PT bike fit

[ridethecliche]

Has anyone used any bike fit services by a physical therapist who also does bike fittings or pivoted to that work?

I’m in the Philly area and looking to work with a fitter. There are some in the area and elsewhere that seem to have the PT part of things down and I’m looking anywhere between Philly and Boston area. Open to other suggestions as well. This is something I really just need to set up and take care of ASAP so I can get back to riding with some regularity.

[callmeishmael]

I can’t help you with specific recommendations (I live in the Uk), but I had quite a poor bike fit a couple of years back from a physio who (in hindsight) was looking to open up another revenue stream.

On the other hand, getting input from a cycling literate physio, that you then bring to the bike fitter, can work very well. I have a long term hamstring issue that necessitates a saddle height 15-20mm lower than almost any fitter would go for. When I explained this to my most recent fitter, he worked around it and the results where much better.

[randomduck]

I have gone this route during my recovery from hip replacement surgery. My PT happened to also be a former physio for Orica-GreenEdge, so he knew quite a bit about bike fit.

His fit involved a lot of motion analysis, flexibility testing, and strength assessment, as well as my own goals for riding. The fit ended up being fantastic and worked for a couple years as I re-learned my body.

He's since moved back to Australia, which is a pity. But if a PT is versed in riding and the biomechanical considerations involved they are certainly a valid fitter.

[ridethecliche]

Yeah the person I'm thinking of seems to have some knowledge related to this but I'm not sure how long he's been doing it and what his actual background is...

It's all visual as well, in that he comes to your house, so seems a bit less than optimal in that way re spatially.

Part of the business seems to be peloton fits which isn't uncommon these days but I may have to keep looking.

[domesgique]

There's a PT that does bike fitting here in Lancaster, PA. https://www.ptbikefitllc.com/ I know folks that have used them. All good recommendations.

[Road Fan]

If your fit on a trainer (bike-style or Peleton-style) is going to be the same as for your outdoor bike, (I'm ot sure why it wouldn't be) then get the fit "soon" for trainer-riding to build conditioning and flexibility, and be better when you hit the open air. If you think you might need to make any changes find out how amenable the fitter is to development visits or whatever you call it.

I f I knew where in my area to find a fitter with competition and PT training, I'd look at that real seriously.

[Alistair]

I haven't used him myself, but Dr. Sohn runs VelotFit in VA and gets great reviews. Bicycle fits and related services are his main offering, it's not a side income stream in a larger PT office. I'd check your fitter/PTs background and see if it makes sense - if he has an established body of work in fitting on top of PT work, that certainly makes a lot of sense on paper.

[Smitty2k1]

Originally Posted by Alistair

I haven't used him myself, but Dr. Sohn runs VelotFit in VA and gets great reviews. Bicycle fits and related services are his main offering, it's not a side income stream in a larger PT office. I'd check your fitter/PTs background and see if it makes sense - if he has an established body of work in fitting on top of PT work, that certainly makes a lot of sense on paper.

I'm going to see him in a few weeks after having 3 bike fits over the last 4 years from other recommended fitters that didn't really help me.

[ridethecliche]

Originally Posted by Smitty2k1

I'm going to see him in a few weeks after having 3 bike fits over the last 4 years from other recommended fitters that didn't really help me.

How did it go?

[Smitty2k1]

Pretty good. Having a bit of a PT evaluation was nice. I always thought my right hip was more flexible than my left but it was the opposite - my right is very inflexible and does not internally rotate. I got some stretches to do and I've been absolutely NOT doing them :-/

My last bike fit we shortened the stem and lowered the bars considerably, at this bike fit we continued the trend by lowering my bars a little more. I've always had issues with pressure on my arms/hands and hunched shoulders/sore neck and it seems previous fitters always said "oh you have too much pressure, better raise the bars" but that caused me to not be able to extend my arms far enough, so lowering the bars seems to be a good trend.

I've also experimented on my other bike, a flat bar city bike, by removing all my stem spacers and lowering the bars all the way. I've definitely got some more weight on my hands but my shoulders and arms feel so much more relaxed.

[Ti Designs]

My experience from the rider's point of view with doing fittings that start with an off the bike assessment hasn't been a good one. most of them have been done at fitting schools by the people who teach fitters. I have a lengthy injury history, I spent time in a wheelchair because of a back injury. Off bike assessment shows lots of limitations. Applying those limitations to my position doesn't work at all, they think I need to be in this bolt upright position turning a nothing gear.

I don't do an off the bike assessment at the start of a fitting, I put the person on the bike and have them turn the pedals. If there's a problem I'll see it, if there's no problem I don't need to worry about it. It's not unusual that I have someone climb off the bike so I can get a better understanding of what's going on, but that's to explain what I'm seeing on the bike.

I've seen a lot of riders who have been fit by PT's, it's getting to the point where I can tell, much like I can tell a Retul fitting. Everything is overcompensated for, and they've been told they have tight IT bands... The only true complaint I have about PT's doing fittings is that most of them don't have enough experience in riding, so they don't understand the conditions that the rider is in. If your PT doesn't understand the motion and forces of climbing out of the saddle (very different from riding in the saddle), maybe they shouldn't be fitting you...

[ridethecliche]

Originally Posted by Ti Designs

My experience from the rider's point of view with doing fittings that start with an off the bike assessment hasn't been a good one. most of them have been done at fitting schools by the people who teach fitters. I have a lengthy injury history, I spent time in a wheelchair because of a back injury. Off bike assessment shows lots of limitations. Applying those limitations to my position doesn't work at all, they think I need to be in this bolt upright position turning a nothing gear.

I don't do an off the bike assessment at the start of a fitting, I put the person on the bike and have them turn the pedals. If there's a problem I'll see it, if there's no problem I don't need to worry about it. It's not unusual that I have someone climb off the bike so I can get a better understanding of what's going on, but that's to explain what I'm seeing on the bike.

I've seen a lot of riders who have been fit by PT's, it's getting to the point where I can tell, much like I can tell a Retul fitting. Everything is overcompensated for, and they've been told they have tight IT bands... The only true complaint I have about PT's doing fittings is that most of them don't have enough experience in riding, so they don't understand the conditions that the rider is in. If your PT doesn't understand the motion and forces of climbing out of the saddle (very different from riding in the saddle), maybe they shouldn't be fitting you...

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this! Gave me a bunch to think about!