Post your bike fit experience

I got fitted to an existing road bike. Bit of background, I'm 6'6" and was around 250# at the time of getting into Triathlon. I had a good friend that worked at a bike shop and was able to get me distributor pricing on any Trek bike, so I was able to get a Trek 1.2 (entry level) that met most of my general measurements pretty well. I rode the bike for about 2 years with no issues, just tinkering with seat adjustment, pedal placement, etc and then I got some clip on aero bars and once I did that I felt OK on it still after some tweaks but I was having some knee issues and could feel it a lot during my pedal stroke. Could have been run influenced as well, but it was more pronounced during and after the bike. I went to my doctor who is also a triathlete and he recommended a few people to look at for a proper bike fitting, so I did.

I went to the shop and went over what was expected from a fit and knew a few questions to ask after reading around online. The guy at this shop who did their fittings was also a triathlete, not that it has any bearing on how good of a fitter they are, but it was a positive bonus I guess. Anyways, the fitting lasted roughly 2 to 2.5 hours. We started out with some questions about my riding, what I was looking for out of the setup (in my case I wanted to be aero as possible without sacrificing the road bike aspect, so more or less I was a huge PITA because I wanted the best of both worlds), afterwards he took all my measurements then he had me do some basic flexibility drills so he could get an idea of how flexible I was; planks, one legged squats, lunges, some static stretching. Then he mocked my bike setup on his adjustable bike and had me get on. I pedaled for a few minutes and he asked certain questions then he started moving things around. Lots of starts and stops, adjusting seat height, bar height, pedal location, etc. All of this could be done very quickly on the fitting bike, pretty cool to watch it all transform before you. After about probably a good 30-40 minutes of me trying various positions he had the computer spit out all the criteria (reach, stack height, etc) and we went to work on my bike. During my time on the adjustable bike everything around me was mirrors so we could see all angles (incredibly flattering) and he video recorded my position on the varying set ups. I got a couple minute break while he set up my bike (seat height, spacers, new stem) and we went over all the changes then did more or less the same 30 minutes on my bike making minor tweaks to get things comfortable. The whole service I believe cost $250 and then a bit more for a new stem and spacers. I walked away with a list of all my measurements on my current bike setup as well as, what he stated, was a really good base for what to look at in a tri bike for a future purchase. For what it's worth, the raw data that I was given for what tri bike would fit me was not a manufacturer they sold as my height ruled out a good majority of the big names right off the bat. I did not pay for a tri bike fitting, just an existing bike fitting, but I was just chatting with him after and we went through a lot of manufacturers based on my numbers and narrowed down the best place to start.

All In all I was pleased with the fitting. Looking at the videos and pictures my aero position (for what it can be on a road bike) got much more efficient and everything felt a lot better from there on out. One big thing I took away was my shoe fitting. I have basic Shimano SH-TR32 shoes which fit just fine but we ended up putting a liner in there to snug things up more than the Velcro strap could be. Maybe he was just selling me something, but the fact that the shoe/clip is the loose point between you and the bike really spoke to me and now I feel like I have one connected rod (my leg) that is turning the pedals all the time with no loss of power between me and the bike. Loose clips, loose shoes, you lose power transmitting from your leg to the pedal if stuff is moving around too much. The theory stuck with me.

If/when I step up to a tri bike (been a few years and still haven't bit the bullet) I will absolute get fitted for one. IMO you have to do your homework about where to go and what you're looking for. I feel like sometimes people go in and expect magic, but I've also read a lot of horror stories about just some horrible fits for people that paid a lot of money.

I've had a few fittings over the years... The first one was not the best experience. Really good and experienced fitter, but he just didn't take the time to listen and understand my background, current/prior issues, etc. He went straight for measurements, flexibility then put me on a bike, made some pretty drastic adjustments and then called it a day. I was too naive to know any better, so I struggled with that fit for a year before I finally decided to go to a different fitter. (in hindsight, I should've gone back to the initial fitter after a month or so to discuss the issues, but again, naive and I didn't). The second fitter took 2 hours to discuss my background, issues, types of racing, distances, etc. etc. and then put me on my bike to film current fit at various loads. Then he made some adjustments, more video filming, more discussions how it felt, what I wanted to change, more adjustment and more filming until we had a fit that felt good and was in line with the goals, race types, distances, etc. The entire fit took almost 4.5hrs, but was by far my best fit ever.

I have since had a few other fittings with other fitters (the best fitter retired and I moved), and although good, they haven't been as good of an experience, although very much adequate. Since then, I have also trained as a fitter and done quite a few myself. I'm by no means an expert fitter, but I can help out friends and fellow local races to at least get something decent.

The fitting systems used are actually pretty much a moot point. They're just tools and the knowledge and experience of the fitter means everything. You can give me a brush, but I'm no Picasso.

I had my first bike fit a few weeks ago. It was pretty basic but for $65 I wasn't expecting much. I had just got new shoes and pedals and wanted to get those dialed in.

He seemed to ignore my comments that my feet would go numb with the old setup around mile 45. He did nothing to adjust the shoes, took some measurements moved my seat up and forward, rechecked measurements and said 'ok, your good to go'.

On the very first ride out my feet started tingling after 10 miles, another rider helped me adjust the cleats on the spot and the problem went away finally, have ridden about a 100 miles so far with 60 miles the longest continuous ride on that setup without problem. The other problem I found was that with the raised seat my lower back starts to hurt in the early miles but goes away, never had that problem before. I have been riding with it for the moment to see if my back will adjust since this position puts me in a slightly more aggressive position.

One thing that did happen was that my dreaded speed shakes at 50mph seemed to have stopped, but I have also fitted different rims with rebuilt hubs, plus the shoes and pedals, plus the bike fit putting me slightly more forward, all in the same fitting. So alot of change's in one session.

So, in the end, I don't regret it and did not expect much for $65, and in the end if it helped end my speed shake, it was worth the money spent.

Attached is a picture of me on the bike after the fit at about mile 50 on my 60 mile ride, feeling strong with plenty of pep left.

 

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I have had 2 fittings by 2 different fitters on 2 different road bikes.

My first bike I brought without knowing anything, it was a poverty pack entry level road bike and what I could afford at the time. The LBS did a stand over measure fit and pretty much sent me on my way. After about 6 months of riding and learning I found a well recommended fitter and had a bike fit. He did a pretty good job and I was much more comfortable after the fit but the reality was that my bike was totally the wrong size for me but I couldn't afford to replace it or spend a lot on it at the time.

My second bike fit was on my new road bike. The whole process took about 3 hours and included a lot of video and adjustments like the others have mentioned. I have a long-term lower back issue and so my flexibility is limited as is my core strength so the fitter had to work around these two issues. He spent a lot of time discussing things with me and also suggested some exercises I could do to improve my strength and that took my injury into account.

My second fitting was much more expensive but it also involved a new seat and new bars which I knew would most likely be the case going in because I had purchased a men's bike as it fit my body proportions better.