Little info on fitting

Exactly what happens depends on the fitter, but to get the most out of it you should show up with your normal riding kit, tune into how you feel on the bike, give some thought to any issues you're currently having like sore knees, sore back, uncomfortable saddle, sliding around in the saddle a lot, sore neck on longer rides, uncomfortable hands or anything else. Pay attention now and be ready to describe the most important things when the fitter asks you.

Lot's of different fitting philosophies out there and different approaches to fitting but IMO, ideally they'll consider and or address the following things:

- Overall rider flexibility
- Leg length discrepancies
- Cleat placement and possibly shimming, canting, rotation or pedal spacing issues as they relate to your feet and shoes
- Saddle height
- Saddle fore/aft position
- Saddle tilt
- Bar height and reach
- Brake lever placement on the bars

They may also give advice on 'how' to sit on the bike or bike posture as well as helping you with positioning adjustments. A good fitter will tune into how you sit and what impact that has on things like lower back soreness, flat back and comfortable reach to the bars. Fit and posture aren't completely separable as one impacts the other to some extent but they're not quite the same thing either. It's a bit like sitting in a kitchen chair, the chair may 'fit' you fine but that doesn't keep you from slumping back or leaning forward or sitting in a neutral and balanced posture. Same holds on the bike and a good fitter may help you a bit in terms of how you're sitting on the bike as well as how to set up the bike to facilitate a comfortable and powerful position.

-Dave

Nice! imo the Allez had some questionable middle years, but the recent models are sweet. I had one of the old skool steel is real models which was a dream.

Depending on the extent of fitting things likely to be adjusted are: stem length and height, handlebar width, saddle height, tilt, and setback, and cleat position. Handlebar 'tilt' could also be looked at.

How these measurements/placement are arrived at depends on the fitting. Could be with video capture, angles, etc. Or could be some guy eyeballing.
Ironically I have met riders happier with their new positions arrived at by the latter method.

Edit: some good stuff above from Dave (we musta been typing at the same time)

Wow. i had no idea there is so much to it. I am really glad that I asked this now instead of getting there and going "Ummm. well its kind of OK?" That would have been a mess if I just went there and did not know this stuff. No i will really pay attention to my rides. The only thing that I can think of is the saddle sore wile riding and the numbness that I get in my right hand. Specifically the pinky and some of the numbness that I get in the feet after sitting for like 2 hours. Its not bad just that tingling numbness. not totally numb.

Note a fitting done in one place is not necessarily the same as a fitting done in another place. There are good fitters, and there are bad fitters. Bad fitters are exemplified by the sales people at Performance Bicycle, where you stand over a bike and the sales person says, "That's close enough". A good fitter will invest some time with you, 20-30 minutes is probably the average minimum time for a good fit. Also note that a fit is just a starting point. It can be changed and quite often is.

Thank you all for all the great information. Now once the fit is done and I am out should I go back or will they ask me to come back to tweek stuff?

Dave Pace said:

Thank you all for all the great information. Now once the fit is done and I am out should I go back or will they ask me to come back to tweek stuff?

If you feel good on the bike, there's no reason to go back.

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by alienator [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG]

If you feel good on the bike, there's no reason to go back.

+1

It goes back also to Alienator's other post that each fitter is different in skills, patience and pride of their work. Some just as soon you not come back, but some may ask you to come back if you feel like something does need to be tweaked. I was fitted a few months ago to a TT bike and the fitter expected that I would need to come back because my wrists were slightly bent holding the aerobars and he thought that would be uncomfortable after a number of miles, but after feeling very comfortable on a 80 mile route I emailed him and said all was good. He got is right the first time around and I have put a lot of miles on that bike since.

By the way that fitting took well over an hour past his closing time. He had the back portion (saddle position) settled quickly and the front half took over an hour until he felt satisfied.

Excellent. Thank you all for the great info. From what they said tome today is that when I go in they will not only fit me, but they will have 1 of their guys go out for a "ride Along" to see how it feels and also to see if everything goes the way they expect. Now I think they are just out to get me anxious about getting this bike. Like i need any more of that.

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by Dave Pace [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG].... Now I think they are just out to get me anxious about getting this bike. Like i need any more of that.

Hmmmmm, well you might get the kind of bike fitting we've been talking about but more often than not a 'fitting' conducted while trying to sell a particular bike is more a matter of getting the seat height close and telling you how well the bike fits you and how much you're gonna love the ride. I hope I'm wrong but don't be surprised if this 'fitting' isn't very in depth and doesn't really address the things listed above. I thought you were describing a visit to a dedicated bike fitter in preparation for ordering your new bike not the sales team fitting you as part of their sale. But who knows maybe you're dealing with an above average shop and you'll get a really good comprehensive fit on your new bike.

Regardless I hope you love the bike and get a reasonably good starting point fit.

-Dave

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by daveryanwyoming [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG]

Hmmmmm, well you might get the kind of bike fitting we've been talking about but more often than not a 'fitting' conducted while trying to sell a particular bike is more a matter of getting the seat height close and telling you how well the bike fits you and how much you're gonna love the ride. I hope I'm wrong but don't be surprised if this 'fitting' isn't very in depth and doesn't really address the things listed above.

Even if it's not a "pro" fitting, which usually cost a few $$ extra, a basic bike shop fit should still include at least 2 things: a seat height adjustment and a stem length/height adjustment. The height adjustment should be free and will liley entail adding/removing spacers under the stem and/or changing the orientation of the stem (flipping) so you don't feel too low or too high on the bars. Swapping the stem out for a longer or shorter one should be free imo, but at the most the cost should be the dealer price for the new stem if needed.

A dealer will usually not cover the cost of new handlebars if diff width is needed. They may or may not include cleat adjustment in a basic fit - however if yoyu purchased your shoes at the store this should be included for free.

Oh no. ythey are measuring me first for the correct size bike to order. Then when it is delivered they have an area in the back of the shop were they will have be get off an on it several tims to fit it he said. Then after all that is done, then they will have me go out for a ride and see how it feels. They will also have someone go with me so the can watch me and see if they can see any place for improvement.

If that service comes au gratis with the bike purchase it seems like a good place to start. Bike fitting can be as simple or complicated as we want to make it. I've somehow managed decades on the bike and six seasons of racing without anymore than the the "eyeball" method combined with the MOST IMPORTANT aspect of bike fit... the rider's feedback.

TY all. Once the fitting is done, ill give you all the rundown of what happened. TY all for all the info. You all are great.