bike fit

johnjohnol

took up cycling last year ,bought a felt f95 road bike and was doing 40-50km twice a week from april to october, hope to step it up a bit this year was wondering would i benefit from a bike fit and how much should i pay.

billyhead

If you could travel to Swords Frank O'Connor in Richies bike shop does bike fitting. I got fitted their last year and noticed a massive difference to my comfort on long spins. You could injure yourself if not fitted right. It cost a 100 euro and then another 40 for a shorter stem. Well worth it though in the long run and the sooner you get set up right the better.

shaka

You might not need a bike fitting, are you having any problems with back,knees etc ?

I got fitted on my bike and ended up in uncomfortable position and ended up spending ages trying to find comfy position . I ended up bringing Allen key on my cycle and adjusting on cycles which worked out good for me.

80-100 euro seems to be going rate

dfdream

Id agree here.

Got a bike fitting too and it was alot of help in general.
But I was rocking from side to side on saddle causing a little discomfort.
Dropped it bit by bit to where I was comfortable (20mm approx).

I also felt I was over stretching to the handle bars so moved saddle forward 5-10 mm and put on a shorter stem (120mm to 100mm) and its now alot better.

There is no master fitting as we are all in different shapes and have different objectives. So it might not suit everyone.

shaka wrote: »

You might not need a bike fitting, are you having any problems with back,knees etc ?

I got fitted on my bike and ended up in uncomfortable position and ended up spending ages trying to find comfy position . I ended up bringing Allen key on my cycle and adjusting on cycles which worked out good for me.

80-100 euro seems to be going rate

colm_gti

Got a bike fitting done last year, reckon it's the best money I've spent on my bike to date.

Rua_ri

colm_gti wrote: »

Got a bike fitting done last year, reckon it's the best money I've spent on my bike to date.

Do you mind saying where you got it done and at what cost?

colm_gti

Rua_ri wrote: »

Do you mind saying where you got it done and at what cost?

My housemate and I both got fitted by Leo at Irishfit last year, both very happy with the service. Think we paid €100 each at the time.

Ryder

shaka wrote: »

You might not need a bike fitting, are you having any problems with back,knees etc ?

I got fitted on my bike and ended up in uncomfortable position and ended up spending ages trying to find comfy position . I ended up bringing Allen key on my cycle and adjusting on cycles which worked out good for me.

80-100 euro seems to be going rate

had the same experience. Had knee pain, eventually went for a fit. Very detailed, but cycling home things were worse. Through trial and error, found a fit that suits better. in fact I noticed that my ankle on the affected side drops more when I push hard, which may have been missed when soft pedaling during the fit.

TBH, if you have 100e to burn, a fit isn't a bad idea. Not sure it will make any real difference unless you are really off or are having problems. If you are having problems, I would recommend going to an experienced bike fitter who goes from observation/experience and not from a computer model. Try goggling Steve hoggs. He is world famous and has some good tips on his blog for a DIY fit

couerdelion

I got my TT bike fit done by Dom in Base2Race and haven't had any issues.

Still need to get my road bike done at some point as I know I'm too stretched out.

easygoing39

couerdelion wrote: »

I got my TT bike fit done by Dom in Base2Race and haven't had any issues.

Still need to get my road bike done at some point as I know I'm too stretched out.

Youre last comment sums up my thoughts on bike fitting.Most cyclists know themselves whats comfortable for them,so they DIY the bikefit,adjust saddle height/reach etc so that they feel comfortable.If you need to pay a person €100 to be told youre straining too far to reach the handlebars then there's no hope for ya.Unless I was in with a chance of winning the RAS I would'nt get a bikefit,but if I did have a chance of winning it,then the bikefit advice of changing from a 172.5mm crankarm lenght to a 175mm arm lenght would be worth the €100 no bother!!

C3PO

dfdream wrote: »

Id agree here.

Got a bike fitting too and it was alot of help in general.
But I was rocking from side to side on saddle causing a little discomfort.
Dropped it bit by bit to where I was comfortable (20mm approx).

I also felt I was over stretching to the handle bars so moved saddle forward 5-10 mm and put on a shorter stem (120mm to 100mm) and its now alot better.

There is no master fitting as we are all in different shapes and have different objectives. So it might not suit everyone.

