Weight Weenies

I'm looking to find an honest fitter. Everyone seems to want to sell me a bike, rather than help fit me. The high pressure sales is nauseating.

My current fitter says my bike is too big and I should be a size down. Unfortunately he's not so forthcoming in what bikes to look for outside of the Niche brands he sells. My budget doesn't allow for more than an entry level carbon bike.... So if my bike is too big, I need used.

I want to find an honest fitter, who can look at me on their bike, and tell me based on my body type which frames and sizes I should be looking at to upgrade into.

Who would you recommend?

http://www.pwfit.net/contact.html

Phil Wong is very capable.

Newburyport, MA

Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
Great Prices ✓    Broad Selection ✓    Worldwide Delivery ✓

www.starbike.com

Call WheelWorks in Belmont or Somerville.

Do you own fit.. You can by the software and then use you phone to capture the video while you are riding. Get 3 or 4 riding buddies to split the cost of the software and then film each other on your rides... that way you can do smaller adjustments over a longer time.

I am reasonable sure IMO that any fit in a room won't really work on the road.. and will not really work have you have done 80 miles and are dead tired.

C

PS yes it's harder than just paying some one but in the long run I know you will have a better experience and you will know what works best for you and your riding buddies.

If you go to Wheelworks, only work with Ed. He's the real deal. The rest, at best, try to mimic what he does.

Also check out FitWerx in Peabody. Their reputation is focused on TT and Tri, but Dean knows road very well also. Totally different approaches (Ed does it by look and feel, Dean uses a lot more tech). Both are top notch. I've had a lot of sales focused fits and there's one guy in particular in Metro West who is great at fitting but it always seems like he's pushing an high end sale (because he is). Ugh.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

That's good to know -- Ed at Wheelworks was my old housemate. Aaaages ago.

Ed's a great fitter and, overall, wonderful person. Have had the pleasure of riding with him on many occasions. He was also quite helpful in sorting out my cleat fit.

Any experienced fitter should be able to give you the measurements you can use to decide your next frame without directly recommending a bike they sell. If they can't then you shouldn't be using him.

Mike at Apex Velo is great.

kulivontot wrote:Any experienced fitter should be able to give you the measurements you can use to decide your next frame without directly recommending a bike they sell. If they can't then you shouldn't be using him.

You'd be shocked how hard it has been to find a Bike FITTER who doesn't want to be my bike SALESPERSON.....at the end of my wits.

Understand that bike fitting is a very subjective process. There is no correct or optimal fit for anyone. Recommendations can be made, but like saddles you need to experiment, you need to feel it after 3+ hours. I've seen a lot of good fits, but a lot of bad fits. Many of the bad fits were done by a "reputable bike fitter".

I've worked in the industry for over 10 years now, and I've seen so many "fits" come and go. I've done seminars for RETUL and FIST and helped many shops (>15) in the area set themselves up for Trek's fitting services. I've come to the conclusion that there are very few bikes that do not fit most people. There is so many adjustments that you can now make, that most frames will fit 99% of the population without issue. Unless you have weird body proportions, just about any bike will work as long as the frame is the correct size.

Ghost234 wrote: as long as the frame is the correct size.

THIS! This is the magic question...what size frame should I be looking for from each manufacturer I choose. Simple question on paper, not many local fitters I have spoken to want to tell me the answer, they want to sell me their "perfect bike for my budget". It seems the more niche brands shops carry, they more high pressure the sales!

Ghost234 wrote:Understand that bike fitting is a very subjective process. There is no correct or optimal fit for anyone. Recommendations can be made, but like saddles you need to experiment, you need to feel it after 3+ hours. I've seen a lot of good fits, but a lot of bad fits. Many of the bad fits were done by a "reputable bike fitter".

I've worked in the industry for over 10 years now, and I've seen so many "fits" come and go. I've done seminars for RETUL and FIST and helped many shops (>15) in the area set themselves up for Trek's fitting services. I've come to the conclusion that there are very few bikes that do not fit most people. There is so many adjustments that you can now make, that most frames will fit 99% of the population without issue. Unless you have weird body proportions, just about any bike will work as long as the frame is the correct size.

RETUL, FIST, etc. are tools, they don't do fittings. People do fittings. A crappy fitter with good tools is still a crappy fitter. And I disagree that 99% of bikes fit 99% of people without issue. Manufacturers use different geometries which fit people differently for different riding experiences. I have no idea what bikes you are seeing, but the adjustments are the same today that they were in 1980. Stem, bars, crank length, seat height, seat setback. A bike needs to not only fit the person but also how that person rides.

Ghost234 wrote:Understand that bike fitting is a very subjective process. There is no correct or optimal fit for anyone. Recommendations can be made, but like saddles you need to experiment, you need to feel it after 3+ hours. I've seen a lot of good fits, but a lot of bad fits. Many of the bad fits were done by a "reputable bike fitter".

Why would I pay money to get a bike fit, when there is no guarantee that I'll get a correct or optimal fit? If it's just experimentation, everyone can do that on their own, why then do we need bike fitters?

Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
Great Prices ✓    Broad Selection ✓    Worldwide Delivery ✓

www.starbike.com

antonioiglesius wrote:

Ghost234 wrote:Understand that bike fitting is a very subjective process. There is no correct or optimal fit for anyone. Recommendations can be made, but like saddles you need to experiment, you need to feel it after 3+ hours. I've seen a lot of good fits, but a lot of bad fits. Many of the bad fits were done by a "reputable bike fitter".

Why would I pay money to get a bike fit, when there is no guarantee that I'll get a correct or optimal fit? If it's just experimentation, everyone can do that on their own, why then do we need bike fitters?

There is no such thing as "optimal fit". Its like fitting a suit. Everyone has their subjective opinion on how it should be "optimally" done. Whether that is a few mm higher saddle height or higher handlebar height, part of it is what you like and what works for you. You get a fit because it give you a better idea of what works for you and what does not (ie. more appropriate saddle height). I can promise you if you visit 10 bike fitters, each one will recommend you slightly different, but most will result in a fairly similar position.

As for the above poster that also quoted me, I'm seeing Trek, Specialized, Cervelo, Giant, Cannondale, Felt, Focus, Colnago, Pinarello, Kuota and until this last year BMC as well. In 95% of bike purchases through the multiple locations I work from, I do not need to replace anything on the bike. The most common adjustment beyond saddle height/fore/aft is increasing the handlebar height. Manufacturers are stocking their bikes with size appropriate parts that fit the vast majority of the population.