free and you can tweak this and that endlessly once you understand the basics. That doesn't happen with a "one off" bike fit.

Have you had a pro bike fit?

 

[HLaB]

If you are comfortable, experienced cyclists dont all say its completely wrong and you don't plan to race, etc I'd save the money and spend it on new tyres etc. It can be invaluable though, although I was comfortable and for some nearly all cyclists down south said it was wrong, nobody up north did Anyway I do TT's, never actually race and it (a retul fit) seems to have improved my performance but maybe I'm just getting fitter.