These are significant changes in the world of "bike fit"! Either the fitter was incompetent or you are no longer in the most efficient position for cycling. A 2cm drop in saddle height and a 3cm change in reach really are massive changes from a "fitted" position! It is also generally accepted that fore/aft saddle movement should only be used to adjust your position relative to the cranks and not for handlebar reach adjustment. Don't think that this is good advice!

12 sprocket

couerdelion wrote: »

I got my TT bike fit done by Dom in Base2Race and haven't had any issues.

Still need to get my road bike done at some point as I know I'm too stretched out.

If you know you are too stretched out why do you need to spend around 100 euros to have a bike fit? Surely just experimenting with the length of the handlebar extension will verify whether you are too stretched out or not?
And there was me thinking there was a recession in Ireland

colm_gti

Each to their own, but I think a bike fitting is 100% worth the money, especially if you've never had one before.

Out of interest, easygoing and sprocket, have ye ever had bike fittings?

C3PO

12 sprocket wrote: »

If you know you are too stretched out why do you need to spend around 100 euros to have a bike fit? Surely just experimenting with the length of the handlebar extension will verify whether you are too stretched out or not?
And there was me thinking there was a recession in Ireland

But a "handlebar extension" will cost the guts of €100 and how do you know what length to buy? Do you get one that's 5mm shorter or 20mm? Before you know it you would have spent a couple of hundred euro and you still won't know that you have the correct length!

Everyone to their own, but if you're riding a bike for a significant amount if time every week then a €100 spent to get the most efficient position is a very small investment! There are many on here who will have spent many multiples of that on a set of wheels - never mind their bikes!

couerdelion

12 sprocket wrote: »

If you know you are too stretched out why do you need to spend around 100 euros to have a bike fit? Surely just experimenting with the length of the handlebar extension will verify whether you are too stretched out or not?
And there was me thinking there was a recession in Ireland

Because there could be other things that are causing me to feel too stretched out. Maybe my saddle is actually to far back or too low and adjusting that might make the few mm differnence or maybe if I adjust them my knees will no longer be tracking over my ankle and I'll end up introducing lateral movement causing injury which will see me off the bike for months..

It's not just a case of being comfortable. Plenty of people are comfortable on their bikes but when you see them on their commutes they're 'fit' is all wrong.

johnjohnol

thanks for all the advice lots of different views which is good, its not that im uncomfortable on the bike or have any pain when i get off it id just think that a small adjustment or 2 could bump me up onother k/m or 2 p/hour without having to use extra power. might try a diy fit and if that doesnt go to well ill see a pro.

StaggerLee

I'm going for a bikefit in the next couple of weeks, either to Frank in Richies or Dom in Base2race. I start to hurt on the bike after a couple of hours, I need to be on it for up to 5 hours for some races, at the moment that wouldn't be possible for me. I defo wouldnt be able to run when I got off. Anyway, everyone I have spoken to whos had a proper fit has said its money well spent.

12 sprocket

colm_gti wrote: »

Each to their own, but I think a bike fitting is 100% worth the money, especially if you've never had one before.

Out of interest, easygoing and sprocket, have ye ever had bike fittings?

I have always sorted my own bikefit and adjusted numerous riders setups for riders. Its not a difficult thing to do..

mp31

couerdelion wrote: »

...It's not just a case of being comfortable. Plenty of people are comfortable on their bikes but when you see them on their commutes they're 'fit' is all wrong.

Hmm.. but maybe those commuters are happy to be in position on the bike that is not the most efficient but more comfortable... and more likely not interested in going from A to B in the fastest possible time

johnjohnol wrote: »

thanks for all the advice lots of different views which is good, its not that im uncomfortable on the bike or have any pain when i get off it id just think that a small adjustment or 2 could bump me up onother k/m or 2 p/hour without having to use extra power. might try a diy fit and if that doesnt go to well ill see a pro.

Based on your current position... is a bike fit really going to give you an extra 2 kmh for the same effort...that'd be impressive if it did

J Madone

12 sprocket wrote: »

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I have always sorted my own bikefit and adjusted numerous riders setups for riders. Its not a difficult thing to do..

So you do bike fitting aswell?

12 sprocket

J Madone wrote: »

So you do bike fitting aswell?

