where's the beef?

[Adam]

I have noticed a considerible amount of criticism towards bike fitters on these boards. As a Serotta Advanced fit tech this concerns me. I feel that my job is to make sure that all my clients whether purchasing a $800 C-dale or an $8000 Ottrott receive the same amount of care and attention so that I can create happy cyclists. Happy cyclists purchase tubes, tires, clothing, etc, that our shop actually makes money on and keeps a roof over my families head. If 99% (a totally random figure) of fitters were doing a crappy job, would Serotta and other custom makers still be doing well?

Most of the posters on this forum have considerable experience and may not need someone to hold their hand through an expensive purchase such as a fine road bike, so why ridicule a fitter who may advise something a bit different when you already know what you want anyway? Serotta fitters are well trained and usually passionate enough about cycling to infect their client with the love to ride. We work hard to make sure that a novice to our sport feels comfortable enough to ask questions, learn about a neutral spine and a strong core, learn how to clip into those pedals and generally not feel intimidated by the hard core racer types. This intimidation (or sink or swim, earn your stripes, etc.) factor is killing cycling and I have to fight it everyday. I want to create happy riders!!! (racers or not).

So, what's the real issue here? Have some of you guys been so mis-advised on fit that it has caused pain or injury? If so, I would think that feedback to Serotta about such a shop would cause them to pull their dealership and allow another place that does a better job sell their bikes. I understand that many people do not "need" custom. A good 80% of my clients do not need a custom geo. If one is shopping for a Legend Ti, then custom is part of the package anyway and the fun in that is to create a new, unique ride that cannot be duplicated. That is special, fun, beautiful, and that excitement gets me up in the morning.

Just curious...

Adam

[Andreu]

I was, bizzarely, recommended a sloping top tube Ottrott by a fitter and he hasn't even seen me or have my measurements. I have to say that he/she didn't tell me that the Sloping TT was best it was a recommendation and it was done via exchange of only a couple of e-mails, so don't read too much into it. Nevertheless I find it strange that there is a predisposition to recommend a style of fit without more in-depth consultation. (I guess it also doesn't help that I have a predisposition to sloping top tubes either....I hate them).
A

[Kevin]

Adam,

I am very happy with my fitter. Maybe it is because I am one of the 20% who actually needs a custom frame (I have very long thigh bones that require a 71.5 STA in order to get my knees above or behind the pedal spindle, even with a setback seatpost). Because of my fitter I am able to enjoy cycling. Don't let the naysayers get you down, its because of guys like you that I am able to still ride. Keep up the good work.

Kevin

[Smiley]

Well said Adam , I guess in the real world not all surgeons are very good and you need to sometimes do your homework when it comes to finding a good dentist and yes a good fitter too.

[Adam]

Andreu,

I agree. The in-depth consult is what I (or we, as in all fitters if they are doing the job properly) specialize in...As part of the design process I always ask my client what they expect aesthtically. If I can make the bike fit and handle properly given what the client wants the bike to look like, then we have a winner. If not it is back to the drawing board...

Kevin,

thanks for the encouragement.

Adam

[BumbleBeeDave]

I think part of your impression may just be one of perception.

As a journalist, I have found that we generally end up doing stories about “squeaky wheel” type things that come to our attention because someone is calling us and bitching about them. But we don’t get people calling us all the time to complement the people that operate the vast majority of things in our community that DO work right. Thus we hear gripes about how “f***ed up“ everything is in our community--the government, the trash service, the streets, etc--when in reality everything really does work fairly well.

I think the same thing happens here. People who are DIS-satisfied are the ones who generally say something. What you DON’T hear trumpeted as much are the vast majority of fitting experiences that go perfectly well and end up furnishing a product that works great. I think if you look through the forum, take a count of all the people who have gotten new bikes and complimented the ride and handling, there are quite a few . . . and most of those experiences, I believe, can be traced to a positive fitting experience that has given the customer exactly what he asked for--a new bike that “disappears” under them, that “handles like a dream,” that “goes exactly where I point it to,” that “rides descents like it’s on a rail,” etc.

I also try to take into account that SOME complainers--not all--but some are uninformed about what they wanted, about what the fiting process is supposed to do,etc. My fitter originally speced at 110 stem for me. It was too long. I rode a 100 until yesterday, when I put a 90 on there, moved my saddle back 5mm, and rode 50 miles. Whoa! What a difference! Less stretched out, more power stroke on the hills when I scoot back that 5mm . . . but I’m not gonna ascribe that to a “bad” fitting. My body and riding habits have changed in 3 years. After that three years of serious riding on a high-end bike, I’m more knowledgeable now about exactly what I want.

I think, on the whole, my fitter, Doug McKenzie at Belmont Wheelworks in Boston, did a GREAT job.

BBDave

[eddief]

Fitting is an inexact science at best and then there is the complaining factor. With all of the experience under our collective belts, it would seem smart for fitters to acknowledge the inexact-ness. I went through a few iterations of fitting before giving myself over to Steve Rex. I went through no less than five frames and builds before finding my latest and greatest. It would be dangerous for a fitter with even the surest hand to admit that this can be an iterative process. My experiments were done with relatively inexpensive frames that it did not kill me to sell when I realized their lack of perfection. Could have been much tougher with a custom $3 or 4k frame. I think that Steve Rex is a good fitter. And I had already been through 5 frames and I brought my closest current bike with me to the fitting. He had his own points of view and those were reinforced by my current best fit and my comfort complaints. Most first timers do not bring that much info to the table. Can most fitters fill in all those blanks or do they make their best guess on the what they have to work with?

[vaxn8r]

Adam, I am guilty, repeatedly.

As I think about why, it is a matter of context. I have tended to state my opinions in response to those who would have us believe that if your bike is not a $$$ custom-fit Serotta, that somehow translates into you are riding a garbage bike which won't fit, won't be fun to ride, won't be fun to ride for more than an hour, blah blah blah....

My experience is different fitters do have different ideas on what fits. Ideally your customer knows enough about cycling to give you as a fitter good information. My guess is the more input you get from the customer the closer different fitters would likely come to agreement. If the customer has never ridden a bike seriously, that's probably going to make your job a bit of a stab in the dark.

I respect what you do and I don't begrudge the custom fit. But for most people, as you have said, 80%, custom is not necessary. For most it's just part of the "Serotta" exclusivity thing. That's cool, whatever makes you want to ride it more. Of course let's not forget, that's how Ben is making his money too. I don't hear about a lot of folk banging down his door for an off-the-rack Fierte (though they probably would be just as happy if they didn't look at the label on the TT).