The shop have “fitted” you by eye on the
shop floor before you leave for your first ride, everything seems great, until
you hit the local roads and find a niggling pain somewhere. It’s often numb
toes, or sore knees, and it’s super, super annoying, you’ll probably persist
with the pain for a few rides, but it’s not clearing up!
Your first port of call will more than
likely be local shops who offer “specialist” services with fancy marketing
material and claims of high tech services with all the bells and whistles.
These services can often be compared to a
beginner pianist performing on a grand piano.. They may not have the skills
necessary to perform well with the equipment, and fail to get the desired
result.
When you think of a bike fit, you should
consider that you’re spending money on a service, and that level of service can
fluctuate massively from one fit consultant to the next.. The fitter that you
want fitting your bike has to know the human body inside out, and it’s
abilities to cope with different positions on the bike.
Whether it’s crit racing twice a week, a
sportive once every 6 months, or just riding for fun, your position will be
different to the next client, and needs to be right for you.
I’m a firm believer in working with
numbers, angles and measurements, whilst using common sense too. The data gives
a high degree of accuracy and predictable results, whilst harnessing your
common sense ensures that you don’t just follow these numbers blind and make obvious,
stupid errors.
Since starting fitting, I’ve conducted over
300 fits, and have learned a vast amount of fitting related things. I combine
this knowledge of fitting with my experience as a sports therapist, and the
understanding of human anatomy I have developed over my career.
This enables me to provide some of the
highest quality bike fitting available in Yorkshire.
Why would you invest in a service of poor
quality from a shop that specialize in the sales of bikes, not the mechanics of
the rider?
You wouldn’t expect the salesman from the
garage you bought your car from to be able to conduct the MOT/Servicing of that
vehicle, so why would you expect the salesman of your bike to be able to
conduct a high quality fitting service?
As someone who’s ridden in sportives, raced
midweek town center crits on the national series, competed in road races and
dabbled in a bit of time trialing, I don’t just know the fitting process inside
out, but also the sport!
Enough about me now! Here are my 5 top tips
for picking the right bike fitter!
1)
Look for deeper knowledge than
just a bike brands own training course.
2) A shop with a dedicated area is
more than likely more serious about fitting, if it’s half fitting room half
storage space, avoid!
3)
Look for someone who’s worked
with a range of athletes, as they will have the broadest range of experience.
4)
Price doesn’t always represent
level of service, if one fit costs more than another, ask why, usually it’s just a boutique shop adding a premium on!
5)
Don’t be sucked in by fancy
marketing material, get the key facts such as level of training, areas covered
in the fit, the fitters specialist areas and price!
This isn’t meant to be a “pick me” style
advert, it’s meant to give you an idea of the other services that exist out
there, and the reasons why you should pick a specialist as opposed to anyone
who offers the service..
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