If you mean have I a bike fitting business the answer is no!

easygoing39

Colm,I ve never had a bike fit,have adjusted my saddle height/stem lenght etc myself.Just used my common sense, and talking to lads who have many years on a bike,plus my own feedback from over 20 yrs in the saddle racing and training.I've no pain in the legs/body,can beat lads half my age,and still enjoy getting out on the bike.In this pc correct/tree hugging/mind yourself/dont go hard/namby pamby 2013 life style,its rubbish thats being rammed down our throats,i still believe in listening to my body.The great man himself,Sean Kelly just rode his bike and listened to his body,did him good and will do 98% of us on here good too.

triggermortis

When I got my first road bike 2 years ago I got a fitting after a few months as I was getting aches and pains in my shoulders and knees and one foot. I saw Frank in Richies in Swords and he sorted me out. It cost me €100 plus €30 or so for some shoe inserts as my knees were rotating as I pedalled. I doubt I would have ever sussed this out on my own, so feel it was well worth it.
I have since bought another bike and I figured I'd just measure my fitted bike and copy the settings to the new bike. This hasn't quite worked out and I find the new bike not as comfortable to ride. I think that is mainly due to the saddle now, but I don't want to spend any more on it now
I would have had a fitting done on this bike, but it was bought as a cheap commuter as I'm saving for a good bike and will definitely be getting that one fitted.

Konkers

My 2 cents here. I'd been cycling for a couple of years (4/5) before I got a fitting done last summer. I was also looking for a new bike at the time so I did a fair bit of research online re bike size and adjustments. I did not feel uncomfortable on the bike (week before i had cycled from dublin to cork in one day) but i did want to see where improvements could be made. As it turned out very little that needed to be changed but I did feel more comfortable on the bike after. However, you can get a lot more out of it than just a fitting. I asked a lot of questions when I was there. This corrected some of the misunderstandings I had inherited from the Internet. So hopefully when my new bike arrives in a week or so I will be able to set it up properly.

So, if you have a lot of experience re all the different parts of your bike that can be adjusted and the affect of those adjustments then you could probably do a DIY job on it with bit of time patience and "body listening" (if u know what I mean).

Btw also, everyones biomechanics are different. That makes doing a DIY bike fit on you todd tricky cos it difficult to observe your own movement on the bike.

Also it's worth getting the fitting done when you are in reasonable condition.

murph226

I hope to get this done soon.

I was planning on getting it done in the Edge in Cork but when I inquired last year I could or swore it was €120 or €150, its now €170 according to the site!

I was ok with €120 but €170 is taking the p!ss, that is ridiculous money imho.

Has anyone had this done in the Edge recently?

Max_Charger

murph226 wrote: »

I hope to get this done soon.

I was planning on getting it done in the Edge in Cork but when I inquired last year I could or swore it was €120 or €150, its now €170 according to the site!

I was ok with €120 but €170 is taking the p!ss, that is ridiculous money imho.

Has anyone had this done in the Edge recently?

I'm sure it was €150 I paid in August alright.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=80284451&postcount=40

murph226

I knew it was cheaper before, thought it was 120 though.

shaka

The edge is a ripp off for most things

vistafinder

I paid 150 in the edge around October + a seat post cant rember how much that was.It took about 2 hours. It did take a long while to get used of the new set up and a few minor adjustments I am realy comfortable on the bike now. If your planning on spending a lot of time on the bike its a good idea but anything over 150 is kind of takeing the piss alright.

bedirect

i think if you pay 100 euro for a bike fit, they are definitely doing to find something wrong. There is a new shop in Augher co Tyrone, he charges 30 stg = 37 euros, the guy that does it is an ex pro from Czech republic. Cyclo I think is the name of the shop, just price him first. In todays economy who is getting 100 euro an hour

triggermortis

bedirect wrote: »

i think if you pay 100 euro for a bike fit, they are definitely doing to find something wrong. There is a new shop in Augher co Tyrone, he charges 30 stg = 37 euros, the guy that does it is an ex pro from Czech republic. Cyclo I think is the name of the shop, just price him first. In todays economy who is getting 100 euro an hour

Not doubting that this guy is either good or cheap, but my bike fit was €100 and I was there over 3 hours

J Madone

Got a Retul fit today in Sandyford, very impressed with the technique and the technology, originally got fitted on my road bikes 3 years ago in Cycleways and was very happy. The fact I'm 13kg lighter have a few seasons racing under my belt and at a good weight for my build made me go for the rolls royce in bike fitting.
Took 2.5 hours to set me up on my training bike, very interesting looking at the different adjustments before and after on the motion capture software. Had a short spin tonight and feels good so far, booked my race bikes in for early next week and looking forward to seeing and feeling the difference