Getting fitted in NorCal

[akelman]

I find myself increasingly jealous of the people who live near Smiley and can take advantage of his services. Given that, does anyone here know of a similarly talented fitter somewhere in Northern California? I'd be willing to drive a bit in order to work with someone who has a really great reputation. Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

[fourflys]

I've visited an heard really good things about bici Sport (http://www.bicisportusa.com/Bici_Sport/Welcome.html) , but never have been fitted by them...

[Elefantino]

How Nor? NorCal Bike Sport in Santa Rosa has some great fitters and a new fitting room.

[fourflys]

How Nor? NorCal Bike Sport in Santa Rosa has some great fitters and a new fitting room.

while I can't talk about a personal fitting, I just never got a good vibe in that shop... I'm up in SR all the time as my in-laws live there... but, that's just my feeling and I could be totally wrong...

Bici Sport is in Petaluma btw...

of course if we're talking Sonoma/Marin county you also have the option of going to Sycip (http://www.sycip.com/) in Santa Rosa and have Jeremy fit you or you could travel to Mill Valley in Marin Co and pay a visit to Above Category (http://www.abovecategorycycling.com/service.html) ....

I guess it depends on where in NorCal you are...

[tamjam]

Also in Marin, Studio Velo has a Retul fit system. Colin fit me, but Scott and Paul are just as good.

[John H.]

Dario at whole athlete.
wholeathlete.com

[eddief]

he can fit you, build for you, either, or, both.

I have not been fitted by him, but Tony at Bicycle Odyssey, did a good quick job for a friend. My friend did not get the full monty, but I believe Tony is capable. He also has so much gorgeous frameset inventory it's worth a visit to look at stuff.

[scrubadub]

A couple of people come to mind.

Terry Shaw down at Shaw's Lightweight Cyclery did a great job of fitting my wife to a stock bike. We went to a couple of other shops and she just couldn't get comfortable. He put her on a stock Bianchi, made some tweaks with the stem and seat position, and pushed her out the door. She came back and said "Wow!".

Darrell Eng also does a good job. I had him fit me for a tri bike after bad experiences (PM privately if you want to know who I didn't like - nobody mentioned so far in this thread but their names come up elsewhere fairly often). He did a good job and is great with the after fit support, even though I ended up not buying a bike from him. We spent several hours tweaking the fit on the fit bike. I bet he'd does a fine job on the road side too - everyone I've seen who bought bikes from him "look right".

Or do what I did - go to the master Tom Kellogg in PA <grin>

[Willy]

Rick Yu at Eden bike in Castro Valley comes highly recommended. He did a great job with me - really took his time and went throughout every adjustment that could be made. I have sent others to him and all say the same good things.

[Kane]

What Bike Store In No Cal Does A Bad Job Of Fitting.

There are so many great bike stores in the bay area with good to great fitters.
I live in Marin and all the bike stores are great, otherwise they would be out of business.
Cheers,

Kane

[pbjbike]

Tony Tom at a Bicycle Odyssey in Sausalito and the Marina. He's been in the biz and doing fittings longer than almost anyone in the Bay Area.

[bagochips3]

Dario at whole athlete.
wholeathlete.com

+1

Located in San Anselmo

[Smiley]

I find myself increasingly jealous of the people who live near Smiley and can take advantage of his services. Given that, does anyone here know of a similarly talented fitter somewhere in Northern California? I'd be willing to drive a bit in order to work with someone who has a really great reputation. Thanks in advance for your suggestions.


Thanks for the compliments, did three fittings this weekend and only one is a forumite, the other 2 are for new Bedford Ti Fames :)

[akelman]

Thanks, everyone. This is a useful list, though I wish something like a consensus had emerged. Or, failing that, were any of you who responded looking to solve a particular problem: back or shoulder pain, for example? And did the fitter you worked with help in this regard? Honestly, I had a really lousy fitting experience -- the first time I bought a Serotta, about twenty years ago -- and I'd very much like to avoid doing more harm than good this time. Anyway, thanks again.

[akelman]

Also, you're welcome, Smiley. I've never heard anything but lavish praise for your work. Your customers seem to be uniformly delighted with your services.

[bfd]

What Bike Store In No Cal Does A Bad Job Of Fitting.

There are so many great bike stores in the bay area with good to great fitters.
I live in Marin and all the bike stores are great, otherwise they would be out of business.
Cheers,

Kane

Some of the large mfrs "concept" stores have questionable fitting practices. I know of at least two different "concept" stores in the City, that will bring somebody in on an appointment basis at pretty big bucks ($250+?!) Alternatively, others basic fit strategy is to look at you, put you on something close to your size and have you ride it around the block. Sorry, that's not "fitting."

In contrast, most shops that know "fitting" will put you on a fit cycle and make adjust based on your specific body needs. Then they will ask you questions about the type of cycling you do and make further adjustments. They're also willing to make further adjustments on things like saddles and pedals once you factor those in too. Yes, even here in NorCal, there are shops that don't do these things. Good Luck!

[tribuddha]

I recommend Rand at Aira Velo In Santa Rosa.. He does a great job.. mine took most of the day and he has a state of the art fit system.
a months ago Bob Rolle was in for a fit on his Guru.. he could have went anywhere and he chose Rand.. and Rand sells Serotta,Guru and Parlee.. all great bikes.. he only works by appointment.. give him a call..

[fogrider]

Tony Tom at a Bicycle Odyssey in Sausalito and the Marina. He's been in the biz and doing fittings longer than almost anyone in the Bay Area.
another vote for Tony! he is old school in that its more of an art with him. I had a knee problem that I could not figure out. Tony was able to do a quick fitting and everything has been great ever since.

[tsutaoka]

i've tried various fitters in the bay area, and by far, i'd recommend curits cramblett. he's the founder of http://www.revolutionsinfitness.com/team-bios.html and works with pro teams (e.g. garmin-cervelo, chris lietto) to hobbyists (e.g. me ;-). he's down in san jose

[oldpotatoe]

I find myself increasingly jealous of the people who live near Smiley and can take advantage of his services. Given that, does anyone here know of a similarly talented fitter somewhere in Northern California? I'd be willing to drive a bit in order to work with someone who has a really great reputation. Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

Chad at Above Catagory in Mill Valley
Tony at Bicycle Odyssey in Sausalito

[sevencyclist]

Rick Yu at Eden bike in Castro Valley comes highly recommended. He did a great job with me - really took his time and went throughout every adjustment that could be made. I have sent others to him and all say the same good things.
I second Rick Yu. He made adjustment of me on my custom Sachs and made the ride that much better.

[etu]

Tony at Bicycle Odyssey!

[Skrawny]

Just to muddy the waters:
Ari Bronsztein at Bespoke Cycles in SF
bespokecyclessf.com

I would let nobody else fit me.
-s

[Joe]

Just to muddy the waters:
Ari Bronsztein at Bespoke Cycles in SF
bespokecyclessf.com

I would let nobody else fit me.
-s

Ari recently fit my wife for her new HSG. Ari was very careful and through, and my wife is very pleased with the fit of her new bike.

Joe