[PaulCL]

Is it worth the $125 to have it done??

I stopped in a LBS on the other side of town today. I was up that way for a meeting and needed some chamois butt'r. Besides, I wanted to look at all the shiny new frames....lust.

This LBS is a Serotta dealer so they had a Serotta fitting bike in corner. I asked how much? $125 Experience in fitting?? Trained by Serotta and 5 years experience Time? 2-3 hours?? Worth it?? He said yes not only for fit but to get better biomechanics.

Is it worth it?? I feel fine on my bike but I guess I could be better. Would the fit just result in me buying new stuff?? Like a different angle stem, seatpost?? Any experiences for those who did the fit kit after riding your bike for a few years??

 

[JayTee]

Done it and, IMO, not worth it unless you are having a complex fit issue that hasn't been resolved by good fitters who don't charge highway robbery.

OTOH, it is an interesting exercise. You'll find the "sweet spot" in saddle-to-bar drop that maximizes your watts, you'll see whether you have a leg strength discrepancy, etc. But unless you've got dough burning a hole in your pocket, I'd take a pass.

 

[VaughnA]

I had one done about 3 weeks ago. Probably the best cycling money I've ever spent. I was having lower back problems and also pains in my neck. I did the fit on a bike I've been riding for two years. He discussed my problems & goals, did a flexbility test and then put me on a trainer with my bike and an adjustable stem. We adjusted and fine tuned for about an hour and a half. Ended up lowering my saddle and moving it forward a good bit. He moved one cleat as well. This basically eliminated the lower back pain I was having. He also suggested a higher rise stem & narrower bars to help my neck. I've changed the stem and it has helped some but I haven't pulled the trigger on the bars since I really want something along the lines of an FSA K-Wing which he recommended. That's a lot of money for bars so I'm wishy washy on spending the bucks.

I noticed a big improvement in my climbing and I can actually feel that my pedal stroke is much smoother. I'm still having some neck pain but not as bad, so I'll probably get the bars soon. I picked up about a half a mile an hour on my normal lunch loop immediately after the fitting. Well worth the money in my opinion. Kudo's to Wes at East Coasters in Roanoke VA.

 

[danl1]

Were you up at Oakley? Kathy knows her stuff from what I've heard from folks who've used her services. Don't have any scoop on David.

I normally wouldn't drop the coin unless I was making a purchase, in which case it would be part of the price. On the other hand, it's easy to blow through parts trying to get dialed in, and a good fitting could save that effort.

Then again, It'd be a fun gift to yourself. And isn't buying new stuff the whole point?

Of course, there is the risk that you'll find you're on an entirely wrong bike, and absolutely 'need' that new Mei Vici.

 

[dogmeat]

Fit bike is starting point, IMO

Serotta's system is a lot better than what most LBS have or do. It's at least a reasonable system considering that you never know how good the staff on hand may be.

I'm lucky to have an outstanding shop nearby. They have the fit bike, they have the Serotta training, but mostly they put your bike on the trainer, take measurements, make fit changes and you ride for a while and see how it feels to you on the trainer. I never would have shimmed my cleats with wedges without their expertice. It mattered.

If you have a good bike and you've been tweaking your fit yourself for many years, you are way past the fit-bike stage. If you have pain, having a real good technician measure and eyeball your form in a sysematic way- your bike on a trainer... that's worth it, if the guy is really able to help you. The fit-bike is just a handy gizmo for selling $4,000 bikes to doctors and lawyers. The fit training- that's a good start, but is not sufficient, to make an expert bike technician.

'meat
(yeah, I bought the Serotta. I like it.)

 

[bikeboy389]

I did it to get fitted for a custom. Not a Serotta. I thought it was a good deal, and the bike I wound up with from the fitbike session is spot-on and totally comfy.

I definitely wouldn't do the fitbike unless I was shopping for a new (and probably custom) frame. The Serotta fitting system for getting your own bike to fit right is supposed to be very good too.

