Are all bike fits the same?

[bthomas515]

When I first started racing more than a decade ago, I had a bike fit but not one since then. It was a mock up on a bike I purchased so not even that serious. Really looking to get another one as I’m not riding as aggressive geo and grew an inch in my mid 20’s.

Are all bike fitters the same? Or will get around the same fit? We have a specialized shop that offers the retul (?) another more traditional shop where a guy has fitted folks for years. Just kinda deciding.

Any recommendations in the southeast area for fitters? (Sc, ga, al)

[batman1425]

Def. not all the same. The tools are helpful, like Retul, Guru, BG, etc. They help with precise data collection, and also make the process a bit smoother and faster. That said, it is still heavily dependent on the experience of the person doing the fit. Personally, I'd take a fitter with decades of experience and a tape measure over a lesser trained person and all the computerized gadgets.

If you are near the Atlanta area, I can make a few recommendations.

[John H.]

Bike fits can vary widely.

Mainly you want to be fit by someone who has done lots of fits. Retul might be of some benefit, but it is no substitute for experience and a good set of eyes.

Also- If being fit by a shop. You need to be aware that their motivation could be to fit you into a brand/model/size that they sell or have in stock.

[fredd]

Nope. I remember reading an interview with a framebuilder where she said whenever she would build a frame for a local customer with a pre-existing bike fit, she could tell who they got fitted by based on the numbers.

[bthomas515]

Originally Posted by batman1425

If you are near the Atlanta area, I can make a few recommendations.

Yeah - I’m in Athens I but travel to Atlanta weekly. Recommendations would be great!

[Mark McM]

Even with the same rider, same fitter and same tools, bike fit will vary with the type of bike/riding. The same person may have different fits for riding on the track, on the road, on gravel, or on single-track; or for competition vs. recreational riding; for short fast rides vs. endurance riding; etc.

Various fitting tools will measure lengths and angles of body dimensions, but a good fitter will also take into account flexibility, strength, body mass distribution, etc., as well as riding intent (i.e., what type of riding the rider does). So even if using the same fitting tools, different fitters may arrive at different results.

[ripvanrando]

I have only been fit three times in 40 or so years. One was lousy and the other two good.

First fit was by John Allis at Belmont Cyclery Wheelworks IIRC. It changed me as a rider. New bike that fit. Transformative. I went from pack rider in club races to club champ. It was his eye and knowledge.

The other good one was Fitwerx in Peabody. I wanted a TT for endurance racing. He set me up good on a new bike. It was a very long and collaborative session. In the end, he told me I might not be able to hold the position that he set me up with. I could do it for 6 hours but that was all, so, I reverted back to what he/we thought might be best. So, what you are really buying is expertise in my opinion. Dean also gave me some very valuable tips on how to do aerodynamic tests and also which tires are fastest at 30+ mph. It took me years to figure out why he was right on the tires, and he was right. I promised not to tell which tires.

I don't care to think about the lousy one.

[berserk87]

I've had 3 bike fits done in the past 27 years. In brief:

1. Fit 1 was done by a guy with questionable qualifications, upon reflection. His answer to fit was to move your saddle as high up and forward as you could stand. When I was test riding in the parking lot, he yelled "how do your balls feel?" so loudly that folks could hear 3 states away. This fit was of limited utility to me.

2. Fit 2 was done by a more qualified fitter. He fit me for my first TT bike. I love the position he put me in. It was very aggressive in the front end (low and aero) and very much forward over the BB in the rear. My body got to a point after about 20 years where it would no longer tolerate this position. And I got a new TT bike. The guy that did this fit is out of the business now.

3. Fit 3 was done by a recommended fitter. I've known the guy for a long time. He fit me for my latest TT bike about 2 years ago. He left the back end largely alone based on the way I set it up prior to the fit (which means lower saddle height and pushed more rearward). He is a huge proponent of short cranks, and I am giving 165mm cranks a try. Not sure I am sold on them but I paid the guy for his opinion and I will give them at least another half-season before I decide what to do. The front end was higher than my previous set up. His philosophy is that more comfort leads to more power, and has compromised my older fit, in which the saddle to stem drop was more drastic.

In summary, three bike fits, three very different approaches and results. Fitters vary.

[MattTuck]

Originally Posted by ripvanrando

I have only been fit three times in 40 or so years. One was lousy and the other two good.

First fit was by John Allis at Belmont Cyclery Wheelworks IIRC. It changed me as a rider. New bike that fit. Transformative. I went from pack rider in club races to club champ. It was his eye and knowledge.

The other good one was Fitwerx in Peabody. I wanted a TT for endurance racing. He set me up good on a new bike. It was a very long and collaborative session. In the end, he told me I might not be able to hold the position that he set me up with. I could do it for 6 hours but that was all, so, I reverted back to what he/we thought might be best. So, what you are really buying is expertise in my opinion. Dean also gave me some very valuable tips on how to do aerodynamic tests and also which tires are fastest at 30+ mph. It took me years to figure out why he was right on the tires, and he was right. I promised not to tell which tires.

