I had a fit!

fongster

fongster

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A bike fit that is :-) It's real early to render final judgement but my road bike is night and day better after a Specialized BG fit by Steve Ford at The Path Bike Shop. I've only had a 10 mile flat ride and a 32 miler with lots of climbs but the bike is a real pleasure to ride now. My last fit was about 10 years ago by another person who used a different system. Besides my body changing (loss of flexibility, etc.) Steve told me that a lot had changed in fit philosophy over the years. The bike is now set up so that I'm using my glutes now for add'l power and my hands, arms and back don't hurt anymore. Might be riding the road bike more than the mtb, lol.
 
I'm thinking of investing in a fit too. It's nice to hear people have had positive results.
Congrats.
 
chupacabra said:
I'm thinking of investing in a fit too. It's nice to hear people have had positive results.
Congrats.
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Same. I'm losing 1-2 lbs a week so I'm waiting till that becomes less than 1 lb a week to pull the trigger. I've never heard someone say 'Meh, no real difference'.
 
Guys, it is so worth it. You cannot fit yourself--I tried to adjust myself for my body's changes and my riding style and even with what I learned from my original fitter could not do it. Someone who knows proper body angles and measurements has to help you. Steve is going to transfer these measurements/adjustments to my mtb so I'll enjoy that bike more too. Something that I invested in as part of the bike fit was Specialized's footbeds to help make my knee/pedal rotation more neutral (one knee tipped in). That helps prevent potential injuries and puts more power to the pedals. They have 3 diff ones, some people need them, some don't. I highly rec Specialized's BG fit system as it took into account so many things before I even got on the bike for evaluation. Look for a BG certified shop.
 
I wonder how fitting works for "Fred" riders? I am not a roadie in the truest sense. My Vaya has an upright relaxed geometry and I ride on flats with sandals mostly. If you are not in full roadie mode will it make a difference? Because from what I have seen, they sure are expensive.
 
BikeThePlanet said:
I wonder how fitting works for "Fred" riders? I am not a roadie in the truest sense. My Vaya has an upright relaxed geometry and I ride on flats with sandals mostly. If you are not in full roadie mode will it make a difference? Because from what I have seen, they sure are expensive.
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That sounds pretty casual if you're in sandals :-) Def NOT worth it for that scenario. It's also for "casual" riders but they need to be "serious" enough to be in cycling shoes preferably with clipless pedals. Fits are usually reserved for road bikes but as I mentioned earlier, mtbs can be done solo or the road bike's values transferred over. My session was 2.5 hours at $60/hr., the other fitter I used before is $200 for 2 sessions for one bike, $300 for 2 bikes. So, yes, it does cost some $ but why ride in pain? Some folks can get lucky and be able to set the saddle and bar to where they need to be for best efficiency and comfort but most can't. A fit also tells you if the saddle, stem and/or bar you have is even right for you. Hope this helps.
 
My fit at The Path was $150 for the 2.5 hours and includes a follow up. Footbed inserts were $50. No, it wasn't 3D. My wife had similar video fitting at a shi-shi running store. It was cool to let her see her running style and how various shoes affected it but they didn't charge for it, just the normal shoe retail cost. I personally don't need to see myself, I can feel what's happening. That's where having a good fitter and trusting them comes in. I just looked up a 3D fit that uses Specialized BD system but with video capture and it comes out to $77-plus an hour for 3-4 hours.
 
I've been preaching this for a couple years now. HUGE difference in a couple of mm here and there. Tani keeps all my measurements, take a new bike in and set to fit me.

Time to take the new bikes in.
 
fongster said:
That sounds pretty casual if you're in sandals :-) Def NOT worth it for that scenario. It's also for "casual" riders but they need to be "serious" enough to be in cycling shoes preferably with clipless pedals. Fits are usually reserved for road bikes but as I mentioned earlier, mtbs can be done solo or the road bike's values transferred over. My session was 2.5 hours at $60/hr., the other fitter I used before is $200 for 2 sessions for one bike, $300 for 2 bikes. So, yes, it does cost some $ but why ride in pain? Some folks can get lucky and be able to set the saddle and bar to where they need to be for best efficiency and comfort but most can't. A fit also tells you if the saddle, stem and/or bar you have is even right for you. Hope this helps.
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I usually ride 30-40 miles, max of 46. However, I haven't felt the need for the fancy stuff like shoes, padded shorts, etc. Though I did buy one pair of bibs for long rides on back back to days in case I am sore. I don't do any racing though and never will. I do want to ride down to San Diego from HB, though. Nevertheless, i like to be comfortable and pretty much agree with the Grant Petersen philosophy over at Rivendell.

I do get a bit sore on the 40-milers. Though if I am riding regularly in the summer, less so. So, I don't know if it is fit or fitness.
 
BikeThePlanet said:
I usually ride 30-40 miles, max of 46. However, I haven't felt the need for the fancy stuff like shoes, padded shorts, etc. Though I did buy one pair of bibs for long rides on back back to days in case I am sore. I don't do any racing though and never will. I do want to ride down to San Diego from HB, though. Nevertheless, i like to be comfortable and pretty much agree with the Grant Petersen philosophy over at Rivendell.

I do get a bit sore on the 40-milers. Though if I am riding regularly in the summer, less so. So, I don't know if it is fit or fitness.
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They could help with bar height, stem length, seat height. I found that most of the stuff on the fits I have done really help on longer rides or rides with lots of climbing. They can't do much for foot position though, which is actually for me something that made a big difference.

The "fancy" stuff has nothing to do with racing its about comfort. Hours in any saddle is going to be much more comfortable with chamois, same for good cycling shoes.
 
mfoga said:
The "fancy" stuff has nothing to do with racing its about comfort. Hours in any saddle is going to be much more comfortable with chamois, same for good cycling shoes.
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Actually I find a Brooks saddle makes more of a difference than chamois. As far as the cycling shoes, I find that a wide platform (I used DH pedals) works wonders. With sandals my feet can breathe, are confortable, and after a couple of hours I can loosen the straps a bit. Also, I can move foot position a bit on longer rides and use slightly different muscles. Until I moved to a wide platform it was not ideal, I'd get hot foot, but that is all gone now.
 
I've had a couple of bike fits done, the first one was by a trained shop employee that had been fitting people for 8 years. He spent 2+ hours getting everything right and the cost was nothing, it came with the purchase of the bike. The next morning we went riding and he adjusted a few settings after he watched me ride. The PIVOT is still perfect!
The second fit was a 3D fit at PV Bike Center for my road bike. Steve started off with testing my flexibility, put me on my bike and started the procedure, ended up adjusting my cleat placement, shimmed my LH pedal out 1.5mm and put insoles in my shoes. I believe I paid $175 for the fit, but it was worth every penny. The other cool thing is you get a printout of your numbers, which you can then transfer to other bikes.
Riding your bike should be fun, so that you want too ride more... Not painful so that you won't want too ride at all.
 

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