Affordable bike fitting?

[Tim Kelley]

@parkerlinz 126911 wrote:

Hi,
I bought a new road bike from REI, but when I ride it even short distances, my quad tendon on top of my knee starts to hurt on one leg, making it difficult to bike at all. So, I figured that should get a bike fitting.

Looking around, bike fittings can be pretty pricey, ranging from $125-$250. I don’t want to spend too much on this, as the bike was expensive just by itself. Does anyone have suggestions for a place to get a bike fitting that can do it for less?

Thanks!

Save your money for a couple more weeks. It’s worth it to spend the $125+ on a full fitting if you plan on riding your bike regularly.

[LeprosyStudyGroup]

You can also try going to a local bike coop like phoenix or velocity or smaller bike shop and ask an experienced person there how your bike fit looks, they would probably point you in the right direction for free.
It sounds to me like your saddle height is a bit off.

[Tania]

Agree on saddle height. I got a new bike a few weeks ago and started getting right knee pain (directly on top of my knee cap) on any hilly ride over an hour. I raised my saddle MAYBE 1/4″ if that and it abated. It might have been saddle height, it might have been just being on a different bike. Or both.

Also agree on saving up for a proper fit. I’m waiting for my other new bike to get here and then going to have them fit at the same time.

[hozn]

I would suggest starting with one of the many online bike fit calculators.

One of the better ones:
http://www.competitivecyclist.com/Store/catalog/fitCalculatorBike.jsp

They are excellent for things like saddle height & setback (how far behind bb). Doing it this way will leave you very informed about what you’re adjusting and how it makes you feel.

As for bar reach and drop, that is a little more subjective and will vary hugely with your flexibility and core strength. This is where a fitter could be helpful — they could point out issues in flexibility, posture, etc. and give you targeted stretches and core workouts. Really, I think that’s the only value a professional bike fitting provides most people (people without physiological quirks that might be measured by more precise instruments than a tape measure). And honestly, if you’re not flexible/strong enough for a chosen reach/drop posiition, you’re going to know pretty quickly (it’s going to hurt) — and you can adjust the bar height and distance from saddle accordingly. Of course, it’s probably true that another benefit a professional fitting provides is a stockpile of different stems, bars, etc. to try out. Or just ask to borrow different stems/bars from folks around here — or own bicycles for awhile and you’ll have your own stockpile.

There are also iphone (and android?) apps that might work reasonably well. E.g. http://www.dcrainmaker.com/2013/10/automated-measurement-review.html

[dasgeh]

Many (most?) local bike shops will help fit a bike to you if you buy it new from them. I had thought REI included this in their sales, too. You might just call to ask?

[rcannon100]

I have found the online guides excellent. The thing about learning yourself about bike fit is your body and your fitness is constantly changing. For example, moving your seat slightly forward or backward stresses different sets of muscles. Moving you seat up or down a little can impact your knees. Different clipless pedals with different float can effect your legs. As you ride, and feel how your body responds to your bicycle – if you understand bicycle fit you can keep making adjustments until magic. You may find you want to change the fit for different riding styles (mountain biking as opposed to road). And you may find that, well, your seat post slips and you want to adjust it to a better position. A lot of people will fuss with new bicycles for months before they get it just the way they want it.

[Emm]

You get what you pay for. If you want something cheap it may be helpful, but not complete. If it’s saddle height causing the pain (which is often the case), bring it back to REI, say you have pain and ask if they think the saddle height needs adjusting. They may be able to eyeball it and set it better for you. If that doesn’t fix it, you may just need to pay the $.

I’ve had 2 bikes fit at Fresh Bikes by Clovis, and it’s worth every penny. Even moreso since if you go in later with a second bike he’ll often give you a serious discount on the next fitting. Yes, it sucked to pay $200 ($100 for the second bike), but it was totally worth it to have a bike that didn’t cause my pain and allowed me to maximize my power. If I hadn’t had the fittings done there is no way I’d be able to comfortably ride any long distance on my road bikes.

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