I don't care to think about the lousy one.

You can probably search my name and fit, and find my previous posts about this subject. I am quoting this post because I got a very suspect fit from another person at Fitwerx... so there is even variance between people in the same company.

Each person has his/her go to techniques for assessing and dealing with what they see. They have their own tendencies and beliefs, and honestly, I think a lot of them are guessing at certain things.

How you settle on and ride a stationary bike in a fit studio may or may not translate to a bike on the road, or when you are climbing, really hammering, etc.

If possible I'd find someone who comes well recommended and is willing to go out on a ride with you to see you, and is willing to tweak the fit over time to make sure it works for you. A one time 3 hour appointment (in my opinion) is a waste of time.

[benb]

I've been fit a lot, partly cause I have some challenging asymmetric issues. Sometimes someone will make an adjustment that might help in the short term and gives some stressed body part a break but causes another problem in a month or two.

The tools help, but the person doing the fit has to have experience, and they have to actually listen to you.

One of my fits was by someone fairly well known in cycling and highly regarded and it was an absolutely awful fit.

The other real outlier for me was getting fit for my Serotta years ago, it produced a real outlier bad fit.

You need to learn as much as you can about the process, try to become as aware as possible of what your body is doing, and learn to communicate with the fitter.

Red flags for me with a fitter:
- Overly confident they know exactly what is going on immediately without taking time to really watch you

- Quickly make recommendations to move bars or saddle by multiple centimeters even though it's a "checkup" fit. This would not be a red flag for a brand new cyclist who has never had a serious fit but if you've already been fit and have 10s of thousands of miles under your belt it is.

[lavi]

I think they have their place. However, ask five fitters...get five different fitments, atmo.

I long ago dialed in my position. Having an incoming custom, I went to get another fit as cheap insurance in case I screwed up my contact points. I took a bike I own and the geo of the new bike.

Literally no change from how I ride now. Ok. 5mm of setback that I can take or leave.

ymmv.

[fried bake]

As most of my fit issues have been due to leg length discrepancy, I have a bias to fitters who address the foot/shoe/pedal interface as primary and all else thereafter.


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[muttley]

I got fitted by Jim Manton, a well known, very respected fitter nearly 10 years ago. At the time I was experiencing knee pain after I had swapped pedal systems. I tried going back to my original pedals and still had the pain. Long story short, within the first five minutes as I described the issue he knew exactly what was wrong. Turns out I have varus tilt (and didn't know it) and he was able to identify it within a few minutes, before any testing, before getting on the bike, incredible. Issue resolved.

I've heard stories of guys coming back from a bike fitter with completely different setups, longer stems, different saddles, etc. For me, my fit didn't require any new parts or major adjustments, just cleat wedges to address various degrees of varus tilt (one leg more than the other). Worth every penny as it resolved a serious issue for me.

FYI, If you tend to wear out the outer edges (or inner edges) of the heel of your shoes you likely have varus tilt as well. Not always a problem, but it can be.

To try to answer your question, I would say a definite 'No' they are not all alike, but neither are their customers. So many people ride bikes adjusted to what they think is right, but they never really took the time to actually see if their saddle to bar length/drop is right for them. How many guys ride with slammed bars, but can't actually ride in the drops because they are down so low? Others like me have a good fit but might have foot, ankle, knee or hip issues. Like Fried Bake, I think that a good fitter should start at the foot.

[Smitty2k1]

Originally Posted by fried bake

As most of my fit issues have been due to leg length discrepancy, I have a bias to fitters who address the foot/shoe/pedal interface as primary and all else thereafter.


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I've convinced myself I need to find one of these guys. I've got some sort of problem I can't quite figure out. 20 or 30 miles into a ride I either get numb feet, or numb hands, or a sore lower back, or hunched shoulders with a sore neck.

Used to ride in flats on a touring drop bar bike and got fit by a well known shop that raised and shortened my stem even more than it already was and told me if I wanted to solve all my problems I needed clipless shoes.

Fast forward a year or so and I built a comfy gravel bike with relaxed geometry and clipless pedals (Black Mountain Road+) and it really doesn't feel much better.

Although I've only been cycling a few years I put down over 3k miles in 6 months last year before we had our kid so I feel confident I have the "fitness" to do more, though I'm sure my core strength could be improved. Done the wide shoe high arch insoles with a metatarsal pad thing and that's somewhat helped the numb feet.

Got a bike fit last year on the "new" bike just before COVID and a follow up just recently now that I'm vaccinated by a well known and recommended fitter here in the DC area. He mostly focused on KOPS and measuring knee angle at the bottom of the pedal stroke. Initial bike fitting when I mentioned foot problems he said "move your cleats all the way back." I had already done that so we didn't touch my cleats. During the follow up this year we moved the cleats forward a bit and installed a 1deg shim under one of them. He did think something may be up with my hips and recommended I see a PT, so I suppose that's my next step.