Getting A Bike Fitting

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Chris1994

Member
Hi, I'm kind of new to the cycling scene, so I'm wondering if anyone with more knowledge than me can help me out. I want to get a bike fitting done properly, but I'm not so sure as to how the whole process works. If I were to get a bike fitting done, would I have to buy a bike from the people who did the fitting? I don't think this is case, but this makes the whole process seem quite redundant to me. Would they give me information as to what frame size, seat position, stem length, handlebar width etc, so I could buy the right bike and adjust it accordingly? Or would it make more sense so buy the bike before hand, and take it with me to the fitting? I don't want to be spending a lot of money before I knew what I'm doing, especially as a student!

Thanks for any replies, Chris.
 
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C

Chris1994

Member
P.S. Sorry if this is under the wrong section, it seemed the most appropriate.
 
Alun

Alun

Guru
Location
Liverpool
Chris1994 said:
Thanks Paul, but I'm still confused as to what happens. If I were to build a bike using http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/bikeb...BB12RIBULTRATT&sub=conf_BBTTC&bike=1#Groupset , and then took it to a bike fitter, would that suffice, or would you advise buying the bike after a fitting? thanks
Click to expand...
You would need a fitting before rather than after buying a bike, otherwise you might have bought the wrong size frame/cranks/stem/bars.
Contact Ribble directly to ask if they still do fitting, as people have posted on here that they don't do it any more. Some shops will charge a fee, refundable when/if you buy the bike from them.
 
martint235

martint235

Dog on a bike
Location
Welling
It is possible to get a bike fitting after you've bought a bike. I know Mark One on here had one done as he had problems with his knees after using his new bike. They recommended various changes to the setup of the bike and to the positioning of cleats etc.

I've always held off having a bike fit in case they told me my new pride and joy was too small. I'm probably in custom bike build territory given my size though although the setup I have on my two bikes seems to work ok
 
ianrauk

ianrauk

Tattooed Beat Messiah
Location
Rides Ti2
martint235 said:
It is possible to get a bike fitting after you've bought a bike. I know Mark One on here had one done as he had problems with his knees after using his new bike. They recommended various changes to the setup of the bike and to the positioning of cleats etc.

I've always held off having a bike fit in case they told me my new pride and joy was too small. I'm probably in custom bike build territory given my size though although the setup I have on my two bikes seems to work ok
Click to expand...

Yup,
I phoned both BigFoot Bikes and Bromley Bike Co, and both stores will do a bike fit with your current bike. And that's no surprise looking at the costs.
 
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C

Chris1994

Member
So if I got the fitting before I did my bike, would they just give me the information I needed to build the new bike?
 
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Chris1994

Member
Because I don't want to buy a bike from where I get the fitting, unless they can offer as great a deal as ribble do, which most places don't.
 
velovoice

velovoice

Veteran
Location
Between the City and the Sea
If you really want to know absolutely as much as possible about your fit requirements before buying/building the bike, go get a full fitting at someplace like Cyclefit in London. They use the Serotta Sizecycle (a fully adjustable "bike") and then from the fitting results can help you put together a short list of combinations of frame + stem + bars + cranks that will produce a comparable fit for you. You then go shopping. You can (optional but recommended) go back to them with that bike for a follow-up and have things fine-tuned.

Or you can do the buy/build yourself and then take it all to them... and get told where you went wrong (!) and be sent off with a shopping list of things to be swapped out. And pray they don't say the frame is just too big/small to work with. (This is the route I took - my frame was borderline too big but by swapping out virtually everything that affects fit, the bike is fine for rides up to 30 miles. Key thing is, I was definitely a lot smarter when I bought the next bike! :ohmy::thumbsup: )

If you went to someplace like Cyclefit already knowing you wanted to go custom, then they'd work with you and a selected pool of frame builders to build your bike frame upwards. But otherwise, they are a professional fitting service and do not "sell bikes".

Hope that's of some use.
 
dellzeqq

dellzeqq

pre-talced and mighty
Location
SW2
I'm afraid I think the whole bike fit thing is a scam. All you need is somebody experienced to look at you on the bike and say 'this may be a bit too stretched now, but you'll get used to it' or 'it's sort of right, but we'll change the stem'. It's about having an adult conversation rather than the numbers. Bikes are not that complicated and we all of us have different ideas about how we want to ride. You buy a bike, you change the set-up over time, and when you buy your next bike you take forward the lessons you've learnt in the light of your own ideas about comfort, speed, head position, whatever.

I've got a road bike that fits me perfectly. I've got a Brompton that fits me perfectly. Until recently I had a hybrid that fitted me perfectly. That they fit me in such different ways is testament to the different outcomes I want from each bike, and, equally, that very few people of my height would have precisely the set up I have on a road bike is testament to our individuality.

Last Saturday I took a look at the riding position of a fellow forumiste, a chap close to my own age and a man who knows his bikes. By my lights it looked like a complete disaster - but he's perfectly happy on it.

If you're intention is to make up a bike from bits you've purchased by mail then you're effectively on your own - but that isn't to say it can't be done - you just have to look at what you've ridden before and ask yourself what you'd like to be different.
 
velovoice

velovoice

Veteran
Location
Between the City and the Sea
DZ - I do agree with you - numbers are rubbish. It is (or should be) more an art than a science. And communication is key. The value of a fitting is that you get (or should get) the full undivided attention of that experienced someone you mention, who can observe your body mechanics while you're on a bike/machine with capacity for all sorts of micro-adjustments. I had my physio present at my fitting - she was able to look at what angles/positions stressed my weak points and could advise on what changes might force/encourage me to strengthen certain muscles. I went to the fitting after several hundred miles on a new bike I wasn't unhappy with but something was tormenting my IT band and -- surprise surprise -- my knees. Following through on all the recommendations of the fitter sorted all of that out.

So my anecdotal tuppence' worth is that a good fitter, a really good fitter, can help you avoid a lot of problems that may go unnoticed at first but develop over time into issues that require lengthy spells of physio, even eventual surgery. And all that really boils down to is, you're free to enjoy riding your bike. :smile:

Of course YMMV.

ETA: DZ, your views struck a memory chord... Peter White is legendary in the USA and what he says here chimes with your take pretty closely.
 
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