 

[GTDave]

I had one done about 3 weeks ago. Probably the best cycling money I've ever spent. I was having lower back problems and also pains in my neck. I did the fit on a bike I've been riding for two years. He discussed my problems & goals, did a flexbility test and then put me on a trainer with my bike and an adjustable stem. We adjusted and fine tuned for about an hour and a half. Ended up lowering my saddle and moving it forward a good bit. He moved one cleat as well. This basically eliminated the lower back pain I was having. He also suggested a higher rise stem & narrower bars to help my neck. I've changed the stem and it has helped some but I haven't pulled the trigger on the bars since I really want something along the lines of an FSA K-Wing which he recommended. That's a lot of money for bars so I'm wishy washy on spending the bucks.

I noticed a big improvement in my climbing and I can actually feel that my pedal stroke is much smoother. I'm still having some neck pain but not as bad, so I'll probably get the bars soon. I picked up about a half a mile an hour on my normal lunch loop immediately after the fitting. Well worth the money in my opinion. Kudo's to Wes at East Coasters in Roanoke VA.

Dude, I know I must have run into you on some ride somewhere.
Yep, Wes did my fitting too a couple of years ago.
I was one of the first people he fitted. I got rid of some pain in my arm, and I too got faster. The best thing about getting fitted is that even if I don't go the custom bike route, I now have a good idea what kind of geometry to look for in a frame.
Of course I went custom on my new bike (Guru)

 

[Road cyclist]

Usually, a LBS will take that fitting cost fee and apply it to a new bike purchase.
Probably sounds like its not why you got a fitting in the first place.

 

[VaughnA]

I could have possibly ridden with you.

Sent you a PM..

 

[PaulCL]

Yup...Oakley

I'm not uncomfortable on my current bike. More to the point, I'm comfortable. Heck, I've been riding it for three years without problem at 4000-4500 per year.

My only hesitation is from when I first got the bike. I cracked a frame 5 weeks before leaving on a weeklong riding vacation to Colorado. I purchased my current bike two weeks before leaving. Not an optimal situation. Near the end of the seven day tour - after 5 days and about 400 miles - I started to have real back pain. The cause?? poor bike fit on a new bike?? Probably. My body not used to riding every day for 4-9 hours? Most definitely?? Since I'm going to Colorado again in June, and I saw the Serotta system, it made me ask the question. I can't remember how much, if any changes, I've made to my bike fit since then. I know I've replaced the saddle and bars. Luckily, I haven't gotten any older...phew!!

I think I'll take a pass. Thanks for the input all. I'd rather use the $125 on some frivoulous ultralight do-dad that adds no benefit to a recreational rider like myself other than the "whoa" factor.

 

[djg]

Ask around locally.

I'd ask around locally, and I'd ask about fitters first, and systems second. Serotta may well be the best system out there--it'd be my guess--but it's a system that still requires a human being for its application and, from what I gather, different Serotta fitters are not all created equal. Your guy's experience sounds fine as a generic matter, but that doesn't necessarily mean that he's the best guy around or the best for you. Ask around about who is good and for what purposes. Some folks may be better at tweaking your race position; some may be better at diagnosing and addressing certain types of physiological problems, etc.

FWIW: I had a fit done some years back, and then a tweak a couple of years ago, at a Serotta dealer who did NOT sell me a session on the Serotta size cycle--I had mine with an experience racer and coach and we did it on my bike, at his suggestion.

I think this is the sort of thing that might fall anywhere along the spctrum from tremendously helpful to interesting and somewhat useful to a big waste of dough (or however "big" the money is to you). If I were happy with my fit, I'd leave it alone; if I were having problems or were considering a custom frame, I'd look for the right fitter (maybe the builder himself); but I wouldn't do it just for the heck of it.

As the other poster mentioned, shops will often credit the fit session fee to the purchase of a new bike or frame, but if you're not looking for one, then ...